Quality Weenie

Friday Doggie Blogging

Yea! It's Friday!

Time to be dazzeled by my puppers!

Maggie and more funky ears!

Sweet Lance

Maggie showing off her long legs

Close-up of Lance

You Must Drink The Kool-Aid

With the annoucement that Ford is planning more cuts, people are understandably pissed off.

We had a Drink the Kool-aid Department Mtg today, so they could "explain" what was going on (although they couldn't tell us anything).

They said they have no idea where the paper is getting it's information that Ford will cut upto 12% of it's salary force. (It's very easy to get pissed off employees to talk, just stand at any fast food place in Dearborn during lunch) And that nothing has been firmly decided yet, they are crunching numbers, blah blah blah.

Someone asked why they gave out profit sharing checks just 8 weeks ago, those profit sharing checks not given could have paid the salaries of the roughly 2000 employees that are going to get the boot in a month or so.

They said that they had to give out checks to "retain" talent.

I call bullshit, your in a state with 7% umemployement. Nobody and I mean nobody is voluntarily leaving the company for better jobs. People are happy to go home at the end of the day with a job, nobody is trying to find better because just having a job in the state of Michigan is the better.

The executives wanted bonuses and the only way they could justify giving themselves bonueses was to throw the peons a crumb.

People are very pissed, there could be a revolt.

Should be an interesting next couple of months.

Ford To Cut 12% of Salary Workforce

I mentioned a couple days ago about Ford annoucing it will involuntarily cut its white collar workforce.

The numbers are out:

Ford Motor Co. will cut its U.S. salaried work force by between 10 percent and 12 percent in an effort to jump-start a turnaround plan stalling in the face of rising gasoline and raw materials prices.

And this time, it won't be voluntary.

Ford has 24,300 white-collar workers in the United States, Canada and Mexico. That could mean more than 2,000 U.S. workers could be getting pink slips by the end of July. It was not clear whether Ford Credit will be included in the cuts.

A manager in another department also told The Detroit News that he had been instructed to cut contract employees and identify between 10 percent and 15 percent of his staff to cut.

Ford has already eliminated 11,000 salaried positions in North America since the end of 2005 -- mostly through voluntary buyout and early retirement incentives

First off, how is cutting more salary positions going to make customers buy more cars? I just don't see how getting rid of employees is going to "jumpstart" the turnaround plan. If the plan isn't working, it certainly isn't because of the few employees you do have left.

And second, I am guessing that approx 50% of those 11,000 salaried positions that have already been cut in previous years are back working at Ford in contract positions, speaking strickly from experience.

So while Ford is dumping it's Pension and Health benefit obligations it really is not getting rid of the amount of people it says it is. Besides, you can't cut your way to profitablility.

And lastly, if you can dump nearly 15,000 of your salary employees either you were so bloated to begin with or the employees you do have left hate you. No wonder employee moral is pegged at 50% satisfied.

Hopefully they don't cut until the end of July, I would like to get vacation in this year. We haven't been on a vacation in 2 years and I sorely need this upcoming vacation. If cut before vacation, I can't in good conscious go on vacation and spend money.

Enough Already

I sit here and do nothing, day after day after day.

Can someone please let the Good Lord and Karma know that 2 years of punishment is enough already.

And it's just rubbing salt in the wound getting all the calls from far away places.

Ford To Cut Production & People

Ford came out today with re-adjusted profitability numbers and production cuts.

Ford Motor Co. backed away from its pledge to return to profitability next year, saying skyrocketing fuel prices and commodity prices have put its North American turnaround plan behind schedule.

The Dearborn automaker also announced that it is cutting production of trucks and sport utility vehicles and increasing production of more fuel-efficient cars, because of "rapid changes in customer buying preferences," which was a major factor in its decision to revise its profit forecast.

During a conference call with reporters and analysts following the announcement, Mulally said more job cuts will be necessary. The targeted buyouts Ford is offering at two of its U.S. plants will be extended to other facilities, though Mulally would not say which ones. He said Ford is also weighing involuntary layoffs for blue-collar and white-collar employees. (emphasis mine)

I mean really, where they the only people on this planet that didn't see high gas prices and the need for smaller cars coming?

I am going to have an stroke one of these days talking about theses issues.

I feel my end here will be coming much sooner then I anticapated. Was told through August, that would be when the majority of the project I am working on will be complete. But I can see them getting rid of the contractors on this project now.

Mr Weenie and I have been fearing for a couple years now that they are working on getting rid of the prototype area within Ford and outsourcing the work. They are already outsourcing some of the work, and the stuff they have been doing just this past year points to them outsourcing everything.

We just might be moving south soon.

He said more details will be announced in July when Ford unveils a revised restructuring plan.

I have a feeling it's going to be pretty nerve racking around the Weenie household for the next few months.

The Funky Ear Edition of Doggie Blogging

With Italian Greyhounds (and Greyhounds in general) their ears can do very funky things.

Maggies especially do wierd ear-do's.

Lance's ears don't go funky all that often.

Maggies piggy picture below is a perfect example of perfect "rose" ears for IG's.

Thursday Doggie Blogging

The puppers got some new collars yesterday, along with new harnessess.

Lance got one with Froggies on it and one with cars/trucks on it.

Maggie got ones with Piggies on it and one with Flowers.

And pictures of their new harnessess. They are made from soft material lining them and some bling on the buckles.

Collars and Harnessess are from K9 Closet, my favorite collar site

Plastech Going Out Of Business

I called this one when this whole thing started with Plastech and Chrysler.

Plastech Engineered Products Inc. plans to sell its businesses and all of its assets to pay its creditors, a move that eventually would dissolve the company.

They were probably planning this all along and wanted to be able to blame someone else for their demise.

The Dearborn supplier of plastic parts, which has been in Chapter 11 since Feb. 1, is negotiating to sell its interior parts business to Johnson Controls Inc., already Plastech’s largest customer.

Plastech plans to sell its exterior parts business through an auction to be held June 16. The deadline for bids is June 13.

Plastech wanted to emerge from bankruptcy as a stand alone company, but its creditors prefer the option of selling the company’s businesses.

So we see that Plastech will be able to blame it's creditors for it's demise.

And it's demise is coming fast.

Last week Plastech alerted workers at four plants in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, that the factories are scheduled to close by July 13.

I doubt that Johnson Controls will buy the plants, they are probably just buying the business (ie parts) and will move everything to it's own plants.

All those employees at Plastech are now out of a job in a state with 7% unemployment rate.

With a July 13th shut down date, Plastech knew quite awhile ago that it was closing it's door permanently. That is only 60 days away, I know it takes longer then that to close down a company as big as Plastech was. Sounds to me like they wanted to screw it's customers and decided not to annouce it's closing until the last possible minute.

Funny thing is, that I just saw last week job postings for Plastech, they knew last week they were going out of business why did they post for jobs.

Ford To Remake What It Got Rid Of

The Dearborn automaker is developing a smaller, lighter version of its bread-and-butter F-150 pickup.

Gee, I wonder if they will name it the Ranger?

Talk about reinventing the wheel.

Dumbasses, and they wonder why they are in the trouble they are.

ADD Drinker

Alcohoroscopes? Putting drinking and horoscopes together, cool!

Gemini

Drinking style
Geminis can drink without changing their behavior much — they’re so naturally chatty and short-attention-spanned that it’s just hard to tell sometimes. They can amaze you by conversing with finesse and allusion, then doing something to belie an extremely advanced state of intoxication, like puking in your shoe. Geminis possess the magic ability to flirt successfully (and uninfuriatingly, which is very tricky) with several people at once. They like to order different cocktails every round — repetition is boring — and may create a theme (like yellow drinks: beer, sauvignon blanc and limoncello) for their own amusement.

Trademark cocktails
Easily bored Geminis need some stimulation in their drinks — those with two parts, like a black and tan (or just a double), are particularly appealing. Otherwise, they’ll drink all over the map, ordering frou-frou drinks to add to their collection of cocktail monkeys or going for whiskey rocks because they’re feeling rather noir. Gemini rules the herb anise — make some home-infused anise vodka as a gift.

Drinking buddies
George Bush Sr., Johnny Depp, Rupert Everett, Boy George, Allen Ginsberg, Angelina Jolie, John Kennedy, Ian McKellen, Kylie Minogue, Morrissey

And do I have some great drinking buddies or what? GB Sr? Yeehaw!

Stolen from Beannachd

Pretty Flowers and Pretty Iggies!

The Phlox and Crab Apple in front of our house are in full bloom. Put puppers in front and you have a nice picture.

Obama, Savior of Auto Industry?

Oh for craps sake, the shit is getting deep now.

Obama is very proud of when he came to detroit and told the automakers off, right in front of them. He has repeatedly boasted of it everywhere he has gone.

This month on NBC's "Meet the Press," Obama made the case for tougher fuel-efficiency standards, and then said, "I didn't say that just in front of environmental groups, I went to Detroit and said it in front of the automakers. That's the kind of truth telling we need from the next president."

And now he is taking credit for the progress the Big 3 has made on the environment.

Obama praised the Big 3 for their progress on the environment.

"If you look at what the automakers have been touting ... since I gave that speech, it's been the kinds of actions I suggested needed to get done," he said.

I am speechless. Obama thinks that the Big 3 were doing nothing until he gave his speech and then just started to do environmental stuff because of what he said 10 months ago.

Really, I am speechless.

That is just fucked up thinking.

Obama Twisting McCains Words Again

Obama was here in Michigan today, and was up to his old tricks of twisting McCains words and making it sound bad.

“When John McCain came to Michigan in January and said we couldn’t bring back all the jobs, he was right, but where he was wrong was in suggesting that there was nothing we could do to replace those jobs,”

Well here is what McCain really said:

McCAIN: Sometimes you have to tell people things they don't want to hear. There are jobs--let's have a little straight talk--there are some jobs that aren't coming back to Michigan. There are some jobs that won't come back here to South Carolina. But we're going to take care of them. That's our goal; that's our obligation. We need to go to the community colleges and design education and training programs so that these workers get a second chance. That's our obligation as a nation. And by the way, I don't believe we're headed into a recession. I believe the fundamentals of this economy are strong, and I believe they will remain strong.

That is a huge discrepency in words there.

I Thought He Quit That Church?

I thought Obama quit Trinity chruch?

He was in Michigan today (yipee skippy) and visited a Chrysler plant and said the following:

He lost his spiritual adviser, but not his church and that in addition to attending churches all over the country, he still belongs to Trinity, where a new young minister is continuing the church’s “tireless work in the community.”

So, same car just different tires.

If it's a new minister, but at the same church wouldn't he following the same principals and preaching the same things?

Burn Baby, Burn

Last week the fire alarms went off in our building, but we could barely hear them.

So most of us evacuated, didn't want to take the chance of burning.

We get this email this week, scolding us for evacuating.

All Safety System alarms are set up for high rise buildings as follows. When a alarm is activated on any given floor the alarm one floor below and two floors above will sound off with a announcement and strobes. Security and Fire will than evaluate the situation to determine to see if we need to evacuate other floors/areas of the building. The building would than be notified by their floor alarm system. The system does not require a complete building evacuation unless needed.

I'm sorry, if I hear a fire alarm I am evacuating. I am not going to wait around for someone else to decide if I need to the leave the building or not.

I work in a 10 story building.

Not The Image To Project

This morning on the way to work I was cut off by a van that was to impatient to wait in the long line to get onto the freeway.

So they decided it was better to cut me off, causing me to have to swerve into the turn land or get sideswipped. I honked my horn at them and they repeatedly flipped me off while laughing.

And then they did the same thing just a short distance up the road to another person that they had to cut off in order to get back into the line to get on the freeway.

Only problem, they were in a company van that had their phone number on it and the van had it's own personnel number on the van to report for such instances.

The company was Ambu-Trans Inc in Farmington Hills, MI. It's a handicapped transportation service and they had a passenger in the van at the time.

Nice Image to project to the public.

A Little Creative Repackaging

That is all that is needed for the automakers to meet the fuel requirements that California is demanding.

President of CARB, Mary Nichols, has countered this by stating that the demands of the CARB rules are already within industry reach and should only require a “little creative repackaging” to achieve.

I just hate when people who have no clue tell the auto industry how simple it is to reach unrealistic fuel economy goals.

California's push for unrealistic fuel economy requirements was shot down throughly when the fuel bill passed Congress. But they don't care, they plan to proceed without the government allowing it anyway.

While the U.S. government has implemented a fleet-wide fuel efficiency standard of 35mpg by 2020 for carmakers (plus an interim mandate of 31.6mpg by 2015), California is planning to implement its own ruling of 36.8mpg by 2016.

California feels it is above the U.S. Government and will do what it wants. Of course though once the presidential election happens, California will be granted the right to do what they want by the loser elected.

Although the Bush administrations has so far blocked the strict rules set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), all three current presidential candidates support the idea.

Yep, not only is the Auto Industry is screwed, but the public will be forced to buy tiny electric cars that can only go 40 miles on one charge.

SMART Finally Passes Crash

I don't know how they could allow the sale of the Smart Car if they hadn't passed crash before now.

After the side-impact test conducted on the Smart car by the Insurance Institute, and a separate test by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one issue remains under review: The Smart's driver door unlatched during each test crash.

The IIHS downgraded the Smart structural rating to acceptable from good, "but the opening didn't appear to effect dummy movement during the test," the agency said.

"Still, doors shouldn't unlatch because in some crashes it could allow partial or complete occupant ejection" especially if they were not wearing safety belts, the Insurance Institute said.

It shouldn't be long before someone sues because a loved one died after being ejected during a crash and not wearing their seatbelts.

How safe is it really?

The IIHS noted the Smart has standard side air bags and electronic stability control, but the vehicle lacks a traditional front-end crush zone, which absorbs crash energy in most vehicles.

Instead, the Smart counts on seat belts and air bags to absorb energy. (emphasis mine)

They rely on seat belts and air bags to absorb crash energy. Not something I would take a chance on.

Not with statistics like these:

The IIHS noted that smaller, lighter cars like Smart are generally less safe, since they tend to fare worse in crashes with larger vehicles. In 2006, among vehicles one to three years old, minicars had 106 driver deaths per million registered vehicles, compared with 69 driver deaths in larger cars.

Legitimate or Scam?

I received an email from someone at this website.

Eccentially they post my doggie website on their website and people who search their website for doggie stuff will find my website and order stuff.

Get unprecedented access to the nation's top retailers. Key buyers and upper level executives from the world's largest stores plus thousands of specialty retailers, mail-order catalog companies, and Internet shopping sites use WiseRep to find products.

Once your products are on board they're showcased to the decision makers. They'll contact you directly, placing orders large enough to supply every store in their chain. This can translate into orders for thousands of pieces.

You're in complete control. Pick and choose who you want to work with so you can grow with your business. Sell to large retailers, specialty stores, or both. Set payment terms and delivery dates that work for you.

I haven't really checked through out the website yet but I was wondering if anyone has heard of places like this and are they legitimate or are they a scam?

Toyota Stole Hybrid Technology

Toyota is just getting the shit kicked out of it lately.

They were sued, lost and just lost the appeal.

The U.S. Supreme Court let stand a $4.3 million award against Toyota Motor Corp. for using another company's patented technology in gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, including the top-selling Prius, Bloomberg News reported today.

Yep, they stole technology from another company to make their Prius. Guess they are not all the technology leaders they pretend to be.

Being "top dog" means everyone else is working to knock you off, the media has finally turned on them.

How Many American Auto Jobs Does That Car Support?

I have been saying for quite awhile that American Automotive Manufacturers support a hell of a lot more jobs in America then their Japanese counterparts.

And now you can see exactly how many american jobs your vehicle choice supports.

A group that promotes the U.S. auto industry launched a Web site last week that grades cars and trucks on how many U.S. jobs they support.

The score represents the number of U.S. workers a company employs for every 2,500 vehicles it sells

Go see how many american jobs your vehicle supports.

My Freestyle (now Taurus X) supports 81 American jobs per 2500 vehicles built.

While the Toyota Camry only supports 32 American jobs per 2500 vehicles built.

And my Freestyle has 90% domestic content while the Camry only has 75% domestic content*

*and that 75% domestic content really isn't, as alot of the "american" parts in that car orginally came from Asia and were only assembled in america.

Toyota Cries When Challenged

Looks like Toyota can't deal with the real big boys.

After Ford Motor Co. launched an advertising campaign for its Ford division claiming its initial quality now equals Toyota's, the Asian automaker fired back.

I've been saying it for awhile now, quality amoung american and japanese automotive companies is equal. So what does Toyota have to say about Ford's campaign?

Toyota is saying the numbers really don't mean anything anymore.

In a blog on Friday, Toyota USA spokesman Mike Michaels argues that initial quality ratings mean less than they used to.

Funny that they don't mean much once the American Auto Makers are equal with Toyota now.

Toyota says they will take their ball and go home.

Obama Giving Michigan To McCain

Obama seems to be handing Michigan to McCain for the general election.

Why else would you keep beating, kicking and verbally abusing someone if you wanted them to vote for you.

"The car I learned to drive on was my grandfather's Ford Granada. ... It may be the worst car that Detroit ever built," the Illinois senator said in an interview with Indianapolis radio station WFBQ. "This thing was a tin can. It was during the '70s when oil had just gone up, so they were trying to compete with the Japanese," Obama said. "They wanted to keep the cars big, so they made them out of tin foil. It would rattle and shake. You basically couldn't go over 80 (miles per hour) without the thing getting out of control."

That's it Obama, you keep it classy.

The Lost Comb

13 years ago today Mr Weenie lost his comb. He had this comb since junior high, when it was the in thing in the 70's to have a comb in your back pocket.

Why is this important you say?

This was the first thing he told me when he met me at the alter.

Mr Weenie, after 13 years I am Wrapped Up in You!

How do I love you
Well let me see
I love you like a lyric loves a melody
Baby, completely
Wrapped up in you

How do I need you
Can't you tell
I need you like a penny
Needs a wishing well
Baby, completely
Wrapped up in you

Every now and then
When the world
That were living in is crazy
You gladly hold me and carry me through
No one in the world has ever done
What you did for me
And I'd be sad and lonely
If there were no you

Well how do I love you
Let me count the ways
There ain't no number high enough
To end this phrase
Baby, completely
Wrapped up in you

Every now and then
When the world
That were living in is crazy
You gladly hold me and carry me through
No one in the world has ever done
What you did for me
And I'd be sad and lonely
If there were no you

How do I love you
Well don't you know
I love you bout as deep
As any love can grow
Baby, completely
Wrapped up in you

Baby, completely
Wrapped up in you

- Garth Brooks

Hypocrisy They Name Is Obama

Hypocrisy: The practice of professing beliefs, feelings or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.

Obama left in a GMC Envoy after admitting to favoring SUV's himself

Do as I say, not as I do

The SUV in question, though, is a Flexible Fuel Vehicle that can run on E85, which the Senator fills it with wherever its available

Obama says though that it's ok if he drives an SUV because it can be filled with E85 fuel, which he does on occasion.

You would think with SUV's and Trucks being the favored vehicle of gun-toting, bible clutching, rasicts, average americans he wouldn't want anything to do with them.

Obama's Losing, So He Must Beat-up Someone

Since Obama is losing his pants right now, he feels he must make him-self feel big by beating on someone while they are down.

Sen. Barack Obama defended his opposition to a temporary break from the federal gas tax Sunday and put part of the blame for the nation's dependence on imported oil on the domestic auto industry(emphasis mine)

Obama has always made it clear that he absolutely hates the domestic automotive industry. I wonder if he knows that the Japanese make SUV's and Trucks also?

"Government can help, but the automakers have to make some changes," Obama said Sunday. "And I didn't just say that in front of environmental groups, I went to Detroit and said that in front of the automakers. That's the kind of truth-telling we need from the next president."

Obama thinks he has the biggest balls in the world because he "said it in front of the automakers"

Did he think they would get up on stage and beat him up? He is so tough because he did it in Detroit?

Detroit it building the vehicles people are buying, they are not building SUV's and Trucks and forcing people to buy them. Guess Obama thinks that "Detroit" is forcing people to buy them.

Obama better watch if he ever decides to come to Detroit and say that shit in front of workers, they just might beat him up.

U.S. Government Supports Japanese Vehicles

This is the last straw.

I can not fucking believe this is true, but it unfortuantly is.

The Government is telling lawmakers they have to drive Green cars and then recommend the fucking Prius.

lawmakers will have to give up gas-hungry SUVs and luxury sedans for leased vehicles that are more eco-correct, such as Toyota's Prius.

The Prius is not even built in the U.S.

I guess they feel comfortable enough in screwing the U.S. Auto Makers that they are now just telling people to buy vehicles not built by it's own fucking citizens.

Rep. Elton Gallegly of Simi Valley likes his taxpayer-funded Ford Expedition. He isn't worried that it's not the most fuel-efficient car. It's reliable, suits his mountainous district and is cheaper to lease than many other vehicles.

"It's not a Cadillac. It's not a Lincoln. It's a Ford," the Republican congressman said with exasperation.

Congress has been bearing down to do more about global warming. But a little-noticed amendment to last year's energy bill has hit especially close to home. It requires House members who lease vehicles through their office budgets to drive cars that emit low levels of greenhouse gases.

If the fucking tax payers are paying for their vehicle, they should be able to drive anything their tax payers allow them to buy. And most congressmen are driving american built vehicles.

The requirement was sought by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.), who figured that if his colleagues were serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and U.S. dependence on foreign oil, they ought to put their foot where their mouth is.

A fucking Democrat, figures.

Under the legislation, the Environmental Protection Agency will determine which vehicles lawmakers will be allowed to lease,

I can guara-damn-tee there won't be any american vehicles on their.

Baby steps to put the american auto industry out of business.

At least the Republicans are against it:

"I will start driving a green car once Pelosi starts ballooning back and forth from coast to coast to save jet fuel," said Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.), referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who has made climate change a top priority.

Democrats, the party of do what I tell you, not what I do