Paolino

Two and a Half Men is not on Fox. And there are a few good shows on Fox. I am disappointed that CBS would continue to support this guy's habit for as long as they did, putting up with what they did. Yeah, I get it, it's all about money.

That's disturbing... I'm positive I read the base stereo of the Regal had a 7-speaker system which included a subwoofer. EDIT: Just checked buick.com and it does indeed come with a 7-speaker stereo standard, however it doesn't mention whether or not one of those is a subwoofer. Still though, I would think a premium car's base stereo should be more than adequate. I'm listening to a 6-speaker stereo in a 2006 Hyundai that has by far better quality (crispness and bass) than the stereo in the 2006 Lucerne CXL.

Well, the engine in the Regal isn't exactly the engine in the base Malibu... the direct injection does offer a different feel and is less anemic than the regular 2.4. I would agree with you on the LaCrosse being more like a successor to the Aurora... and with the 3.6L and hi-per strut setup, and upcoming high-po DI 3.6L, it'll feel like it has even more punch. That said, there's an absolute need for weight reduction in both cars, and GM is aware of that. Getting rid of that extra weight will let the cars get better fuel economy, feel more nimble/lively, and hopefully handle a little better.

I don't know what's going on with the speakers... granted I haven't heard them in the new LaCrosse or Regal, but the ones in my parents' Lucerne are pathetic. My 1994 Century put out more bass.

Guy online on youtube managed 30.4mpg on the turbo with the cruise set to 68mph. Not sure how long the test was.

Absolutely. ABSOLUTELY. And now NYS is making 40% of our tenures and yearly evaluations based highly on how students perform on state tests. Now, without getting into details, you have a lot poorer (academically) students taking Italian. I have had between 93-100% of my students annually passing the state test in Italian, with 5 sections in one school. The French teacher, has one small section in each school because French was dying at the time. Her students, mostly honors, all passed. Somehow, she feels she did "a better job than I did." According to NYS, even though I got some of the most difficult students to pass the state test--students who failed other state tests in other disciplines--she did a "better job educating her students than I did. Absolutely. The district I used to work in has had horror stories. My goddaughter and niece live in that district. I sat their parents down and told them they need to be on top of their child's education--do not leave EVERYTHING up to the school. I explained that I have 8th grade Italian students who can't read an analog clock and think a "quarter hour" is 25 minutes (and fail to understand after explanation that a quarter hour is a quarter of 60 minutes), etc.

I agree.. I'd much rather see the upcoming updated 3.6L DI as the Regal GS with hp/torque around 300 a piece than the GS we're getting with 255/295. I'm not saying it won't move the car nicely, but a V6 has a much nicer sound in my opinion.

Do you feel the engine kick on and off while recharging? How easy have you found it to actually connect/charge the car at home? Are you charging with a 110 or 220V? Do you like the touch-sensitive center console? What would you have improved on interior design?

It's HORRIBLE.

Good luck to you as well. And I agree with you on physical education--it's gotten way too lax... I mean, my students tell me they have "gym homework", and my friend is a phys ed/health teacher and I've stood in her classes briefly... between changing in the locker room, warm ups, attendance, changing again in the locker room, they get what, 15 minutes of exercise at most?

No, I live in NY where Cuomo is slashing like crazy. The state just got rid of Italian this year, and all language Proficiencies in 8th grade as well as the 8th grade Social Studies assessment. When I got laid off, I had no chalk, no pens, no paper, no books, and almost 30 in each of my classrooms--and I spent about $1,000 out-of-pocket to supply the room. What the hell is it going to be like next year?! Sachem, the largest district on Long Island, is potentially cutting up to 375 teachers this year, not including aides, ta's, custodians, clerical staff, and administration. So, with thousands out of work, does Cuomo really think he's going to save much money? Gonna have to pay for unemployment for all of them too, and that's going to cut on spending bigtime. I spent this past year finishing my certification in Spanish, a language/culture I really don't want to teach but will for a job, and there's almost no hope of landing one for next year.

You have a point... as an adult student, I'm completely unmotivated to finish up my last class of Spanish knowing there's no job for me next year. I got the short end of the stick when the state chopped Italian, and now that I'm almost done learning Spanish, thousands of teachers will be laid off this year, in addition to the thousands from last year.

No, it also goes to the parents. I'm not saying every teacher is wonderful, but the majority of students resist learning. More than you think, resist completely. This can destroy a classroom environment and cause even students who were previously motivated to learn, to falter. I'm not saying what the teacher in question did was correct, but there are times where I am completely frustrated and feel similarly.

Don't forget watching Family Guy, playing Gears of War, etc. Surprisingly, there are still a few I see each year who do value education. Occassionally you'll even find a student who performs horribly but tries their butt off to master material. Most of the time this stems from the importance placed on education from the parents. But unfortunately, you're mostly correct... most children just don't care.

I use the communicative method frequently when I teach. I've taught grammar in interesting ways such as charades, dances, and setting up faux travel plans visiting cities they built (which practiced their vocab). EDIT: I feel I need to piggyback on my own statement. You can make almost anything interesting if you try enough. However, school is school. Students need to understand they are not to be entertained 100% of the time and there is a need for a student to take some responsibility for their own actions and do work.

There's a HUGE difference between presenting material in a way that is interesting and motivates learning vs. lazy students. There are students who will not and outright refuse to learn. Having taught for many years, along with my personality and caring, I have an excellent rapport with students and parents. That said, I've come across students that no matter what I do, refuse to do a stick of work. Should teachers be responsible to motivate students to do work outside of the classroom or should parents take a part? Or should this generation finally step up and start acting responsible for their actions? I can't believe how much education (the system and the students) have degraded since I was in school. Students have all the power. They're never at fault. I don't assign mountains of homework. I make it clear to students and parents from the first day of school, I understand what it's like to be a student/teen. I get they have several other classes. That said, I rather they spend 15 minutes practicing my material every day than blowing it off if I gave them an hour of homework every night. Yet 15 minutes of homework seems to be too much for some students to do.

This is good

For those saying "Lay off the Impy, it's still a good car." No.. no it isn't. It's an "okay" car. It's a car that has sub-par materials inside. A car with an albeit smooth, old transmission. It has sub-par brakes. Its styling isn't fresh anymore. It no longer has competitive features. And it tops out at about $32,000. Who on earth would pay $32,000 for one of these?! And before you start going on about the thousands off you can get, what does that tell you?! It's not a great car. It's not a good car. It's an okay car, or a "good buy for the money" when referring to lower trims and gently used.

I can see the reason why GM wouldn't invest any money into the Impala knowing it's going out in a couple of years and that it's already so old, but I can't imagine some incredibly simple changes would help it like maybe a modified grille or new taillamps or updated gauges or even as simple as replacing the plood/metal with a different plood and/or metal that looked substantially better. I mean, if this thing is the fleet queen, then EVERYONE is seeing an Impala and thinking this is representative of Chevy now. The Chevy's I've been in as of late have been in a different class than this W-body.

I'm confused... I thought for 2012, we were supposed to have a new interior and new taillamps?

Keep going...

What makes you think they're going to put the 280hp version of the LaCrosse in the Impala? We may get the 252hp from the Malibu.

That's going to be difficult for many since even though I live in a fairly populated area, there are no buses or subways. I have the LIRR which goes from town to town but the station is about an hour walk away. People will continue to drive, no matter what the price. They'll just have to sacrifice other things or make more carpooling alternatives. Look, Italy had about $4.50/gallon for gas in the 90's... I don't even know what it's up to now. People looked to alternatives like diesel, small scooters, small cars, small displacements, etc.

I agree. I don't think it'd cost an enormous amount of money to tweak the car a bit. I mean, look at Hyundai's transformation between the 08 and 09 Sonata's interior... that was a complete redesign, many features were added like dual zone climate control, nav, etc... I can't see it being terribly difficult or expensive to at least modify some of the materials/designs to incorporate the updated radio and a potential nav screen. And plood that looks better.

If the only thing they're doing is putting the 3.6L with the 6-speed in the Impala, I hope autorags don't start reviewing it like it's a huge update. The car has so many flaws like lack of content for one, and a new powertrain is not going to breathe new life into this thing.