Drew Dowdell

It takes 23 variations of 3-series to outsell the CTS by 3,000 vehicles?

6416 > 6042 CTS FTW!

Well... Toyota is a major stake holder now.... so I guess it was only a matter of time.

Try again. The entire housing market meltdown is a major indicator of this. We aren't talking about just the bubble markets of SoCal and Miami. Pittsburgh is getting hit also. No one is immune. I want to clear something up though. I'm not in favor of protectionism. I am in favor of reciprocal agreements. If the Japanese want to sell their goods here then great! However, our companies must have equal access to the Japanese market. At that point, may the best product win. Until we reach that point however, we are not in a state of "free trade". We should threaten to close or tariff our markets until trade barriers with the other countries are removed.

I've been seeing one weekly since my breakup back in January. It helps, but you really need to develop a connection with the person. I didn't care for the first therapist I saw and I searched for another. I like the one I have now much better. It helps, but you have to keep at it for a while. It's not going to be 5 trips and you're done. Full disclosure: I refuse to take meds. I feel that they simply mask the underlying problem. Unless there is something chemically wrong, there is nothing meds can do that other non-medical methods can't. I'd be happy to discuss any of this further in PM.

Correlation is not causation. unemployment rates and GDP performance are worthless numbers unless you put them in context. Let me ask you some questions that require more thought than just reciting two statistics. 1. What does the unemployment number truly measure? Answer: Persons are classified as unemployed if they do not have a job, have actively looked for work in the prior 4 weeks, and are currently available for work. Follow up: What happens to the people who have just given up looking for work? 2. Should someone who has been laid off from a skilled trade, be it textile or automotive, now working at walmart stocking shelves, be considered fully employed? 3. GDP is a measure of productivity. A statistic was recently released saying that Americans are among the most productive employees in the world. However, at the same time, we work more hours than anyone else and take the shortest amount of vacation. Often vacations are "working" vacations where employees are expected to carry cell phones. Employees report that they are expected to do this in order to keep their jobs. How do these statistics improve our quality of life and make us wealthier? So, yes, GDP is up. Unemployment is down. If you're incurious enough to dig further, those statistics would make you happy.

We've heard about that too....

I didn't leave the company due to downsizing. My job is still there, I am not. All the people who were downsized were textile workers. Some of them had been at the company for 20 years. There aren't a lot of opportunities for someone like that other than Walmart greeter.

No, the electricity is not stored. The technology exists, but generally isn't used. In most PV setups, the house produces so much electricity during the day that it's not a big deal to the owner to run off the grid at night. In fact, the net effect is usually such that the home owner gets a check from the electricity company each month. There is, however, a new device that takes advantage of the new system of timed metering <electricity costs more at certain times of the day>. The device charges the batteries off the grid during the cheap time and discharges during peak time. I'm sure this could be modified for solar. It is substantially more costly to retrofit an existing house than to build a new house with solar. If a new house is designed right, it can be built with both photo voltaic AND solar water heat for ultimate energy savings.

I want my 500kb back from downloading this page. :hissyfit:

Completely agreed. You really don't want to get me started on public transportation.

Beware the law of unintended consequences. In many cases, it may end up that it is more economical to bulldoze the house rather than upgrade it to meet the new regs. The materials required to rebuild the structure would not necessarily be "green". No, the solution is to place a "carbon tax" on households that don't use green energy and an "electricity guzzler" surcharge for households that use more than their share. This will encourage electricity consumers to 1) use energy saving appliances/lightbulbs and 2)Choose green energy suppliers for their home. 3)Not light up the exterior of their house like it's Shay Stadium using grid power. <low voltage solar is fine>. Many houses are located in an energy deregulated area. Consumers can choose green alternatives when choosing electricity suppliers. Yes it costs more, but that is because the true cost of carbon based energy isn't passed on to the consumer directly through their utility bills. The "carbon tax" would go towards building additional green energy sources. edit: One of the things the carbon tax could be used for would be rebates to consumers who install solar on their houses.

tard away... :AH-HA_wink:

don't go into the "pictures of yourselves thread" then

It seems we have something else in common.

They both blow, but at least the vents at the top of the Cobalt stack line up with the rest of the stack.

yes

That's the river's problem.

Right, because that 4-speed is really holding Buick back from completely outselling the Avalon. Oh.... wait.....

sayz you!

I received this invitation a few weeks ago: The person who invited me is a very close friend... as such, I was able to respond thusly: Got a phone call full of laughter as a response. :lol:

Suzuki S1

I always figured it was because they don't really have much to do so their really is no rush to do it. My grandparents, even after they were retired... kept waking up at 6am. Grandpop would head down to the diner for breakfast and to BS with the other old coots also there. Nana would work on her sewing or meet with her church group or visit my Great grandfather. Always plenty of time. Nana drives an Escort and grandpop drove a Windstar before he passed. Now my other grandmother. She's a bit of a jet setter. Whenever you call her she's rushing out the door to the airport or some event..... but she's armed with a 745i and she knows how to use it.

It has. Every time you "Save Money. Live Better"*, the money you've saved has come directly out of the pockets of an American worker. Wow you've managed to save $15 on 300 thread count sheets at Walmart. Well guess what, those sheets are now made in Vietnam or China rather than South Carolina or Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. I used to work for the textile company who supplied those sheets to Walmart. In order to compete, the company was forced to move it's production over seas and lay off 150 workers. But.... you saved $15 on the sheets.... so it doesn't really matter. *Walmart's new slogan

Would you rather go through a hurricane in a canoe or an air craft carrier?