Posted on 09 April 2012. Tags: auto workers union, barack obama, bill o reilly, Birthday, bob lutz, car, gm executive, Got, lou dobbs, president george h w bush, Reilly, right wingers, son, united auto workers, united auto workers union
Imagine that. Former President George H.W. Bush recently bought his son, Neil, a Chevrolet Volt as a birthday present. This is the car that all right-thinking, right-wingers demand we hate.
In their political prism, the Volt has everything going against it: It’s beloved by environmentalists for getting 61 miles to the gallon of fuel. It’s assembled by unionized workers at General Motors’ Detroit-Hamtramck plant. It enjoys government subsidies intended to encourage the production of fuel-efficient cars — started by H.W.’s oldest son, former President George W. Bush.
To many, this resembles progress. But to conservatives wanting government-bailed-out Detroit to go down, especially if the United Auto Workers union goes with it, this plug-in hybrid is the car that has to die.
Lo and behold, U.S. car sales were hot last month, with General Motors selling more than 100,000 vehicles that get at least 30 mpg. And sales of its Chevy Volt more than doubled from the month before.
The irony is that GM has temporarily stopped production of the Volt following earlier weak sales. Why? The right-wing media had launched an outrageous smear campaign against it. As former GM executive Bob Lutz sarcastically put it, the Volt had become “the poster child for President [Barack] Obama’s socialist meddling in the free automotive market.”
Lutz responded with special anger to a recent “Bill O’Reilly” Fox News show in which the host condemned the Volt as “an unmitigated disaster.” Joshing over the disappointing Volt sales, O’Reilly’s guest, Lou Dobbs said, “It doesn’t work.” Also, “It catches fire.”
None of this is true. The European-market Volt worked well enough to be named the European car of the year. The “catching fire” claim is fiction, Lutz said, based on battery tests “under extremely destructive experimental conditions.” Two of the three batteries involved weren’t in a car. No Volt has ever caught fire in an accident on a public road, he added, while between 2003 and 2007, some 278,000 gas-powered cars did.
Sadly, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has lowered himself by catering to feverish right-wing fantasies. He softened the rhetoric a bit by advancing the myth that an already weak General Motors and Chrysler could have survived in bankruptcy reorganization without government help. Most economists deemed that scenario impossible at a time of economic meltdown, when nearly all lending had stopped. And who would buy a car from a bankrupt company not backed by the government?
Judging from past writings on energy policy, Romney probably subscribes to a Bush-like belief that government has a role in helping Americans reduce their oil consumption. But he did join the anti-Volt pile-on this week. Using past tense he commented, “I’m not sure America was ready for the Chevy Volt.” Then he wished it well.
What weird brand of politics revels at the prospect of plowing under a U.S. product so innovative that the Chinese are wanting its engineering secrets? It’s a politics that:
• Ignores the huge subsidies that other governments, including China’s, are pouring into energy technology.
Posted in Affiliate Marketing 101
Posted on 30 March 2012. Tags: car, car deals, Corporations, corruption in america, crazy stuff, entire world, greed, injustice, lol, matter, Niches, Place, rituals, throating
Other countries are just as mean?? I feel like America is mean in its own ways though.. In stupid ways.. lol Being competitive and cut throating in jobs. Always out to make a buck. Screwing people over with car deals. It is all about greed and corruption in America.
I feel like in other countries though they have their own crazy stuff. They might not have corporations, but they have terrorist they are training and people killing each other and crazy rituals.
So in the end, the entire world has its own ways of being mean and promoting injustice.. It’s all just a matter of how your country handles things. For us BIG BUSINESS is the way. For others TERRORISM is the way. We all have our corrupt niches. Right?
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Posted on 26 March 2012. Tags: brilliant shade, car, clouds in the sky, Country, filipino writer, fluffy white clouds, green trees, Home, hot weather, line, london girl, tagalog words, Taxi, warm summer sun, white clouds in the sky
I’m writing about a London girl moving to the Philippines, trying to solve the mysteries of her family’s past in the country. I’m an amateur Filipino writer, and I stayed in England for quite some time, so you can trust me on this one! I just need opinions, perhaps constructive criticism, but not mean remarks. If you didn’t like it, just say it simply. Don’t add harsh words. Some Tagalog words are translated in the story as well, so no worries! As for the title, I don’t have something in mind yet 🙂
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Untitled
Chapter One: Kaylan
She didn’t know how long she had been sleeping, but when she opened her eyes, everything was clear. A brilliant shade of blue patched with fluffy white clouds in the sky and a line of emerald green trees met her eyes, as the warm summer sun kissed her skin through the untainted car window.
She glanced at her watch, and it said 8:42 – probably 12 midnight or so back home. No, wait. This place with this fine sky, endless row of tranquil trees, and hot weather is also her home. It just makes sense, because her father was born in this country, and it was also here where he grew up and found the love of his life, her mother, whom he barely talks about after the tragic accident that befell their family when she was just a baby.
There was very little she knew about her mother. It was not her favourite colour, or her favourite book. It was not even how she looked. She never saw a single picture of her. It was her handwriting.
Before she left, she stumbled upon a mildew-spotted parcel in the basement. She had never seen it before, and out of curiosity, she undid the dusty ribbon that fastened it, and lifted its lid. Inside were a few letters, old and crisp, carefully folded, and another one inside was a necklace with a framed preserved white aster for a pendant.
She didn’t show her find to anybody. She didn’t want anybody to know that a piece of her life has come into light. Nobody spoke of her mum, or at least, not around her. It was like a long-buried secret, who her mother was. Her name was never uttered. Pictures were never shown. She didn’t even know if her mother was still alive. All she had were a few letters and a necklace. Are they even enough to get to know her? She felt like a lost child once again, constantly longing for her mum.
The taxi turned to a sharp curve, and little by little, the line of trees was gone as houses and local businesses came into view. They stop for a while to pay the toll fee, and accelerated again, though more slowly this time, getting caught in a Saturday morning traffic jam.
Her heart leapt when a woman in rags with a half-clothed baby sleeping in a blanket slung on her shoulder tapped on her window, asking for some change. Her hand motioned to her pockets to fish a few coins, but before she was able to reach out to the beggars, the driver shooed them away. She felt sorry for them. Then, just in time, the red light turned green, and with a left turn, they escaped the congested national road.
They drove past a market, rice fields, and a public school; empty and lonely due to the much-awaited summer break. Children living in tin houses by the road ran carefree, worn out slippers slightly protecting their tiny feet from the hot rocky ground. Mothers were nearby, tending to their daughters’ hair. She suddenly felt jealous of them, and started to wonder what it felt like to have her hair brushed by her own mum.
Shaking the thoughts out of her head, the driver makes a turn once more, entering a subdivision. The houses around were far different from the place she grew up in, they were rather small and pretty tight, but they all looked home-y, compared to her house which seemed more like a whole town itself than a home.
The taxi came to a stop before a bungalow with well-tended flower beds; a flush of periwinkle, grew by the steps that led to the gate, orange cosmos ringed the blue mailbox, and a bush of tiny red flowers lined with the fence.
‘We’re here, ma’am.’ the taxi driver declared.
‘You sure?’
‘Yes, ma’am, 7 Sampaguita street.’
‘OK,’
The driver stepped out of the car, and unloaded her luggage from the trunk. She stepped out as well, and paid the driver, adding a few quid for the tip.
‘Thank you,’ she said.
‘Thank you too, ma’am,’ he tipped his cap, got back into the car, and left.
She took the steps to the gate, and with a deep breath, she gave the tiny bell a ring and waited.
‘Sandali lang!’ Just a moment, a familiar voice from inside said.
Before long she heard the shuffling of slippers, and the front door opening.
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Posted on 08 March 2012. Tags: Airwaves, angels and airwaves, ava, band, box car racer, Cant, car, Thing?
Im getting really into Blink-182 affiliated bands like +44 and box car racer and Angels and airwaves but ive heard of this other band AVA and cant find anyting on the internet about it. is it the same as angels and airwaves?
Posted in Featured Articles
Posted on 16 February 2012. Tags: accident, Aspergers, car, car accident, general education, History, medication, niche
Hi I’m 20 I have Aspergers I **** up too much. I’m behind with my general education. I got into a car accident from getting distracted. My medication for aspergers makes me eat too much so i gained a lot of weight. I know im good at memorizing facts like history but what am i going to do with that. People with aspergers are supposed to have obsessive interests but I can’t find my niche. What should I do?
Posted in Affiliate Marketing 101
Posted on 16 February 2012. Tags: accident, Aspergers, car, car accident, general education, History, medication, niche
Hi I’m 20 I have Aspergers I **** up too much. I’m behind with my general education. I got into a car accident from getting distracted. My medication for aspergers makes me eat too much so i gained a lot of weight. I know im good at memorizing facts like history but what am i going to do with that. People with aspergers are supposed to have obsessive interests but I can’t find my niche. What should I do?
Posted in Affiliate Marketing 101