  Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 6437 Registered: 10-2003 |
I remember that. Good stuff. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 2269 Registered: 07-2004 |
YouTube link?  | ||
Southwestmap Member Username: Southwestmap Post Number: 1002 Registered: 01-2005 |
I think Spacemonkey did not get a call-back because he seemed too young for the job. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 6438 Registered: 10-2003 |
http://www.spike.com/video/240 6291 NSFW. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 2270 Registered: 07-2004 |
Wow. Thanks, JL. =) | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 6440 Registered: 10-2003 |
At that terrible of resolution, I'm not sure it can really be called nudity. Just large colored squares arranged in what might possibly be the shape of a nipple. | ||
Bobceng Member Username: Bobceng Post Number: 116 Registered: 04-2008 |
Didn't take much to bend this thread, did it? Iheartthed: accept my apologies; couldn't resist the pun! Xenophobia is to be expected these days; fear of the unknown and feelings of helplessness in the face of uncontrollable change naturally manifests itself as hatred of the known. If fear and hate are two sides of the same coin, then look for social upheaval if things don't settle down soon. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 2274 Registered: 07-2004 |
The politicians are only too happy to encourage xenophobia as it takes the heat off them. In other words, it's not the power elite's decisions (NAFTA, GATT, ethanol, etc.) that are making it harder to find work, put food on the table, enjoy a higher standard of living. It's those poor helpless people coming up from Latin America. THEY'RE the problem. | ||
Trainman Member Username: Trainman Post Number: 686 Registered: 04-2006 |
Privatize SMART and DDOT. People can make money on Michigan Ave very easy by just driving up and down with a bus and charging a buck per passenger. There is only one problem though, it's illegal. We need to legalize other ways of making money then working at Wal-Mart. It's easy, just vote NO next August 2010 for the SMART property tax renewal. The November 2006 Livonia opt. opt is proof that our state pays nothing for mass transit. | ||
Vivadetroit Member Username: Vivadetroit Post Number: 3 Registered: 04-2008 |
hey detroitnerd, remember those "problematic" Latin Americans next time you're eating your veggies or fruit. They picked em for you so you can get them reallll cheap at Wal-Mart. As for ethanol, simple solution: PLANT MORE CORN. you can grow corn, not petroleum. I say we take all of the empty lots in Detroit and plant corn and sell it. | ||
Vivadetroit Member Username: Vivadetroit Post Number: 4 Registered: 04-2008 |
hey detroitnerd, remember those "problematic" Latin Americans next time you're eating your veggies or fruit. They picked em for you so you can get them reallll cheap at Wal-Mart. As for ethanol, simple solution: PLANT MORE CORN. you can grow corn, not petroleum. I say we take all of the empty lots in Detroit and plant corn and sell it. | ||
Ggores Member Username: Ggores Post Number: 64 Registered: 10-2007 |
couple buildings down from where i work is a trucking company. on monday morning were FOUR guys picketing out front. guess they were asked to take a 20% paycut (ouch!). well, come tuesday, their trucks were gone (owner apparently found replacemment drivers) and these poor slobs are STILL protesting out front. not quite a labor movement, but some truckers do honk their horns when they drive by. oh, and this is in a small industrial park in leevonia. | ||
Bobceng Member Username: Bobceng Post Number: 119 Registered: 04-2008 |
SHAFTA | ||
Tkshreve Member Username: Tkshreve Post Number: 303 Registered: 07-2006 |
"Sign of the times: Big-3 finally ratcheting-down the production of BIG SUVs and pickup trucks. It's too bad that a couple of thousand auto workers are going to have to pay the price for GM's lack of planning and foresight. Hopefully, the automakers are doing this because the handwriting is on the wall for gas guzzlers, and not just because of the American Axle strike." I have been thinking about this for some time. Would SUV production ever have halted unless without the help of gas prices? I personally don't think so. In the governments eyes, the only way you can slow down the unnecessary luxury spending in the US is to hit the consumer right where they will hurt the most..... the pocketbook. Granted... many people need SUV's for families and Trucks for work, but outside of those reasons, everyone else should be purchasing economical vehicles (by choice mind you) on behalf of their conscience and the worlds' benefit. Unfortunately, our values have changed throughout the 70's - late 90's over to..... "I DESERVE THIS" Sign of the times........ "HOT AND READY -- $5.00" | ||
Bobceng Member Username: Bobceng Post Number: 120 Registered: 04-2008 |
I'll bet that if the price of gas fell to $2.35 tomorrow, GM would restart the line, and folks would buy them like hotcakes (if they could find some more equity to pump out of their homes). It's unfortunate that the only way to put a stake in the heart of the SUV is to keep fuel prices up until habits and attitudes towards unnecessary waste change. Short term, nothing is going to change when it comes to wasting gas or playing "stupid mortgage tricks". Both the Public, and the financial institutions that pimp a percentage off them haven't really learned a thing; Mama Nature's gonna have to wean baby off the bottle! | ||
Craig Member Username: Craig Post Number: 758 Registered: 02-2007 |
Accusations that the Big Three neglected fuel-effient offerings simply are not true. Conspiracy theories of supressed 100 MPG engines/technology aside, for decades auto showrooms have held fuel-efficient small & mid-size cars. The Big Three could not force consumers to pass over Explorers, Rams, and Envoys for an Escort, Neons, Cavalier, etc. | ||
Tkshreve Member Username: Tkshreve Post Number: 304 Registered: 07-2006 |
^ Craig...... it's not Corporate values I have a problem with. The Big Three are doing what our constitution says they should do. Sell out whole heartedly to capitalism. It is the American Values which have slipped over the past few decades. BTW... I don't recall seeing anyone blaming the Big 3 in this thread. Who were you addressing? | ||
Craig Member Username: Craig Post Number: 760 Registered: 02-2007 |
I'll turn that question around: who were you addressing with the quote re: workers paying the price? GM, Big Three, same diff. Agree re: "American Values." No one had their arm twisted into big SUVs, just as none were forced into the level of consumerism that pissed away home owner equity down the rathole of retail spending. | ||
Tkshreve Member Username: Tkshreve Post Number: 305 Registered: 07-2006 |
That was a quote from someone else in my first post. | ||
Wash_man Member Username: Wash_man Post Number: 753 Registered: 05-2006 |
"I'll bet that if the price of gas fell to $2.35 tomorrow, GM would restart the line, and folks would buy them like hotcakes (if they could find some more equity to pump out of their homes). It's unfortunate that the only way to put a stake in the heart of the SUV is to keep fuel prices up until habits and attitudes towards unnecessary waste change." You're not the only one that feels that way: http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll /article?AID=/20080501/BUSINES S01/80501057 | ||
Bobceng Member Username: Bobceng Post Number: 122 Registered: 04-2008 |
Tkshreve: "workers paying the price" That was from my post earlier. GM will keep making SUV's until the very last second, knowing full-well that demand is going to change. You can't blame the workers for wanting jobs; I blame the large corporations for being willfully blind to what is going on, and failing to plan ahead to meet change. Plants could be transitioned over, and trauma to workers minimised. Buyers' habits share in the blame, too, but it's the car companies that decide to keep racking up lots full of unsellable products, then resolving the problem by laying off workers. These workers would be just as satisfied building fuel-efficient cars as they would SUV's. As Andy Rooney used to say: "Didja ever notice that:" every time some corporation lays off 2,500 people, their stock rises on Wall Street. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3077 Registered: 01-2005 |
Y'know, I've seen an awful lot of Michigan license plates here in Las Vegas this year. I assumed they were tourists until I read this thread, and I'm wondering if they're job seekers and/or re-locators now. I'm sure many are still just visitors, but the thought is interesting. Jobs in Las Vegas are plentiful. Good jobs in Las Vegas are scarce. | ||
Tkshreve Member Username: Tkshreve Post Number: 307 Registered: 07-2006 |
I heard a valet on the strip can make 100,000+. Is that an exaggeration? | ||
Craig Member Username: Craig Post Number: 763 Registered: 02-2007 |
But Bob, how is making/offering what the public wants being willfully blind? GM can and has made inexpensive and highly fuel-efficient vehicles for years (not many made here in the US, unfortunately), but they sat on the dealers' lots. If GM had quit the big SUVs then the public would have gone to Ford, Toyota, Jeep, etc. Tons of proprietary market research demonstrate this phenomenon. Could GM have made more stylish small cars? It was possible to design & build them, but Americans liked big vehicles and nothing short of the price of fuel would have been enough to shake the market from its course. | ||
Wash_man Member Username: Wash_man Post Number: 755 Registered: 05-2006 |
I agree, Craig. If gas were to miraculously fall by a couple of bucks, SUV's and trucks would fly off the lots and the Malibu and Focus would cut production. The same thing can be said (partially) for the "green" movement. Most people replacing their bulbs with CFL's are doing it to save money on their electric bill, not to save the planet. Money is the driving force behind most, if not all, decisions. BTW: On the topic of this thread, one thing I've noticed is how many middle aged people, especially men, are driving small cars. Most wouldn't have been caught dead in them just a year or two ago. I have several friends that fall into this category. Gave up their 4X4 trucks and SUV's for Cobalts, Cavaliers and the like. All admit that it's the cost of the gas, not the impact on the environment that made them change. | ||
Tkshreve Member Username: Tkshreve Post Number: 309 Registered: 07-2006 |
" If GM had quit the big SUVs then the public would have gone to Ford, Toyota, Jeep, etc. Tons of proprietary market research demonstrate this phenomenon." Unfortunately, you are dead on here. Gone are the days when the American public makes educated, selfless decisions. It is an off-shoot of capitalism IMO. Capitalism says "Whatever you want, go and get it. Make it anyway you can, as cheap as you can, and as long as you don't <break> the law, the sky is the limit." The Big three can not change their consumer preferences. They needed help from the Government. Green flags have been waving for years now, but our citizens channel them out. The American public wants what it wants, no matter the cost (because they can afford it), and at the expense of the middle-lower class. Remember the girl from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? "Daddy! I want a flying glass elevator!" Yeah, kinda reminds me of that. | ||
Bobceng Member Username: Bobceng Post Number: 123 Registered: 04-2008 |
As I think about what you have said, I do agree that if GM didn't make SUV's anymore, the public would have gone elsewhere. I am really cautious about suggesting Government get involved in much here; they are too easily lobbied into pablum by the Big 3 (not just GM). Market forces will ultimately do the job better than government would, in any event. I'm sure that if a miracle occurred and the Big 3 had actually met to mutually agree on cutting back on SUV's for the environment's sake, that the Justice Department would have slapped them with a big anti-trust suit! My point is that they didn't have to conspire to do the right thing; an idiot could have told them that this time, the gas prices were NOT likely to come down again, and they could have begun the shift in such a way as to avoid so many layoffs. This is how foreign automakers have beaten us for years: anticipating change and preparing for it. In the past, when gas prices rose and fell, the first of the Big 3 to cut SUV production would have been committing suicide, and the layoffs would have been worse. These days, however, it's no longer business as usual, and a lot of conventional thinking is going to have to be challenged. By the way, can I get that flying glass elevator in hybrid with the regenerative braking feature? | ||
Retroit Member Username: Retroit Post Number: 32 Registered: 04-2008 |
If the Big 3 were shortsighted for continuing in the SUV market, then were the foreign automakers also shortsighted for entering it? The problem is that every time a Kia or Hyundai is started or a Toyota or Honda starts building SUVs or Puckups, the existing slices of the auto market pie get smaller. And Detroit only has 3 slices of that pie. Hooray for the Big 3 building SUVs. That's what the market wanted and they made a lot of money off them. Now the secret is out and others have entered the market. Gas prices are going to affect you regardless of who built your car/SUV. Another sign of the times: Self-blame and finger pointing and a failure to realize that instead of being the only 3 big fish in a small pond, we're 3 small fish in a big pond. | ||
Sean_of_detroit Member Username: Sean_of_detroit Post Number: 206 Registered: 03-2008 |
Buy a Kurrent! It should be an "American revolution". It is an American (Michigan) car, right? Even if you drive piece of junk, you should be able to sell it and get one of these for ten grand. So what to do about vacations, visiting relatives, and getting groceries you say? Well, you can walk, take a Taxi cab, or buy a nice looking grocery push cart (they look nice, not like normal grocery carts, and they even fold up easily. We are registering for one for our wedding). As to vacations and suburban visits. If you live near downtown (if you don't live close to downtown, take the bus down there), just walk over to that new Avis on Woodward and rent a car for the trip. I don't how much it costs to rent. But if that is all you use your car for, then it could vary well be cheaper then owning a car. Think about it, how much do you spend on payments, GAS, repairs, space, parking (many of you pay for parking in and around Detroit), and most importantly INSURANCE? Is all that more than you'd pay for a rental car or a monthly taxi/bus trip? Even with the hybrid it may be cheaper. Think about it... No, dream about it. All the money you'd free up. Think about all the debt you could get rid of, and the things you could buy. Back to the Kurrent here. The link for them is: Link: http://www.getkurrent.com/ I'm not someone who has any ties to this company (that I know of). It's just my favorite one (it is in Michigan). I've been researching it. I really think I'm going to be buying one. Since I'm doing the research anyway, I'll see if I can put a little report together, and post it somewhere (he or on another site). Stop saying what someone needs to do, and JUST DO IT! Complaining about things Americans do makes no sense. Dont forget we are all Americans. If your not doing something yourself, your part of the problem. They do look a little weird, but I just say a car is a piece of machinery. It's a tool. It's not just another method of self expression. That kind of thinking can be dangerous and egotisticle. It's also a car of accidents and road rage. People (especially some teens) think they need to "act cool" behind the wheel. It is a weird way of looking at it. Does a hilo operator care about "looking cool" to other hilo drivers? Cars can be made to express personality a little (the dream cruise can be fun), but no one should forget that it is a very powerful, and possibly dangerous piece of machinery. Sorry, I'm rambling again. A couple of the used car lots are starting to pick Kurrents and other hybrids up around Saginaw. I drive by them all the time. There in the lot, but not on the Kurrent's web site. At least, I think they are Kurrent's, they are identical. Maybe there a different brand, I'll have to stop by next time I get the chance. Sign of the times. Edit: Spelling (Message edited by Sean_Of_Detroit on May 02, 2008) (Message edited by Sean_Of_Detroit on May 02, 2008) | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 4170 Registered: 06-2004 |
high gas prices, yet only one in five vehicles sold in April was a compact or subcompact http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05 /02/business/02auto.html?_r=1& hp&oref=slogin |
