Croc

Civic is more isolated? That's pretty difficult to achieve...that Prius is the quietest vehicle I've ever been in.

I pick the Prius due to the little traffic problem LA has. LA is the epitome of the worst of city driving, and I think the Prius beats the Civic by getting great mpg and not being an eyesore. Perdón, el "Civic" no me gusta.

Sorry, reg, I am an equal-opportunity bitcher. I think it's horrible when Acura does it, Pontiac, etc. The only time I give it a pass is with Mercury because I like Mercury's styling vocabulary much more than I like Ford's, though admittedly Ford's has been pretty good lately. Also, the pricing with Ford and Mercury is nearly identical.

Umm, Croc rips GM products himself sometimes. Yea, Polish_Kris...why don't you check out that Lucerne thread? Moron.

You could prolly do it in NYC...but def not in LA, Houston, prolly not in Chicago, St. Louis......it would be doable in SF, Portland, etc.

Disagree. The Prius is the best city car. One of my bros has one, and as much as I want to hate it...I can see the appeal. It is crypt-quiet. Very space-efficient.

Further proof that Canadian auto reviews are worthless on account of the whole "politeness" thing that prevents them from writing criticisms on paper...instead making one have to read between the lines. Too ambiguous IMO... OK so here's a fact: not every car is good. Some actually suck. A lot. To Canadian writers: a car is an inanimate object that does not have feelings. You can rip it if you want. I promise it won't go all Christine on you.

I dunno if this is really appropriate...I'm leaning no.

Sixty8: crazy cat lady extraordinaire

Hey, Sly...I found your picture on Google: Here's another:

I dare you to try that.

Why is everyone acting so surprised? C'mon people...

I have a 3.3 right now, and that's after one bad semester (accounting...ugh). Even though I am in a fraternity now, I am still on track for a 4.0 or near-4.0 for this semester.

The two are not mutually exclusive. If you choose to be active within the fraternity, you can glean a lot of skills from the experience. Fraternities are businesses, plain and simple. Being on the finance committee will give you a lot of real-world experience with accounting, credit and a sense of how much it costs to make things happen. Social committees teach you about throwing good parties. They also help you get a good feel for area restaurants and clubs, both of which are important bits of knowledge for taking that special someone out for a nice evening, schmoozing a potential client/boss or getting to know an unfamiliar city. Being on the PR committee will teach you a lot about image management. I think the usefulness of that is pretty apparent.Honestly, though? Fraternities provide some crazy-awesome fun. I am having the time of my life. IMO, that's reason enough to give it a shot.

There's no real "policy" on "serial victims of rush cuts." I just kind of made that term up...A person can rush with any house any number of times, though some people (usually those who are socially awkward) just tend to get cut from every one. There really are two sides to this, though...yes, it sucks to be rejected and cut a lot. At the same time, though, better that than being in a house for a few years with guys who don't really like you. Fraternities all have visions for where they want to be, and they sometimes look for very specific qualities in new members. Right now there is one kid rushing Theta Chi who is extremely creepy for lack of a better term. Sure, he's nice, and he seems genuinely interested in us, but we just don't like him cuz he creeps many of us out. It happens, and there's nothing you can really do about it.

Every girl I know loves them. Some guys just have no neck and can't pull the look off I guess...

I call BS on this. Even those prices are still a couple grand cheaper than the Lexus ES. And the car looks no worse than an ES. All GM would have to do is give it a new name, have a big ad campaign involving an "all-new" "mystery car" (no badging, nothing giving it away...just a few stealth shots) that will be revealed at a specific date...that will generate buzz. Re-introduce "When Better Cars Are Built, Buick Will Build Them." Don't offer it as a replacement for anything (hence the name change). I think if done carefully it could be made to work. Again, Americans seem to have no problems spending more on Lexus ESs. Griffon, when the American manufacturers have tried to price vehicles close to Honda and Toyota, they are $8k too expensive because the cars aren't worth that much. The SRX is right in line with other vehicles in its class but my God that interior is atrocious-looking. The MCE better be good...

I don't get it either. Neither do 80% of fraternity brothers. It just takes a few of that remaining 20% (a mix of pro-hazing and apathetic) to give it all a bad name.

NO!! Hazing is illegal. It is bad. Any house requiring hazing is not worth your time. The general rule of thumb is to not do anything you aren't comfortable with. De-pledge if they haze because obviously if they want to haze you they don't respect you as a person. You should fit into a fraternity; a fraternity should not have to break you down to build you up into their image. That is not cool IMO...o well good luck.

I have no idea what kind of shorts you are referring to...cargo shorts are pretty modest. Even the plaid shorts go to the top of the knee. I'm sorry you seem to equate preppy dress with douchebags, it must be hard to live in your world. Seems decent. I didn't look at it all because there were other groups in there as well, but it really did seem decent. No Theta Chi but I saw a few others I recognized

Don't forget about Saturn :AH-HA_wink:

Still cheaper than the Lexus ES...

Oh, and I won't be in until late tonight/sometime tomorrow because I am totally ditching my fraternity tonight and going to a better party with a couple brothers I invited along...heh so much for Bob's "groupthink" mentality :AH-HA_wink:

WOW long post, Bob...I'm sure you knew I was going to respond... Rush is limited to Rush Week. There is nothing strenuous about it at all, unless party hopping is difficult...which I doubt is the case with NOS since he isn't a quadriplegic. Never heard that about ZBT! One important note: just because a fraternity is nationally "something" does not mean it will be locally. Our ZBT has a Christian as a President. AEPi is our main Jewish fraternity and they are also nationally so. Business/Engineering fraternities tend to be constantly so throughout, though. False. Rush Week is one week. IF you receive a bid, and IF you accept it, then you are a Pledge or New Member and embark on the "Pledge Semester." There is no such thing as "rush semester." As for the grades, you make it what you want to make it. IFC (InterFraternity Council) has rules and regulations, and one of these is a requirement for mandatory "Study Hours" for Pledges/New Members and all active members with a GPA of X.XX or lower. If you choose to dick around during study hours, then that is your choice, but a fraternity has to have these and document them meticulously. This is much less true today than in the past. Most fraternities have a very strict "No Hazing Policy" that is mandated by nationals as a result of hazing deaths in the 1980s and 1990s. Does hazing still exist? Yes...but any fraternity engaging in it will face serious consequences if caught or reported. To be sure, this is something that varies widely. At USC the Engineering fraternity is extremely wild and throws some great parties, as does the Business Fraternity. I wouldn't count them out...it really just depends on the school you attend. This is simply for being a house popular with a house of the opposite sex. sorority girls are not going to become obsessed with a house full of fat hairy guys with dandruff and refuse to wear deodorant. If you groom yourself, you should be fine. I had a conversation with one of my brothers today regarding this; he thinks we need to do something because we are getting a reputation as being..."unkempt" to put it nicely. I agree to an extent, though I'm not willing to go all Carson Kressley, either. The main concern regarding appearance is that everyone looks "professional" and "decent." It isn't a strange coincidence that many fraternities require Pledges to dress in suits every monday during Pledge Semester (though that's not the only reason...most chapter meetings are on Mondays, and some fraternities make them formal events). Agreed, that is really tacky. I only know one fraternity at USC that does that, and they are the "Newport Fraternity." Uhhh you lost me on that. Anyone can tell if an individual is good-looking or not, regardless of gender. That said, most fraternities who have that kind of requirement have a few good sorority friends they show the pictures to after the first few nights of Rush. Yes, they take your picture during Rush Week, and that is to get to know you (face and name) as well as have sorority girls judge you if the fraternity does that. Eh. I know some serious a-holes outside of fraternities. I know quite a few nice guys in them. I haven't experienced the "groupthink" at all. That only happens if you let it happen. --- I'm not surprised/offended/affected in any way by the negative comments and stereotypes...just like I know most (but not all) of you can take a Camaro Mullet joke. That said...NOS, I really hope you go for it, if not for any other reason than the fact you gave it a shot. I firmly live by the "don't knock it until you've tried it" creed, and I encourage you all to as well. Oh, and you have to have been a pledge to count for "trying it," not just rushing. Good luck!

This should be ours. No question. I gotta give GM credit: they made a W-Body I don't think is ugly and dated looking. Yet it's in China. C'MON GM!!