Croc

I don't buy into this premise at all. I don't see why GM would get a bailout under those terms, with a nw management intent on eliminating every brand. It just isn't that simple. Do you eliminate Buick? But it's profitable in China. Pontiac? Beats Chevrolet in Canada. HUMMER is already going away, so whatevs. GMC? The public has somehow been convinced that GMC > Chevrolet and don't really cross-shop the two brands. And with GMC being mostly rebadges, that's a sales outlet that is pure profit, as the engineering costs would have been incurred as Chevrolet needs a presence in the truck market anyway. Saturn? It could go. But will it? Or would it be rebranded Opel? SAAB? That's what I voted for. Don't throw things--hear me out: If GM is going to lose all the other brands, then it should keep a brand that a) brings something unique to the table, and b) has no baggage. SAAB has a unique product line, it has a relatively blank slate image-wise, and it has darn good product. Its only weakness is a tiny-ass dealership network. GM might cut brands, but a government baillout won't like job losses from all the legacy dealerships across the country. SAAB would get a dealership base, and I honestly don't see why people don't buy more SAABs as they are awesome cars. Very well-crafted and well-made. Plus, SAAB could sell whatever Opels are to be foisted upon North America, as it is already considered a premium brand, and commands much higher transaction prices compared to Saturn.

I mentioned Orange County (OC). The wildfires suck out here, and they happen every year. It really confuses me that so many people live in what to me seem like extremely obvious places for a wildfire. It also surprises me that year after year there is so much damage from the fires. After all the stories I've read where spared residents cite their turning on a Big Bird sprinkler as the reason they were spared, I'd have thought those would be required by law for developments. I know if I decided to live on a hillside or in a canyon (never happening--fires AND mudslides? no thanks), I'd make sure an extensive irrigation system were installed on my property. Not to water my lawn (don't need/want a lawn) but to turn on to douse the hell out of my property in an emergency. It would be kinda tough for a house to burn if it's sopping wet.

Especially LA? Uhhhhh more like The Valley, OC, and Montecito. Or do you just mean the air quality? Hell, it was raining ash at Disneyland yesterday, and that's Anaheim. ...or were you referring to all the demonstrations? Those are fun, so many people have been protesting at them. All I know is my little piece of LA is just fine. Woke up this morning and went to Philippe's for breakfast--first person on the 10 since Caltrans had just opened it after a late-night closure. Got there in literally 3 minutes. Yummy cinnamon french toast, two sunnyside-up eggs, two slices of bacon, corned beef hash, rye toast, and a large grapefruit juice, all for just slightly over $12. Yum!

San Diego rocks. But I still love the inherent crazy f@#ked-up-ness of Los Angeles better, though. Seriously...in LA there's ALWAYS something going on. Plus way more variety of ethnic culture/food. Aaaaand it's only a 2hr drive to SD, though I've been in the car with someone who made it in 45 going 125 on the 73

I had no idea she was still making music...decent song, too. Right now my song on perpetual repeat is "Dawn of the Dead" by Does It Offend You, Yeah?

If you really want to help GM, then get off the computer and buy as many NEW GM cars as you possibly can at your local dealerships.

The Citroen is pretty foul-looking. Too bad, because I think it would actually be quite stunning with a more upright hood. Is the doorstop hood due to Euro pedestrian safety standards, or what?

I saw this last night, and while I enjoyed it, it had some serious flaws--mostly due to Forster's directing IMO. I thought what little "action" existed in this movie was terrible. There was NO discernable action; the camera either got so shakey, or the scene clips were cut waaaaay too quickly. Seriously--during an "action" sequence, the camera was zoomed so close and each clip lasted no more than a quarter- to a half-second. You saw knives slashed and punches thrown, but you couldn't tell who attacked whom, whether the attack connected, or who had the upper hand. I kept wishing I had a Tivo remote and could pause, rewind, and view scenes again in slow motion. I really hope the action sequences were shot in one or two takes, because if they spent a lot of time and money on retakes, it was not worth it as no one can see what is actually going on. I also thought some of the location setting shots were surprisingly grainy and slightly out-of-focus, particularly the opening shot toward the cliffside tunnel. I thought the tender scenes with the Bond Girls were well done and struck the right notes tonally, which compensated for the off-key feel of many parts of the movie (again, the "action" sequences). The dialogue was pretty good and felt natural, but guarded; appropriate for the plot of the film. I don't recall any cringing at awful dialogue. The acting was pretty good, with one exception: Judy Dench. I don't think this is her fault, though. I think she was as lost with how to play the character at times as the audience was about how to regard the character. You could tell she was supposed to be very smart and capable, but her relationship to the plot was underdeveloped, making her seem foolish and naive in parts. Dench portrayed the character as intelligent, but bewildered...and I'm not sure if this was the best characterization...but then again who the hell knows; the character was underdeveloped due to the one-sided narration. Similarly, Tanner was largely unnecessary and came across as a dolt. Was he needed in the film? He served no discernable purpose. Looking at the movie as a whole, I still enjoyed it very much--moreso than I expected to. There were many parts though where I was like "WTF just happened" or "so...why exactly are they doing this/going here, again?" in a way I haven't felt since Matrix 3. I kinda have a handle on it now that I've viewed the whole movie, but the viewer is definitely left out of the loop during much of the film as to the motivations/goals of...just about everybody. Overall: B

Read the comments on the blog posting...I agree that this may have been more of a side impact than a frontal impact, with impact primarily occurring around the driver's wheel well. This may not have necessitated an airbag deployment. We also don't know what Korean safety standards are, just that US-spec cars must meet US standards. Finally, who knows if this person had disabled the airbag or not. Too many variables to pass judgment here. Frankly, what I find to be of much more concern is that the road design standards in Korea are so lacking that it is allowed for a light pole to be unprotected in the middle of the pavement with no curb or guardrail protecting it. Those striped lines don't look reflective at all, and in bad weather conditions it could be very easy to miss the split and crash into that pole. Bad bad bad road design; there should have at minimum been a raised curbed concrete traffic island surrounding that pole to provide a buffer given the sharp angle of departure of that split. Better yet, surround that thing with Jersey barriers and a gardrail crash barrier.

Copy and paste from Word. I don't know the key codes.

Disagree. That's an excuse, honestly. GM hasn't produced anything really to shift perceptions. To shift perceptions, GM needed to do things well in a big, dramatic way. Having a "great" car here or there doesn't do it. GM will not survive with a Malibu, the 900s, and a CTS. The rest of the lineup is fairly uninspiring and/or unmarketed. The SAAB 9-3 should be a huge seller. That's awesome product. But it isn't. Few SAAB dealerships and nonexistent marketing. The entire Pontiac lineup excepting the G8 is mediocre at best, badly dated and chintzy at launch at worst. Buick has the Enclave. Lucerne is average-to-above-average, and the Lacrosse will thankfully be replaced soon by what is hopefully a far superior product. Saturn has...well IMO the VUE. I'm not impressed with the Astra, and as far as I'm concerned the AURA is not worthy of the praise it received. Cheesy fake wood trim, hard plastic complete with fake plastic "stitching" on the door sills, and basically an execution that is IMO as bad as that of the G6. Both the G6 and the AURA have the same deficiency: a poor interior that mars an excellent exterior.

Disagree, but only regarding the expensive, preparatory academies.

Bonnes fêtes, mes amis!

I've always been surprised that manufacturers have tended to exclude options on certain trim levels to the extent that they have. Sure, it reduced manufacturing complexity, but why not offer many of these options at the dealership level? Most navigation/audio, external, and many interior options could easily be added on at dealerships, and as long as the OEM is supplying the dealerships with the parts, they still get the money but not the increased assembly complexities.

What's real stupid is that Chrysler isn't getting any of this money. Chrysler, like GM, often try to underprice their cars to keep them "value leaders" and frankly I have no problem with dealerships doing the market adjustments if the parent company is too stupid to price their product right.

I'm actually quite a fan of it...but it's still annoying to have it playing in your head all day long paired with the images of crazy bizarro 70s porn star wannabe dude.

Agreed. GM just loves to cut costs when they're glaringly obvious. They also have a knack for splurging in places no one will ever notice.

Same here...depends on my schedule.

If you've seen the Heidi Montag video for "Overdosin'" then you know how bad it is to get a song AND video stuck in your head.

Go to a gay bar and there shouldn't be a question...?

I think we have at least six members on this site who are paranoid beyond belief.

As long as you aren't above .08 you're good to go.

So sorry for your loss, PCS.

Yea I don't drink out much because of the cost. $9.50 Long Islander at CPK last night...youch. Got me nice and drunk though.

Well the pizza-and-beer college girls just shove a finger down their throats to keep themselves looking cute. HAHA I MADE A BULIMIA JOKE!!