Z-06

Nope. Doesn't hurt be an armchair critic right?

No - the moral is - you are a bad miniature aircraft pilot. Worse than a 80 year old geezer driving his Crapry in a fast lane doing 40 mph in a 70 mph speed zone and swerving.

This truly is the quote of the year.

MILF - The Milk Generator

Which Bees give milk? -- Boobies -> Answer to the thread

Are you talking about the motor of the plane or the car? And are you talking that your model plane crashed with the Prizm or a real one did? Regardless, sorry to hear about the curse.

[source: Wall Street Journal] Car Crazy Bankrupt companies making 39 mpg autos. Are we nuts? At the end of his Rose Garden explanation yesterday of the new U.S. fuel-efficiency standards, President Obama remarked on the good that can be accomplished when we are "working together." The President may be getting ahead of himself. Watching the unlikely coalition arrayed behind him as Mr. Obama committed the U.S. to an astonishing passenger-car mileage average of 39 miles per gallon by 2016, it looks truer to say we are merely standing together in this adventure, for better or worse. Mr. Obama's fleet-mileage partners yesterday included the two auto companies that have fallen into his arms, Chrysler and GM, still-independent Ford, the major foreign manufacturers, United Auto Workers chief Ron Gettelfinger, and beaming representatives from the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund and the Union of Concerned Scientists. All that's left to arrive at the President's new destination for the American way of driving are huge, unanswered questions about technology, financing and the marketability of cars that will be small and expensive. Start with technology. The President's proposed standards would raise fuel economy goals higher and faster than even the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration believes is practical. Last year, NHTSA issued a proposed rule making that would have raised fuel economy to 32.2 mpg by 2015 for cars and light trucks combined. Its 376-page report notes that "the resources used to meet overly stringent CAFE standards would better be allocated to other uses such as technology research and development, or improvements in vehicle safety." The new U.S. fleet will almost certainly be made up of hybrids and electric cars. This comports with the explicit intention of the President and his environmental partners to back out fossil fuels. One may ask: Once Detroit is forced to build these cars, will free Americans want to buy them, at any price? Unless we outlaw the bigger cars that recent sales figures have shown Americans prefer any time gas prices fall below $4 per gallon, Detroit will need help marketing these small vehicles. As GM's Bob Lutz put it not long ago, "Very few people will want to change what has been their 'nationality given' right to drive big and bigger if the price of gas is $1.50 or $2 or even $2.50. Those prices will put the CAFE-mandated manufacturers at war with their customers." All solutions to this problem flow from Washington. One would be to give substantial tax subsidies to buyers. Another would be to impose a federal gas tax to jack up the price of gasoline to $4 per gallon and keep it there. This is the solution that keeps Europeans driving small cars with tiny engines. High gasoline prices have become a political third rail in U.S. politics, and the Obama Administration insists it isn't interested in subsidies or taxes. That puts the burden back on the beleaguered auto makers. The Detroit Three already sell small cars at a loss to meet the current 27.5 mpg fleet average. The car companies may hope that if the whole industry is forced to move up the fuel-economy ladder, consumers will have no choice other than to buy these cars. But experience suggests companies that have specialized in making smaller cars, such as the Japanese-owned auto makers, are more likely to be able to sell them at a profit. Mr. Obama said a lot yesterday about the promised benefits of all this for the environment but not much about return on investment for the auto sellers. These public goals notwithstanding, it still looks as if Ford, Chrysler and GM will be making cars they can't sell, or can't sell profitably. That might not be a problem if you're now Gettelfinger Motors. But still-independent Ford has private shareholders and creditors to answer. While GM and Chrysler attempt to meet the new standards with taxpayer money, Ford will have to do so on its own. The real carrot the Administration offered the industry yesterday was a detour from the nightmare of state-mandated standards. California has been seeking a waiver from the Administration to impose its own higher mileage standards, and a number of other states have followed suit. The Obama national proposal indeed offers the industry what he called "consistency." So yes, it is possible to see why this disparate group came together yesterday. The UAW may soon be the government's partner in ownership of GM and Chrysler, and it has a strong incentive not to bite the hand feeding it a huge equity stake in the car makers. Ford and the other foreign-owned auto makers, which will have to raise private capital to make changes that U.S. taxpayers will fund at Chrysler and GM, no doubt want to maintain their political viability by not standing athwart this regulatory steamroller. We wish these folks luck "working together" with the Obama auto-design team. One thing seems certain by 2016: Taxpayers will be paying Detroit to make the cars Americans don't want, and then they will pay again either through (trust us) a gas tax or with a purchase subsidy. Even the French must think we're nuts.

praises

After looking at the picture, am I the only one who thinks we evolved from Dinosaurs?

[source: MSN] 'Missing link' primate likely to stir debate Scientists announce 47 million-year-old find amid media hoopla A discovery of a 47 million-year-old fossil primate that is said to be a human ancestor was announced and unveiled Tuesday at a press conference in New York City. Known as "Ida," the nearly complete transitional fossil is 20 times older than most fossils that provide evidence for human evolution. It shows characteristics from the very primitive non-human evolutionary line (prosimians, such as lemurs), but is more related to the human evolutionary line (anthropoids, such as monkeys, apes and humans), said Norwegian paleontologist Jørn Hurum of the University of Oslo Natural History Museum. However, she is not really an anthropoid either, he said. The fossil, called Darwinius masillae and said to be a female, provides the most complete understanding of the paleobiology of any primate so far discovered from the Eocene Epoch, Hurum said. An analysis of the fossil mammal is detailed Tuesday in the journal PLoS ONE. "This is the first link to all humans ... truly a fossil that links world heritage," Hurum said. Here is some context for the age of the new primate fossil: Anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) first emerged about 200,000 years ago, but early humans such as Australopithecus afarensis and Australopithecus anamensis reach back 3 million to 4 million years ago or even earlier. Humans are thought to have split off from a group that includes chimpanzees and gorillas about 6 million years ago. And a group that includes all the great apes (including us) and Old World monkeys (called simians or anthropoids) diverged from New World monkeys in the Eocene, just after the time of Ida. So our primate roots reach back to this time. History of discovery For the past two years, an international team of scientists led by Hurum has conducted a detailed forensic analysis of the fossil. The fossil was apparently discovered in 1983 by private collectors who split and eventually sold two parts of the skeleton on separate plates: The lesser part was restored and, in the process, partly fabricated to make it look more complete. This part was purchased for a private museum in Wyoming, and then described by Jens L. Franzen, part of Hurum's team, who recognized the fabrication. The more complete part has just come to light, and it now belongs to the Natural History Museum of the University of Oslo. Ida was preserved in Germany's Messel Pit, a mile-wide crater containing oil-rich shale that is a significant site for fossils of the Eocene Epoch. Opposable big toes and nail-bearing tips on the fingers and toes confirm that the fossil is a primate, and a foot bone called the talus bone links Ida directly to humans, Hurum said. The fossil also preserved the primate's gut contents, including fruits, seeds and leaves. X-rays reveal both baby and adult teeth, plus the lack of a "toothcomb" or a "grooming claw," which is an attribute of lemurs (which are also primates, like us, but are considered more primitive and part of a family different from great apes and us). The scientists estimate that Ida was about 9 months old at death, and measured about 3 feet in length. Her forward-facing eyes are like ours — which would have enabled her fields of vision to overlap, allowing 3-D vision and an ability to judge distance. She was probably nocturnal, Hurum and his colleagues say. Death scenario Ida lived at a time when mammals were evolving quickly on a planet that was basically a vast jungle. Early horses, bats, whales and many other creatures, including the first primates, thrived at this time when the climate was subtropical. The Himalayas were being formed. X-rays reveal that a broken wrist may have contributed to Ida's death — her left wrist was healing from a bad fracture, Hurum said. Paleontologist Jørn Hurum speaks to reporters as a photo of the 47 million-year-old fossilized remains of Ida is projected on a screen during a news conference at the American Museum of Natural History in New York on Tuesday. She could have been overcome by carbon dioxide gas while drinking from the Messel lake: the still waters of the lake were often covered by a low-lying blanket of the gas as a result of the volcanic forces that formed the lake and which were still active. Hampered by her broken wrist, Ida possibly slipped into unconsciousness, was washed into the lake and sunk to the bottom, where the unique conditions preserved her for 47 million years, Hurum said. A replica of Ida will go on display later this week at the American Museum of Natural History's new "Extreme Mammals" exhibition. A book and a TV documentary, both titled "The Link," have been timed for release to coincide with the publication of the research. Dozens of reporters swarmed to the museum for Tuesday's announcement at the museum, where even New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was on hand to extol the discovery. The fossilized creature lay on its side, suspended in a block of amber-colored material sitting in a brightly lit specimen case. Before Tuesday's event, the fossil was shrouded in secrecy, and its unveiling unfolded more like a Hollywood production than a scientific discovery. When asked if the publicity was overdone, Hurum said he didn't think so. "That's part of getting science out to the public to get attention," he said. "I don't think that's so wrong." This report was supplemented by msnbc.com. LiveScience provides further coverage of the celebrity treatment surrounding the fossil.

OKAY

Today was a GTO day. One 60's GTO and two 04-06 GTO's.

Why Of Course a black B-59 would be a good one to blow too.

Are you into Brown Boys? I will adopt you as my poor daddy in about 10 years provided you are still alive and in great shape.

305,4WD,5 speed FTW. Did he use the vehicle to transport like ice or something?

Mercedes SL 300 Gulliwing, Ferrari Testarossa, Lamborghini Countach, Ford GT race car in a four way car bang.

[source: Motor Authority] Camaro too popular for GM's own good? There's no denying the new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro is an eye-catcher, and it has the performance to match it, with even the V6 variant checking in at over 300hp. But all that mean and too little green could be making it harder for General Motors, despite over 18,000 sales so far. GM's new de facto controlling investors - lawmakers in Washington - do not appreciate the car's success, however. Despite the V6's 29mpg highway rating, the Camaro, especially the V8-powered models including the 2010 Camaro SS (pictured above), does not fit with the 'advanced vehicle technology' tag being bandied about the industry. A more eco-friendly approach may be necessary to appease the legislators, reports Financial Times, but that may not be something GM can justify doing - at least not if it means cutting back on the Camaro. Already the huge interest in the car has lead to the addition of another shift at the Oshawa plant where GM builds the Camaro. A similar problem faces all carmakers in the U.S. market right now: go for the advanced vehicle technology assistance and leave behind a huge segment of the market? Or play both sides of the field, hoping that neither hand sees what the other is doing? In the end, it may just be that whatever sells cars wins the day - and the Camaro is certainly selling, even in the face of a recall over bad battery cables.

I did not even see Jacksonville, Savannah or Charleston SC.

No Charlotte NC, or Lexington KY, or other smaller yet pretty and safe cities? I put in choice of midwest and it gave me Honolulu as the first city with 70%

I ain't complaining yet. I agree with you that for the level of performance and convenience the German brands offer. ALL are overpriced.

America's problem is Liars, Liemakers, and Liebbyists. Get rid of them and the country will be better. I have never seen middlemen creating so much havoc in the administration of any other countries like the lobbyists do in America.

Smart is the epitome of being neutered, being over expensive and lacking efficiency in one package. Hail Diamler! I think Liemakers are up for a rude awakening if auto manufacturers do not meet CAFE's over ambitious goal for 2016.

[source: Motor Authority] Cadillac tops brand satisfaction survey for the second year running In today's competitive market building reliable cars that customers are satisfied with is the key to improving sales and maintaining market share. A number of companies conduct vehicle satisfaction surveys to offer consumers a comparison between brands and specific models, and one of the most influential is California's AutoPacific, which has just released its list of 2009's most satisfying vehicles. Taking out the title for the 'Highest Satisfaction Brand' was Cadillac, which won the same award last year. Despite the financial turmoil surrounding its parent company General Motors, there appeared to be no affect on customer impressions of Cadillac vehicles after long term use, at least in this round of testing. While Cadillac stayed in the same position it achieved last year, Hyundai managed to improve the most by jumping 11 positions in the overall brand satisfaction rankings. Hyundai also managed to take out two vehicle-specific awards for the Genesis and Sonata sedans, which were reportedly the most satisfying cars in the 'Aspirational Luxury Car' and 'Premium Mid-Size' segments, respectively. Meanwhile, the vehicle registering highest overall satisfaction in 2009 was the Lexus LS luxury saloon. The LS scored 99 points above the industry average to place first among all 2009-model year vehicles in AutoPacific's survey of more than 25,000 new vehicle owners and lessees. The truck or SUV with the highest overall satisfaction score was the Cadillac Escalade. In terms of its methodology, the survey was given to buyers of new vehicles that were purchased or leased during the fourth quarter of 2008, a period when the public was just realizing that a major economic downturn was occurring. Incidentally, AutoPacific also recently released its list of 'Most Recommended' brands and vehicles, which saw Porsche take home the title of most recommended brand in the country by owners and Infiniti's G37 take home the gong for an individual model. The full list of individual segment winners for the most satisfying vehicles can be found below: Passenger Cars: Premium Luxury Car - Lexus LS Aspirational Luxury Car - Hyundai Genesis Luxury Large Car - Lincoln Town Car Luxury Mid-Size Car - Lexus ES Premium Mid-Size Car - Hyundai Sonata Mid-Size Car - Ford Fusion Image Compact Car - Toyota Prius Compact Car - Mitsubishi Lancer Economy Car - Honda Fit Sports Car - Porsche 911 Sporty Car - Scion tC Light trucks: Large Pickup - Dodge Ram 1500 Compact Pickup - Ford Explorer Sport Trac Luxury Sport Utility - Cadillac Escalade Large Sport Utility - Chevrolet Tahoe Premium Mid-Size Sport Utility - Ford Explorer Mid-Size Sport Utility - Jeep Liberty Luxury Crossover SUV - Land Rover LR2 Large Crossover SUV - Mazda CX-9 Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV - Toyota Venza Mid-Size Crossover SUV - Volkswagen Tiguan Compact Crossover SUV - Kia Sportage Minivan - Toyota Sienna

[source: Motor Authority] GM ties with Saab will remain in future models The future of Saab is starting to look much brighter, thanks in part to important concessions from General Motors to help it build and design its own range of cars in the future, as well as a likely extension from Swedish courts for its restructuring deadline. For a while it looked as though Saab may go the same way as Pontiac, but its chief engineer is confident the brand will be able to survive without GM. The GM concession being referred to is the investment in the Saab brand over the past few years, which has led to the company today having the best equipment, tools and engineers that it has ever had. Speaking with Automotive News, Saab's Mats Fagerhag explained that GM has given the company "new architectures and lifetime licenses to use them". Fagerhag went on to reveal that Saab also has the facilities to design and build its next generation of cars. The specific platforms Fagerhag is referring to include GM's global Epsilon II midsize architecture, the same architecture that the Opel Insignia sits on and soon the 2010 Saab 9-5, as well as the Delta FWD platform, which underpins the 2010 Opel Astra and Chevrolet Cruze. On top of already having vehicle architectures in place, Saab also has some specific engineering skills that it can use to develop its own identity as a brand. Its experience with all-wheel-drive gives it the opportunity to become the Subaru of Europe, and aligning itself with brand values such as safety and offroad performance will only help develop a unique brand identity. However, not everything will be a smooth transition for the Swedish company. Saab will face trouble due to the smaller volumes it will be working with in the future, including higher prices for materials and parts. Additionally, Saab will have to source its engines from other companies in the future. Despite these disadvantages, separating from GM will allow Saab to make quick product decisions and to work in its own best interests, rather than the entire group's interest. Despite some hurdles Saab is expecting to come out of the crisis with a new, unique approach and a move away from its past with GM - only time will tell whether or not it will be a winning strategy.

Identity crisis