FUTURE_OF_GM

I hope this doesn't interfere with the "V-Series" line in the mind of the consumer. Hopefully this will NOT be a FWD cookie cutter.

I'm so glad you said that, It seems that I have the exact same problem. With Psych I can apply my knowledge to real world things that I understand. Yet, with Calc it's almost as if my brain writes the stuff of as 'having no meaning' because I cannot apply it to anything I've ever experienced first hand. It makes me so mad and depressed at the same time, depressed because I feel beaten and mad because I realize that I've been beaten. My GF is going through Structures right now Absolutely! Statistics I can apply, my major problem in that subject is 1) I have a hard time memorizing the formulas and 2 I have a hard time knowing when to use what formula -- which probably means I need more practice and a better understanding. That's something I'm very concerned about... Right now I have 2 choices; I can pass the classes and continue into my second 4 year (Marketing) or I can not pass the classes and shoot for grad school. The only problem is that not passing the classes will obviously tank my GPA (Not to mention I probably need the classes for grad school anyway) Thank you to everyone for all of the great advice! I still have a fighting chance in these classes but time is not on my side. I'l definitely try all of this stuff. P.S. Sorry for the double topic post, I must've hit the button twice accidentally.

I've had various gym memberships over the years... I really hate the whole experience to be honest. I couldn't go during the day and work out in peace because of the annoying ass starving-for-work "personal trainers" And I couldn't go at night because of all the "jocks" trying to prove that they had bigger balls than me. I'm 6'9" 330-340lbs. So automatically, when I walk into the gym I get stared at (like everywhere) and then I get 2 or 3 f*ckers trying to "out man" me. It gets so old. Bigger muscles or not, if I'm 2 or 3 times your size, I could do some serious damage if I wanted to.

What a load of They claim that because he raised awareness about global warming that he mitigated future conflict over global resources, thus creating peace... Wow, what a stretch. I heard an interview today with the head of Green Peace who is apparently speaking out against Gore now. He (the Green Peace dude) says that because Gore is forcing the argument down our throats it will in turn begin to create apathy about the environment in general. He supported this with research performed in Europe that shows people are "losing interest" in the issue because they now view it as "political" and simply another way for politicians to regulate our lives as opposed to reality. He claims that Gore is "an alarmist" I thought it was GREAT and I agree 100% because that is ultimately what it is going to come down to, and people in this country fail to realize that. Now that we've got the "vote getters" on board with this issue as front and center, they will begin to regulate the size of car we buy, the amount of energy we use and evntually the size of the house we buy. Of course, THEY, the elite, will be exempt from this... Just like they're exempt from public airliners and small personal vehicles.

A little off topic but, it's nice to see that 4 of the hottest 10 vehicles are domestics with 2 out of the top 4 and 3 of the top 5 being GM vehicles.

I'm just going to go ahead and say it: Chrysler will be a real threat in 3-5 years. The resaons: 1) Cerberus has deep pockets to develop any kind of product imaginable 2) The UAW isn't really a huge factor at Chrysler in the first place & 3) The company has no one to answer to... It's privately held, so they pretty much have a carte blanche to reinvent the whole operation. Ya know, I wonder if Ford and Chrysler have considered a tie up? That probably wouldn't be a good thing for GM. But since Ford has somewhat of a global presence and Chrysler has the cash Ford so desperately needs...

I think it'll still rise a bit. But in order for us to see anything close to the $80 or $90 dollar days again, GM is going to have to improve it's outlook on all fronts. (Debt, transaction price (fleet), stabilize share, etc.)

True... But you know how it goes; anything that is asian is great at everything.

I'm currently taking STATS and CALC and I'm not doing very well at all. I have a lot riding on my satisfactory completion of these course and I was wondering if anyone had any magical study techniques or philosophies up their sleeves. I swear man, I can sit through a 2 hour Psych lecture and recite it word for word, yet I can't remember Calculus well enough to do the homework 30 minutes later. Me trying to learn this stuff is like trying to force water into a steel block, it just frustrates the hell out of me and makes me feel dumb. Maybe I could coin a new phrase: Mathematically Retarded: The inability to comprehend or accomplish anything mathematically that doesn't involve money or other basic concept of addition, subtraction, multiplication and/or division.

This actually sounds really good! I did enjoy the "We're tired of being a foreign car in our own country" ad this month. I didn't think it represented the car as well as the 5 page (or so) Chevy division ads in the fasion magazines though The one I saw featured a variety of celebs with the Tahoe Hybrid, Volt, Malibu and a few other cars. Lets hope this packs as big of a punch as it says it will because Chevy is going to need it to get through the 20 years of japcrap brainwashing. On a more positive note, it seems that the Fusion, Milan and G6 have had some success at cracking this niche from what I can tell. But nothing as large scale as this attempt or as large scale as theey should be. Yeah, but that was TOO easy for them... 1) They already own that demographic anyway and 2) They don't have the media hovering over them constantly holding a sign up telling people not to buy their product.

I love those bridges too! We have (or had) quite a few of them here in NC on the backroads, but now the state seems to have started a program to replace all or most of them.

It even looks like the same materials as Apple uses... Wow, not only do the asian car companies rip off american car design, they also apparently rip of american computer design.

Why couldn't this have been the G8?!?! Or, why couldn't they at least have taken some of this cars more aggressive cues and adapted them to the G8, such as the better tailights, or more aggressive fender vent or better wheels?

Now THIS is a Holden I could welcome with open arms, Pontiac or not! It actually has some personality.

Or basically, most of the details that actually give it character. Gee... What a play on words, LOL. Can't imagine what other division might use excitement as a selling point.

A few stats: Towers are 575 feet high/ Bridge is 200 feet off of the high water mark/ The cable stayed span is 1546 feet long/ Includes a 2.7 mile bicycle & pedestrian lane with benches/ 8 lanes of traffic/ The rock islands at the foot of the main towers are 1 acre above water & 5 acres below water and are made of stone from Canada. It replaced the 76 year old Grace bridge that only had two 10 foot wide lanes (It was pretty scary to cross, LOL) and was rated at a 5 ton weight limit. It also replaced the Pearman bridge, built in 1968 which had 3 lanes of traffic but no shoulder or median. Official name is the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge

I really wish Cerberus would just tell the UAW to go to hell. Who knows though, this might just be a false 'display of power' by the union, just like the strike at GM.

Well, this is a disaster waiting to happen. And guess who it'll blow up on... You guessed it; Detroit. I'm with Balthazar, there simply is no way one can derive unbiased reviews from a flock of biased reviews. Not to mention, this seems very shady and manipulative. You know; a bit of bias is going to always be everywhere, it's human nature. All we, as consumers, want is a fair take on what's going on. Good 'ole fashioned honesty that should be EASY to incorporate into news but for some reason (sales, target markets, demographics) our media can't seem to grasp that concept. So why derive a complicated and bogus formula for something so simple? It's pretty obvious when a 'journalist' is just being him/herself as opposed to flat out running a smear campaign against the company.

All of the new 'base model' Cadillacs seem to have HORRIBLE wheels though... Everything from the base DTS with it grandma gear to the base Escalade, this CTS seems to be no exception to the rule.

Cooper River Bridge, Charleston SC.

They haven't been a performance brand for years now.. That is the ultimate goal, not the current reality. If this is in fact true, I'd venture to say it's because of 1) The Solstice GXP and 2) The Sky's MUCH more limited production numbers. Not the rest of the Pontiac portfolio. Last I checked, volume didn't automatically equal fleet. Anyway, I really like the Vibe! I think it'll do well for Pontiac and GM. Sure, it doesn't belong in the division, BUT Pontiac needs all the help it can get at this point. And considering everything they're getting or rumored to get in the next few years (This, Alpha, G6 update, G8, Ute, G8 wagon, Solstice Targa, GTO) I think the transition will pick up momentum from here on out.

I really don't see what the big deal is... The Malibu is a VERY nice and VERY competitive car. The interior looks excellent and the exterior is gorgeous. I certainly hope the public is a less jaded than 'enthusiasts' I guess?

Is the Vibe right for Pontiac? Not really. Is it right for Pontiac at this time? SURE. Is it right for GM as a whole? Absolutely. Pontiac needs the Vibe right now because it is such a weak division. Like it or not, the fat that it has Toyota roots attracts a lot of (clueless) people. Not to mention, small wagons are all the rage now and IMO Pontiac should've put even MORE into the new Vibe. This is one opportunity for GM to really pick up some sales if it were done and marketed right. It's small, utility minded, efficient, has the Toyota stamp for the "sheeple" and could lend more life and relevance to probably the weakest GM division. I'm all for it, and Pontiac needs to promote the heck out of it in a *smart* way. (i.e. Do not promote it's Toyota roots, those interested will know anyway... Instead promote it as having the fundamentals of the division: excitement, fun, personality, cool-nees, etc.) I like it a lot tho... Guess we know where the original G6 GXP nose was pointing to now. P.S. GM, stop it already with the G-name scheme. It sucks almost as bad as the brand management from the 90s. No personality, no soul, no excitement.

LOL I can't believe I'm reading all of this! I thought my GFs school of architecture was the only one that is "full of $h!." (By that I don't mean the actual design of buildings, rather the 'architecture professor lifestyle') I could never put up with the she has. I would've told people where to go and what to do during the first year. sorry

Precisely, $$$ + booze gets you a free pass. Except here (NC) they seem to gravitate toward trucks/SUVs instead of imported cars. The more 'bling-bling' the better. LOL.. Yep, the only way to even register on the envirochick radar these days is to 'take up the cause' Damn Al Gore and his passion inducing propaganda!!! I'm a psych major and I really wasn't impressed with the 'other sex' offerings in the psych department in my school, so this really isn't my area of expertise. But I could definitely see them being nymphos. True that 100% on the drama majors; the world revolves around them. I only know one true art major (Pots and pans art) and she is very promiscuous. Here it seems to be a 'better than you mentality' (I'm also a business major) so money plus a severe attitude problem (Maybe even abusive) will probably advance your prospects. LMFAO My GF is an architecture major. They enjoy hearing themselves talk A LOT. Expect someone kinda overbearing that isn't all that open to new things or new views. (My GF is not like that tho --- she's bit of a black sheep) Architecture curriculums often take like minded people and conform them to be even more like minded. Not sure about this one, but I do know one pharmacy major who is wild as hell and would probably try anything. My experience with this = overt masculinity. I don't like hanging out with a girl that thinks she's more of a man than me. I'm a Sociology minor, so I take a lot of classes with future teachers. They do tend to be lefty and they seem to be one of the most paranoid bunches of people I've ever come into contact with. Another one right off the top of my head: Bio majors. I know one of them who is a self admitted "freak in bed" I did not venture further in that conversation with her eventhough I certainly wouldn't mind to; 1) because I'm a guy and 2) Because I'm a psychology major.