Drew Dowdell

Profit maximizing entities like Citigroup for example? Or perhaps one of the many companies that is expecting tax breaks for off shoring labor. This deal isn't a handout. Handout implies the government isn't getting the money back. Again, this is a loan. Since you're so worried about money being in the hands of private entities, that's exactly what the government did. It loaned money to a private entity it thought was both a good investment financially and boosted a fledgling industry it sees as a good cause. Venture capital has all but dried up.

I like this old one with the "Born from Jets" insinuation. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value=" name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

so your neighbor plowed you out... did he have to come back and do it again later?

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You're right that the U.S. government would have less of a say in the operation of the banks once TARP is repayed. That's one of the reasons why the banks are rushing to do it. Some of the banks are repaying the TARP funds even though they aren't really healthy enough to do it. That's why Obama is coming out swinging. In the past 2 weeks banks have been rushing to pay back a large amount of TARP before the year's end. The banks are also trying to fight his financial reforms.

You are correct in that sir. However, look at that chart while keeping these three things in mind: 1. M3 has increased around an average of about 4% for 2009.... how many trillions did the fed print this year? If they hadn't we'd be well in the negative. As it is we're barely above water. 2. Personal savings has increased for the first time since before I was born. The amount of money in circulation right now is smaller over all because people are saving more. This can be good for the economy long term, but it'll hurt right now. 3. The reason we're just barely at 4% increase in M3 despite the Fed presses running on 11 is the massive contraction in credit. Businesses operate on credit. That credit is gone. Eventually, the fed will have to turn off the taps. That will have to be made up by the banks in terms of credit or else we fall into depression. Follow why Obama was beating on the banks this week?

Na, a good chunk of our male friends are straight.

Incorrect. Lets say you took out a home equity loan for $20,000. You spent some of that money, but the rest of it you put in a savings account thinking you'd need it later. Later comes and you realize that you're not going to need all of that money, so you take $1,000 and send it back to the bank as a payment on the home equity line. That's what GM did.

You're talking about consumer prices and not the same thing as inflation/deflation. The money supply in this country is falling even though the fed is throwing so much cash around.

Could, but most likely won't. All the consumer confidence in the world can't help if there isn't the cash to support it. A great many people are shying away from using credit cards or even mortgages or financing cars. The ones who aren't afraid of credit can't seem to get it either. These are the biggest reasons why "this time" is a lot different from the times before. Add to this that people are actually being frugal. Personal savings is up for the first time since the Ford Administration. We're still in a major deflationary spiral which would be exponentially worse if the government weren't running the printing presses at 150% capacity.

I still think the data needs to be hashed out a bit more. Employment data is notoriously.... fudged.

GM make $1b payment to US Treasury today Ed Whitacre announced today that GM has made a $1b payment to the US treasury and $192m to Export Development Canada. Mr. Whitacre further stated that GM will be continuing payments through June 2010 when the loans are expected to be paid in full baring any further economic or business downturn.

You sure it wasn't that 36 states had more people run out of unemployment benefits but are still unemployed than signed up for new ones?

Eh... Turbo 3.6 V6 would do fine if they offered it instead.

Cheers and Gears Drives: 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ V6 FWD By: Drew Dowdell - Owner/Editor CheersandGears.com Photography: Drew Dowdell & Joe Joyner For our inaugural review after being granted access to the General Motors press test fleet, I was sent a 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ. The Equinox is Chevrolet's entry into the swelling mid-sized crossover segment. The 2010 Equinox has been completely redesigned on an updated version of GM's Theta platform shared by the Saturn Vue, Opel Antara, and GMC Terrain. Chevy lists the Equinox's competitors as the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV-4, and Ford Escape. While that is generally true, the Equinox bases between $1,000 more than the Honda and Toyota to $2,000 more than the Ford. It would be unfair to leave it at that because the "'Nox" occupies a strange position in the market. It's wheelbase is 10 inches longer than it's three main rivals and 6 inches to 13 inches longer in overall length. This gives the Equinox the advantage in rear leg room and cargo area. If Chevy used any competitor as it's template, the closest would be the Ford Edge. They are nearly identical in each dimension, however, the Edge is not available with a 4-cylinder at this time. Indeed the Equinox falls right in the middle of the pack in terms of size among vehicles like the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Ford Edge, and Nissan Murano while having a base price thousands less. Exterior The redesigned Equinox is wrapped up in a subdued but attractive package. The corporate Chevy face is attractive and sort of looks like it's always smiling at you. Chevy stepped up the details here, even branding small bowties into the light clusters. The engine compartment has the typical black trashcan lid engine cover found on so many cars these days, but the sound insulation liner on the underside of the hood has the Chevrolet bowtie stamped into it for a nice added touch. One thing I was rather disappointed with was the jarringly cheap feeling gas filler door. The door is made of plastic rather than metal and is attached with a rather flimsy plastic hinge. Interior Our test vehicle came with two tone leather seats with red contrast stitching and climbing inside is easy and rewarding with a very attractive dash and some very supportive seats. At first the seats are a bit firmer than I might have liked, but you can maneuver them into a comfortable position easily. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes without any of the indents of previous GM vehicles. There are 4 standard power ports throughout plus a USB port in the center console. The USB port allows for control of an iPod or other MP3 player. However, if your phone charger uses a mini-USB cable, you can charge your phone from that instead of the full size cigarette lighter adapter. Bluetooth cellphone hookup for hands free operation was a snap. All of the controls were easy to use and logically laid out with one exception. The power door lock button is a tiny, poorly marked toggle on the center stack. At night a cool blue ambient lighting comes on. Passenger room is outstanding for a vehicle in this class. Rear seat legroom is more attune to what you'd find in the back of a Cadillac DTS sedan. To demonstrate, we had our 6'1" assistant sit in the front passenger seat, adjust the seating forward till he was comfortable and also still able to open the glove box, then get in the second row. This is what we got. Two minor gripes on the interior. First, the up/down button for the manual shift feature feels very cheap and rather flimsy. That's ok though since pressing them doesn't seem to have any effect on the transmission for a second or two. The only time I can really see using them is if you are taking advantage of the V6 model's 3500lbs. tow rating. Second, the font and graph on the speedometer is white, but the MPH/KPH indicator is a rather bright green. This may sound trivial, but the indicator seems just a smidgen brighter than the rest of the gauge and in nighttime driving I found myself trying to dim the dash lights to stop the glare. GM, could you make this light match the standard muted white of the rest of the gauge? U-Store-It The Equinox has plenty of storage. The center console can hold a 16" notebook computer with room to spare. There are two cup holders for each outboard seating position. There are deep door pockets on each door. There is a small storage bin at the top of the center stack that was convenient for storing things like sunglasses and a toll pass transponder. The already spacious rear cargo area can be further enlarged if your rear passengers are shorter. The second row seats (no third row is available) slide forward to allow another 5 inches of room behind them. This would be a good time to bring up the programmable rear power hatch, a feature so remarkably simple it's rather surprising that we haven't seen it in more vehicles before now. The hatch is controlled by a combination button/knob on the overhead light panel. Turn the knob to "Full" , press the inner button, and the hatch will power open to it's widest height. Flip the knob to "3/4", press the button, and hatch will open to just 3/4 of it's full swing. At this height you might need to do some ducking to get into the rear cargo area, but it's certainly more convenient than waiting at the body shop for your paint repair to be finished. I can say that in my relatively diminutive garage, with the garage door open, I was still able to open the rear hatch to it's full height without hitting anything. See the USA in your Chevrolet The drive of this 2010 Chevrolet belies it's plebeian brand. Handling is very well controlled with minimal body roll. Long drives are made pleasant by the comfortable road manners and Buick quiet ride. On paper, the 264 horsepower V6 and 6-speed auto may not sound like enough to move the 3770lbs. Equinox, but put your foot into it and this CUV will play along. There are two unusual traits about this V6. First, although engine noise is very well muffled, you can still sometimes hear the direct injection clicking. At first this may sound like valve tap, but it's a normal sound for a direct injected engine. The second, and this is the oddest part, this engine has a distinct General Motors V6 burble sound not unlike the recently deceased 3800 series engine. The primary difference between that engine and this new unit is the new one's willingness to rev. 6500 RPM comes quickly and easily. The Equinox gets you to your destination with minimal stops for gas. On our trip from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C. we averaged 24mpg at typical highway speed. The trip back yielded 21.9mpg but also included two more people plus a trunk full of holiday shopping, luggage, and toys. The Equinox comes standard with OnStar Turn-By-Turn. Simply press the button, give the Onstar advisor the address you wish to go to, and they will download the directions into the trip computer. There is a small screen located between the tachometer and speedometer that tells you your current road, the direction of your next turn, and the distance till your next turn. As you approach each direction change, the computer lowers the radio volume and a voice gives you your next direction. If you make any unscheduled route changes, the computer will automatically update your route without having to call Onstar back. Overall, I find the system substantially easier to use and less obtrusive than an full in-dash navigation system. Safety The Equinox gets six standard airbags, GM's StabiliTrack stability control, traction control, and is an IIHS top safety pick for 2009, but where you'll get to impress your friends and neighbors is with the optional rearview camera. When you shift into reverse, a previously hidden screen illuminates on the left side of your center rearview mirror. This makes it easy to shift your glance from the screen to the mirror while reversing. Rearward visibility is marginal at best, so the rearview camera is a highly recommended option. Overall With it's long option list, the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox feels to be a solid entry that straddles both the compact and mid-size CUV markets, feeling more substantial than the smaller CUVs while also delivering better fuel economy in 4-cylinder form. If you option it up the the LTZ V6 form that our tester came in, you can get near Cadillac feel without Cadillac price. Cheers Comfortable, quiet ride Responsive V6 Above average fuel economy Jeers Flimsy fuel door Off color and too bright MPH/KPH indicator Test car info 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ FWD V6 6-speed automatic EPA Fuel economy: 18/25 Horsepower: 264 @ 6950rpm Torque: 222 @ 5600rpm As tested MSRP: $31,685 Photo gallery: 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ

If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going.

.:violin:..:violin:..:violin:..:violin:

If you trace the parent corporations back far enough, I work for a British based company.

Make sure you add it to your Garage here on C&G Cort!

Now see..... you just stirred the 4 generations of inventors in me. I'd put it up on the roof in the direct sunlight and attach a Stirling engine to the compressor and fan somehow. The hotter it gets the faster the Stirling engine spins.

It is a gift. Whenever Bella catches a mouse, I always praise her and brush her a bit. They are doing their best to show you their appreciation or at least trying to do a "Look what I made for you in school Dad!". You should never scold an animal for this.

Albert's cat Bella, after about 11 months of hissing and swatting at me whenever I walked by, has taken quite a liking to me. So much so that she now brings me any mice that she catches.... alive and in good health. She used to kill them and leave the mouse heads at the bottom of the basement stairs, but now she apparently feels the need to share her treat with me. Thanksgiving weekend, she ran upstairs with one in her mouth and dropped it on my feet, at which point it ran up my leg. Now, I'm not at all scared or grossed out by mice, but having one dropped on your foot and run up your leg at 11pm is a bit startling. Bella, of course, thinks it's playtime.

My house is stone and stucco as I have a tudor style house. The "beams" in the stucco are covered with aluminum flashing.

Reader Commentary of the Day: Mark Reuss, General Motors, and Rear Wheel Drive Longtime Cheers and Gears member GM4Life writes up his thoughts on Mark Reuss's promotion to President of GM North America and the hopes for a rear wheel drive Chevrolet flagship. Discussion - Mark Reuss, General Motors, and Rear Wheel Drive