Heh. [Politics]

Hilarious post from FrankJ, titled "Gotta Gitmo Respect", detailing the "TOP TEN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GITMO AND A GULAG". An excerpt:

10. Beatings at Gitmo are done as felt necessary, instead of following strict Soviet beating schedule.
...
4. Many people were placed in gulag's simply for their political views, while many were put in Gitmo because they wouldn't stop shooting at us, gosh darnit.
...
2. While neither the inmates of the gulag or the Gitmo detainees bathe, the Gitmo detainees do have the option.

The whole thing is here.

"Driving By Women Leads to Evil"

In Saudi Arabia, a public outcry has arisen because a legislator proposed allowing women to drive.

"Driving by women leads to evil," Munir al-Shahrani wrote in a letter to the editor of the Al-Watan daily. "Can you imagine what it will be like if her car broke down? She would have to seek help from men."

Right! First you let women drive, next thing you know, they're strippers and prostitutes! So what do you do, to keep women away from strange men?

The driving prohibition has forced families to hire live-in drivers, who, strangely, are allowed to be alone with women. Al-Zulfa said clerics have deemed this a lesser evil than driving. Women whose families cannot afford to pay $300 to $400 a month for drivers rely on male relatives to take them around.

Yep, that'll work real good. I'm sure Saudi women never have affairs with their drivers.

Saudi Arabia is in the clutches of the extremely strict form of Islam, Wahhabism. Women are allowed to drive in all other Islamic states. In many, women are allowed to work. In a few, they are even allowed to vote.

Christians Boycott Ford

The Christian group American Family Association has organized a boycott of Ford Motor Co., based on Ford's support for homosexual groups and targeted marketing to gay consumers. One of the more bizarre claims on the web site:

Ford held the first automotive conference aimed at bringing diversity to the car industry. "Diversity" is a code word for homosexuality. By defining themselves as a minority such as African-Americans, homosexual activists seek to bolster their claims of needing special treatment.

Now, I am a conservative, and I am a supporter of what you might call "traditional family values", but this argument is a stretch. Ford, like all other major companies, have jumped on the "diversity" bandwagon as a way to reach two constituencies: minority employees, and minority consumers. Diversity outreach is a more benign form of affirmative action, the less benign form of course being hiring quotas. Ford is doing what every other major company is doing--trying to attract minority employees, so that it can not be attacked by the Left or by the EEOC, for being a racist corporation.

I am not a fan of corporate support for gay marriage, gay pride parades, etc. However, boycotting Ford will have no significant impact on the company, or any other company for that matter. Did Disney roll over when the AFA declared a boycott? (not really)

On the other hand, hurting Ford will hurt many things that the AFA supports. Ford gives quite a lot of money to traditional philanthropic causes, such as historical preservation, the Red Cross, United Way, etc. The amount of money that Ford gives to non-controversial causes is probably an order of magnitude more than what it spends on gay issues.

Consumers are the other side of the issue. Ford, like all other companies, must market its products to a very diverse market. A way to do this is to target advertising to specific communities, whether they be Chinese, Spanish speaking, or gay. If this is done effectively, Ford can gain an edge on competitors who do not make the effort. It is just good business. Ford advertising to homosexuals is not necessarily an advocacy of their life style. Targeted advertisements would not, if done properly, be seen by the AFA's members.

Update: Ford supports Christian employees internally through the Ford Interfaith Network, an employee run but company sponsored group that organizes religious events and Bible study. Ford allows the various religious denominations to use Ford property to hold meetings, publicize events, etc.

Parking Idiots, Beware!

I have received my shipment of Iparklikeanidiot.com bumper stickers. As advertised, they are not too sticky. I will carry my new weapon in my glovebox.

We Should Remember

On Feb 19th, 1945, 30,000 US Marines landed on Iwo Jima, followed later by 40,000 more.

Iwo Jima is a small speck of volcanic rock, only 8 square miles in area, poking up out of the Pacific Ocean about 700 miles from Japan. The Marines faced a Japanese force of about 21,000 men, well dug in on the volcanic island with a network of bunkers and tunnels.

The Marines threw themselves into the meat grinder, fighting up Mount Suribachi's 550 feet of altitude yard by yard, bunker by bunker. The tenacious Japanese defenders fought to the death, and the Marines had to use flame throwers and grenades to clear the tunnels.

The battle for Iwo Jima lasted a month. In that time, the Marines had 7,000 men killed, and 26,000 wounded.

From Wikipedia

May we be worthy of their sacrifice. Have a good Memorial Day.

Danica Patrick, Lucky and Good

I missed the Indy, but I do have it on VHS. Reading the reports, Danica Patrick had a very strong run, but she made some big mistakes. She qualified well, starting in 4th. During a pit stop, however, she stalled her engine, and dropped to 16th.

She fought back up to 7th, and then during a yellow flag she lost control of her car, tangling with Tomas Scheckter.


Yahoo Photos

Somehow, she managed not to stall her engine or hit anything else, and her pit crew quickly repaired the front end of her car.


Yahoo Photos

She surged to lead the race after the field went in for fuel, but because she didn't she couldn't run full out, and finished 4th.

A Little "Shop Talk" [Blogging]

A little shop talk about reading and writing blogs.

I found this awesome, free piece of software called Plucker which will grab web pages, compress them, and stuff them into your PalmOS or Windows Mobile (WinCE) PDA. You can load up all of your favorite blogs, news sites, Paris Hilton photos*, etc., and bring them with you for later reading. Like when you are sitting in a project planning meeting which is droning on, and you aren't on the agenda for another 30 minutes.

Also, if you are a blogger, there is a great free web counter at www.statcounter.com. This counter will keep track of page hits, returning visitors, most popular pages, and it is completely free and ad-less unless you get more than 9,000 hits a day. Most of us small-time bloggers only get a few hundred hits a day.

* just kidding! I would never waste PDA memory on Paris Hilton.

Forbes Autos Site

There is a new automotive web site up, Forbes Autos. It looks like one to keep an eye on. Forbes regularly carries Jerry Flint's, er, flinty commentary on the industry.

In case you didn't know, here are a few other key automotive news web sites, from the "pro" side of the business:

• www.kbb.com Kelly Blue Book
• www.edmunds.com Edmund's
• www.wardsauto.com Ward's Auto
• www.autonews.com Automotive News
• www.thecarconnection.com The Car Connection
• www.cars.com Cars.com
• autos.msn.com MSN Autos (formerly Carpoint)
• www.nhtsa.dot.gov The NHTSA
• www.iihs.org The IIHS
• biz.yahoo.com/ic/n/carmfg.html Yahoo Automotive news
• www.detnews.com/autosinsider/index.htm Detroit News Auto Insider

Carnival of Cars #2

Welcome to the second Carnival of Cars!

(...and welcome to Instapundit readers! Thanks, Glenn!)

A minor change from #1, I have grouped items by topic.

Car Reviews:

• At AutoExtremist, Dr. Bud squeezes a Pontiac GTO, and likes the juice.
• AutoProphet has a chance to drive a new 2005 Mustang GT, and posts his impressions.
• James Lileks buys a Mazda3, "peppy little minx."
  
• Rideblog is unimpressed with the updated New Beetle.
• NextGenAuto doubts that the new Mitsubishi Eclipse will save Mitsubishi. Too expensive, compared to the competition.
• DublinSaab posts a long string of BOTD reviews (Beer Of The Day), but not a single post about cars since the last carnival.

Automotive Business

• Autoblog reports that the Cross Lander SUV, which is really a Romanian military 4x4 with a Ford powertrain installed, has run into importation difficulties. AutoProphet argues this is a good form of protection for domestic industry.
• Autoguy comments about GM's new division strategy, to limit the redundant products in Pontiac and Buick, and force dealers to carry both nameplates. Angry Engineer as well.
• Bob Lutz at GM FastLane posts about GM's good quality survey performance. However, the readers respond with a flood of comments saying, basically, "stop building boring cars!". As does The Truth About Cars. Trollhattan Saab notices that Saabs were not included in the party, and investigates.
• Robert Farago at TTAC ponders the reasons for the slide in large SUV sales: fuel prices, environmental guilt, and more car-like "crossover" SUV impostors. Jalopnik contributes a photo of a rare Land Rover Dinosaur.
• Dave Leggett at JustAuto writes about some bad news for Saab fans: GM will be moving production to Germany, leaving Trollhattan essentially Saab-less.

Miscellaneous

• AutoMuse comments on Ohio's lawsuit defeat, regarding its policy of "double dipping" on DUI fees.
• BigFordFan embarked on a quest to find information about a mysterious rotary (Wankel) powered Mustang prototype. After pleas for help to the blogosphere, BFF found the history of the rotary Mustang. It was built as a demonstration by Curtis Wright (the aircraft company), not by Ford, to generate interest in Curtis' rotary engines. The final summary.
• Carpundit writes about the etiquette of damaging other people's cars because they parked rudely, discussing the finer points of using rotten fruit or vegetables. Conclusion: turn the other cheek. A comment suggests www.iparklikeanidiot.com as a non-destructive method.
  
• Grant's AutoRants comments on the prospect of excitement in Formula 1 this season, now that new rules have apparently leveled the field, and slowed down Ferrari.
• Jalopnik shares the odd tale of an Italian fisher dealer who traded a "nearly new" Mercedes for a 1800lb sea turtle, caught by an Albanian fisherman. He didn't eat the turtle.
• In "Bland Automobile Design", Joe Sherlock laments the homogenization of automotive style. He presents a neat comparison of wheel designs than (1950's) vs now.

Land Rover Poseur

Today, driving home in the evening, I saw one of these, a Land Rover with a snorkel:

(just an example)

Was it covered in mud? Did it have river weeds sticking out of every crack? No. It was parked in front of an upscale clothing store in an upscale neighborhood, the paint gleaming, the tires glossy. At least a Ferrari you can drive fast, maybe cruise Woodward. But snorkels and brushguards on a suburban mall hauler? Was the soccer field flooded today, mom?

The thing must sound like a horny moose when you step on the throttle.

Sure, people have a right to do whatever they want to their cars. Vestigial spoilers? Bad tint jobs? Spotlights? Spinners? Neon? Whatever. I think they look stupid.

Just stop laughing at the ground effects on my Volvo, man. The car is pure speed, all 170HP of it.

The Cross Lander: How I Learned to Love Regulations

Autoblog had a news item recently about the travails of Cross Lander. Cross Lander USA is a company that wants to import Romanian built 4x4 military trucks (think Communist Bloc Land Rover Defender) and sell them cheap to off-roaders in the US. Unfortunately, there is the little issue of NHTSA safety regulations--the thing has to have airbags, because it turned out to be lighter than originally intended. From the Washington Post article:

The hitch came when the engines Cross Lander was able to purchase for its U.S.-bound-vehicles turned out to be lighter than expected, dropping the 244X into a weight class that requires air bags. (The Hummer H1, for example, does not have to have air bags because it weighs more than 5,500 pounds unloaded. Two models of smaller Hummers must.) Cross Lander said it didn't have enough cash to pay for the $2 million to $3 million design and installation of air bags. So it asked regulators to let it sell the vehicle in the United States without air bags so it can raise enough money to pay for them.

Now, would you trust your life to a company that can't accurately estimate how much one of its designs will weigh?

On one hand, I do feel a little twitch of sympathy for the off-road types who couldn't wait to get their hands on a real, hardcore military truck for $20,000. On the other hand, as an engineer working for the American auto industry, I would prefer to see the barriers to entering our market as high as possible for newcomers (Bricklin!). There is just too much product out there, and the new kids may just steal my lunch.

Old school protectionism won't fly anymore. Unless you are Pat Buchanan or John Edwards. Both the Democrats and Republicans are on a free trade rampage, starting with Clinton's approval of NAFTA. So it doesn't seem likely that the Federal Government will defend the remaining American automakers from the likes of Chery--they already failed to do so in the case if Daewoo, Kia, and Hyundai.

However, we do have the CAFE rule, the CARB, the EPA, and the NHTSA. Some of my fellow engineer readers may be shocked, but I say this is a very good thing. The regulations and requirements that are imposed by these agencies, such as crash safety requirements, fuel economy, and emissions regulations are not easy to meet without huge investments in engineering.

Yes, the regs do add much cost to vehicles, and complexity. But they do drive high technology. Our cars are dramatically cleaner, more powerful, and safer than cars just 15 years ago. And, thanks to the engineering and cost barriers that these regulations erect, the regs actually protect American jobs.

Parking Revenge, The Legal Way

Carpundit posts some musings on Parking Vigilantes--people who strike out against people who mis-park, by keying the offender's car. Using rotten fruit is not recommended, either, as the chemistry may be wrong, and you may commit a property crime by damaging a cars paint.

How about an easy to remove ('low-tac') bumper sticker?

www.iparklikeanidiot.com

The End of Swedish Saabs?

Autoblog is reporting that the Saab 9-5 will move to Germany when it changes over to a new generation, leaving Trollhattan with no volume Saab product. The unnamed source reports that the Swedish plant will be used to build "niche products".

From an older TrollhattanSaab post:

Fast-forward to today, and there's the real possibility that GM may turn Saab
into either a resounding success that echoes Saab's past, or, that they may turn
Saab into a great crass-market producer of vehicles that are pretty much like
all the others.
...

GM have tossed out a couple of bones this week. The
retention of the Trollhattan plant is a good thing and the fact that Saabs will
continue to be made there for a few years at least is, likewise, a good
thing. These were the sweeteners for the bitter pill to come in today's
announcement: that Saabs will not always be Swedish.

Is this the beginning of the end of Saab? Does it matter to customers if Saabs are a mix of re-badged GM, Subaru, and Opel products, none of which are built or engineered in Sweden?

I have never been much of a Saab fan, though I do think their recent Swedish products are sharp. The Saabaru and re-badged Envoy don't do much for me. As a Volvo owner, I can say that it wasn't the Swedishness that appeals to me, so much as the Volvo-ness, a certain design style, with certain priorities. GM needs to be careful, to keep the Saab-ishness of Saab, or they will kill the brand.

Denver J [Culture]

I heard an interview on the radio this morning (760 WJR) with 6 year old Denver J., a little boy who is fighting Leukemia. Denver recently had a fundraiser in his honor, to raise money to send him to Disney World. However, Denver decided instead to donate the money to the Van Buren volunteer fire department, "because they need new equipment". The firemen are his heroes.

If you would like to help Denver J., and the Van Buren volunteer fire department, you can visit his web site: www.denverj.com

It is inscrutable why God allows children to suffer, but one explanation I have heard is that it is to teach us adults important lessons, and to give us an opportunity to do good.

The Oil-change Conspiracy

I recently had this conversation, about oil change intervals, with a relative. She has been indoctrinated to change her oil every 3,000 miles by her auto dealer. I told her she was throwing away money.

Don't let the quickie-lube guy or the dealer fool you. Unless you are doing "hard duty" driving (lots of stop and go, or high temperature, for example), you do not need to change your oil any more frequently than 5,000 miles. If you drive a higher mileage car (like myself), and your car loses some oil, you should keep an eye on it and add some as necessary.

I learned this some years ago from Consumer Reports, which did an oil study on a fleet of NYC taxi cabs, probably one of the harshest use profiles there is. CR found no additional engine wear between 3,000 mile and 6,000 mile schedule taxis. They recommend oil changes on 7,500 mile intervals, for the average driver, unless the manufacturer recommends otherwise.

The bottom line. Modern motor oils needn't be changed as often as oils did years ago. More frequent oil changes won't hurt your car, but you could be spending money unnecessarily and adding to the nation's energy and oil-disposal problems.

Even in the severe driving conditions that a New York City taxi endures, we noted no benefit from changing the oil every 3,000 miles rather than every 6,000. If your driving falls into the "normal" service category, changing the oil every 7,500 miles (or at the automaker's suggested intervals) should certainly provide adequate protection. (We recommend changing the oil filter with each oil change.)

Tom and Ray Magliozzi advise an oil change interval of 5,000 miles.

Consider the savings. Over 5 years, a 3,000 mile oil change schedule will cost you about $500 on oil changes ($25/per x 4/year). A 5,000 mile schedule will cost you about $300, and a 7,500 mile interval will cost you $200.

I learned about another controversial practice from an old-timer. I'm not brave enough to try it, but he swore by it: he changed his oil filter every 3,000 miles religiously, but didn't ever drain out the oil. Just topped it off at every filter change. He swore that he never had an engine go bad with this method. He claimed that the gunk would leave with the filter, and the clean top-off would keep the additives fresh, but I suspect this is pushing it. My understanding is that oils (and additives) do break down, and mixing in 1 quart of fresh oil with 4 or 5 quarts of tired oil is not going to be as effective as all new oil.

Don't send any extra money to the Saudis. Go by what your owner's manual tells you, not what the quickie-lube and dealer say. They want to sell you the service.

Heh. [Politics]

Publishing a picture of Saddam in his underpants was not a great thing to do. However, on the whole, my reaction is similar to these Iraqis' reactions:


(They don't look too angry to me)

Sure, taking Saddam's picture violated the Geneva convention,etc. And Saddam's lawyer is planning to sue. I wonder, will they let the relatives of the thousands of people found in mass graves in Iraq sue Saddam for economic damages?

Enough GM Bashing, Mitsubishi's Eclipse Sunset

There are pundits who are harping on about GM's decline, some as bold as to declare a GM "death watch". And, they may be right, GM may be doomed--but it won't happen quickly, and it won't happen the way people expect. GM could very well come out of a bankruptcy swinging for the fences, or merge with another company.

There are, however, a few automakers who are worthy of being on a death-watch. The best example I have read of lately is Mitsubishi, who just came out with the new Eclipse. The car looks like the next generation of the Ford Cougar, weighs 3500lbs, is front-wheel-drive, and will cost $24,000 for a V6 manual version. That's Mustang V8 territory. The readers of Autoweek have just about voted the Eclipse off of the island. (HT: Autoblog)

I would say that Mitsubishi is in real danger of leaving the U.S. market, if the Eclipse flops the way it sounds like it will. The Eclipse may be Mitusbishi's sunset.

Other, non-GM nameplates that are at risk: Maybach, Smart*, VW, Jaguar, Suzuki.

*Smart may die before even making it to the U.S. market.

"Store Wars" Parody [Politics]

The National Organic Trade Association (not to be confused with NATO) has come up with a hilarious spoof of Star Wars called Store Wars. You can watch it here. The young jedi hero is Cuke, his mentor is Obi Wan Cannoli, and the space buccaneer is Ham Solo... you get the picture. The movie is cute...

I am not a big fan of the "organic" food movement. Their claims about the superiority of "natural" food play on people's fears, and are rarely if ever based on science. For example, the organic preachers are against irradiation of food, but there is no evidence that it would be harmful, only FUD. Irradiation does, however, kill organisms that could cause disease of food is not cooked, cleaned, or stored properly--ironically a more common problem if people eat more fresh produce.

I see it as a way for some farmers to make better profits, and for some consumers to feel superior and in control. It is predominantly a upper class phenomenon in my area, as the organic stores target affluent consumers, selling higher priced food.

Visteon Plants Come Home

According to the Detroit News, in order to keep Visteon from going bankrupt, Ford will take back 15 parts plants and their unionized workforce.

If the agreement is completed, Ford is likely to take back Visteon's Rawsonville Road powertrain component plant in Ypsilanti and its axle plant on Mound Road in Sterling Heights, said the people familiar with the agreement.
The other 11 to 13 factories would be spun off into a separate holding company which Ford would control. Those plants would then be sold to other auto suppliers if possible.

This is bad financial news for Ford, if the deal goes through. Ford will have to satisfy the UAW, and buy out about 5000 workers, according to the article. Then they will likely have to sell the plants at a steep discount, since the are not profitable operations. Going by the state of the auto supplier business at the moment, few if any suppliers will have the cash to buy 13 parts plants. They could even wind up in the hands of a Chinese upstart.

Once again, the Visteon spin-0ff looks like it was a mistake. If Ford wanted to get into the global auto parts business, it could have used a different arrangement, such as having Visteon as a partially owned subsidiary. If Ford was going to have to eat the money losing plants anyway, they could at least have profited from the parts of Visteon that are making money. Or if Visteon was a wholly owned subsidiary, like Hertz, Ford would be able to get its parts "at cost", without having to pay a markup to ensure a Visteon profit.

But hindsight is always clear--at the time of the Visteon spin-off, the road ahead may have looked much smoother, and a profitable Visteon may have been more than just a fantasy.

Autoprophet Drinks Coke [Politics]

Recently at a graduation speech, the President of Pepsi, Mrs. Indra Nooyi, compared the United States to the middle finger of one's hand (HT: Joe Sherlock, Powerline)

As I grew up and started to study geography, I remember being told that the five fingers can be thought of as the five major continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America.
...
First, let’s consider our little finger. Think of this finger as Africa.
...
Our thumb is Asia: strong, powerful, and ready to assert herself as a major player on the world’s economic stage.

Our index, or pointer finger, is Europe. Europe is the cradle of democracy and pointed the way for western civilization and the laws we use in conducting global business.

The ring finger is South America, including Latin America.
...
This analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents leaves the long, middle finger for North America, and, in particular, The United States. As the longest of the fingers, it really stands out. The middle finger anchors every function that the hand performs and is the key to all of the fingers working together efficiently and effectively. This is a really good thing, and has given the U.S. a leg-up in global business since the end of World War I.

However, if used inappropriately –just like the U.S. itself -- the middle finger can convey a negative message and get us in trouble. You know what I’m talking about. In fact, I suspect you’re hoping that I’ll demonstrate what I mean. And trust me, I’m not looking for volunteers to model.
...
What is most crucial to my analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents, is that each of us in the U.S. – the long middle finger – must be careful that when we extend our arm in either a business or political sense, we take pains to assure we are giving a hand … not the finger. Sometimes this is very difficult. Because the U.S. – the middle finger – sticks out so much, we can send the wrong message unintentionally.

Unfortunately, I think this is how the rest of the world looks at the U.S. right now. Not as part of the hand – giving strength and purpose to the rest of the fingers – but, instead, scratching our nose and sending a far different signal.

This is possibly the dumbest analogy I have ever heard in any speech, and probably also the most insulting. Consider that her audience was an graduating class of MBAs from Colombia.

I'd like to take this opportunity to raise my middle finger to Mrs. Nooyi, and to PesiCo for hiring such a daft executive.

I'm drinking Coke.

P.S. Nothing gets a company's attention like thousands of angry consumers email. Drop a note to the PepsiCo board, BoardofDirectors@Pepsi.com, and let them know how you feel.