September 22, 2008 - Monday
The 65 mpg Ford the U.S. Can’t Have
Current mood: adventurous
Category: Automotive
i would totally buy this car...diesel is great, and the us jacked the price up by $$ to prevent us from going blue. i would rather pay $1 more at the pump if it means my mileage would be twice as efficient!!!
Story below
The 65 mpg Ford the U.S. Can't Have
Yahoo! Finance
by David Kiley
Friday, September 19, 2008
If ever there was a car made for the times, this would seem to be it: a sporty subcompact that seats five, offers a navigation system, and gets a whopping 65 miles to the gallon. Oh yes, and the car is made by Ford Motor, known widely for lumbering gas hogs.
Ford's 2009 Fiesta ECOnetic goes on sale in November. But here's the catch: Despite the car's potential to transform Ford's image and help it compete with Toyota Motor and Honda Motor in its home market, the company will sell the little fuel sipper only in Europe. "We know it's an awesome vehicle," says Ford America President Mark Fields. "But there are business reasons why we can't sell it in the U.S." The main one: The Fiesta ECOnetic runs on diesel.
Automakers such as Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz have predicted for years that a technology called "clean diesel" would overcome many Americans' antipathy to a fuel still often thought of as the smelly stuff that powers tractor trailers. Diesel vehicles now hitting the market with pollution-fighting technology are as clean or cleaner than gasoline and at least 30% more fuel-efficient.
Yet while half of all cars sold in Europe last year ran on diesel, the U.S. market remains relatively unfriendly to the fuel. Taxes aimed at commercial trucks mean diesel costs anywhere from 40 cents to $1 more per gallon than gasoline. Add to this the success of the Toyota Prius, and you can see why only 3% of cars in the U.S. use diesel. "Americans see hybrids as the darling," says Global Insight auto analyst Philip Gott, "and diesel as old-tech."
None of this is stopping European and Japanese automakers, which are betting they can jump-start the U.S. market with new diesel models. Mercedes-Benz by next year will have three cars it markets as "BlueTec." Even Nissan and Honda, which long opposed building diesel cars in Europe, plan to introduce them in the U.S. in 2010. But Ford, whose Fiesta ECOnetic compares favorably with European diesels, can't make a business case for bringing the car to the U.S.
Too Pricey to Import
First of all, the engines are built in Britain, so labor costs are high. Plus the pound remains stronger than the greenback. At prevailing exchange rates, the Fiesta ECOnetic would sell for about $25,700 in the U.S. By contrast, the Prius typically goes for about $24,000. A $1,300 tax deduction available to buyers of new diesel cars could bring the price of the Fiesta to around $24,400. But Ford doesn't believe it could charge enough to make money on an imported ECOnetic.
Ford plans to make a gas-powered version of the Fiesta in Mexico for the U.S. So why not manufacture diesel engines there, too? Building a plant would cost at least $350 million at a time when Ford has been burning through more than $1 billion a month in cash reserves. Besides, the automaker would have to produce at least 350,000 engines a year to make such a venture profitable. "We just don't think North and South America would buy that many diesel cars," says Fields.The question, of course, is whether the U.S. ever will embrace diesel fuel and allow automakers to achieve sufficient scale to make money on such vehicles. California certified VW and Mercedes diesel cars earlier this year, after a four-year ban. James N. Hall, of auto researcher 293 Analysts, says that bellwether state and the Northeast remain "hostile to diesel." But the risk to Ford is that the fuel takes off, and the carmaker finds itself playing catch-up—despite having a serious diesel contender in its arsenal .
The ECOnetic will go on sale in Europe in November.
Currently listening:
The Sky Is Falling, and I Want My Mommy
By Jello Biafra
Release date: 1991-07-01
Thursday, September 16, 2010
September 18, 2008 - Thursday Marine praised by Bush won’t get Medal of Honor
September 18, 2008 - Thursday
Marine praised by Bush won’t get Medal of Honor
Category: News and Politics
..SAN DIEGO - A Marine sergeant singled out by President Bush for throwing his body on a grenade to save his comrades in Iraq will receive the prestigious Navy Cross rather than the nation's highest military award, military officials said.
The family of Sgt. Rafael Peralta, who was posthumously nominated for the nation's highest military honor, told the North County Times of Escondido, Calif., they were disappointed he was not receiving the Medal of Honor.
"I don't understand why if the president has been talking about him," his mother, Rosa Peralta, told the newspaper, which was the first to report the bestowing of the Navy Cross.
Rosa Peralta said she was informed during a meeting with Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Richard Natonski that a committee could not agree on awarding the Medal of Honor to her son, who Marine Corps officials say was first wounded by friendly fire. She said the general mentioned the friendly fire aspect as part of her son's death during the discussion.
Marine Corps spokesman Mike Alvarez confirmed the meeting, saying only that it was a personal briefing between Natonski and Rosa Peralta to inform her that the secretary of the Navy would award the Navy Cross posthumously for extraordinary heroism.
The Navy Cross is the second highest honor for combat heroism a Marine can receive.
The secretary of the Navy's public affairs office in Washington, D.C., did not immediately return an after-hours telephone call Wednesday seeking comment.
Headquarters Marine Corps spokesman Maj. David Nevers told The Associated Press that the Navy Cross for Peralta "is not bestowed lightly."
Nevers said only 23 sailors and Marines out of the thousands who have served in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have received the Navy Cross.
"The awarding of a medals of valor is a methodical process and carefully conducted to ensure the sacrifice and service of our Marines and sailors is appropriately honored," he said.
Peralta was shot several times in the face and body during a house-to-house search in Fallujah on Nov. 15, 2004, during some of the fiercest fighting of the war.
According to a report by a Marine combat photographer who witnessed the act, Peralta lay wounded on the floor of a house and grabbed a grenade that had been lobbed by an insurgent. He absorbed the blast with his body, dying instantly.
In 2005, Natonski, then-commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, ordered an investigation to determine the source of a bullet fragment recovered from Peralta's body.
"Following multiple and exhaustive reviews, the evidence supports the finding that Peralta was likely hit by 'friendly fire,'" the Marine Corps said Wednesday in a press release. "This finding had no bearing on the decision to award the Navy Cross medal."
Bush cited Peralta's heroism in a Memorial Day speech in 2005, saying the Marine "understood that America faces dangerous enemies, and he knew the sacrifices required to defeat them."
Peralta, who was assigned to Hawaii's 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, moved to San Diego from Tijuana as a teenager. He was 25.
Currently watching:
Baby Mama
Release date: 2008-09-09
Marine praised by Bush won’t get Medal of Honor
Category: News and Politics
..SAN DIEGO - A Marine sergeant singled out by President Bush for throwing his body on a grenade to save his comrades in Iraq will receive the prestigious Navy Cross rather than the nation's highest military award, military officials said.
The family of Sgt. Rafael Peralta, who was posthumously nominated for the nation's highest military honor, told the North County Times of Escondido, Calif., they were disappointed he was not receiving the Medal of Honor.
"I don't understand why if the president has been talking about him," his mother, Rosa Peralta, told the newspaper, which was the first to report the bestowing of the Navy Cross.
Rosa Peralta said she was informed during a meeting with Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Richard Natonski that a committee could not agree on awarding the Medal of Honor to her son, who Marine Corps officials say was first wounded by friendly fire. She said the general mentioned the friendly fire aspect as part of her son's death during the discussion.
Marine Corps spokesman Mike Alvarez confirmed the meeting, saying only that it was a personal briefing between Natonski and Rosa Peralta to inform her that the secretary of the Navy would award the Navy Cross posthumously for extraordinary heroism.
The Navy Cross is the second highest honor for combat heroism a Marine can receive.
The secretary of the Navy's public affairs office in Washington, D.C., did not immediately return an after-hours telephone call Wednesday seeking comment.
Headquarters Marine Corps spokesman Maj. David Nevers told The Associated Press that the Navy Cross for Peralta "is not bestowed lightly."
Nevers said only 23 sailors and Marines out of the thousands who have served in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have received the Navy Cross.
"The awarding of a medals of valor is a methodical process and carefully conducted to ensure the sacrifice and service of our Marines and sailors is appropriately honored," he said.
Peralta was shot several times in the face and body during a house-to-house search in Fallujah on Nov. 15, 2004, during some of the fiercest fighting of the war.
According to a report by a Marine combat photographer who witnessed the act, Peralta lay wounded on the floor of a house and grabbed a grenade that had been lobbed by an insurgent. He absorbed the blast with his body, dying instantly.
In 2005, Natonski, then-commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, ordered an investigation to determine the source of a bullet fragment recovered from Peralta's body.
"Following multiple and exhaustive reviews, the evidence supports the finding that Peralta was likely hit by 'friendly fire,'" the Marine Corps said Wednesday in a press release. "This finding had no bearing on the decision to award the Navy Cross medal."
Bush cited Peralta's heroism in a Memorial Day speech in 2005, saying the Marine "understood that America faces dangerous enemies, and he knew the sacrifices required to defeat them."
Peralta, who was assigned to Hawaii's 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, moved to San Diego from Tijuana as a teenager. He was 25.
Currently watching:
Baby Mama
Release date: 2008-09-09
September 18, 2008 - Thursday pee lady stew (read pee lady first
September 18, 2008 - Thursday
pee lady stew (read pee lady first)
Category: Life
My house was on the centre of the main street of the neighborhood (our house, in the middle of the street). it had most most land of the other lots, on any block & we ha a large backyard. the property was probably equal to about 1/3rd of an acre and even though my father's house is a 2 story colonial, we had the biggest backyard. we had a vegetable garden, an above ground pool with deck, several trees (3 birches, a willow, 4 large maples, and two flowering crab apples). in the back corner was a storage shed, tucked next to it was my husky, tasha's dog run, my sister's playhouse, and best of all was a play area.
my father had run over my swing set, crushing the tubes, with his lawn tractor. probally due to my mother, he had attached the swings and slide to the crabapple tree. my brother had a tetherball & we would kick it as we swang. we would clib the braches, to ontop the dog run, to ontop the shed. my dad could see us from his office & would band on the window.
the tractor had a trailor attachment, which he parked by the shed. we were not supposed to play with it, but did. often we would just sit in it, it would be a jail, a car, or a myriad of other things. when it rained, we would get into trouble for splashing in the retained water. in this we would make the aformentioned pee lady stew.
pee lady stew recipe:
*1 trailor of water
*all the yard onions you can pull without getting nauseous
*as many hadfuls of crab apples or blossoms as your 3 1/2 feet can reach
*pinecones & pine needles
*fallen fruit from the peach and plum trees in the sideyards
*any weeds or flowers that catch the eye. wheat like grasses are to be put in the front fork of an upside down bike and peddled, to make flour for bread
*random crack rock like pebbles from under the pool deck (important, as she feed this to her parrot & birds need rocks to digest their food, so don't get caught by my dad)
*any bones or body really, of birds, rabbits, mice/rats, and other small critters my husky caught
*wild mushrooms (don't eat!)
*wild strawberries (don't eat, the dog could had peed on them! all the more delicious for our lady)
*mulch from the flowerbeds, one skirtful will do
*any leftovers or rubbish from snacktime. any garbage really
*poop alex is good for picking it up with a large leaf from the kennel & flinging it in. it is a good ingrediant as per it starts with a "p"
trying not to get caught, break enough crab apple branches down for each child to have a stirring stick. stir for about ten minutes whilst emoting the weird sisters from macbeth. it is important to dunk andrew's hand, torso, face in it to see if it is done. this also imparts the child taste she craves. (you see this is a substitute for her main food, small children. she eats them. baby, the other, other white meat. we should had gotten a corperate sponsor and called it "pee lady stew-I can't belive it's not baby", but it would have to have a large purple p on it or she won't eat it)
after it is done, rachel's toys may be throw in, like a barbie or two, for garnish. after about 5 minuites of completion, it is impotant to dump the whole deal before she tells mom. mom will make us all sit on the upstairs steps until their parents come & i have voltron & my little pony to watch.
at this point, even though it is really on the ground, we would all swear she swept right in & gobbled it up. this would stave her off until the next rain fall.
shut up!!! like your childhood is any better
Currently watching:
Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (Unrated Two-Disc Special Edition)
Release date: 2008-07-29
pee lady stew (read pee lady first)
Category: Life
My house was on the centre of the main street of the neighborhood (our house, in the middle of the street). it had most most land of the other lots, on any block & we ha a large backyard. the property was probably equal to about 1/3rd of an acre and even though my father's house is a 2 story colonial, we had the biggest backyard. we had a vegetable garden, an above ground pool with deck, several trees (3 birches, a willow, 4 large maples, and two flowering crab apples). in the back corner was a storage shed, tucked next to it was my husky, tasha's dog run, my sister's playhouse, and best of all was a play area.
my father had run over my swing set, crushing the tubes, with his lawn tractor. probally due to my mother, he had attached the swings and slide to the crabapple tree. my brother had a tetherball & we would kick it as we swang. we would clib the braches, to ontop the dog run, to ontop the shed. my dad could see us from his office & would band on the window.
the tractor had a trailor attachment, which he parked by the shed. we were not supposed to play with it, but did. often we would just sit in it, it would be a jail, a car, or a myriad of other things. when it rained, we would get into trouble for splashing in the retained water. in this we would make the aformentioned pee lady stew.
pee lady stew recipe:
*1 trailor of water
*all the yard onions you can pull without getting nauseous
*as many hadfuls of crab apples or blossoms as your 3 1/2 feet can reach
*pinecones & pine needles
*fallen fruit from the peach and plum trees in the sideyards
*any weeds or flowers that catch the eye. wheat like grasses are to be put in the front fork of an upside down bike and peddled, to make flour for bread
*random crack rock like pebbles from under the pool deck (important, as she feed this to her parrot & birds need rocks to digest their food, so don't get caught by my dad)
*any bones or body really, of birds, rabbits, mice/rats, and other small critters my husky caught
*wild mushrooms (don't eat!)
*wild strawberries (don't eat, the dog could had peed on them! all the more delicious for our lady)
*mulch from the flowerbeds, one skirtful will do
*any leftovers or rubbish from snacktime. any garbage really
*poop alex is good for picking it up with a large leaf from the kennel & flinging it in. it is a good ingrediant as per it starts with a "p"
trying not to get caught, break enough crab apple branches down for each child to have a stirring stick. stir for about ten minutes whilst emoting the weird sisters from macbeth. it is important to dunk andrew's hand, torso, face in it to see if it is done. this also imparts the child taste she craves. (you see this is a substitute for her main food, small children. she eats them. baby, the other, other white meat. we should had gotten a corperate sponsor and called it "pee lady stew-I can't belive it's not baby", but it would have to have a large purple p on it or she won't eat it)
after it is done, rachel's toys may be throw in, like a barbie or two, for garnish. after about 5 minuites of completion, it is impotant to dump the whole deal before she tells mom. mom will make us all sit on the upstairs steps until their parents come & i have voltron & my little pony to watch.
at this point, even though it is really on the ground, we would all swear she swept right in & gobbled it up. this would stave her off until the next rain fall.
shut up!!! like your childhood is any better
Currently watching:
Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (Unrated Two-Disc Special Edition)
Release date: 2008-07-29
September 18, 2008 - Thursday the pee lady
September 18, 2008 - Thursday
the pee lady
Current mood: bouncy
Category: Life
when i was but a little jenn, my mother would baby-sit some of my cousins and see them on and off the bus. kelly & jennie went to a school in another district from me but, had a stop in my neighborhood.
their stop was at the corner from my house and just next to it was our protagonist, an old lady, probably a widow, with little or no family. she was rather reclusive & seemed miserable. she wouldn't give us the time of day. everyone else thought we were wonderful, so she had to be a weirdo, right?
her house was yellow; the color of pee when it is very diluted from drinking at the water fountain waaay past your turn. her car, an old plymoth, had a bronze metalflake paint job, like the color of pee when you were dehydrated & held your piss in a bit. she would scurry about, in a creepy, howard hughes like manner & seemed a bit unclean. from this we decided she was the pee lady.
Since she wouldn't give us the time of day, we were even more curious of her & began to spy. each mission had a thrilling report. all items she owned, like the car, started with p. we swore we saw a parrot, a poodle & she was a practicing pirate & would wear an eye patch (hey it had "p" in it). items she did own that did not have "p" in the start of the name, would have a p added on it in purple paint (double p again!). She ate papaya, permisons, parsips, popcorn & all manner of p foods that she would buy from pathmark, but the most notable was pee lady stew.
Currently watching:
Shortbus (Unrated Edition)
Release date: 2007-03-13
the pee lady
Current mood: bouncy
Category: Life
when i was but a little jenn, my mother would baby-sit some of my cousins and see them on and off the bus. kelly & jennie went to a school in another district from me but, had a stop in my neighborhood.
their stop was at the corner from my house and just next to it was our protagonist, an old lady, probably a widow, with little or no family. she was rather reclusive & seemed miserable. she wouldn't give us the time of day. everyone else thought we were wonderful, so she had to be a weirdo, right?
her house was yellow; the color of pee when it is very diluted from drinking at the water fountain waaay past your turn. her car, an old plymoth, had a bronze metalflake paint job, like the color of pee when you were dehydrated & held your piss in a bit. she would scurry about, in a creepy, howard hughes like manner & seemed a bit unclean. from this we decided she was the pee lady.
Since she wouldn't give us the time of day, we were even more curious of her & began to spy. each mission had a thrilling report. all items she owned, like the car, started with p. we swore we saw a parrot, a poodle & she was a practicing pirate & would wear an eye patch (hey it had "p" in it). items she did own that did not have "p" in the start of the name, would have a p added on it in purple paint (double p again!). She ate papaya, permisons, parsips, popcorn & all manner of p foods that she would buy from pathmark, but the most notable was pee lady stew.
Currently watching:
Shortbus (Unrated Edition)
Release date: 2007-03-13
September 17, 2008 - Wednesday White Wedding Dress-boysetsfire
September 17, 2008 - Wednesday
White Wedding Dress-boysetsfire
Current mood: bored
Category: Music
Every day she fears her life will end
Every time the call rings they are late
They never come quite in time to see his fist
Leave its mark on the side of her disgrace
They'll never charge him anyway and you know it
Say we can't get involved today
So where's the choice and who protects her now
Bruised and battered the blood has stained her gown
Useless screams for help can't save her now
Choices rendered the house is burning down
No one will ever understand
cause they don't have to feel his crushing hands
And the ears that ignored her screams before
are now wondering what she did it for
But with a bottle of kerosene she found her freedom
And then burned the bastard to the ground and ran
The fire will now wash away the blood on her white wedding dress
Currently listening:
Tomorrow Come Today (Ltd Edition With Bonus DVD)
By Boy Sets Fire
Release date: 2003-04-01
White Wedding Dress-boysetsfire
Current mood: bored
Category: Music
Every day she fears her life will end
Every time the call rings they are late
They never come quite in time to see his fist
Leave its mark on the side of her disgrace
They'll never charge him anyway and you know it
Say we can't get involved today
So where's the choice and who protects her now
Bruised and battered the blood has stained her gown
Useless screams for help can't save her now
Choices rendered the house is burning down
No one will ever understand
cause they don't have to feel his crushing hands
And the ears that ignored her screams before
are now wondering what she did it for
But with a bottle of kerosene she found her freedom
And then burned the bastard to the ground and ran
The fire will now wash away the blood on her white wedding dress
Currently listening:
Tomorrow Come Today (Ltd Edition With Bonus DVD)
By Boy Sets Fire
Release date: 2003-04-01
September 15, 2008 - Monday I Can Has Cheezburger? - i no can seez you... you can no seez me!
September 15, 2008 - Monday
I Can Has Cheezburger? - i no can seez you... you can no seez me!
Current mood: angsty
Category: Pets and Animals
http://icanhascheezburger.com
lolcats and funny pictures
my cats are on icanhascheezburger.com
i am noreasonwhy79 on there too.
This is my Keegan.
Currently watching:
The Venture Bros. - Season Two
Release date: 2007-04-17
I Can Has Cheezburger? - i no can seez you... you can no seez me!
Current mood: angsty
Category: Pets and Animals
http://icanhascheezburger.com
lolcats and funny pictures
my cats are on icanhascheezburger.com
i am noreasonwhy79 on there too.
This is my Keegan.
Currently watching:
The Venture Bros. - Season Two
Release date: 2007-04-17
September 15, 2008 - Monday Helmet-Bad Mood
September 15, 2008 - Monday
Helmet-Bad Mood
Current mood: angsty
Category: Music
It's no bad mood
It's a look you thought might kill but
You knew better
Wake up cold
Do you know you're not dead
Make the same mistake
You've lost your head
Rearrange events again
Let them suit your next complaint
Self-absorbed
You're all wrapped up
So deep inside
Just think bland thoughts
Currently listening:
Unsung: The Best of Helmet 1991-1997
By Helmet
Release date: 2004-01-27
Helmet-Bad Mood
Current mood: angsty
Category: Music
It's no bad mood
It's a look you thought might kill but
You knew better
Wake up cold
Do you know you're not dead
Make the same mistake
You've lost your head
Rearrange events again
Let them suit your next complaint
Self-absorbed
You're all wrapped up
So deep inside
Just think bland thoughts
Currently listening:
Unsung: The Best of Helmet 1991-1997
By Helmet
Release date: 2004-01-27
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