Hope University of Delaware brings in at least a few new jobs with their new fancy buildings. Sounds like it’s going to be a rough winter for a lot of people.

wishing happy holidays to all

Good riddance to the SUVs, but whose fault is it that so many of the ugly behemoths are on the road? The big three?

No, it’s the fault of the moronic American consumers who demanded them. The automakers just gave the people what they wanted.

I feel bad for all those people who lost their jobs.

Oh yeah, and what selise said.

Steve Fainaru is on C-Span

Barack, I’m just not all that into you.

And here’s why.

Good morning and happy festivus to all firepups!

Love the Rove interview! “I know for fact certain he never asked President Bush, Governor Bush at the time in 2000 for the kind of commitment that Senator Biden apparently asked of Senator Obama.”

As usual with the Rover, you have to check the parsing. The quote is true as written. Cheney never asked.

I am so ready for this guy’s frogmarch.

Thanks, Mike. This guy’s really good, especially for a WaPo reporter!

Back attcha…
What do you have planned for today/tomorrow?

And, unlike Dexter Filkins when he was here for a book salon, and kept saying all he could do was report because it was just too complicated to do anything else, Fainaru has reflected on what he learned.

Fa la la…

Peace and good health to all this holiday season.

And yes, yesterday I did get the word that Jan 30th would be my last day on the job. I was told in November it would be ending, and I got an additional 6 weeks from the original notice so that’s fortunate.

I’m glad I have a date now, so there’s the lemonade so to speak.

mmmmm, is that true? Did “the American Public” rise up and say, “We demand that you produce huge, gas guzzling, behemoths for us to drive!” Emptywheel — oh, Emptywheel..where are you? Marcy - how do automakers make design decisions? Do they use focus groups? Ask the dealers for input? Is this another case of “the invention and marketing of the feminine hygiene deodorant spray”?

Thanks for pointing to that article.
Oh, and clicking on LA Weekly, I saw the article about the Sylmar’s Fires Lady Looters. How much does that suck? Not on par with O’s picking the wrong person to start he inauguration, but still ugly. (I’m still wiping soot that blows in from the blackened hills behind my house.) :(

Oh dear, MM, so sorry to hear that. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you in this bad economy.

My condolences also, but it sounds like you have a good outlook about it.
Is your paying gig in the theater, or is that something else?

Dude, are you serious? Why are so many of them on the road? Are you saying that people bought them because that was all the dealers had? They were very popular and the carmakers were answering the demand.

Well, OK, there was the tax break for “light trucks” that I’m sure influenced some people.

IIRC, the large vehicles were protected by tariffs against imports & also were available for income tax write-offs to the extent that smaller cars weren’t. Not sure if that situation still exists, or how long it existed, but at least for awhile, if not still, U.S. govt policy was very favorable toward big vehicles.

I think my governator was one of the first to drive around in a hummer, but I don’t remember when the other suv’s started becoming so popular. Anything to do with 9/11 and people wanting to feel “more powerful”?

I do have a lead on something else, we’ll see how it pans out. Thanks!

Mornin’, BT, pups

Bringing Mary Home

Thanks, the theater thing was freelance, I’m a senior lever graphic designer/art director for graphic work.

Crossing my toes too.

Just don’t cross the street without looking! HA! Thank you very much, I’ll be here all week….

I hope you land something soon. Six weeks isn’t a lot of time but it’s better than an unannounced pink slip one Friday morning.

Ah ha. The arts, no surprise. What are your thoughts on how the arts fair during economic downturns?

Aren’t I supposed to remind you about not leaving your purse somewhere? It is Xmas Eve. Are you in the city?

Thanks, I have no qualms about the way they handled it. It’s the nature of business right now. When they told me last month, I thought the best case scenario would be if it got extended until Jan 30 so it’s all good.

We’ll see what happens.

Not going to relatives until tomorrow. Tennessee part of family, whom I haven’t seen for 4 years, are spending Xmas with their TN part of the family & then coming to visit the other part of the family. They can’t make the trip very often, so we’re accomodating them by postponing our celebration until they get there.

A long-winded way of saying it’s too soon to remind me. *g*

a happy story to make your day

http://oxdown.firedoglake.com/diary/2624

Good luck, Millineryman. I hope you find something soon.

I’m crossing my fingers that Obama’s stimulus package will be effective.

Arghhh, he said “incidences”! I hate that. It’s “incidents”.

Journalists, sheesh.

Okey dokey schmokey.

I think a lot of funding will be cut in smaller cities and towns. It’s going to be a difficult challenge over the next few years.

Artists are born to create so the arts will always live on. I do believe art students should be required to take business courses. I know this doesn’t sit well with the art for art sake crowd, however art is a business if you want to sustain yourself. The whole notion of the starving artist and sacraficing for your art as a noble and required part of the process serves nobody’s interest.

Great attitude.

Ponzi scheme at Citigroup. Has this been covered here; did I miss it?

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12.....142511.htm

I like the way you think.

GREAT STORY please see 29 …sending big holiday greetings

Thanks, I should be ok for a while if this lead doesn’t turn up. It’s just been a bummer this holiday season with this hanging over me. I know there are others who are facing more difficult challenges. I hope for the best for all.

Why doesn’t this surprise me?

Good on ya. That is indeed a great story.

Thanks, it’s not easy for the people who are still working in the department I’m leaving. There’s been major consolidation and the workload has increased on the people who are still there. On top of that, they don’t know how secure their jobs are. It’s not a pleasant atmosphere there for anyone.

thanks but i think we all just need to SLOW DOWN!stay in the moment

I thought I’d be slick and give my squirrels a treat of chopped Macadamia nuts. They didn’t like them, sniffed and walked away. The blue jays didn’t have a problem with them though.

Wow! Thanks, bluebutterfly! I hadn’t seen that one. It involves Robert Rubin, one of Obams’s economic advisers, so we better “let bygones be bygones”!

Here’s a column on Obama advisers Robert Rubin and Larry Summers from the guardian.

From Wiki on the history of the SUV - be aware of the snarky comment about high wage union workers about two/thirds down:
“..The increase in SUV sales was assisted by a legislative loophole. Created in the 1970s, the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards were established as minimums for passenger vehicles. Exceptions were granted business and farm vehicles. Car manufacturers utilized this loophole by selling SUVs as work vehicles.[6] In the last 25 years, and even more in the last decade, the popularity of SUVs has increased among urban drivers. Consequently, more modern SUVs often come with luxury features and some crossover SUVs have adopted lower ride heights and use unibody construction to better accommodate on-road driving.
Author Keith Bradsher, has linked the rise of the SUV directly to American Motors’ (AMC) lobbying the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a waiver to the Clean Air Act: as a result, the EPA designated AMC’s compact Cherokee a “light truck”, which enabled the company to market it to everyday drivers.[7] This in turn led to the SUV boom when other automakers marketed their own imitators in response to the Cherokee taking sales from their regular cars.[8]
…US automakers could enjoy profit margins of $10,000 per SUV, while losing a few hundred dollars on a compact car. [9] For instance, the Ford Excursion could net the company $18,000, while they could not break even with the Ford Focus unless the buyer chose options.[10][11] This led to Detroit’s big three automakers focusing resources and design on SUVs over small cars (small cars were sold mainly to attract young buyers with inexpensive options and to increase their fleet average fuel economies to meet federal standards). The high wages of unionized workers in the United States and Canada (members of the UAW and CAW, respectively), compared to non-union workers such as that of Toyota, meant that it was unprofitable to have them build small cars.[12] The General Motors Arlington, Texas factory where rear-wheel drive cars were built, such as the Chevrolet Caprice, Buick Roadmaster, and Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham was converted to truck and SUV production, putting an end to full-size family station wagon and overall terminating production of rear-wheel drive full-size cars. As a result of the shift in the Big Three’s strategy, many long-running cars like the Ford Taurus, Buick Century, and Pontiac Grand Prix eventually fell behind their Japanese competition in features and image (relying more upon fleet sales instead of retail and/or heavy incentive discounts), some being discontinued. [13] [14] [15] [16]
Vehicle buyers were drawn to their large cabins, higher ride height, and perceived safety.

Thanks, BlueTexan. I opened the DIGG and commented there.

Say, pups, how about re-visiting DIGG and adding a one-liner comment there? It doubles your DIGG.

I wish you each and all a joyful season, and may our poor country have a more peaceful and prosperous New Year!

pup34

I studied the fine arts, and it was a great education. It was once I got out of the confines of the studios and darkrooms that reality set in.

Perhaps one day things will change. I wouldn’t trade my education for anything though. I do encourage those are studying art to take business courses. Hopefully it sinks in.

At my age I don’t know how many moments I’ve got left so I can’t be passing any up. My friends know I’ll pull the truck over just to watch a mama duck and her ducklings paddling around in a pond or other critters doing whatever. Drives ‘em crazy. My response is a pretty standard “What, life not going by fast enough for ya? Settle down and enjoy what yer eyes see.”

Bit of fresh snark, if folks want some…

That’s a good article, Toby, thanks.

But you do understand that the automakers couldn’t have sold all those SUVs unless there was a market for them, right? Yes the automakers used the power of marketing to push people to buy them but ultimately the people have to decide for themselves what cars they buy. Just think, you and I never seriously considered buying an SUV, right?

It is true that SUVs are more profitable, if you can sell them, and that’s why the automakers pushed them. But the responsibility is ultimately with the consumers, I believe.

Saw a bit of Morning Joe earlier. Brian Williams & that other guy, Brokaw, sharing their very valuable insights & pieces of wisdom from their years in the wonderful world of boob tube journalism made me have a fit of snorts & giggles. I must be too tired from Christmas preparations to appreciate their awesome sageness.
Happy & safe holidays to all.

Wonderful Wolfson news!

I hope this means that whore won’t be anywhere near the Clinton State Department next year!