Buick Now Ready To Be Phased-Out


That is, if General Motors survives Chapter 11 restructuring.

In my opinion, GM kept the Buick brand alive for mainly two reasons. First, the brand was astonishingly popular in China, where Buick was somehow synonymous with the Sino nouveau riche (although the real nouveau riche in China drive British or German automobiles). And second, Tiger Woods had a 10-year endorsement deal with Buick. While Oldsmobile was discontinued, it's virtual corporate twin was kept alive because of China and Tiger.

Tiger and GM have agreed to end the endorsement deal one year early.

GM is well-known for its ladder / caste system of brands. Your first car is a Chevy. You then graduate to a Pontiac coupe (if you are single) or Oldsmobile sedan (if you are a family man). Later you get a second of the middle brands or switch to Buick if you've got gray hairs and/or play golf. And if you one day get that corner office (or make a bundle in an illegitimate business), you can step-up to the Cadillac. It was simple - 5 brands in a soccer-like 1-3-1 formation. In a perfect world, everyone graduates high school with a Chevy and dies with a Cadillac.

Along the way, GM expanded its lineup, and built impressive operations in Europe and Australia to make it sustainable and viable for the future. It founded Opel in Germany 50 years ago. It created Holden in muscle-car crazy Australia over 70 years ago. It bought Saab in 2000. In the last 25 years, it has partnered with Suzuki, Daewoo, Toyota, and Subaru (and even flirted with buying Subaru). And at the peak of the SUV boom in the US, it bought Hummer.

And alas, there's the problem. While it made big sedans for the Australian market and small cars for the Europe market, it continued to feed the US market SUVs well into the 2000s -far past their prime. With the most fuel efficient cars in their 2008 US portfolio limited to a rebranded Daewoo, a rebranded Toyota, two generic Chevy sedans, an Opel 2-seat sports car, an Opel hatchback, and the Saab 9-3, they would soon be in trouble.

So this may be too little too late, but I think the Buick brand is ready to be discontinued. If GM wants to survive, it is one of many steps they are going to have to take between now and March. And while they are at it, they should kill Pontiac as well, since that brand's last rear-wheel-drive cars, the Solstice and the Australian-made G8 are about to disappear from showrooms.

Random Sports Roundup


NFL: In the NFC Central, the Steelers won an odd Sunday, at home, under flurries, in a close game against the Chargers. Meanwhile the Baltimore Ravens were run-over by the New Jersey Giants. This makes the December 15th game between the Steelers and Ravens even more important. If I was employed, I'd go see it. I kinda like the Ravens. They have a literary name, a European-style crest, good fans (better than New Jersey or Philly fans, anyway), and a damn good coach and rush defense (except this past Sunday).

Red Sox 1: The Sox are apparently shopping Julio Lugo. If they get anything for him, that would be great. Take what you get and strengthen him in Pawtucket. Lugo was never a power hitter, but he used to be a good infielder. But even last year, that fell apart as he made 16 errors in his position (SS). Just stating the obvious - the Red Sox eventually need a star shortstop. They have had 6 different guys in that position since 2004. I like Kahalil Greene, who has 1 year left on his Padres contract. But ideally, they need a golden-glove candidate under the age of 30 in that spot. They need stability at Short, and so they need to scout/shop around.

Red Sox 2: Moot point department - The Red Sox front office sent Manny Ramirez a letter on July 25th, informing him that he was to be suspended for skipping-out of two consecutive games. Manny phoned-in and told them that he would play the next game (which he did). He was traded a week later to the Dodgers, led by Frank McCourt, Ned Colletti, and Joe Torre. Also, while Terry Francona has a reputation of taking care of clubhouse problems, there's no evidence that he sat Manny down for a talk regarding his insubordination. So what was the point of this story?

Red Sox 3: While the Red Sox need to find a star shortstop, they have an pretty good 3rd baseman in Kevin Youkilis, a Golden Glove 2nd baseman in Dustin Pedroia, and possibly an opening at 1st. That spot would go to Mark Teixeira, should the Red Sox pursue him. And if they pursue him, they would potentially have the highest bid, since the Yankees have opted to go after 1st baseman / outfielder Nick Swisher (who has been signed) and Indians starting pitcher CC Sabathia (who is contemplating the Yankees unspecified offer).
Red Sox 4: And Dustin Pedroia has been named 2008 American League MVP! The Sox fans weren't joking when they started chanting 'MVP!' in July. They called it. Kevin Youkilis came in 3rd in the MVP voting, while Chicago White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin came in 5th.
*Personal gaming footnote - in my 'alternate universe' season of MLB Power Pros 2007, I traded Laynce Nix to the Rangers for rookie Carlos Quentin. It was the only trade I completed that fantasy season, and it was a winner. Blind luck on my part.

Score a ton, shut the door, take a ride, Yuvraj.

Cricket: I think Yuvraj Singh made his international debut 8 years ago, when he was 18. He got my attention in July 2002 when he scored 69 crucial runs in the middle of India's batting order against England in an unforgettable 1-day match at Lord's. He is 26 now, and he's maturing as a star left-handed all-rounder. On Monday, he batted and bowled magnificently against England in Game 2 of a 7-game series in India. He batted 5th in India's order and scored 118 runs off of 122 balls (India's top scorer of the day). And as a bowler, he was even more impressive, going 4-28 (taking 4 wickets in 10 overs -that's 60 balls- and giving-up 28 runs). England probably won't win this series, but they did see a promising performance from 22 year-old fast bowler Stuart Broad, who also took 4 wickets. He was a hero in their triumphs over South Africa this past summer, and it looks like he has a very bright future. England have two test matches against India in December before touring the West Indies in February/March 2009.

Zima Ends Its 15-Year Run


The early 1990s are a period that profoundly changed the world and my young adult life. The Soviet Union collapsed. Americans fell in love with premium coffee and beer. Rock music got better. Singer-songwriters had a renaissance. Organic and vegan food became acceptable. And the internet made it possible to buy almost anything from anywhere.

And in any modern decade, certain relics of the era are remembered fondly for their ridiculousness or novel qualities. Some items, like Zubaz pants rose and fell quickly. (What? They're back? Good lord.) Some things were so good, that they just had to come back (see Stone Temple Pilots). And some things took a very long time to die. Case in point, Zima.

My girl was reading the current issue of New York Magazine. In their weekly "Approval Matrix" pop culture page, they mentioned the death of the clear malt beverage that should have gone away 10 years ago.

But it took a merger to get it done. Miller-Coors finally discontinued Zima on October 20th. It will be remembered, but not missed.

GOP Re-Affirming Itself As The Party Of The South

If the 2012 GOP presidential nominee turns out to be a governor, chances are he will be from the south, and not Alaska. Governor Palin was denied a leadership seat in the Republican Governor's Association on Friday. This would make running for Ted Stevens' Senate seat more appealing for Palin, assuming she both wants to run for president and strengthen her resume and experience. So assuming she is the GOP Senator to throw her hat into the ring in 2012, we have several southern governors (current and former) who are in-position to at least explore a run in two years:

Mike Huckabee, 53, former fat governor of Arkansas

Bobby Jindal, 37, governor of Louisiana, who is making progress on his populist policy-making skills

Charlie Crist, 52, governor of Florida

Rick Perry, 58, governor of Texas

Sonny Perdue, 61, Governor of Georgia

Haley Barbour, 61, Governor of Mississippi, and an unapologetic ally of White Supramacists (who does he pal around with?)

and

Mark Sanford, 48, governor of South Carolina, who was given the RGA chairmanship

It certainly does seem that the GOP is going to remain a party of rural and/or southern voters. That is the strategy for now. Their other route would have to be an urban Republican celebrity - a Schwarzenegger-type figure. But the former is far more likely.

Just Got An Odd Voicemail...

...from the Al Franken call center in Nebraska. His campaign is soliciting donations to the 'Al Franken Recount Fund'. That seemed odd, so I have an odd (perhaps even silly) question.

Why would either Franken's or Coleman's campaign need funds for the recount? Aren't Minnesota taxpayers picking up the tab?

It turns out that Franken needs cash to pay his lawyers in case this recount winds-up in court. It also turns out that Mitt Romney has donated $5,000 to Coleman's recount fund. And unlike donations for the campaign, there is almost no limit on how much individuals can contribute to these recount funds.

But we little voters are maxed out, Al. Doesn't Soros have cash to give you? How about Alec Baldwin? I gave you my cash already.

Just because you couldn't win big doesn't mean I owe you a penny more.

Just win, Al. That's all I asked when you began your campaign. You can raise the cash after you are in the Senate. Let's get real.

Sack-up and win. Red Sox style.

The Irrational Right, Or, Suffer The Wingnuts


What's that screaming, complete with a mix of explosive spittle and cheetos crums? Why, it's the Wingnut blogosphere.

Pamela Atlas (Just picture her drunk in her Long Island house, typing away with no use of her shift key in the middle of the night):

it is all pretty simple and straight forward to me.
the man is a political fraud.
he hid who he was.
he hid what he is.
he denied his friends, and he denied their beliefs, and he denied his adherence to them as friends and their shared beliefs.

so, while this son of a bitch paraded himself as an honest, open and fresh breath of air, ... , a rebirth of honest politics, he did so while running a campaign of deceit about who he is, what he believes, and what his convictions are.

i believe that there can only be one reason for this. he is also hiding what he intends to do as president. he says he is a democrat. i think he does so to hide that he is a committed marxist leninist who intends to impose a marxist dictatorhip upon this country, which advancig the interests of islam.
he will attempt to either impose or import sharia, and sharia financing into this country. he will stifle free discussion by the use of the "fairness doctrine," and he will seek the imposition of hate speech law, laws prohibiting discussing islam critically, and will seek added preferential treatment for muslims in our immigration law. and, then there is the matter of the promised "civilian security force" the size, prestige, force and cost of the united states military. [SIC]

And then Pam quotes a wingnut I have not heard before, Sultan Knish:

But we are a long way from surrender. The battle is over, the war begins. The United States government now falls into the hands of the enemies of this country and civilization for a time or forever. And that is part of what the war is about. The country has been in the hands of people we disagreed with, but never in the hands of people whose views are as diametrically opposed to ours as anything in the Third Reich or the Kremlin. In their hands Federal power becomes enemy power. The more ineffective and tied up they are, the less damage they can do.

...

It will not be an easy struggle. The Obama years will make the worst of the Clinton years look mild by comparison. We have seen the thuggish abuses of power that brought Obama into office, but that is only a taste of what an Obama administration in control of the Federal government will be able to do. We have seen only a shadow of the ruthless methods that were used to bring him to power, and even that shadow is mostly dismissed as conspiracy theories. But that is also our best hope. Obama's only real calling card has been an empty promise. Now he will have power and responsibility and we know he will abuse them. Arrogance was and remains his achilles heel and the achilles heel of his backers. And when their revolution runs into the reality of voter expectations, there will be the opening to begin the political downfall of this government.

For my own part I do not recognize Obama as my President, nor will I refer to him as such. He has no legal right to serve in office nor has he won a legal election. Nor do his cronies have any right to serve in any position they are appointed to.

Red State then released this startiling announcement:

RedState is pleased to announce it is engaging in a special project: Operation Leper.

We're tracking down all the people from the McCain campaign now whispering smears against Governor Palin to Carl Cameron and others. Michelle Malkin has the details.

Oh, good! Glad to see the rational Michelle Malkin working to throw fellow conservatives under the bus for their disloyalty. I hope she stalks and threatens them for the next four years. The Right Wingers just might eat each other. It will be fun to watch.

And then the single most stupid op-ed the WSJ has ever run. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Jeffrey Scott Shapiro:

The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.

Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty — a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.


Bush can eat me. And Mr. Shapiro, you can eat me.

What a complete fascist asshole. And he is one of many. Be prepared for their tears and hysterical rants for the next 4 years.

The Lads Win Again!


So I come back from an extended weekend in Philly, and I learn that Newcastle upset Aston Villa on Monday, 2-nil. A clean sheet against Villa? Amazing! And everyone performed well, even the midfielders.

Goalkeeper Shay Given credits interim manager Joe Kinnear with improving the club's chemistry and confidence. They need to keep it up and play well again on Sunday, when they will be on the road against Fulham. They will be going for three consecutive wins.

The game will be shown live at 11am at Nevada Smiths on Sunday. Be there.

Late Predictions, Wingnut Edition

Ed Morrissey, Hot Air (indeed): McCain wins in a squeaker (8 electoral votes) by taking Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina, and Nevada. Good math, since he needs every one of those states to win this thing. If he loses one of them, it is over.

Pam Atlas, Atlas Shrugs:

I have enormous faith in the silent majority - good, decent Americans. We are going to take this thing. I saw both men make speeches today. McCain is the optimistic candidate. You feel good, optimistic, proud to be American after listening to McCain. Obama is depressing. Failed this, failed that, hopeless this, hopeless that. Gotta change this, gotta change that. And Obama looks old and tired. Older than McCain. Obama is doom and gloom. McCain is happy and peppy.

K-Lo, America's Shittiest Website:

John Sununu wins. I don’t know if that’s true but it is should be. We’ll need someone smart in Washington who is on our side.

Coleman wins. Al Franken cannot be a senator. This “anyone can be president (etc.)” Was not meant to be made a joke of. I mean, we’re free to make a joke of it all — the Constitution and all, which Joe Biden might be on board for — but … let’s not, Minnesota.

Murtha loses. It’s the right thing. And if anyone can do it, it is the bitter clingers.
I do hold out some hope on the presidential. There is no reason to not keep hope alive. Just vote. Ignore the talking heads prematurely celebrating and ignore the exit polls.

Ace of Spades: Black Panthers intimidating whte Republican voters.

Confederate Yankee:

If John McCain becomes the President after voting is complete on Tuesday, the wasteful, shallow extravagance in median of I-81 may very well be a fitting metaphor for a Obama political campaign ran precisely the same way.

What-ever!

Ted Stevens: "I've Not Been Convicted Yet"

I guess being found guilty of all seven counts does not qualify as a conviction. Those Alaskans must have a different definition of what it means to be 'convicted.' It leads Juan Cole to ask if there is something in the water in Alaska.

Or perhaps they are just radically different from us non-subsidized folks in the lower 48. How else can we explain this bizarre, shitty ad from Democrat Diane Benson, who is running for an Alaska house seat? What the hell?!

Still at 5%?

To put [undecided voters] in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”


- David Sedaris, "Undecided"

It Was A 'Kitchen Sink' Tuesday

Wet snow falls in London's Paddington neighbourhood. Photo by Flickr user brusselsprout00, used here under a Creative Commons license.

Tuesday was a total information and event overload. And here in New York, it was a windy, cold, dismal day. I still went out to Nevada Smiths and watched Newcastle defeat West Brom 2-1. But let me try to count the many events and blog posts that caught my attention.

First, there is the weather. London had its first October snow in 74 years.

And there's the weather. The Poconos got about a foot of snow just 200 miles west of the Big Apple.

And more weather. New York City had its air temperature drop 10 degrees and wind speeds clocked to 40MPH after midday thunderstorms. I froze my ass off around 9pm, since I was dressed for mild rain in the afternoon.

And more weather. For the first time in MLB history, a World Series game was suspended due to rain Monday night in Philadelphia. The rain was the result of two storm systems that perfectly came together, and caused havoc in the Poconos and New York. It was a total fiasco. Between TBS' horrible coverage and the decision to try to play Monday night's Game 5, this year's MLB playoffs have been embarrassing for the MLB head office, and you could even say it is an inexcusable clusterf*ck.

The Domocratic talking point of the week is 'circular firing squad'. See here and here for the rundown on the Sarah Palin clothing budget blame game.

Joe The Plumber goes off-message and agrees with a McCain supporter that an Obama presidency would speel the destruction of Israel. It was so outrageous that even FOX's plastic anchor, Shepard Smith wouldn't accept it. Then the McCain campaign backs-up the Plumber. Oh, and The Plumber has hired himself a Nashville talent agent, in the hopes of landing himself a country music deal? Who saw that footnote coming?

And finally, the outrageous power-grab by elected politicians in New York City to modify the term limit law from 2 to 3 terms is not going to disappear in this busy run-up to the November election. The City Council, in a blatant conflict of interest, changed the city term limit law on Saturday. Not too many bloggers are writing about it now, but it will become a hot issue once it is sent to the courts. In the meantime, Craig Gurian at TPM is writing about it, as is the staff at the Village Voice. It's Banana Republic time in the Big Apple. It will not go through without a fierce fight. I and many New Yorkers oppose term limits. But our argument has always been that it should be up to the voters to decide when and how to phase them out.

Our 500th Post

Not bad for a tiny, semi-private blog that get more hits for automotive posts than political and environmental posts. Time to toss out a music video and mark this milestone. But what video to post? Well Dhalgren has spent his summer unemployed, and some of the songs that got him through this period were 80s New Wave tunes. So here are three of them:

Echo and the Bunnymen, 'Lips Like Sugar' (1987):

And since that video was directed by the great Anton Corbijn, I might as well post another video from the same auteur. Here's Depeche Mode with 'Behind the Wheel' (1987):

And with Halloween coming up, here is a goth staple. Siouxie and the Banshees, 'Cities In Dust' (1985):

Win Number Six

The Red Sox got a relatively smooth win in Game 6. Coco Crisp, Kevin Youkilis, and Jason Varitek were the heroes for the offense, while Beckett and Masterson got the outs they needed on the mound. The Devil Rays are not choking. But they must be feeling the pressure now. The Sox are favorites to win Game 7. The key is that the Sox are more comfortable. But they need more heroes. Who will it be? Dustin? Ellsbury as a pinch hitter? They need more guys to score tonight.

Make it happen. Stay loose. Have fun. Play ball!

ALCS Game 6
Red Sox 4, Devil Rays 2










































Get Off My Television

Joe the Plumber has been having a tough week. He would really want the elitist news media to get off of his lawn:

"I'm just a plumber. I just want to get on with my life and do my job," Joe Wurzelbacher said in an interview on Friday outside his modest home in middle America. "I'd prefer to do that without people camped out on my doorstep."
But then Mike Huckabee puts Joe on his weekly TV show, and we are introduced to Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, media critic.
"The media's worried about whether I've paid my taxes, they're worried about any number of silly things that have nothing to do with America," Wurzelbacher told the former Republican presidential hopeful on his show, "Huckabee."

Wurzelbacher said he felt terrible after reading some of the criticism of himself posted online.

"I felt about that small," he said. "I mean I really did."

Time for Joe to go away. The way to do that, dear news media, is to pack-up and move-on. Please do so.

Get Joe off my television.