Friday, July 31, 2009
Penske Lining Up Renaults for Saturn?
There was talk of Saturn being saddled with the Korean built, Renault-Samsung badged, one generation removed Nissan products awhile back. But that didn't make much sense, Nissan has already discarded/improved those products for this market and selling a brand new last generation Nissan under a Saturn badge didn't sound like a Penske move.
Now MotorAuthority has put up an article saying Penske is negotiating to bring in Renaults. Yup, French Renaults.
Here's a link to their product line available (in English): http://www.renault.com/en/vehicules/Pages/index.aspx
It's been awhile since new French cars have been sold in the US. If I remember correctly the last French automobile manufacturer with a presence in the US Puegeot and the left toward the end of the 1980s (if I'm not mistaken).
Interesting.
Now MotorAuthority has put up an article saying Penske is negotiating to bring in Renaults. Yup, French Renaults.
Here's a link to their product line available (in English): http://www.renault.com/en/vehicules/Pages/index.aspx
It's been awhile since new French cars have been sold in the US. If I remember correctly the last French automobile manufacturer with a presence in the US Puegeot and the left toward the end of the 1980s (if I'm not mistaken).
Interesting.
No More Cash (at the moment) for Clunkers
Well, contrary to what I thought would happen, the gumint ran through it's $1,000,000,000 pile of dough allocated for its 'CARS' program in less than a week. Looks like there was some pent up demand for purchasing a car with some of yours and my money. ; -)
The dealers were pretty creative in how they worked the program. Ad blitzes, publicity stunts (involving monster trucks and crushed cars in at least one case), and additional financial incentives were enough to draw folks into showrooms and buy.
The next question is will there be an emergency appropriation to add additional funds to the program.
The dealers were pretty creative in how they worked the program. Ad blitzes, publicity stunts (involving monster trucks and crushed cars in at least one case), and additional financial incentives were enough to draw folks into showrooms and buy.
The next question is will there be an emergency appropriation to add additional funds to the program.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
A Holden Commodore By Any Other Name Is a Chevy Caprice
News has surfaced that the Pontiac G8 (and hopefully the hot rod version) will live on as a Chevy Caprice. Having witnessed (and partaken) of many Caprices of yore, this'll be the best of the bunch. Good move GM!!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
The Third of July - 1863
The high water mark of the Confederacy came on July 3rd 1863 (though in effect it was doomed from the beginning - a confederacy of states had been tried before but found wanting, giving rise to the federal system of government in America).
On July 3rd, Grant was on the verge of splitting the Confederacy in two by gaining control of the Mississippi river from New Orleans north through St. Louis. He had laid siege to Vicksburg Mississippi and the Confederates were forced to surrender as Union gunboats forced their way past rebel defenses. It was only a question of time given the iron will of Grant.
That day also, Pickett's men charged towards 'the angle' on Cemetery Ridge only to be repulsed in bitter hand to hand fighting. Pickett moaned the loss of his division, but in the grand scheme of things, the battle on the western frontier was the mortal blow to the confederacy, not the loss at Gettysburg.
Later, in 1864, Sherman's infamous march to the sea split the confederacy again. It was a devastating campaign that exploited the weaknesses of the CSA's system of government as much as anything else.
But it was through that bloody period that the last vestiges of sovereign statehood, that could place one state's interest above the whole, was laid to rest. And remarkably - and finally, on this continent - slavery was put to rest.
The last civil war veterans were still alive in the late 1930s and the blog 'About Last Night' put up these two YouTube clips of the Civil War vets.
The first clip is at 'the angle' on Cemetery Ridge - the recreation of the rebel yell is interesting - imagine 2,000 young men advancing on your position making that noise!
This clip is a montage of footage from the 1938 reunion of Gettysburg veterans - these were all young men (many but pre-teen drummers, color guards, etc.) at the time of the battle given that it is the 75th anniversary:
My only known tie to a civil war veteran was my grandfather's acquaintance with Texas John Slaughter of Douglas, Arizona. I suspect that my grandfather and possibly my father, as a boy, knew a number of civil war veterans.
To veterans all, we salute you and thank you for the freedom you have purchased for us. We are eternally grateful
On July 3rd, Grant was on the verge of splitting the Confederacy in two by gaining control of the Mississippi river from New Orleans north through St. Louis. He had laid siege to Vicksburg Mississippi and the Confederates were forced to surrender as Union gunboats forced their way past rebel defenses. It was only a question of time given the iron will of Grant.
That day also, Pickett's men charged towards 'the angle' on Cemetery Ridge only to be repulsed in bitter hand to hand fighting. Pickett moaned the loss of his division, but in the grand scheme of things, the battle on the western frontier was the mortal blow to the confederacy, not the loss at Gettysburg.
Later, in 1864, Sherman's infamous march to the sea split the confederacy again. It was a devastating campaign that exploited the weaknesses of the CSA's system of government as much as anything else.
But it was through that bloody period that the last vestiges of sovereign statehood, that could place one state's interest above the whole, was laid to rest. And remarkably - and finally, on this continent - slavery was put to rest.
The last civil war veterans were still alive in the late 1930s and the blog 'About Last Night' put up these two YouTube clips of the Civil War vets.
The first clip is at 'the angle' on Cemetery Ridge - the recreation of the rebel yell is interesting - imagine 2,000 young men advancing on your position making that noise!
This clip is a montage of footage from the 1938 reunion of Gettysburg veterans - these were all young men (many but pre-teen drummers, color guards, etc.) at the time of the battle given that it is the 75th anniversary:
My only known tie to a civil war veteran was my grandfather's acquaintance with Texas John Slaughter of Douglas, Arizona. I suspect that my grandfather and possibly my father, as a boy, knew a number of civil war veterans.
To veterans all, we salute you and thank you for the freedom you have purchased for us. We are eternally grateful
Fireworks
The city decided it couldn't enforce the fireworks ban so it bowed to reality and made selling fireworks in the city legal (and taxed - gawd I love common sense ; -).
The local display (all of the neighbors on the block) was no bigger or more sumptuous than in years past, but they were not breaking the law (with the exception of a few M80s you could hear down by the creek).
At one point last night the eastern horizon was lit up by flashes for a good five minutes. It's as if they started the siege of Moscow all over again. ; -)
The local display (all of the neighbors on the block) was no bigger or more sumptuous than in years past, but they were not breaking the law (with the exception of a few M80s you could hear down by the creek).
At one point last night the eastern horizon was lit up by flashes for a good five minutes. It's as if they started the siege of Moscow all over again. ; -)
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