Toyota is agressively trying to surpase GM to become the world's largest auto maker.

Red, White & Bold Forget taciturn Toyota. The carmaker's got a new American attitude: it's taking risks, adding U.S. factories and wearing its ambitions on its sleeve.

Ugh, Corwood, that's such a problem. Esp when later on the article notes problems with the foster care system that point to REAL fostering issues that need to be addressed, like abuse. feh.

No kidding. On another board, people were discussing how terrible it is that the TX Dems voted for the bill including that rider, but it seems clear to me that they were given the choice of voting for the bill with the noxious rider or not doing any good for CPS at all.

And askye, I hear you on the wingnuts. Note that even the guy who authored the noxious rider admitted that it never would have gotten out of committee. This is a cowardly way of doing government, adding noxious riders onto relatively good bills without public comment.

But you know what's more likely to get me fired for real? FORGETTING TO COME TO WORK like I almost did this morning. Got up, got dressed, sat down...la la la. Shit! I have to go to work! Luckily, all was well.

Um.

Toyota is agressively trying to surpase GM to become the world's largest auto maker.

You know it's getting difficult to figure out what an American car is. Like compare a Chrysler PT Cruiser vs. a Mazda Six. The Chrysler is a car built in Mexico by a German owned company while the Mazda is built in the United States by a largely U.S. owned company.

Of course, a large problem for GM and Ford are health care costs. Hence the number of cars built in Canada where they don't have to deal with it.

Jesse, honey, do you need an intervention of some sort? Either to get you away from the screen (I knew you'd love it, bon) or just to remind you of the people who aren't in the little electronic box...

DOOM! DOOM! DOOM!

sorry. Anyway, who has the most gloom-n-doom posts around here. Is me? Gud?

Anyway, virtually all experts believe that the world's oil production will peak sometime in the next 30 years (most think it will happen before 2020) and then begin to decline. Meanwhile, demand for oil continues to increase rapidly (partially because of China and India's rapid increase in consumption) This will result in huge price increases for everything that's energy-dependant (including stuff that's shipped).

Some people think that both governments and oil companies have overstated their oil reserves, and that oil production will peak much sooner - perhaps as soon as next year. [link]

"The first half of the oil age now closes," says Campbell. "It lasted 150 years and saw the rapid expansion of industry, transport, trade, agriculture and financial capital, allowing the population to expand sixfold. The second half now dawns, and it will be marked by the decline of oil and all that depends on it, including financial capital."

tom, I think you're probably leading in how-we're-all-gonna-DIE posts.

Jesse, honey, do you need an intervention of some sort?

Naw, I'm good. It's just hard having no routine!

Time to stop gifting those alternate energy source researchers with cement golashes!

Back from the dentist with the worst of my cavities filled.

I do love my dentist. He did complete films and exam, and gave me a checklist with everything that needs to be done and the cost for each so that each time I come in I can just bring out the list, tell him what I want that day, and check things off one by one.

Supposed to lay off the diet coke, though. Boo.

By the way, for people who don't have dental coverage, I signed up for a discount plan I found online that costs about a hundred bucks for the year (a bit more if you want to do monthly payments) that sets a flat fee for each procedure. The amount of the discount is different for different things, but overall it can save you a lot of money. Just my appointment today - exam, x-rays, and a filling - was discounted about $95, pretty much the cost of the plan. Totally worth it.

Hey, at least the Energy Bill passed the house. There's $500 million for renewable energy sources in there and $7.5 billion for traditional energy sources. It also opens up AWAR for drilling so we'll have a insignificant source of domestic oil. Naturally, the attempt to raise fuel economy standards was defeated.