Getting Their Kicks: The American-Saudi Go Around Come-Around

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Despite a decent amount of negativity roiling around the socio-political scene lately, on a fine Saturday night right here in the ole USA, this gives me a lot of heart somehow:

Then, with a scream of revving engines, it begins: a yellow Corvette and a red Mitsubishi go head to head, racing down the road at terrifying speeds, just inches apart. Shouts go up from the sidelines, and another pair of racers shoot down the road, and another.

This may be the most popular sport of Saudi youth, an obsessive, semilegal competition that dominates weekend nights here.
…
For Saudi Arabia’s vast and underemployed generation of young people, these reckless night battles are a kind of collective scream of frustration, a rare outlet for exuberance in an ultraconservative country where the sexes are rigorously segregated and most public entertainment is illegal. They are, almost literally, bored out of their minds.

“Why do they do it?” … “Because they have nothing else to do. Because they are empty.”

Despite all the shrieking of teh military-industrial class, the iron curtain fell and the cold war subsided because of information, lifestyle and ethos penetration into the supposed enemy. Thing was, they were not the enemy, they were people just like us. And so the walls came down. The Rolling Stones, Beatles and Beach Boys had as much, if not far more, to do with the victory as military might (not to mention the start of the internet and satellite teevee).

The United States government and tunnel visioned world press were too slow to figure out what was really up the first time, and lo and behold, they are biting off on the same steel fisted bunk again. It is cultural progression that is softening the underbelly of yet another clash of the civilizations. Who’d a thunk it? Who will realize it?

Then the car leaps forward, accelerating furiously, and breaks into a sudden skid, spinning around, nearly colliding with a concrete barrier and leaving thick black marks on the pavement. A stifling smell of burnt rubber hangs in the air.

It is not the bombs. It is La Bamba.

Why GM Matters: Inside the Race to Transform an American Icon

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Why GM Matters

Why GM Matters

[As I indicated yesterday in the post "Why American Industry (And Its Future) Matters", we have the privilege of having author William J. Holstein today at Emptywheel and Firedoglake. Mr. Holstein has a long and rich history as a journalist and author. Most importantly for today, he has plunged into the history and ethos of General Motors and produced an incredible work detailing just how critical General Motors, the American auto industry, and American industry itself is to the United States economy and way of life.

As Michael Fitzgerald observed at bnet.com, "Holstein is using GM as a symbol for whether it makes sense for the U.S. to bother with manufacturing. That might sound odd for a country that for now probably remains the world’s largest manufacturing economy. But Holstein argues that our political and financial leaders don’t get manufacturing, and don’t think it’s important. This is the crux of the Main Street vs. Wall Street debate, and it is shaping up as the core fight of economic policy over the next few years: do we get a justifiable return if we invest in making things, or should we focus on information-driven innovation?"

I think that is right. Since we cannot layout the entire book in the intro here, Bill and I decided to focus on the emerging technology, and specifically battery/electric technology, and the new product lines, that GM is producing. With that said, what follows are prepared remarks in that regard by Bill Holstein. Take a look, and then join us in discussion. I am looking forward to the best and brightest that inhabit our little corner of the world participating in and driving this. Oh, and visit Bill anytime at his blog WilliamJHolstein.com Also, I heartily recommend purchasing his book, it is a fascinating look into a critical issue of our time, not to mention a great read. – bmaz]

*****
By: William J. Holstein:

It’s time to cut through all the nonsense about General Motors “not making cars that Amrericans want to buy.” The truth is that GM has seized design and performance leadership over its longtime nemesis, Toyota. Toyota’s cars these days resemble appliances, i.e. refrigerators on wheels. They don’t break, but they hardly inspire.

In terms of their physical appearance, GM vehicles have real attitude. The new CTS has a very bold and aggressive front end that designer John Manoogian came up with at the last moment. He and his team decided to take the V-shape that used to stop at the bumpers and let it plunge below the bumpers toward the ground. They also inserted grilles on the right front panels merely for decorative purposes. That nearly drove the engineers crazy because of the challenge of stamping a piece of sheet metal with an odd hole in the middle of it. But they did it. At first, the competition could not believe that GM had figured out how to achieve that.

Read more →

Give the Gift of Life: Become an Organ Donor

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I first realized how momentous it was that my friend John (who comments occasionally as "Gunner") would have a lung transplant when he called me on a Friday evening to tell me he had gotten the call from the hospital. Here he was, I thought, utterly dependent on oxygen, unable to walk more than 25 feet without a rest. He’d go into the hospital, get put to sleep, and–if all went well–wake up with the ability to breathe. It all went really well for John; within weeks he was back at home, healthier than he had been since I met him in 2004.

I wanted to give John an opportunity to tell his story. I thought it might encourage any of you who have considered becoming an organ donor. You could save the life of someone like John.

The Gift of Life provides some details about the pressing need for donors:

  • 98,000 men, women, and children are awaiting a life-saving transplant.  
  • 103 people in one 24 hour period or 37,595 every year are added to the national waiting list— that’s one person every 13 minutes.
  • 17 people per day or 6,205 per year die due to a lack of available organs for transplant.

The process to become a donor is fairly simple. In MI, for example, you can sign up at the MI organ donor registry. In VA, you can sign up at the VA DMV website or Save7Lives. In NY you sign up with the Department of Health. And you should always talk with your family so they know you want to be an organ donor.

Find out how to become an organ donor in your state. 

John will try to join the comments in case you’ve got questions for him.

Gone Mountaineer Hunting

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picture-84.thumbnail.pngI’m not really going to Boone, NC, to avenge the embarrassing loss the Appalachian State Mountaineers inflicted on my Wolverines several years back (I’m hoping the coach we stole from some other ‘Neers, plus a good recruiting class, might actually bring us back to Div 1A caliber). But I’ll be close–in Asheville, NC. And I expect to be tromping around some mountains myself, rather than playing gridiron.

In any case, I’ll be pretty AWOL for the next week, particularly tomorrow, when I’ll be driving. 

I’ve asked folks in DC to have a low-key week this week. So there won’t be too much to talk about–aside from the latest insanity from IL. I’ve got some posts loaded ahead for you and I’ll poke my head in whenever I get bored of the gorgeous out-of-doors. And bmaz has promised a bit of fun (hey! bmaz! you’re not supposed to raid the liquor cabinet until after I leave).

Otherwise, have a great week!!

dr. emptywheel

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FWIW, like Dr. Black, I occasionally dig out my title and try it on for size.

I admit I sometimes do so when making dinner reservations at hoity toity places. 

Mostly, though, I keep it ready and polished especially for when when fatuous old men call me "Miss." 

And if I were a petite, beautiful blonde like Dr. Jill Biden, engaged in the tough work of teaching adult students English, I’d be sure to whip out that title on regular basis. You got one of these, inane LAT journalist?

I didn’t think so.

And frankly, much as I loathed Dr. Condi Rice as Secretary of State, I do find it annoying that she (and Dr. Maddie Albright, for that matter) never got called Dr. Secretary of State even while people still call Dr. Kissinger by his title.

Today IS The Day!

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photo by michael foley

Today is the day. Now is the time. Change is in the air. Marcy is on the ground, we will update as she checks in. Consider this an open thread for anything you have to say. Spill your thoughts, emotions and hopes. Post any breaking news you see that I, and all of of us, might need to know.

I can just feel the difference already, can you?

Let’s get it on people!

UPDATE:

Loo Hoo reminded me of Marie Roget. Although I knew her only from the blog, I loved Marie Roget. I know many others did as well. She was a self proclaimed "fire breathing progressive". She lived to see the day today, and tragically, was not able to complete the journey with us. Marie lives on through us today, and this video was one of her favorites. It is wonderful.

We're All Detroit, MI Now

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A while back, I wrote a post called We’re all Flint, MI now. Mitch Albom just wrote a story that might as well be called We’re all Detroit, MI now (h/t Leen and dakine). He called it "The Courage of Detroit." It’s long–so to induce you to read it, I’m going to give you an almost-spoiler.

Because we may be a few steps behind the rest of the country, but we’re a few steps ahead of it too. And what’s happening to us may happen to you.
 
Do you think if your main industry sails away to foreign countries, if the tax base of your city dries up, you won’t have crumbling houses and men sleeping on church floors too? Do you think if we become a country that makes nothing, that builds nothing, that only services and outsources, that we will hold our place on the economic totem pole? Detroit may be suffering the worst from this semi-Depression, but we sure didn’t invent it. And we can’t stop it from spreading. We can only do what we do. Survive.
 
And yet we’re better at that than most places.

Go read the whole thing. 

(Photo by LHOON) 

Happy New Year!

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Just poking my head in to wish you all a Happy New Year!

Thanks to bmaz for holding down the fort today–though I guess the shellacking USC gave another Big Ten team today made it all worth it for him…

I’ll be driving back to MI all day tomorrow (unless the weather gets bad). I should be back blogging normally on Saturday.

Best Gifts Ever?

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mr. emptywheel and I have been meaning to get a print for our bathroom for years now–since we refinished it. I had intended to get an early patent drawing of a toilet, but never found anything I really liked.

So, when xkcd announced they were making signed prints available this year, mr. ew decided he was going to get the most incisive observation of online discussion, evah, and frame it for me for Christmas.

The comic, perhaps appropriately, is named "Duty Calls."

For some reason mr. ew figured it was an appropriate gift for me. We don’t usually exchange Christmas gifts (preferring to buy gifts when we find them), but when he learned he was getting a beer-making set, he decided to reciprocate.

So what did Santa (or the gods of Festivus, Kwanzaa, or Hannakuh) bring you this year?

One of the best Chrismas gifts I ever gave was actually a stocking stuffer (well, sort of). I was about 14, and my father, who was always prone to big statements, decided he deserved a 3-foot Christmas stocking. I took it upon myself to respond appropriately.

I filled the bulk of the stocking with a dozen grapefruit, which filled it up nicely. Then, just before the rest of the family came down on Christmas morning (I always got up several hours before my family and just hung out by the tree with the lights on), I went to the fridge where we had hidden the secret last stocking stuffer, and put it on top of all the grapefruit.

There we were hanging out quietly before opening presents, drinking coffee, when the stocking started moving. My Dad went to figure out what was going on, stuck his hand in the stocking, and the flung the … live lobster clear across the room.

(Yes, the rubber bands were still on the claws).

I confess it was inhumane to the poor lobster (though I couldn’t have predicted the distance my Dad got on that lobster). By the end of the day we very humanely put it head first into boiling water and enjoyed the best stocking stuffer ever as an hors d’oeuvres.

(Someday, if the news ever gets boring, I’ll tell you what happened when I got my upstairs neighbor in college a live pig for his birthday.)

So what are the best gifts you’ve ever given?

Happy Holidays And Thanks!

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS to one and all. And my thanks to the greatest readers and commenters on teh internets! You folks are awesome, and none of it works without you. And thanks, most of all, to Marcy for the tireless and incredible work she does, and for letting me hang around and be part of the fun and excitement.

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner at Casa de bmaz and then retired to watch Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire in Holiday Inn. For those not aware, Holiday Inn is the movie the Irving Berlin classic song White Christmas actually comes from, not the later movie with the title "White Christmas".

Well, Santa has just now completed his night’s work and, later in the morning, it will be present time. Here’s wishing you and yours all the very best.

It’s the Holidays! How about a little more music? Well alright then, away we go!