"Turbaconducken. That’s right — a chicken stuffed in duck stuffed in a turkey, all wrapped in bacon. Otherwise known as a bacon-wrapped turducken." D: - Jess Lee
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The amazing part is that the chicken *and* the duck *and* the turkey are wrapped in separate layers of bacon. Also amazing is that an entire site is dedicated to "Daily Updates on the World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon" - Bill Strathearn
I have to say that is some seriously unattractive food, regardless of how good it might taste. I'd love to see a professional chef try to dress that thing up... - Kamilah Gill
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ZoneAlarrm Promotion [via gHacks] - foxmachia
via mail2ff
"For Detroit, [bankruptcy] means release from ruinous wage deals with their astronomical benefits (the hourly cost of a Big Three worker: $73; of an American worker for Toyota: $48), massive pension obligations, and unworkable work rules such as “job banks,” a euphemism for paying vast numbers of employees not to work." - Jess Lee
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Like for the overall idea, not for the political name calling etc. - Erica Baker
I don't know precisely how the proposed bailout is structured yet, but it definitely gives me a scary, icky feeling at first glance. And while I do think that labor costs are *part* of US automakers' problems, it's obvious that they're far from the whole story. - Joel Webber
It's also worth noting that the article's author is Charles Krauthammer, who's hardly a useful source of unbiased information. Some of the commenters go so far as to suggest that US automakers would be fine if it weren't for CAFE standards, which is pretty absurd given that they also apply to companies that are doing just fine. - Joel Webber
"Hillary Clinton plans to accept the job of secretary of state offered by Barack Obama, who is reaching out to former rivals to build a broad coalition administration, the Guardian has learned." - Dave Winer
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Smart move... better to have her in the administration than on the outside criticizing every move by Obama. - Mark Martinez
Dave, this post hops over a lot of the parroting of pundits that usually fills the blogs. It has stunned me that the same folks who felt the world would end if Wall Street companies that pay hundreds of hustlers millions of dollars would fail, however, an industry that pays millions of workers hundreds of dollars can go down without serious consequences. - Phil Boiarski
Not to mention that GM's brands are very popular in China, so by killing GM we'd be removing one of the few things that gets money to come back here from China (there aren't very many left). - Robert Scoble
GM has made many, many mistakes. Why should we let them stay in business? - Tyler Hurst
via twhirl
Tyler: they have made many, many right decisions, too. My Saturn Aura is a great car (it is made by GM). When I was in Shanghai I saw GM cars all over the place. They employ something like seven million people around the world. So you are ready to put seven million people on the street? Why don't we put you and your business on the street? I'm sure you make mistakes every day too. - Robert Scoble
Chapter 11 doesn' have to put people on the street, as long as the govt provides a guarantee on DIP financing. See today's NYT Sorkin piece for details:-) - Francine Hardaway
via IM
Yes, but my business isn't going bankrupt. Hey, I drive a GM car, I don't want them to go under, but why should my tax dollars save them? - Tyler Hurst
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Tyler: because if you put those people out of work they'll cost you tax dollars and you won't get anything in return then. - Robert Scoble
The bailout money would be better spent on assitance to those who are impacted... re-training, relocation assistance, etc. Now (NOT, I meant NOT) wishing for GM go go away - but they have big issues that NEED to be addressed... not patched over (again). - Brian Roy
But what would I be getting for a bailout? If it's anything like the banks, it seems like more of the same! Will GM diversify, streamline and stop making gaudy SUVs? If they are to be bailed out, someone better should be running the company. Where's the hybrid cars? Why aren't they making more of them? - Tyler Hurst
via twhirl
Tyler: I agree with you, mostly. It's just that if you dump tons of people on the street to teach a corporation a lesson it increases the problems greatly. You also aren't going to find jobs for many of these workers, even after retraining. They simply aren't there. So, short term, I'm all for keeping the jobs going. - Robert Scoble
Tyler, that would be the point behind any kind of bailout. GM is told build hybrids and more fuel efficient cars in order to get the money. Use the bailout money as an incentive to restructure the industry. - Paul
Everyone keeps assuming all these people will get "dumped on the street", but I'm not sure I believe that. Will they shut down entirely? No. So how are 7mill losing their jobs? - ♫ Rahsheen™
"GM has made many, many mistakes." The mistakes were made in design and product decisions, not on the assembly line. Those who made decisions to manufacture Suburbans and ignore hybrid technology should suffer, not the guy bolting it together. And we'll either pay in "bailout" (which we might get back) or in unemployment benefits and other safety net spending (which we won't). - John Craft
A bailout is just a bandage. If it's not fixing the real problems, then why do it? Won't we go through this again? Instead of a bailout, why doesn't the gov't buy the damn company, fire all the upper management and subsidize sustainable/hybrid techology? - Tyler Hurst
via twhirl
Hopefully there are enough STRONG rules attached to the bailout to force both the execs and the unions to change direction and start making good cars for the long term. a straight bailout will just prolong the business-fail-as-usual mentality that exudes from Detroit. - Glenn Batuyong
Rasheen, at some point another manufacturer (e.g. Honda) might buy some GM assets (factory). But the delay, and uncertainty, will further erode confidence. No one wants to prop up "business as usual" - the goal is to ease (and demand) the transition. - John Craft
Tyler: if you put all those workers on the street you'll have far more pain for far longer. Yes, we should get something in return, but I don't live in an ideal world and I don't always get what I want. - Robert Scoble
"why doesn't the gov't buy the damn company, fire all the upper management and subsidize sustainable/hybrid techology?" - Isn't that essentially what's happening? Have you read the bills introduced in the House and Senate? - John Craft
Rahsheen, any layoffs by GM, Ford or Chrysler is going to have ripple effect. It will cause layoff in their suppliers also. So the layoffs are going to be a lot larger then just GM..... - Paul
John- yes, but this isn't a takeover, it's a bailout. Just as Glenn said earlier, there must be STRONG rules to make sure this isn't just a handout. - Tyler Hurst
via twhirl
Let them burn. The airlines had to restructure so will the auto makers. Enough with the fear mongering already. Fucking lemmings. - Leather Donut
Leather: where do you work? Can we say the same thing about your business? I'm sure your management hasn't made every best decision either. Plus, next year lots of businesses will lay people off. Should we cheer if you are one of those? - Robert Scoble
I think we can all agree that American automakers relied too heavily on SUVs. But what's the solution? - Tyler Hurst
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Tyler: that's because of our emphasis on quarterly results. I sure wish our markets would reward long-term thinking rather than worrying about this quarter and next. Capitalism itself brought us these problems. - Robert Scoble
Tyler: the solution is to take 10% of oil industry profits and put those into developing newer cars that'll get us off of oil. But that never will fly past the lobbyists. - Robert Scoble
+100 Robert - the short term thinking of today's day trader/hedge fund market create many of our current problems. - Brian Roy
True. Side note, has everyone here read Hot, Flat and Crowded? Fascinating. Great look toward what we SHOULD be doing. - Tyler Hurst
via twhirl
Tyler: I watched Thomas Friedman give a speech while in Shenzhen, China. I saw everything he was talking about right outside of my window. This is the #1 problem for the next 20 years. By far. Friedman's work is very important, he just travels a lot so sees the problems in a way that the rest of us can't. - Robert Scoble
Robert, if short term thinking is what caused these problems, then why does Apple create awesome products? What really concerns me is when all this bailout stuff is going to stop. We are going to have this same conversation over and over for each bailout, until we cause US Treasuries to lose their AAA rating, and China, Russia, and the Middle East will start using another currency to trade with. That's what we are risking with these bailouts. - Chris White
Here's a thought: why not eliminate all tax breaks for and/or apply all windfall profit taxes on the fossil fuel industry toward the auto industry bailout? Jack CAFE standard up dramatically and, as others have proposed, commit the Federal Government to a complete overhaul of its vehicle fleet within 5 years, with the prerequisites that replacements must be built in the US and use alternative fuels or new technology. ... - Kevin Pedraja
That would ensure that 1) energy prices don't fall so fast that alt fuel programs wither 2) car makers are both required and incented to invest in new technology. - Kevin Pedraja
I would rather use my taxes to pay unemployment for all of US auto assembly line workers than use my taxes to bail out their braindead asleep-at-the-wheel management. I want my taxes to support American workers, not American executives. - Bjorn Stromberg
I was just thinkng today, how many times have we heard "The consequences of failure would bring chaos" during the past year? It's been the year of the Shepherd Boy. - Ted Gilchrist
Scoble, the stock was just delisted. Shitty management. But then again the management is not going to the government for a handout. I'm not using my taxes to pay for someone else to live when I have to worry about my own. - Leather Donut
The fear mongering is back. Chicken Little all over the place. GIMME $700 BILLION NOW or we will die. Look where that's going. This will keep happening unless people stop supporting the same mistakes and guess what none of this helps YOU. Why do I have to pay for some AIG exec's bonus? I would shed ZERO tears if he was left homeless. In fact, he should be for the monumental fuckup. - Leather Donut
