the air

GM has expressed strong internal interest in the possible pursuit of Chrysler. DaimlerChrysler has made it clear that they are willing to shed themselves of Chrysler, if the price is right. However, plenty of hurdles lie ahead for GM and Chrysler should a deal materialize. Both companies are struggling to make a profit and GM is in the midst of a major turnaround plan. In addition, Chrysler has produced some of the most exotic sedans at affordable prices, but have failed to turn a profit. If GM were to acquire Chrysler, there would be an immediate fat-trimming session as GM would want to integrate their products with Chrysler’s as much as possible.

GM executives have also war-gamed specific strategies for cutting costs and streamlining operations if they do acquire Chrysler. They have picked through various product lines to determine whether two or more can be built on the same platform to trim costs and simplify purchasing. Possibilities include building the next-generation Dodge Ram pickup with the same platform as the Chevrolet Silverado and using the Jeep Wrangler platform for the Hummer H4 concept car from GM. GM executives also see an opportunity to improve Chrysler’s profitability by buying parts from around the globe.

Since GM is struggling to satisfy their own shareholders, it is possible that they would prefer to acquire Chrysler for as little money as possible. In essence, they would want Chrysler at a lucratively low price so that they can offset union expenses and dealer consolidation costs. In addition, the unions would have to concede numerous benefits before GM could even think about going after Chrysler. GM’s health-care costs are around $50 billion and Chrysler’s is near $22 billion. Add those two together and GM definitely has a major problem on their hands.

Then there is the possibility that the two companies would close plants and marry their manufacturing operations. Sean McAlinden, chief economist at CAR, says that alone could mean the reduction of 10,000 to 15,000 union jobs. The UAW would have to come to the table willing to make significant concessions.

I still stand by my words that GM is not going to acquire Chrysler because DaimlerChrysler is not going to release Chrysler without some significant return. In addition, both Renault-Nissan and Hyundai are possible suitors since they are yearning for a stronger presence in the US. It is possible that Chrysler could enter into a mult-lateral agreement with another manufacturer to ease production costs and engage in revenue sharing. In addition, there is also the likelihood that a GM-Chrysler merger could cause some trouble with anti-trust laws. It will be interesting to see how events unfold and where Chrysler ends up.

Source: BusinessWeek

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As a TA, I have heard my share of creative and innovative excuses. Some have been downright worthy of an award. And some have been so lame that I had no choice but to simply call them on their bluff. I found this great website that details 87 creative excuses you can use. It is definitely a great resource for all of you lazy ass students out there who are not doing your homework tonight!

Some of funny ones, I thought:

• Developing a vaccine for the upcoming bird flu pandemic in cooperation with the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta.
• District Court of Appeals recently ruled that homework is officially cruel and unusual punishment.
• The Green Party only does homework on recycled paper. Nader ’08 baby!

Anatomy

74. A girl at the coffee shop offered to let me do a little hands-on studying. Let’s just say that I have a specialized rather than a general knowledge of anatomy.

Astronomy

76 . Sorry ma’am, I was out doing LSD

Huckleberry Finn:

79. Sir, I just felt like I had to go build a raft right that moment. (If the professor asks to see it, say that it sank, along with your friend Bill. This also explains why you’ll be absent from class Friday for the funeral.)

The Great Gatsby:

80 . Well, here’s the thing sir. My neighbor was throwing this party, and it seemed in the spirit of the novel to really live how Gatsby did. Thankfully, no one did any driving.

Any Hunter S. Thompson:

81 . Wave your arms wildly and scream: “How can one study with these infernal bats flying everywhere?” (Watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for proper verbal and physical delivery, as well as context clues)

The author does a great job of describing how to make your excuses effective:

Excuses are sales. You have to believe in what you are selling. If you can’t beat the guilt, you can’t sell the excuse. You must relish the act of telling the excuse as much as the prospect of not doing your work.

So remember to sell yourself because if you don’t, I’ll call you on your bluff and you’ll be getting a zero on your assignment.

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Happy Fat Tuesday everyone!

Today is Fat Tuesday and the last day of Mardi Gras. I know you want to learn more about Fat Tuesday. It is basically the day before Lent begins. So now on to bigger and better things.

Gizmodo has a great post about alcohol and boob related products. After reading this post, I was simply laughing hysterically. Some of these products are genuinely hilarious.

My favorite is the Breast-Shaped Shampoo Dispenser.

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Where do I begin? The past week has been an extremely hectic week. Last Wednesday was an internship fair at Northern Illinois University and I decided to take my pompous ass over there to try my luck. I visited eight different booths hosting different companies. All of them told me that they will get back to me in about a month or so once they have visited other campuses and compiled a list of desirable candidates. However, one company seemed to have particular interest in me. Haldex Corporation talked to me for about 20 minutes, which seemed like an eternity to me. For those of you who don’t know, at a job fair, you generally only talk to the recruiter for approximately five minutes and hardly more than ten minutes. Near the end of my conversation with Haldex, they informed me that I sounded like the perfect candidate for them. I did not really pay too much attention to that comment.

Last Friday morning at 8:30 AM, I got a call from the HR Specialist at Haldex who wanted me to come to the headquarters and meet with the Product Utilization Team (PUT). I set up the interview for noon on Wednesday, February 21, 2007, which is tomorrow. I am actually sort of nervous, but at the same time, I am going in with the attitude that I have nothing to lose because I really don’t have anything to lose. I am hoping that this interview will lead to an internship this summer with Haldex. For the past couple of days, I have been simply researching on the company and trying to learn as much as I can about the company. So wish me luck for tomorrow’s interview.

Today there was another job fair at the Engineering Building. This time, all the companies were looking for engineers interested in internships and full-time jobs. I can’t put my finger on it, but I simply did not enjoy the fair today. It seemed like the recruiters themselves were not too enthusiastic about the fair itself. Since I was up late last night working on an assignment (which is why I could not make a post yesterday), I literally had no time to research any of the companies that visited the campus today. Again, I decided to go in and “wing” the entire session and hope to come out on top. To my surprise, I only visited two companies and both seemed to have a genuine interest in me. One company, Caterpillar, made a few notes on my resume that seemed to indicate that they wanted to pursue me as a possible candidate, even though they mentioned they have limited openings for the summer internship session. Hopefully it leads to something.

What a week it has been and I’ll be sure to post my interview experience with Haldex tomorrow. Gotta love progress!

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Now that I have a politics category, wouldn’t it be nice if I spice things up a bit by writing about a controversial topic? Technically, this topic is not controversial to me, but it does appear to be a heated issue at times. Before you read further, I am not talking about English classes/courses.

Last week, the US House of Representatives introduced a bill that would define English as the official language of the US and require that all naturalized citizens learn and speak English prior to becoming citizens. If you are not a naturalized citizen of the United States, then you may not know that all prospective applicants must give an oral English exam prior to becoming a citizen. In essence, you are required to be able to read, write, and speak some English. This bill would essentially make that into a law and mandatory. In addition, you will be required to take some English classes that would make you proficient in English. Opponents argue that such a measure is not required because those who are willing to become citizens are already eager to learn English and speak it. Some agree that the US Government should have some common language, but there remains no need to coerce people into taking English classes.

I think this bill is perfectly fine. As a naturalized US citizen, I think it is essential for future citizens to be able to read and write English as well as speak it proficiently. English is the most widely spoken language in the world and in the US. As such, it should be required for everyone to know the language before becoming a citizen. In addition, by defining English as the official language, the US can then unite all official documents and all transactions are kept in the same language. I think the critics mis-understand the intention of this bill because it does not outlaw any other language. Other nations, such as India and Brazil, require that their own citizens be proficient in their own respective languages and have an official language. The US is built around many different languages, but by having one language as the official one, the entire country can be united through language. Not everyone in the US knows German, French, Hindi, Spanish, Finnish, and others. However, everyone in this country needs to be able to speak English so that they can communicate with everyone. Doesn’t it make sense to simply designate English as the official language and also require naturalized citizens to be proficient in English? I think it makes perfect sense.

Source: CNS News

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