Spawn's dad

CLEVELAND

Gotcha. Someone should show the president that stuff.

That venue is an upholstery store by day and night club by weekend. That thing we're sitting on is an old backseat from a car. A dark and eclectic place to see music.

You're doing it wrong.

What if they were wearing crocs?

I heard they were going out of business I only own crocs and sidi cycling shoes right now.

I have a PM

I have a PM

I call bullshit

I call bullshit

I haven't gotten any PMs yet

You're doing it wrong.

Seems to be working. Maybe super mod fixed it.

'duh'

You had always seemed like such a plausible mate. Oh well.

It seems to me that the indie universe is divided into Wilco fans and Radiohead fans.

WASHINGTON

American's

Jesus, Maryann, Joseph.

i dont follwos teh VC anymore. WHose sock puppet is this? im too stoopid to get angry.

You could steam the backseat windows AND join the mile high club...

Try that on a smart car

Besides, that's about double the gas mileage of my Jeep.

Way to hate on the planet. Did you vote for McCain?

Aircraft maker Terrafugia has successfully flown its "flying car," taking the vehicle a step closer to becoming commercially available.

Officially called the Transition Roadable Aircraft Proof of Concept, the two-seat aircraft had its maiden flight March 5 at Plattsburgh International Airport in Plattsburgh, N.Y. It was a runway flight, which means the aircraft only flew above the runway. The fight from takeoff to landing lasted only about 30 seconds.

Nevertheless, Terrafugia said the test proved that the Transition is ready for more advanced flying. Test pilot retired U.S. Air Force Col. Phil Meteer said in a video on the company's Web site that the flight was smooth and the aircraft performed well.

"Stability is always a question on your first flight," Meteer said. "It was just rock solid."

Meteer said the Transition handled like a normal plane and there were no surprises. "It was remarkable for being unremarkable," he said. "It just flew like a really nice airplane."

The four-wheel aircraft resembles a Volkswagen Beetle with wings and a propeller in the back. The Transition is capable of flying 450 miles at more than 115 mph. On the road, the front-wheel drive vehicle runs on unleaded gasoline, has a top speed of 65 mph and gets 30 miles to the gallon.

The Transition takes less than 30 seconds to transform from plane to car, which essentially is accomplished by folding the wings. In the car position the vehicle is 6 feet 9 inches tall, 80 inches wide, and 18 feet 9 inches long, and fits into a standard house garage.

Categorized as a light sport aircraft, buyers will need a sport pilot license to fly the Transition legally. The vehicle is meant to give pilots a "convenient ground transportation option."

"Travel now becomes a hassle-free integrated land-air experience," Carl Dietrich, chief executive of Terrafugia, said in a statement.

Terrafugia has not said when the flying car will be available, but is taking orders. Would-be buyers will have to put up a $10,000 deposit. The Transition is expected to cost $194,000.

Terrafugia has a video gallery of the first flight on its Web site.

Hmm

MARYVILLE, Ill.

Caption contest!

Dude, eat some broccoli.

Not sure I agree with you. This isn't an indirect handout to the workers and suppliers that would be more efficiently accomplished by giving it to them directly. This is an attempt to prevent a domino effect of unthinkable proportions. You may disagree with it, and it may fail, and it may fail because the industry is so broken it can't be fixed, but even in that scenario, I dont see how the money is wasted. In the short term, at the very least, it is a measure that saves jobs. In the long term, hopefully, it is a measure that is looked back on as the first step in a retooling of the industry. But even if that doesn't happen, you are still spending money to save jobs now, and worst case, it's an indirect welfare check to workers and suppliers. Even then, I dont see how it's a waste. I think you have to at least try.

Well, if ones point of view is that all that's left to do is bury the coffin than money that would go to these companies would be better served to going to the people in some form or another. Any penny that didn't would be 'a waste.' I don't fathom how they save this. While they're saving jobs money is going to support other things that while saving jobs aren't really helping people. And in the end that's going to have been more money that could have gone to directly helping people. These are people that are going to need new jobs, in new industries, and ideally ones that we won't allow corporations to move to some third world country for labor that's a fraction of the cost it is here.

Anyway, it's irrelevant...they got the money, so now we'll see what happens.

Your question has nothing to do with your statement that precedes it. The answer to your question may be nothing. That doesnt mean the money was flushed/wasted. Taxpayers pay taxes. Taxpayers' jobs are being saved (temporarily). Taxpayers that make supplies for car companies are being saved (temporarily). Money spent isn't money deposited into a black hole.

Sorry

Flushed. As in wasted. And, besides, what have they done to deserve to get a bailout that others can't get.

Bottom line is if the majority opinion is to help folks hand the cash to those effected in extended benefits and such. Most of this money will go to trying to prop up these companies for sustainability, but given their uncompetitive wage and production costs it simply can't be done. That money will be wasted. And it's money that could go to use in more helpful ways.

Flushed. As in wasted. What have they done to justify the handout that others can't get?

Because bailing out that which should sustain itself makes sense?

Allowing it to fail makes sense because we've allowed our MFGs (and most of our customer service and tech jobs) to be exported. Our auto industry is a giant fail. And until we're forced to recreate how we do things there's no hope. It's not a competitive industry. Giving them billions of dollars to flush only puts off the inevitable. We need to have our hand forced so genuine change can occur. Until we actually start to produce things here on a large scale at competitive prices (read cheaper labor and mfging) we'll just keep repeating these cycles.