Morning Reads: 10 December 2007

[mika]

TodayÔÇÖs Birthdays / Calendar

BMW in the News

greenvillenews.com
Steyr to build BMWÔÇÖs next Mini model

blogf1.co.uk
Formula One Factories: BMW Sauber

TED: Ideas worth spreading
TED Blog,Conferences, Themes, Talks and Speakers

BMW AG: Share price performance


News:

motorcycledaily.com
Ducati 1098: Once Again ÔÇ£The Best Bike of the YearÔÇØ

motorcycledaily.com
Discover TodayÔÇÖs Motorcycling WomenÔÇÖs Studio Debuts at Cycle World International Motorcycle Show

motorcyclenews.com
KTM quad makes UK debut

classicmotorcycle.co.uk
From our editorEnthusiast and enthusiasm.

thekneeslider.com
Jesse RookeÔÇÖs KTM Based Caf?® Racer

thekneeslider.com
Roland Sands Custom Ducati Ypermotard

thekneeslider.com
Why Not Build Street Legal Custom Motorcycles?

thebeachcruiser.com
Cody leaves OCC

cyclepedia.com
Yamaha Motorcycle & ATV Model Year Identification

motoinsgiht.it
Concept Yamaha U-max By Vanjey Design

topspeed.com
Suzuki Debuts Custom L-R-G Hayabusa

Cage World

popularmechanics.com
Whey the New 35-MPG Fuel Economy Standard is a Bad Idea

eemsonline.com
Stewart [The Wee Scott] criticizes FIA leadership

windingroad.com
Aston Martin DBS Road Test

Edmunds.com
Porn Actor Named ÔÇ£LexusÔÇØ Gets ToyotaÔÇÖs Attention ÔÇô and Threats of Legal Action

Packer News

jsonline.com
Packers Plus Online

AP Story: Packers Win 38-7, Clinch NFC North

The Green Bay Packers didn't need Brett Favre to throw the ball all over the field to clinch the NFC North on Sunday, relying on the running of Ryan Grant and a pair of special teams touchdowns from Will Blackmon in a 38-7 victory over the Oakland Raiders.

The Packers (11-2) assured an end to their two-year absence from the postseason with three games left to play.

Blackmon, a backup cornerback who has missed most of the season because of a broken foot, returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter and recovered a muffed punt by Raiders returner Tim Dwight in the end zone late in the third quarter.

Grant, who was acquired in a trade with the New York Giants just before the season and took over as the starter last month, rushed for a career-high 156 yards and a touchdown, his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season.


The News-Record ÔÇô Gillette Wyoming


Adventure Posts:

wheels24.co.za
Gomoto 125cc Afrika road-trip


Blog Update

Foreign Language Blogs

New Blogs:

BlupooBikes Motorcycle Adventures

KÔÇÖtelontour of the World

NelsonÔÇÖs BMW airhead motorcycles

The New Caf?® (Racer) Society


Over Heard in New York | Voice of the City


Photography / Video:


Links to the Photo Assignment threads:

12/01/2007: Element

11/24/2007: Gratitude ÔÇô Thanksgiving Special

11/17/2007: Triangle

11/10/2007: Harmony

11/03/2007: Pure & Simple

10/27/2007: Open Wide

10/19/2007: Shadow of a Doubt

10/13/2007: Group Dynamic

10/06/2007: Blue

09/29/2007: Evolution

09/22/2007: Balance

09/15/2007: Where I Want to Be

09/08/2007: A Long Way to Go


TodayÔÇÖs RoadFood.com


Woot

Todays Woot

The Blog


xkcd A webcomic of Romance, Sarcasm, Math and Language

Sluggy Freelance


Bike Candy:

THE END

 

[PAULBACH]

From an article in this Morning Reads

By forcing the CAFE issue, Congress makes it look like the U.S.ÔÇÖs profligate consumption of energy is the direct fault of the evil car companies, probably in cahoots with Big Oil. ThatÔÇÖs revisionist history. We, the American consumers, need to take a huge share of the responsibility. Ultimately, weÔÇÖre the ones who will pay the costs of any policy the government imposes. Sure, there are plenty of people who really do need a vehicle the size of a tugboat to fill their needsÔÇöa quarter-million or so pickup-truck owners come to mind, for instance (at least the ones who actually carry stuff around in them). But pretending the car companies are forcing us to buy big, inefficient cars is speciousÔÇöand so is expecting the government to bail us out for free.

Ultimately, the pressures of the marketplace and the laws of physics may be the only way to get people to buy smaller cars. Like many other legislations with unintended consequences, raising CAFE is likely to come back and bite us on the behind. The car manufacturers are partly right: ItÔÇÖll cost lots of money to change over their product mix from big cars to more fuel-efficient models, to use lighter-weight materials and to develop new technology.

When gas is more expensive, the marketplace will realign the mix of vehicles on the road, as it has in Europe and most of the rest of the world, where gasoline can cost double what it does here. We just havenÔÇÖt reached that point yet.

Are higher cafe standards a good/bad idea? Should we let the market drive gas to a point where the market will produce the cars by popular demand?

Why the New 35-MPG Fuel Economy Standard Is a Bad Idea

 

[J Brase]

There was a time when I argued, sometimes vociferously, for a significant gas tax increase. I said, "if gas cost three dollars a gallon, Americans would demand small, fuel efficient cars."

It appears I was wrong.

John