High-quality English language analysis and editorial writing on the news.
Let’s begin with full disclosure. The author of this article’s most recent book is The Tiddler Invasion: Small Motorcycles of the Sixties. The book is almost three pounds of 615 pages, 430 photographs, and 180 charts on the subject of this article. If you wish to read a lot more detail on this subject, you […]
Rising gas prices have been slowly putting dents in our pocket books. Governments, Big Business and Entrepreneurs have been hard at work trying to find an economical alternative to petroleum based vehicles, creating a hybrid vehicle movement. According to the US Department of Energy the average price per gallon of gas will remain the same […]
One week from today on November 16, the first international event will be held at the brand new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The COTA is the first purpose-built Formula One track in the U.S., so its opening has been highly anticipated for several years. The F1 event officially begins with practice day […]
Would Jesus pack heat? An easy question you say, since Jesus told his followers to “turn the other cheek”, and this quote is often quoted by those opposing all war or violence of any sort…mainly by those living in safe suburbs and working in tenured academic jobs. Yet this article states that some pastors in […]
 When in 2002 the Benetton Formula One team morphed into Renault it was clear that what the French car giant was seeking to do was to secure brand value from the move, in return, of course, for funding. Constructors’ and Drivers’ championships in 2005 and 2006 will undoubtedly have given the brand a major […]
Tata Motors has been in news for quite a while for launch of its Nano car touted as world’s cheapest car. Costing at a base price of about $2000 (Two thousand), Nano received unprecedented interest from all over the world. The highest model costs around $3500 and is equipped with features like power window, power […]
United States automakers are engaged in a struggle to survive and, in their fight to avoid complete insolvency, are making use of drastic, even unorthodox, measures. While, in today’s economic climate, governments bailouts seem neither drastic, nor unorthodox – everybody’s doing it, or so it seems – some of the other steps the big three […]
MEMO TO: Richard Feducci, Overlord of Finance FROM: E Pluribus, Wondergod SUBJECT: Five Year International Finance Plan DATE: January 1, 2005 Happy New Year, Rich. Got some good news and some bad news. The bad news: We’re going to let the American economy crater. The good news: Everybody else’s will, too. The best news: By […]
While this may not appeal to the Hummer or Escalade crowd, the Scoot Coup certainly has some big things going for it, 70mpg for one. While it likely would not be a big seller in the ‘soccer mom’ market, it only seats two, it certainly shows some innovation. The Scoot Coup is open air, and […]
David Schussler So I’m sitting on the toilet, it’s six thirty AM, and I’m thinking about how good it is to be relieving myself of bodily toxins early in the morning. I’m going to have a good day. I’m remembering the lessons I learned while living alone in the bush and having time to understand […]
And another one after that? First of all, we should stop using the term bailout; it paints a false picture. If you’re one of those glass is half empty’ types, consider these transactions as loans against assets — and there are LOTS of assets. For us ‘glass is half full’ types these transactions are investments […]
If there is one empirical factor in determining if a movie is actually a good movie it is this: how many times did I look at my watch. If you told me I was about to sit through two hours about the lawsuit over who actually invented the intermittent windshield wiper I’d have probably asked […]
In what almost seems to be a demonstration of her frustration at certain governments’ traditional opposition to stronger government regulation in national and international economic matters (but what really is the difference between national and international these days?), German Chancellor Angela Merkel will openly go head-on with the European Commission in Brussels and continue to […]
A poignant allegory has developed between what has been happening on America’s lakes in recent years and what has been happening throughout our culture for a long time. Unless you are a recreational boater or live near one of America’s lakes, you may not be aware of the significance brought to our consciousness by these […]
The recent proliferation of $4 gasoline has brought renewed interest in economical two-wheeled transportation, particularly the latest styles of motor scooters from Japan and China. The Internet and the manufacturing boom in China are playing key roles in this new market, offering a wide variety of machines in the $1000-1700 price bracket. Small motorcycles and […]
Wally Olins, one of the most knowledgeable writers and thinkers on brand management in modern times, wrote back in 1989 in his seminal book on “Corporate Identityâ€, that “…oil companies are poor retailers.†The irony was that then, as now, the brand identities of Shell, BP or Esso were amongst the most ubiquitous in the […]
The broadcaster, writer and self-proclaimed defender of motorists’ rights Jeremy Clarkson has a Group of fans on Facebook who would like to see him as Prime Minister. It has an astonishing 300,000 members proving beyond doubt that the “Petrolhead Party†is a force in British politics. Be scared, be very, very scared. The fallacious starting […]
The price of oil is starting to take a bite out of the automakers. Oil is knocking on the dreaded door of being $150 a barrel. Even previously seemingly impervious affluent motorists have reached the end of their tether. That $5 a gallon price tag is looking more and more likely. It therefore should come […]
If a slumping economy and rising gas prices have got you down James Dyson’s new invention may put a smirk on your face. The creator of bag-less vacuum cleaners has set his sites and money on a gas-less, solar powered vehicle, according to Switched.com. The Dyson billionaire hopes to develop a lightweight electric motor that […]
One thing that unites the environmental lobby with those who oppose them is that by far the best way to help deal with the fast approaching Energy crisis in the West is to concentrate of conservation and energy efficiency. There are two ways to reduce the cost of energy – reduce the price or use […]
The quest for a usable and affordable electric car has been the quest of many companies. To date no-one seems to have quite managed. In fact some of the schemes seem to border on scams. the ZAP is a great example. They managed to not only scam the customers, but also dealerships. I am always […]
That heparin contamination that killed a few dozen folks might have been a deliberate act, not an accident…well, duh… I noted that two weeks ago… And this is on the heels of the fake protein in cat/dog food, and the lead in the kids’s toys. But in Africa and Asia, things are worse. The tainted […]
Global warming? It’s the girls’ fault. They prefer men who drive Ferraris to those who drive a tiny low power Prius. No, this is not my opinion: it is the opinion of Sir David King, a UK Scientist who advises the government of the UK in policy matters. Sir David managed to get the UK […]
By John Donovan of RoyalDutchShellPlc.com Secret documents published for the first time on the open Internet reveal that a top Executive of the Royal Dutch Shell Group gave blatantly false information when questioned by financial analysts in a presentation in New York. On Friday, February 7, 2003, Sir Philip Watts, the then Group Chairman of […]
Bringing up the subject of tougher speed limits in Germany is a lot like suggesting more stringent gun control in the United States. A polarizing issue par excellence, speedy German people react almost as emotionally to the first suggestion as heavily-armed American people do to the second. Just ask that little old lady in the wheelchair. […]
Germans just have this thing with the autobahn. They really do. For young and old alike it’s a no-win situation really, whenever they start discussing it that is (although driving on them can also be a big pain in the autobahn, too). Just ask Eva Herman. She recently used the A-word directly after using the […]
By John Donovan of RoyalDutchShellPlc.com 5 October 2007 On 22 September 2007, The Times newspaper reported: “Since the 1990s, Royal Dutch Shell has been at war with a family who registered a website, royaldutchshellplc.com. The Donovan family, led by 90-year-old Burma veteran Alfred…†http://royaldutchshellplc.com/2007/09/21/the-times-martin-waller-city-diary/ Alfred Donovan is the father of the author of this article. The […]
In a heroic effort to help save the Umwelt (environment) and not spend any of those less than hard earned euros sprudelnd (bubbling up) so impressively from the booming German economy, German consumers have instinctively and spontaneously begun an open-ended strike and now steadfastly refuse to buy any of the gas guzzling and environmentally threatening […]
Here in the rural Philippines, most people cook with LPG, i.e. propane. You see stores that exchange empty tanks for full ones everywhere, and any increase or decrease in LPG prices is front page headlines. Actually this is good, since the alternative, i.e. using trees for wood fires, can lead to both air pollution and […]
         The government is requiring that all 2013 model-year vehicles come equipped with side air bags. This upgrade has been in consideration since 2004. Side air bags will protect the torso and head from serious injury in the event of an accident. It is said that these measures could save up to 300 lives and […]
By John Donovan of RoyalDutchShellPlc.com Last Friday, 31 August 2007, The Guardian newspaper published an article focused on Jeroen van der Veer, the Chief Executive of Royal Dutch Shell Plc. http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2159465,00.html The portrait painted by Guardian journalist Terry Macalister was of an endearingly frugal and religious man who earned a paltry £2.9 million ($5.8 million) […]
By John Donovan of RoyalDutchShellPlc.com On 1 September 2007, a UK national newspaper, the Daily Mail, published an article on its City & Finance pages revealing “ROYAL Dutch Shell is getting rattled by a ‘gripe site’ that alleges there are safety problems with its North Sea oil platforms.†The article relates to the author of this […]
By John Donovan of RoyalDutchShellPlc.com Pennzoil-Quaker State Company (PQS) is seeking $1 million in damages from a Pennsylvanian resident, Keith R. Smith, for alleged trademark infringement, counterfeiting, dilution, unfair competition, false advertising and unjust enrichment. The draconian legal proceedings brought against Smith are in his capacity as the owner of “Lube Proâ€, a single bay […]
A Court case against Shell Oil Products alleges predatory conduct by the oil giant against a small New Jersey company, Wexco Industries. Allegations against Shell include fraud and misrepresentation. By John Donovan of RoyalDutchShellPlc.com We recently published an article about how the management of Shell Oil Products in the USA had for a number of […]
By John Donovan of RoyalDutchShellPlc.com In a press release issued on 3 August 2007, David Pirret, Executive Vice President of Shell Lubricants claimed that “Shell Lubricants has some of the world’s most trusted brandsâ€. He named Pennzoil, a well known and previously highly respected oil brand now owned by Shell, as being one of its […]
In what appears to be a concerted effort set into motion by mysterious dark forces pulling strings at the World Carfree Network headquarters in Prague, scores of high-powered luxury automobiles have been targeted for attack by environmentally aware nature freaks (freaks of nature?) in Berlin this year. While the more roughneck anarchist climate thug inhabitants […]
By John Donovan of RoyalDutchShellPlc.com When the news media reports on rising high oil prices, militant attacks in Nigeria are inevitably cited as a factor e.g. the following extract is from a report in The Scotsman, Friday 13 July 2007: “The attacks have contributed to a drop in production of about 25 per cent, driving […]
In the past ten years every rehash of the Transformers franchise has suffered the same critical flaw: annoying human characters that get in the way of robots fighting. Yes, this is my very simplistic view of the transformers universe and as you can tell I am a fan from way back in that simpler time […]
A Reuters report today says that tires made by the Chinese company Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. may not meet US safety specifications and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is forcing a New Jersey importer to recall more than 450,000 tires. The manufacturer denies allegations of defective manufacturing or changes in specifications, although several deaths […]
That’s right, I said fuel rationing, IN IRAN. The rationing restrictions, which took effect at midnight local time, are reported to limit private motorists to 100 liters of fuel each month. Given only two hours notice, Iranian motorists are experiencing long lines at filling stations. At least one filling station in the western suburbs of […]
Yesterday, the EPA announced that it is considering reducing the allowable concentration of ozone pollution (smog, not to be confused with smug), a known contributor to many respiratory problems. For many metro areas, the news is roughly equivalent to trying to get blood out of a turnip. For example, none of the Northeast Ohio counties […]
By Staff Writer Justice Sam Banjul. Paid for And Commissioned by the Freedom Newspaper. Gambia’s collapse economy is taking its toll on the transportation industry. A major gas shortage is making life difficult for travelers, local cab drivers and private vehicle owners. Thousands of travelers have been left stranded due to the gas shortage, the […]
Well, here is an interesting turn of events. A fellow in North Carolina converted his auto to run on vegetable oil so that he could “make a statement” against our usage of fossil fuels. Great, you say? Stick it to the oil companies, the Saudis the whole mess in the Mid East? And on top […]
MakeMagazine has articles about making biodiesel, and about using it in cars. However, this week on their blog, they give warning to those using biodiesel that they could be fined by local and federal government regulators: for not paying fuel taxes. Bob Teixeira decided it was time to take a stand against U.S. dependence on […]
Denver has recently announced a policy that plans to remove 500,000 cars from the road in an aggressive attempt to curb the effects of global warming. This follows on the heels of other plans nationwide to reduce emissions as well as commentary from elites who encourage the further increase in gas prices so fewer people […]
Well, here is an interesting turn of events. A fellow in North Carolina converted his auto to run on vegetable oil so that he could “make a statement” against our usage of fossil fuels. Great, you say? Stick it to the oil companies, the Saudis the whole mess in the Mid East? And on top […]
There’s a lot of talk about ethanol, which is widely used in Brazil, and would be a boon for corn/maize farmers in the US midwest. But here in the Philippines, we use a lot of diesel, and biodiesel seems to be the way to go, since we can make it from local plants like palm […]
Everyone complains about how everyone else on the road can’t drive, but no one is willing to admit that they are the ones everyone is complaining about. Maybe the results of this year’s GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test will make people more willing to admit that they are not completely sure of the rules of the […]
The Associated Press imagines itself a “news†organization. Ordinarily, “news†does not convey opinion, but only facts… at least that’s the ideal. That being the general understanding of what comprises news, it is interesting when we at Newsbusters find odd bits of opinion encased inside any particular AP “news†story. But, it is really odd […]
When Daimler proposed to Chrysler back in 1998, it was inconceivable to him that their unbridled passion could ever fizzle out or that their steamy dream team would ever break up as it now has with this messy divorce, filled with mutual mixed negative emotions and the occasional intricately planned murder plan (he was that close […]
“I cannot sell you that car,” the man said firmly in thickly accented English. He was short, wearing an imaculate white coat like a doctor’s, with fierce blue eyes and close-clipped reddish hair Bill and I looked at the rusted VW van with the faded advertising for a brand of Scotch whisky painted on the side. Our […]
Drängeln means to jostle, push or press. Or in this particular case, it means to urge speed at a high speed in a car on an autobahn, usually bumper to bumper, honking and/or with your headlights flashing. Lebensraum means habitat. And though illegal, most real men Drängler (and they are always men, I mean real […]
Evidently, while visiting the White House to give the President of the United States a full demo of Ford’s new hydrogen-electric plug-in hybrid, Ford CEO Alan Mulally’s fast action prevented Dick Cheney from becoming our 44th President. As Bush, extension cord in hand, stepped to the hydrogen port at the rear of the vehicle instead […]
Ruling on its first case involving global warming and climate change, by a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court held that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases do qualify as pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
On Monday President Bush met with automakers and praised ethanol and biodiesel, while trying to drum up support for his energy plan. He called on automakers to double their production of flex fuel vehicles.
An ever more cantankerous US Congress is getting a little tired of the White House dragging its feet in setting new fuel economy standards: Several senators said the White House plan fails to aggressively push automakers to improve the number of miles a car can get on a single gallon of gasoline. They noted that […]
Bush’s Hearts-&-Minds tour of South America is feeding our brewing ethanol-mania. Corn-based ethanol seems like a great solution, especially for us — anyone who’s driven across Michigan in July knows that we grow a lot of corn. But we need to stop and give corn-based ethanol a good look, because it cannot replace our dependance […]
You may not be aware of this, but Germany is a country that has lots of rules and regulations (put your understatement link here). There are bans, restrictions, limitations, restraints, curbs, controls, interdictions, prohibitions and Verbote (as in verboten) wherever you care to look. Should looking be allowed in the area you are doing the […]
Ever since GM announced their new Chevy Volt concept car at this year’s Auto Show, rumors have persisted that the concept was PR-motivated vaporware. Not so, says GM Vice Chairmen Bob Lutz. In this open letter he directly addresses the two major stumbling blocks to the Volt’s production: acquiring workable lithium-ion technology and demonstrating that […]
Clearly paying no heed to German EU industry commissioner Verheugen’s warning about hysterischer Aktionismus (hysterical, unexamined action or activity) in matters concerning climate protection, and caught red-handed helping Germany cheat on the CO2 emission targets set for it at Kyoto, a group of mad (as in angry) and panicked German scientists has been caught pumping […]
 David Schussler The current (fear induced) trend in thinking regarding global warming has spurred some creative entrepreneurial minds to new levels of ruse and deceit on our unsuspecting and trusting souls worldwide. Seduced by too little information, much of the world is railing against industry and private use of carbon based fuels in an […]
Would you buy a car whose prototype once turned soggy when left out in the rain? Yeah, I agree. I would, too. But unfortunately you can’t buy the East German Trabant (Satellite) anymore. Not new, anyway. They haven’t been built since 1991 for some strange reason. Und das ist gut so (and that’s a good thing). […]
For those following Chrysler’s agonizingly slow belly flop, you’ll recall that in the last week they’ve announced more white-collar and hourly cuts (Feb 12), that Daimler has decided to spin them off (Feb 14), and that GM has held secret talks with Daimler-Chrysler regarding a possible takeover (Feb 16) Now, February 19, according to the […]
After the unbelievably successful Daimler-Chrysler marriage, a small group of currently drunken Rhineland carneval enthusiasts has begun petitioning for a merger between a number of famous German carneval processions and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Word has it that the consolidated cavalcade will then be held sometime in June, perhaps on a small, rocky island […]
2006 was another year of record profits for Big Oil — although they expect 2007 to be a somewhat weaker year for profits (plausibly because the federal government is no longer handing them so many of our tax dollars.) Now that the weather is getting colder (my desktop forecast widget is telling me all next […]
Last week, in Part 1 of his Energy Series, Jeremy mentioned that Ford posted a $12 billion loss for 2006. This week’s Harper’s Weekly Review puts this number in perspective, noting that the $12.7 billion loss is the largest in its 103-year history, and equivalent to the GDP of Jordan. Asked about his plans for […]
Attention – Due To Allegations of Plagiarism, This Article Is Highly Suspect It was always a matter of luxury and status symbol to own a BMW Car in India. Now, BMW have decided to enter the Indian car market and start off with about 5 models – the 3-Series, 5-Series, 7-Series, X5 and the X3 […]
Taking full advantage of its highly responsible European Union presidency role (not), and living up to its promise of making the environment one of its top priorities (not), Germany now appears to be actively undermining European Union efforts to help combat climate change. Normally very vocal about proclaiming itself a role model for all things […]
The natives are all up in arms about ExxonMobil and co. again. You know, flying off the handle with rage and all that. It’s kind of like when you sneak up behind them and say the word “Bushâ€. These cynical bastards (ExxonMobil, not the natives) are actually offering $10,000 to “buy scientists†who can refute the […]
The Auto Theft Prevention Authority (ATPA) released statistics indicating that, through diligent citizen action, Detroit saw a 12.8 percent decline in auto-thefts from 2004 to 2005 (the last year for which figures are available) — the 16th such decline in the last 18 years. Furthermore, in the last 18 years auto thefts across Michigan have […]
AutoblogGreen reports that GM has unveiled a plug-in, hybrid, 4-door electric sedan capable of running on unleaded gas and ethanol. The Chevy Volt has a range of 640 miles on a single 12-gallon tank of gas — which is 53 miles per gallon, a hair better than my Prius’ actual measured average of 47 mile […]
Americans have a bias against cars made by U.S. automakers, but an AP-AOL Autos poll found flickers of loyalty that could offer hope for an industry struggling to survive. The problem for Detroit is changing perceptions that often don’t match reality. Those questioned in the survey said they have more faith in Japanese-made cars than […]
In the last several years, the idea of running your car on corn or old frier grease has gone from fringe obsession to mainstream hope; how about running your car on swamp muck? Researchers from the University of Detroit Mercy and Wayne State have found a way to make peat moss into a fuel. This […]
Ford, General Motors (GM) and Chrysler have all reported a drop in car sales during 2006 – Ford sales fell 8%, GM dropped 8.7% and Chrysler slid 5%. By contrast both Japanese carmakers Toyota and Honda posted a rise in annual of 12.9% and 3.5% respectively. Rising petrol prices have boosted Asian firms in recent […]
The market capitalization of GM is more than $16 billion. The market capitalization of Ford is around $14 billion. The market capitalization of Toyota is $238 billion !!! As you can see, the market capitalization of Toyota is almost eight times higher than those of General Motors and Ford together. Honda has a market capitalization […]
Although makers of computers and electronic products added 5,000 jobs to their payrolls in November, they were not enough to offset job losses elsewhere in the manufacturing sector of the U.S. economy. As a result manufacturing lost 15,000 jobs last month, lowering total employment in the sector to 14.16 million jobs, the U.S. Labor Department […]
   Attention – Due To Allegations of Plagiarism, This Article Is Highly Suspect                      Some weeks ago, many had argued how West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was setting a healthy precedent for all other states to emulate. This was in the context of the acquisition of land at Singur, about 50 kilometres north-west of Kolkata in […]
This blog’s recent fascinating and thoroughly readable investigative reporting piece about Volkswagen’s planned closure of a production facility near Brussels has apparently so enraged and beleidigt (mortally offended) Volkswagen’s top management, that Europe’s leading automaker has decided to sign a mega-deal to build a mega-factory in western India and leave Germany now, too. What is worse, they […]
Volkswagen’s announcement of its closure of a production facility near Brussels and the loss of 3,500 non-German jobs there was met with loud yawning and general disinterest in the German media and public today. Normally, such Heuschrecken attacks are met with demonstrative Empörung (outrage) and cause a really big stir among the folks here, but […]
Visibly irritated by all the lousy women parkers like herself out there, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has proposed the introduction of smaller cars in Germany to make parking less of an ordeal for Frauen (girls) and those who have to watch them. Park, I mean. Political realist that she is, however – a tough year […]
We are pleased to announce our latest endeavor, Blogger News is now sponsoring some radio shows on Blog Talk Radio. You can check our full schedule, and listen to previous broadcasts here, and we hope that you will join us on the air in this new venture.
The friends of BNN are many. A few though deserve special recognition.
TJ Hart Is the programming director of WBJC FM
William Cobra Staubs is a rough tough Bounty hunter with a heart of gold.
Mannie Barling and his wife Ashley F. Brooks. I could not ask for better friends
Sam Moffie , author, activist and roustabout
Peter Haven , ace lawyer, I would hate to be on the receiving end
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