Again, while GM & Chrysler fumble FoMoCo reopens Cleveland plant!

Yet more evidence that I can "dream" again and not have night terrors that Ford will fail.
Signs of life again a Ford's Cleveland Engine Plant, where they reopened after closing 2 years ago. 250 people are going back to work to build EcoBoost powertrains.

Now I'm not trying to blow smoke up anyone's tailpipe ( nice how I kept that PG wasn't it ) I know that FoMoCo has work to do, but while the recent trend is to loose big money, teeter on bankruptcy and close dealers and plants left and right, it's nice to see Ford trending carefully in the oposite direction.

And you know what, we can all thank one man, Alan Mullaly. He's not Santa Claus or Jesus Christ, but he's been smart enough to plan ahead. Ford leveraged everything BEFORE the credit markets dried up. Ford did not take bailout loans. Ford watched their stock climb and then sold new issues to finance VEBA. Ford has great product coming down the pipeline. Are they out of the woods? No, but they have a plan!

I really want to know who falls for these....

I really wonder how stupid people are. We've all heard about the hoax "phishing" e-mail went out offering 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrids for half price went out, don't we? Read the article linked in the title. I had avoided blogging on this, because I wonder who actually falls for these tricks.

How many emails a day do I get informing me of some money I can make if I help some mystery person transfer funds or split lottery winnings if I let them use my bank account. How stupid are we? Or is really a question of how greedy?

How many times was the Brooklyn Bridge sold? Suposedly an asteroid killed the dinosaurs, I wonder what will get us fools.

To tweet or not? What the hell

I'm a bit of a dinosaur really. Not that tech savy. But, I have been blogging for 4 years now and I've fallen victim to other "Social Networking" services. I have a FaceBook, but not associated with this blog, that's just for friends and family. I have a MySpace page for this blog, but I'm not too active on there, except my addiction to the stupid games. And now I've signed up for Twitter? I don't have a mobile device. I have a cell phone, hell I have two, one for me and one for my job ( the real job that pays the bills.) But there are a couple of people or networks I'd like to "follow." I'm interested now in the Fiesta Movement, after the car was stolen.

Slowly I evolve? If anyone wants to "tweet" at me, it's myforddreams look me up?

This was what pushed me over http://mashable.com/2009/05/18/ford-social-media/

Shelby cap has a proud new owner!

About 2 weeks ago I decided that since funds were low I'd have to sell the centerpiece of my collection a commerortive baseball cap for the 2006 Hertz special Shelby GTH Mustang that was signed by Carroll Shelby himself. I never wore the cap, didn't want to damage it, so it sat on a shelf surounded by my die cast cars collecting a little dust. Well, the e-Bay auction ended Saturday night and Monday around noon I shipped it off to the winner.

So, I got a little curious about who bought it and looked at their e-Bay profile.
And it looks like this hat went to a very devoted Mustang fanatic. His purchases over the last few months imply that he has a 2006 Mustang and he's tastefully personalizing it with accessories. It's even possible that he has a Shelby GTH.

I hope he enjoys the hat, but really feel better knowing that he's a true blue oval fanatic!

Some changes and hopefully improvements to blog

MyFordDreams has come a long way since April of 2005. It started on one page http://myforddreams.blogspot.com and sprouted spin offs like Star Trek, must not as succesful.

I've changed templates in the past and updated deleted links over the years. But now I'm catching up on some other items. For one, you'll notice labels/tags on each post and on the sidebar. This is to help you look at what else I may have posted on that subject.

I've also added a Blogs I read section, a reccomended sites section and ads.

There's a feature that lets you follow this blog as well.

More changes are in the pipeline, and I'm going to try and stay ontop of things around here.

Sure, I was quiet for a while, but I'm back and Ford is doing better, so it's time to "Dream" again.

Ford UK not ready for their Clunker program, could delay hurt sales?

Read the story, linked in title, about Ford's problems with the UK's "Scrapage" program, their version of Cash for Clunkers. With vehicle sales down globally, many countries are starting their own version of this scheme. In the UK, it seems that Ford was negotiating and trying to get online with the program from day one, but with so many changes right up until the last minute they were caught out on day one of the program. From what I've read in 2 different articles, the program gives people a 2,ooo Pound incentive for trading in a car 10+ years old when they purchase a new more fuel efficient vehicle. Half of the incentive from the government and half from the manufacturer ( that's about $3,000 with $1,500 from Ford ) and the lag is that Ford needed to get new forms to 550 dealers to initiate the program. Ford's not crying about the money, it's just that with all the last minute wheeling and dealing they couldn't cross the t's and dot the i's on the paperwork quick enough. Fiat was rumored to be in the same boat, but they denied that was the case.

Patience my UK bretheren, FoMoCo is doing it's best to get their ducks in a row.
I wonder if this will initially hurt Ford sales? Doubtful in the long run, what's a 2-3 delay in buying a new car?

UPDATE: CarScoop has an interesting piece about the European sales as they relate to programs like this. And Ford's new Fiesta is doing very very well!

Kiss Mercury goodbye! AutoBlog reports Sable to end this year, this Thursday?

Stick a fork in them, they're done. In the post linked in the title from AutoBlog, Ford has decided not to continue the Mercury Sable. They've made a load of changes to the Taurus, including a new SHO, but no plans for a 2010 Sable.

This leaves Mercury with only 4 models, 2 of which will end production soon. The Milan, which is an upscale Fusion, the Mariner which is an upscale Escape, the Mountaineer which I forgot they still made! And the Grand Marquis, which like the Crown Victoria and Town Car is dead man walking. So, with only 2 real models I'd say you can kiss Mercury goodbye. Autoblog mentions plans for an unnamed small car in the future, which can only mean an upscale Focus, even thought they mention the Lincoln C concept.

If Ford wants to keep the Mercury brand alive and at this point that seems unlikely, they need new models to keep the brand. I had said over the years that Mercury would be the perfect brand to bring the neat European and Global Ford products to the states, but since, the Fiesta and new Global Focus are coming here as Fords, that shoots that down. It would be nice to dream about the Australian Ford Falcons coming as Mercury models, but that's unlikely.

So, why keep the brand? It used to be a nice filler between Ford and Lincoln, but as some Fords approach Lincoln prices and Lincoln has their "entry" level MKZ, there's no filler needed.

Mercury will be gone in as little as 5 years, but no longer than 10, unless FoMoCo comes up with something fairly snazzy and profitable for the brand. But look at the bright side, now those who want an orphan car like and Edsel or Studabaker can get a fairly modern vehicle to bring to shows. Hell, the way brands are being killed lately, orphan car shows are going to be loaded with late model iron. I wonder if I should start checking e-Bay for a 2003 Marauder?

Finally getting in the game, Ford to offer 400 hp 5.0 V-8 ! Looks like Igor was right

Autoblog is reporting that Ford is finally getting back into the horsepower game.
Looks like frequent commentor Igor was right. Not that there hadn't been plenty of rumors and stories about the return of the 5.0 for a while now, but it looks like a new 32 valve DOHC V-8 with 400 hp and 400 lb ft of torque will be coming in 2010. And mention of an EcoBoost V-6 as well.

It's about blooddy time! The current 315-320 hp GT and 210 hp base are no slouches, but wtih everybody and their mother offering more power, it's just not good enough to be the bargain muscle car anymore. When the Mustang was the only Pony Car on the market, Ford could breathe easy. But competition is strong now, with the rebirth of the Challenger and Camaro, both outgunning the current Mustang. And don't forget the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, with it's base 2.0 Turbo I-4 beating base Mustang's 210 hp, and the V-6 putting out 360 hp.

This is great news, now when can we expect that IRS? When will the Mustang be truly comparable to the pack?

Picture of the idiot and the stolen Fiesta

So, here's a picture that's been all over the net of the Fiesta that was stolen from Brookly and found near DC. And of course there's the idiot Agent jumping on the hood, just like he encouraged strangers to do with a sign he had on the car. Some folks on the net think the entire episode is just a publiciy stunt. I doubt FoMoCo would do it, but the idiot? It is the type of bonehead thing an attention whore might do. More likely is that he got strung out on Mocha Lattes and left the keys in it.

CarScoop has update on stolen Fiesta Movement car.

Linked in the title is a post at CarScoop updating the situation reported on Friday about the stolen Fiesta Movement unit that was lifted from a Brooklyn street. For those not familiar with the Fiesta Movement, do a Google search. But I'll try and sum it up here.

Ford in an effort to create buzz ahead of next year's release of the Fiesta, started a program to place 100 units in the hands of Hip or near-Hip folks who would drive the cars for 6 months, with free gas, insurance and concierge service. These "Agents" would help create the buzz by blogging, tweeting, facebooking, myspacing and youtubing, so interested parties could follow and evaluate the cars.

Well, one Brooklyn New York Agent had his Fiesta stolen off the street near his home and of course he tweeted about it and Ford's PR man tweeted about it and many sites, including AutoBlog, Jalopnik and CarScoop, posted about it. A "buzz" storm ensued and there were updates stating the car was GPS equipped so that FoMoCo could track it in real time. There were criticism of local Police, because the car is not in the DMV database, but who's fault is that? Not FoMoCo's. I don't think anyone thought the cars would be stolen. Why didn't Ford pay for this guy to have a garage space?

Interestingly, comments at various sites, such as CarScoop, imply that the whole thing is nothing but a publicit stunt. That's possible, but unlikely in my opinion, at least on the part of FoMoCo.

Now, the Agent is another thing. One of the reasons I wouldn't attempt to get in the Fiesta Movement, although I was drooling over the prospect of driving, evaluating and blogging about the car, was that I'm not by nature an attention whore. And these Agents got the cars by being exactly that. I read on CarScoop that this particular Agent had posted signs on the car encouraging passersby to stand on the hood and climb on the car and take pictures of themselves. Maybe FoMoCo did pay for a garage and this nimrod parked it on the street as part of his little social experiment.

The Fiesta Movement may create some buzz, but will it sell cars? Wouldn't FoMoCo have been better served by giving Fiestas to guys like me ? I would have driven it to cruise nights and car shows as well as public places and gathered feedback from regular people. I would have taken pictures and videos of the Fiesta and posted them on my blog, where I would give real life feedback on the car. But, let the hipsters have their fun. Overall this isn't going to cost FoMoCo too much. As long as one of their Agents doesn't do a stunt like the Queen's Day horror last month.

Most of what I've seen on the Fiesta Movement is by little plastic attention whores, who's opinion on the car wouldn't carry much weight with a real buyer. But of course I'm biased aren't I?

MyFordDreams accepting solicitations for advertisements

When I started MyFordDreams ( and several other blogs ) back in 2005, I was against advertising. Over the years I have recieved offers of various schemes, including embeded links in posts. And I had always said no way, I wanted to keep MyFordDreams untouched by others.

Well, as you can imagine in these tough economic times, I've revisited the issue and have a few ads already on the site. I had signed up for Google's AdSense a while back as you can see. But now I'm willing to received proposals to advertise on my site (or sites ) if they are relavant and tasteful.

Anyone interested can e-mail me at myforddreams@aol.com

Ford Eco Boost, Explorer America & Edge

The Ford Edge is a nice vehicle. It's not perfect, but what is. I see a lot of these on the road these days, so I'll give Ford credit for coming up with something people want. But I can't help thinking they could benefit from better fuel economy, not that they're gas guzzlers, but what about a new Eco Boost powerplant. Not the twin turbo 3.5 V-6 from the Taurus SHO, Lincoln MKS and MKT, but the 2.0 Eco Boost I-4 from the Explorer America concept.

At the 2008 New York Auto Show, I saw this on the turntable, the Explorer America concept.

And the spokesperson was saying it was going to be car based and powered by an Eco Boost 2.0 I-4 producing about 200 hp. And with the recent article over at PickupTrucks.com about a possible Eco Boost powered Ranger replacement ( 1.8 L making 175 hp ) it had me thinking how this Explorer America or the Edge would do with a 2.0 Eco Boost. I guess we could just look at the VW Tiguan, since it's a cute ute with a 2.0 Turbo 4 from the GTI.

Just wondering on a lazy Saturday. Eco Boost technology is supposed to spread across much of the FoMoCo lineup over the coming years. It makes sense, scales of economy for the turbo systems, a lowering of the CAFE for the brand all without loosing usable power and lowering emissions. I realize the EcoBoost will filter down from the pricer models down to the rest of the lineup, and I look forward to seeing how long that will take. Turbo Charging combined with Direct Gasoline Injection is no longer new technology, Audi, Mazda, VW and GM have had it on the market for a short while and GM's Chevy Cruze is suposedly coming to the US with a turbo direct injected 1.4L.

While others panic, FoMoCo started the process before it was too late...

Do you know why the Ford blue oval is the shining star of the US Domestic auto industry?
It's simple, while the others continued with business as usual and now take government assistance, Ford Motor Company started a process several years ago that would help them navigate the troubled waters of our economy. We all saw the "big 3" going hat in hand before Congress last fall, but Ford didn't ask for help. Why? Because they had borrowed heavilly before the credit markets dried up. They gathered a war chest of $24 Billion. They even mortgaged the beloved Blue Oval logo.

And while Chrysler has already entered bankruptcy and GM is headed toward Bankruptcy on June 1st, Ford has the cash and the plan to get back to profitability in 2012. Ford doesn't need to partner with a foreign manufacturer like Chrysler's deal with Fiat, because they're going to build their own global small cars here.

GM is trying to sell off brands like SAAB, Saturn, Opel and just kill off Hummer and Pontiac.
Ford sold Premiere Auto Group brands, like Ranger Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin, but had the relative luxury of time. With Ford it didn't seem like the fire sale GM is running.

And while the news of late tells the tale of Chrysler shutting 789 dealerships yesterday and GM closing 1,200 by 2010, Ford has shed 500 dealers since 2005, when they started the Way Forward. No mass panic, just closing underperforming or oversaturated outlets quietly in a calm and civil way.

It's not all wine and roses, it's tough going for Ford Motor Company, but they have this thing, it's called a plan. And they've been working at it since before the economic meltdown. That's what big companies are supposed to do. GM and Chrysler saw the same storm clouds on the horizon, but Ford took action. And in the end, when we have a smaller chrysler who's majority owned by Fiat and a trimmed down GM, we'll have a more profitable trimmer Ford too. But Ford will do it with a more gradual plan that won't gut shareholders. Ford's not out of the woods, but they've got a compass and a flashlight and seem to know how to use them. More importantly, they had a plan!

Fiesta Movement? Not for this suburban New Yorker

I'm guessing the New York Auto Show was as close as I'll get to the new Ford Fiesta, until they reach dealers next year. I honestly didn't bother applying for the Fiesta Movement program. I'm not some perky 20something who's all over Facebook and Twitter and MySpace. I don't make stupid videos demanding the world's attention and believe me the world is a happier place for that. But, I did check the Fiesta Movement site (and registered for updates) to see about the tour they're promissing of 100 cities across the country. But when I go to the "Northeast" there's no New York? Maybe later in the year?

I know that marketing people think it's only young hip folks that buy cars like this, but they are wrong. I know Toyota counted on the younger generation to buy Scions, but you know who I see driving the boxy little hip-mobiles? Mostly women over 40.

I'd love to be able to take a little spin in a Fiesta and then tell you all what a great little car it is, but I'm not willing to jump through hoops to entertain the world.

A "Real" truck? You bet your ass!

Just feeling nostalgic about my Ranger. It just celebrated it's 10th birthday and only has about 57,000 miles on the odometer. I remember when I first got it, some people I know asked why I didn't get a "real" truck, meaning a full size truck. And my rather crude response was that I didn't need a big truck, because I had something else big. Childish, I know, but I laughed.
But the Ranger is a real truck. I've been able to do almost everything that my associates with bigger trucks have with theirs. I don't own anything that I tow, so no need for massive towing capacity needed. Most of the people I know don't tow anything either. I've filled my Ranger with over 1.000 pounds of various payloads with no problem at all. I've driven through a couple of blizzards on unplowed roads and not got stuck. Hell, one time I used it to pull a tree out of the way when it fell at work. So, it's a "real" truck.

And it's been very very reliable too. I was thinking of all the repairs it's needed over the last decade. And that has been limited to a brake job every two years and I replaced the tires a couple of years ago. Oil changes every 5,000 miles and a new air filter when I bought the new tires. That's it!

We here at the MyFordDreams ranch are a multi vehicle household and the love of my life has a 1997 Isuzu Rodeo, with triple the mileage, so a direct comparison one not be fair. But I will mention that last year when the Rodeo was up on the lift for yet more work, the mechanic pointed out the extensive rust on the frame and major suspension components. So, I decided to crawl under the Ranger and compare. The difference was like night and day. Both trucks have been in the same area all of their lives and neither garaged regularily. But the Ranger has just minor frame rust, and no suspension rust.

Did I mention that in 10 years it's still on the original shocks, clutch etc..
A few dings and scratches, as befits a "real" truck.

I'm going to try and keep it PG here, but I'll say this, you don't need a big truck to get the job done.

I may have to read this book...

I received an e-mail today, offering to send me a free copy of PJ O'Rourke's latest does of insanity. And so because I've never read any of O'Rourke's books, I did a Google search.
And based on the following, I may have to read this.

"....You have to get a car that handles really well. This is extremely important, and there's a lot of debate on this subject – about what kind of car handles best. Some say a front-engined car; some say a rear-engined car. I say a rented car. Nothing handles better than a rented car. You can go faster, turn corners sharper, and put the transmission into reverse while going forward at a higher rate of speed in a rented car than in any other kind. You can also park without looking, and can use the trunk as an ice chest. Another thing about a rented car is that it's an all-terrain vehicle. Mud, snow, water, woods – you can take a rented car anywhere. True, you can't always get it back – but that's not your problem, is it? ..."

Driving Like Crazy (link in title to Barnes & Noble, if you'd like to buy it) is O'Rourke's latest satire. Sort of the Hunter S Thompson of the auto journalism? Very funny stuf so far. Can't wait to see if I'll get it.

Questions/comments about safety vs mpg?

When I was a kid, my dad had a 1968 Mercury Montego MX like this drawing above.
It was a great car, fast and cool looking, really the only one of my father's cars over the years that you could say that about. And I was a kid during the oil crisis of the 70's but I remember the lines for gas, the odd or even days based on your plate number. I even remember my dad saying that for such a big V-8 powered car ( 302 cid with a 2bl carb ) his Mercury got 20 mpg on the highway! That seemed like a lot to me at the time. That was around the time the Japanese cars started to really pop up on the streets of New York. And I've been thiking, if a big old "gas guzzler" like that got 20 mpg in the 70's why can't we do much better today? My 2006 Mazda 3 with a 2.3 I-4 gets about 30 mpg on the highway. So I got nostalgic about my cars and decided to post about the safety vs mpg issue.

In 1998 I bought a used 1992 Ford Crown Victoria, with the 4.6 V-8 and this is often called a "gas guzzler" as well. But I remember it fondly for many reasons, not the least was the fact people would move out of my way on the turnpike, thinking I was a state trooper. I took this car on my own personal pilgrimage in 1998 to Dearborn and Ford's World Headquarters. And thanks to the trip computer, I can tell you that on that long 2 day drive I averaged 25 mpg on the highway! Not bad for a "gas guzzler" huh? I'd say these two cars are very comparable, in size and power (despite the 2 extra doors on the Crown Vic) but the Crown obviously cheated the wind better.

My very first brand new car, was my 1988 Ford Festiva that I got in September of 1987.

And this was a 1.3 I-4 that got 40 mpg. But it only weighed about 1900 lbs! I loved this car, it was fun and frugal, but it was gutless and felt like a tin can. Safety wasn't a major factor in it's design. So, why does my Mazda 3 only get 30 mpg on the highway in 2009? I mean we've had such drastic improvements in engine management and aerodynamics since the 70's. Why can't our new cars get 30-40 mpg? Hell, why aren't we flying our cars to work? It's the future isn't it?

I'll tell you why we can't meet the fuel economy standards we dreamed of 20 years ago.

SAFETY! While we've been complacent, somewhat, about fuel economy, we've been screaming safety. Or more precisely the insurance companies, lawyers and big government have.

Let's think about this, my 1992 Ford Crown Victoria weighed about 3,800 lbs. My 2006 Mazda 3 weights about 2,800 lbs. The Festiva as I've said weighed about 1.900 lbs (maybe even less?)

We want power (got it, my Mazda has 158 hp, my 78 Thunderbird with 302 only had 150 hp) we wanted safety (got it, my Mazda has 6 airbags ABS EBD and a very crash resistant body cage, as does every new car) we wanted room ( a Mazda 3 while being a "compact car" is damn big inside and out, as is every other car over the last decade. Look at the Honda Accord over it's life) and we all want this at a reasonable price. And the government wants us to be safe. So, if we wonder why we're not all getting 100 mpg in our Suburbans and Explorers, it's not because the oil companies and auto industry bought patents to hide that mythical 100 mpg carb, it's because today's cares are little fortresses on wheels.

And it's only going to get tougher? That's right, read up on how the government is going to double, almost tripple roof crush standards. I believe right now most vehicles must withstand 1.5 times their own weight ( which of course is so heavy because of all the safety goodies ) but the regulations are going to 3-4 times their own weight! And every vehicle must have the complete aray of air bags. Remember that's why the Ford Ranger was going to be left to die.

And yet the government screams at the same time that the auto industry has failed us, by not supplying 40 mpg cars. It's not a conspiracy folks, the government isn't evil, as far as I know, and the auto industry isn't as a whole incompitent. It's just simple math, you can't demand fuel economy and increased safety overnight. It takes time and requires economies of scale.

And what of the future of convertibles? Will these safety improvements kill them off?
Does anyone remember the late 70's? The "last of the American Convertibles" Cadilac Eldorado?

The last Ford Convertible from the 70's I can remember was the 1973 Mustang. And it took a decade for Ford to bring it back. I'm not a ragtop man myself, never owned one, but that doesn't mean I don't like them. I know they're a niche vehicle. But will our safety require the end of the drop top? Are we, or the government, asking for too much too fast?

Maybe the Ranger isn't going to die in the US?

Now that I've gotten bak into the MyFordDreams saddle, I'm getting up to speed with some of the news. I know that Igor, a frequent commentor and fanatic Blue Oval fan, had mentioned rumors of a Ranger Replacement, but Pickup Trucks . com has a piece (linked in title) about a possible replacement that would be truly "Global" unlike the current Ranger line up.
We all know that the North American Ranger is the same basic unit for over a decade. And I posted recently explaining that even if Ford wanted to they won't be able to sell it in the United States, because of safety and emissions standards in our near future.

I had complained that we weren't getting the new Thai built Ranger ( Mazda BT-50) that was available globally outside North America ( United States & Canada, although available in Mexico). But Pickup Trucks . Com says that much like the Fiesta, a new Global Ranger could be on the way for 2012! Just about time too. My 1999 unit may want to retire by then. Not that it's showing any signs of problems, but who keeps a truck 13 years?

Now, one major point I found interesting, was the mention of an EcoBoost powertrain for the US.

A 1.6 liter unit? But making 175 hp and 180 lb ft of torque sounds right for a base powerplant.

I know the concept Explorer America was supposed to be an EcoBoost 4 cyl, but I thought I read it was 2.0 liter and putting out 200 hp? Maybe that will be an uplevel motor in a new Ranger?
Maybe a V-6? But no mention of the 2 available Diesels that the rest of the world gets.

Jump over to Pickup Trucks . Com and see the article and spy photos. It's wearing Mazda BT-50 body panels, but it's suposed to be a new Global Ranger, to replace the current Thai unit and BT-50 I assume.

Flashback to Bio Fuel and Alternative fuel talk at MyFordDreams

3 years ago I posted about Bio Fuels and the post was good enough to be mentioned by esteemed blogger Mark Tapscott, who is also a professional journalist and at the time was the man behind Carnival of Cars. And today, I took the time to do a quick Google search for MyFordDreams. ( I bought a T-shirt last year that says " When I'm alone, I Google myself ")
And so I was inspired to revisit this subject and I've linked to the original 2006 post in the title.

Bio Fuels, it's been the buzz for several years now. We've seen Television and Internet pieces about the idea, local newspaper pieces on "Grease Cars" and Bio Fuel Stills run by regular folks getting the used veggie oil from local fast food joints. But that's only a small part of the story.

I had even been so inspired by the subject that I started another blog, that died quickly, Alternative Fuel Universe But even though I haven't blogged about it I haven't given up on the idea. It's an obvious solution to several important problems, from our Environment, Economy to National Security. Energy Independance is more than a handy catch phrase, it should be a very serious goal. Hybrids are the current magic pill and part of our future to be sure, but many people know that Bio Fuels are a better answer. Not that it's an overnight solution, it will take years to get it implimented.

I'd like to recant one question I raised in the original 2006 post. I don't see Corn or Soy Beans as viable sources for Bio Fuel. Since the original post I've learned about developments in the field by companies like Solazyme using algae. Like I said in 2006 it could take decades to get this fully implemented, but I no longer think it will take 90 years.

Read the original post, do a Google search and blog search on Bio Fuel, it's food for thougt.
Oh wow, that was a horrible pun, food for thought. At least I didn't say it's food for fuel. Doh!

MyFordDreams to bail out FoMoCo?

Linked in the title is an article at Bloomberg.com anouncing that Ford is taking advantage of the uptick on their stock price and the generally posative prospects by issuing another 300 million shares of stock. They'll use this influx of cash to avoid government assitance and to help fund the VEBA employee benefit obligation. As you can see here in this chart Ford's stock has been on a roller coaster over the last year, trading from a 52 week low of $1.01 per share to a high of $8.37, and is now trading around $6.08. Ford started taking steps before the economy tanked, raising money by mortgaging everything, including the iconic Blue Oval logo itself. And while that was risky, it's paid off. And even Ford's anouncement of $.14 billion losses seemed like a breat of fresh air to Wall Street, in light of GM's $6.6 billion and Toyota's $7 billion losses.

I've never invested in stocks directly, but If I can, I'm going to scrape a few bucks together and buy a token few shares of FoMoCo stock. If for no other reason than to put my money where my mouth is. In all honesty I feel it's going to turn into a smart choice. I can't afford to buy much and have never bought stock in the past, but I'm going to seriously look into this.