Even in this ‘unusual’ case, I’ve resolved that the prices of some homes are a contradiction to comparative market analysis (CMA). I’m no Realtor, but CMAs seem pretty straight forward (I’m open to some direction from Realtors out there) — comparisons based on square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, area, etc. But are there instances where you can make adjustments to the CMA?

The Price Is Not Right. The prices of homes in my area may differ from yours. So for the sake of making this easier, let’s choose round numbers. House A is updated and has little room for improvement. It’s a great home for the long-term…and for a family with little desire to upgrade. It is 2,500 sq.ft. and is listed at $100/sq.ft. House B is just down the street from House A. They are the same size (sq.ft., 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms); and House B, like House A, was built in 1970. The mustard shag carpet, wood panelling throughout and dated appliances (not to mention the pink tile in the bathrooms) suggest that 1970 may have been the last time it was ‘updated’.

Is it appropriate to price House B using a $100/sq.ft. base? Definitely not. Is it even appropriate to use $80/sq.ft., which translates into a $50,000 difference? I don’t know. According to Realtor.org, the average cost of a [major] kitchen remodel in 2008 was $56,611. Bathrooms cost $15,899. How about a new roof, energy-efficient windows or even replacing all the outdated carpet and walls? There are any number of reasons a house may not be selling. But even with all the HGTV hours you’ve racked up, the costs add up. And that’s hard to swallow in a market with declining home values.

Cap & Trade. Forget the macro-economic implications of this bill. I only mention it to add to help qualify the argument that (I’ll try not to sound biased) outdated homes on the market ought to be discounted for their lack energy efficient appurtenances.

The 1,400-page cap-and-trade legislation pushed through by House Democrats contains a new federal policy that residential, commercial, and government buildings be retrofitted to increase energy efficiency, leaving it up to the states to figure out exactly how to do that.

This means that homeowners, for example, could be required to retrofit their homes to meet federal “green” guidelines in order to sell their homes, if the cap-and-trade bill becomes law.

The bill, which now goes to the Senate, directs the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and implement a national policy for residential and commercial buildings. The purpose of such a strategy – known as the Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance (REEP) – would be to “facilitate” the retrofitting of existing buildings nationwide. CNSNews.com, July 1, 2009

Getting back to the inspiration for my rant…we placed a bid on a house at a similar discount to the one above. The counteroffer was just shy of the list price. So, I get the hint. You won’t budge. At what point do sellers need to get real with their list price? And is it considered poor taste for a potential buyer to offer a significantly lower amount based on perceived value?

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While hunting for swag at the Society for Information Display (SID) in San Antonio, I ran across the Coveroo booth where they were basically ripping cell phones from attendees’ hands and etching personalized designs onto them. Well, sort of.

“You want to do what to my BlackBerry?”

The San Francisco-based company is only several months old, and it has already redefined the personalized cell phone cover scene. No need to weigh your phone down with a bulky cover complete with scratch-off designs. Let Coveroo take a laser to your device. They can also finish it off in color with its new HighColor printing process. The color option will first be exclusively available for the new Marvel and NBA designs, along with the existing UCLA, Garfield, Hot Wheels, Star Trek, Streetfighter IV, and Resident Evil 5 artwork. Prices range from $9.95 to $59.95, depending upon your phone model and design choice.

About a month ago, Coveroo added superheroes and NBA designs to its lineup. So, I opted to show my undying dedication to the San Antonio Spurs. They even swapped my BlackBerry Bold cover for a titanium-colored cover.

FYI…for most iPod models, users can opt to buy a completely new device to get the custom artwork…OR Coveroo offers a send-in option for the iPod and iPhone, as well as for laptops, the Nindendo DSi, and other miscellaneous phones and PDAs.

So go quietly, my friends. Visit the Coveroo website for a lineup of devices and designs, and get etched!

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Jon Wayne Air Conditioning in San Antonio has accomplished that with its ‘made you look’ slogan.

Jon Wayne Air Conditioning

I rarely notice billboards. In fact, I can’t think of one that caught my attention like this one since the GodSpeaks billboards.

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Veg on the couch with your special someone — watch the big game while she updates her Facebook for the 5th time today.

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Did you ever imagine the day when a specialty coffee shop would start selling breakfast? I don’t mean the complimentary sugary confections we’re all used to…but breakfast. That day hath come. Starbucks announced that beginning on March 3, 2009, it would pair a drink with one of two new breakfast sandwiches.

“Welcome to Starbucks. How may I help you today?”

“Yeah…lemme get a…a Siren Sausage Sandwich and a tall caffe latte…non-fat, no whip, double trouble…no, no…make that a black eye…and half caf.”

By obscure comparison, the Amazon Kindle is like a Jonas Brothers album. You don’t know anyone that owns one, yet somehow Amazon can’t keep them on the shelves. Now the Kindle 2 is being released on February 24, 2009. It’s about as thin as a magazine, boasts a 25% increase in battery life, and can hold over 1,500 books. How many college kids would rather have this than lugging around ten 20-lb. text books in their backpack?

Courtesy ESPN

A-Roid, Ster-Rod, A-Fraud, Agent Orange (nice tan)…the nicknames are flying after ARod’s interview with Peter Gammons on ESPN. Orange you glad you told the truth, ARod? Smart move.

Speaking of orange…the Texas Longhorns got a commitment from another McCoy this week…Case McCoy. According to InsideTexas.com, the younger brother of Colt McCoy will play join the ‘Horns squad. No word yet on whether or not he will be accompanied by an attractive girlfriend that will sit with his parents at the games.

Along the college recruiting lines…it seems things get more and more ridiculous each year. Recruits are being treated like kings before they even step foot on campus. The result? They often develop an attitude of entitlement. South Carolina recruit, Alshon Jeffery, was told by head coach Steve Spurrier that he could keep his #2 jersey digit.

The problem? It’s retired.

Sterling Sharpe donned the number while he attended the University of South Carolina. Sterling is opposed to the idea. Don’t give in, Sterling! You’ll just add to the growing attitudes of entitlement among college recruits. Just a piece of the spectrum of college recruiting’s thin gray line.

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So, how do you choose?

I’m a DIRECTV customer as well as a Blockbuster.com user. I’m contemplating a VOD service as an alternative to my Blockbuster service. So, I decided to take a look at Blockbuster’s VOD service and compare it to Netflix. Pretty smart, eh? Yeah…I thought so too.

BLOCKBUSTER. I’m already partial to Blockbuster over Netflix, so naturally Blockbuster.com was the first place I went to get some details. According to Blockbuster’s current offer, when you rent 25 movies in advance — which costs $99 — Blockbuster will send you one of its 2wire MediaPoint digital media players. The box includes composite, HDMI and component outputs.

Unfortunately the information available on Blockbuster.com is routine at best — an electronic brochure of the service actually. So, I contacted BlockBuster with a slew of questions.

This blogger shares his pros and cons of the Blockbuster service and related hardware.

With the lack of information available on the Blockbuster site, I decided to email them for some answers:

Dear Derrich,

Roughly 2,000 titles are currently available. The library changes frequently.

The device upscales up to 1080i resolution if used with an HDMI connection, cable not included. Some of the titles, such as the IMAX titles, are compressed with high definition, but not all titles will be in such high quality. The device also only offers stereo only for the audio.

The prices range from $1.99 to a max of $3.99.

There is no long-term storage available. Rentals are only made available for a maximum of 30 days after download. Once you actually start to watch the movie, however, there is only a 24 hour license issued to play the movie as many times as you wish. The files are auto-deleted either when the 30 day period or 24 hour watch period expires.

There are no other fees or membership requirements to use the OnDemand service. Once you have the device and use the 25 prepaid rentals, if you never rent again..you’ll never be billed.

Please let us know if there’s any other questions we can help with.

NETFLIX. The Netflix website on the other hand was refreshingly informative about its offering. Heck, it even points you in the direction of the manufacturer, Roku, for a more in-depth resume of abilities.

Right off the bat, this thing is the epitome of ‘straight foward’. Box is $99 (MSRP). Buy it, keep it. If you already have a Netflix unlimited plan (from $8.99/month), then you’re all set. The terms and conditions isn’t a bunch of legal jargon — it consists of six bullet points. Your existing Netflix plan doesn’t change. The number of movies available on demand is limited to a little over 3,500. One blogger even went so far as to compile a list of Netflix On Demand movies. Netflix claims 12,000 selections; we can assume the other 8,500 or so are TV shows. More importantly, watching movies or TV shows instantly does not affect the number of DVDs you get.

In addition to the Roku player, you can use the Netflix service with a number of other devices such as the Xbox 360, on a TiVo DVR, and a pair of Ethernet-capable Blu-ray Disc Players.

In addition to those devices, today LG announced the first broadband-enabled HDTVs with Netflix streaming software embedded directly in the TV, eliminating the need for one of the above boxes.

THE WINNER IS…. It looks like Netflix has found a way to marginalize Blockbuster. I’m tempted to take advantage of the 30-day free trial to see if I like the ‘DVD by mail’ service as much or better than Blockbuster. If so, why wouldn’t I make the switch to the company with a better On Demand product?

The bottom line is that Netflix rules the VOD battle.

While I test drive the two services, there are still some other VOD services out there for me to research such as Amazon Video On Demand, and other services available through gaming consoles such as the PlayStation 3, or the recently announced video distribution service on the Nintendo Wii…and, of course, Apple TV and Vudu for the “high-def only, thank you” videophiles.

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The Heisman ballots are due Wednesday. Despite my usual attention to the underdog, my unsexy Heisman picks are far from consideration. The Heisman race for 2008 appears to be undecided. The Heisman Pundit, Chris Huston, certainly believes so. He hasn’t revealed his prediction yet, but he makes great points for each of the top three candidates in what has turned out to be one of the tightest races in quite sometime.

So where does the dog come in? Well in case you missed it, a traffic camera in Santiago, Chile captured some amazing footage of a dog that dodged traffic to pull the body of another dog to the shoulder. The other dog had been hit by a car earlier — apparently his buddy didn’t want his corpse to be hit again. See the video of this dog rescue in Chile.

Speaking of videos, The Dark Knight was released today. No doubt it’ll be a top seller…and a perfect stocking stuffer. Buy it on Blu-Ray, DVD w/Digital Copy so it can be transfered to your computer or portable, or the good ol’ Widescreen version.

Can you remember the last time Antonio Bryant was good? That’s right. At Pitt. So far this season, he’s pulled in 66 receptions (for nearly 1,000 yards…currently 10th among WRs), but none as pretty as one-handed catch.

My wife was making her nightly rounds on BabyCenter.com last night trying to find out how large our daughter should be (we’re on Week 31, I believe), and she stumbled upon an interesting service. The BabyCenter’s Booty Caller sends ovulation alerts to your phone to let you know when you’re most likely to be fertile. Wow. I guess you can never be too safe.

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Cyber Monday is thought by some to be an indicator of the holiday shopping season to come. This day happened to be the second highest online spending day on record. According to comScore, this gain was driven by a 22-percent increase in the number of buyers, while the average dollars spent per buyer declined by 5 percent versus year ago.

The increase in traffic represents approximately 2 million buyers half of whom did their shopping at the office. Sinners.

Traffic on BestBuy.com increased by 131% (average daily unique traffic during the month of November 2008 compared to December 1, 2008). The site was 6th of all online retailers unique traffic measured by comScore. Buy.com, not listed on comScore’s Top 20 list of online retailers, reported that it set a company sales record on Black Friday, which was then broken again on Cyber Monday. Both days realized about 40% greater revenues. Prior to Black Friday, Buy.com announced that shoppers using PayPal to make purchases on Buy.com would receive up to $20 off purchases in addition to free shipping.

So, what was once the 12th biggest online shopping day of the year once thought to be merely an overhyped marketing whimsy is now #1. And with unnecessary tragedies occurring year after year on Black Friday, Cyber Monday revenues should continue to uptrend.

BY FOOT. ShopperTrak.com, which analyses the movement of shoppers in retail environments, reported a slight retail sales increase while posting a rather large drop in total U.S. foot traffic for the Black Friday weekend. The company’s National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE) and Retail Traffic Index (SRTI) showed a 0.9 percent increase and 19.3 percent decrease respectively for the three-day period as compared to 2007.

CostCo Wholesale Corporation reported its November sales results (for the four-week period ended November 30, 2008) today. Sales in the U.S. were down 2% while International sales were down 15% resulting in an aggregate decline of 5%. More detailed results provided by Bob Nelson via a pre-recorded telephone message suggested that the negative impact of gas deflation and unfavorable foreign exchange rates were to blame for the negative results. International sales comparisons (Nov 2007 vs. Nov 2008) were actually up 6.5% based on local currencies, but when converted to US$ resulted in the 15% detriment.

Nelson also added that “…foods, fresh foods, and consumables [remained favorable] while our non-foods business continues to be down from last year.” Gasoline alone negatively impacted comparable sales by 3.7%. Price per gallon of gas in November 2007 was $3.01 versus $2.02 per gallon in November 2008.

The “bright spot” in November for non-foods is TV sales, which result from an increase in unit sales of approximately 50%. After shopping at CostCo myself on Black Friday, every check out line included someone buying a new TV…and an oversized tub of whipping cream (don’t ask, don’t tell). There were even a couple of customers hauling two out the door.

Unlike the numbers reported by ShopperTrak.com, CostCo’s average transaction in November was down 7.5% (including gas and foreign exchange effects). However, warehouse traffic is up 2.8% (year-over-year) and up 2.5% from October 2008. Goes to show how relatively recession proof CostCo’s product mix may be.

Looks like you’ve got a new plan for 2009. Buy a new Acer laptop, go to CostCo to gas up the car and get some groceries, and hop on the Internet superhighway on Cyber Monday.

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“With so much volatility right now in the variables that influence consumer spending, predicting where this online holiday season will end up has been far more challenging than in previous years,” said comScore chairman, Gian Fulgoni. “That said, Cyber Monday may well prove to be an important indicator of whether the decline in spending that we’ve seen during the first few weeks of the online holiday season will continue for the balance of the year.”

A Shop.org survey conducted by BIGresearch found that 55.8% of workers with Internet access, or 72.8 million people, will shop for holiday gifts from work. The trend of employees with internet access shopping from the office has continued to increase: in 2005, only 44.7 percent said they shopped online from work.

I’ll be joining the fun. We’ve already picked out the perfect stocking stuffer for me our son: Kung Fu Panda 2-Pack with Secrets of the Furious Five DVD. Man, I love that movie.

The Hot Spots. Last year, I took advantage of deals on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In 2007, BestBuy.com experienced the most growth of any of the Top 10 online retailers in 2007. That list includes:

Amazon.com
Dell.com
Yahoo.com
Walmart.com
JCPenney.com
Ticketmaster.com
Apple.com
VictoriasSecret.com
BestBuy.com
CircuitCity.com

Amazon.com is at the top of the list because of the variety of products it offers. But like last year, shoppers will likely hunt down electronics deals like a new mobile phone — there’s the new BlackBerry Bold — or a digital camera like the 10-megapixel Canon PowerShot SD770IS. And 5 of the top 20 bestselling electronics on Amazon.com are GPS navigators, the most popular being the Garmin nüvi 350.

Buyer Beware. Greater online traffic can also mean greater opportunities for thieves. Taking precautionary steps is obviously a necessity. Avoid using public computers, and try to resist using public WiFi. Shop from the websites you’re used to, and make sure the domain is legit (i.e., CircuitCity.com not CircuitCiti.com). Stick with credit cards rather than using debit cards — don’t give thieves a direct link to your bank account. Don’t use your usual passwords; pick something unique for your Cyber Monday purchases. And, of course, update your firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware software.

And don’t forget, Cyber Monday is only the beginning of the holiday shopping season. So, stay on your toes…and happy shopping!

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These were the words out of Rick Wagoner‘s mouth when addressing the Senate Banking Committee (SBC) tonight. It was based on this thought that my initial [ignorant] stance was to give these guys the money with some conditions primarily to preserve jobs that would otherwise be eliminated if these companies go down the drain. After listening to about 2 hours of this hearing, I was reminded of how companies tend to dance around pressing and pertinent issues. When asking for $25 billion, it’s probably a good idea to have some answers.

These companies are bleeding money. That was plainly evident after hearing about the billions of dollars per month (about $3B or so if I heard correctly) spent by each of these companies. And when the executive panel was questioned about the seemingly arbitrary $25 BILLION need, the responses were less then erudite. One of the SBC members (I forget which) immediately jumped on that by reminding the execs of their position in the company suggesting they should know these things…how they arrived at that figure. In defense of the executive panel, there were definitely a few questions posed by the SBC that were a little too detail-oriented.

Finally, Christopher Dodd (D-SEN) brought up executive compensation and accountability. And that sucked the remaining wind out of the auto execs’ sails. At that point, it almost didn’t matter if they offered to work for free. The SBC as a whole was quite skeptical toward the strategy of the companies suggesting they’d be back for more money. But after something like 4 hours of questioning, the execs were on the defensive.

What about the alternative? Yesterday in the New York Times, Andrew Ross Sorkin recounted prepackaged bankruptcy, which provide some (for the lack of a better word) tactless options for the automakers.

Bankruptcy would give G.M. enormous leverage with its debt holders — and, perhaps more important, with the U.A.W., whose gold-plated benefits are one reason G.M. is no longer competitive. A bankruptcy filing would also give G.M. the cover to close plants, rid itself of unprofitable brands and shed dealerships. In fact, unless G.M. files for bankruptcy, state laws would make it prohibitively expensive to shut dealerships.

Tactless. But probably necessary.

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Toshiba 37AV500U: not just a pretty face

Before purchasing a TV, I like to see them in action…side by side…mano a mano. I compared this one to a 37″ Regza and a 37″ LG (both also new). The Regza was about $100 more and the only difference I could find was an extra HDMI slot. The LG was also impressive, but it was almost $300 more.

Aside from being aesthetically pleasing with its glossy black thin bezel, the Toshiba’s picture is sharp…crisp. Black screens are black instead of gray. And you’d never know it was only 720p without reading it on the specs first. But given that it’s only 37 inches, the resolution is sufficient. So far, I’ve watched everything from CNBC (moving tickers) to movies to San Antonio Spurs games…all in HD. Videophiles worried about response times and lag commonly associated with LCDs will be pleased (I’m using the HDMI connection). And the SD channels actually come through really nice compared to other HDTVs. Finally, the SoundStrip speakers actually provide clear and rich sound up to a certain volume. I expected it to sound like an alarm clock. But for a home theater setup, you’ll want to add speakers.

I’d rate this TV is a solid 8.0 out of 10.0. What the 37AV500U does lack in features, it definitely makes up for in picture quality and overall value! Like I said…this TV is easy to use, easy to hook up, and easy on the eyes!

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Effective April 15, 2008, DVR recordings of PPV movies will be available for 24 hours of unlimited viewing after purchase. Major movie studios have required that satellite and cable providers alike may no longer allow their customers to view these recordings for longer than 24 hours. During the 24 hour viewing period, you will continue to enjoy all of your DVR features such as pause and rewind.

Um. Why on earth would anyone purchase a movie and record it to their DVR when in the same timeframe, they could hit up Blockbuster Online or Netflix for a movie…and then keep that movie for days without late fees? Luckily the movies I have stored on my DVR already won’t be deleted.

I can see it now. No more fast forwarding through commercials.

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Bear Stearns president and CEO, Alan Schwartz, was recently noted as saying that the “liquidity position [of the securities firm] has not changed at all” on a recent CNBC appearance. The reaction to the rumors about the firm’s liquidity and ability to fund its business came only a day after the resignation of Bear Stearns Director, Henry S. Bienen.

The stock has been down by over 40% today, and it’s taking everyone down with it. During the conference call, one Bear Stearns executive discussed the reaction of its clients to the rumors.

A lot of people acted to protect themselves from the possibility of the rumors being true. The concerns on the part of counterparties, on the part of customers and lenders got to the point where a lot of people wanted to get cash out.

The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. Conference Call

More than half the value of Bear Stearns, about $8.9 billion, was wiped out over the last 3 months…about $6 billion in the blink of an eye today. The market obviously reacting to the New York Fed bailout.

JPMorgan is providing secured funding to Bear Stearns for 28 days, and those loans will in essence be insured by the Federal Reserve. Schwartz said this move will help “restore confidence in us in the marketplace, strengthen our liquidity and allow us to continue normal operations.” Many market experts believe Bear Stearns will be purchased within the next few days either by JPMorgan or some other bank…or by a foreign entity, which is least likely.

Jimmy Eats Wad
James Cayne, Bear Stearns Chairman, blew his wad of cash (on paper) after today’s tumble. Check this out.

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$100 Oil! C’mon…say it with me! “$100 OIL!!!” The crude (not refined) stuff ended above $100 per barrel yesterday for the first time ever. $100.10 to be exact. It’s up about 4% so far this year. Looks like Trump put that call into OPEC! “Get those prices down…and I mean now!” (6:01). Stockpile speculation on crude oil for March delivery dropped to $99.11 per barrel in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and traded at $99.30 at 1:50 p.m. in Singapore.

Not Jake Shimabukuro

Eat your heart out, Don Ho (R.I.P.). Jake Shimabukuro is better than you at the ukulele. Be sure to check out his recent performance on Conan O’Brien. It’s like Monte Montgomery at chipmunk speed. Pretty cool!

Lindsay Lohan’s mom, Dina, is ok with “LL”s nude photo shoot. The photos in New York Magazine are photographer Bert Stein’s recreation of his legendary 1962 nude shoot with Marilyn Monroe titled “The Last Sitting”. What a relief! I was waiting for Mrs. Lohan’s blessing before I checked those out. And by “those”, I mean her photos. If you’re at work, you might want to wait until you get home to see “those”.

Shaquille O’Neal will return to the hardwood tonight against his old crew, the Lakers. Shaq wasted no time talking Shmaq…calling out everyone from Kobe (of course) to Phil Jackson to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Shaq questioned Kareem’s lack of conversation and attention with regard to his place in the Lakers organization. Hey, Shaq. Hakim (see Game of Death) owns Kazaam.

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Numerous buying opportunities have developed in the wake of the recent foreclosure crisis. Websites such as ForclosureRadar.com provide up-to-date information on every foreclosure opportunity available in California, including exclusive daily updates on every auction. However, the real beneficiaries of the increased foreclosure supply are the homeless.

Think about it. A newly foreclosed home may still have running water, electricity, and other working utilities. Finally! A way for the homeless to keep up with the Joneses…a shopping cart in every driveway. The foreclosure supply obviously varies from town to town. I know San Antonio isn’t nearly as bountiful as it is in Cleveland where this phenomena is taking place. There are an estimated 15,000 single-family homes vacant due to foreclosure in Cleveland and suburban Cuyahoga County.

“Many homeless people see the foreclosure crisis as an opportunity to find low-cost housing (FREE!) with some privacy,” Brian Davis, director of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, said in the summary of the latest census of homeless sleeping outside in downtown Cleveland.

Unfortunately “privacy” may potentially translate into “crime”…drugs and prostitutes. Sorry, Hugh Grant. You’re about 12 years too late to take advantage of one of these safehouses. Present celebs take note! Cleveland is the place to be!

Courtesy AP via Yahoo! Finance.

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While catching my recommended daily allowance of CNBC this morning, Becky Quick (aka. “Summer Teeth”) spoke with Warren Buffett about his offer to rescue bond insurers by providing re-insurance on up to $800 billion in municipal bonds. Via Berkshire Hathaway, the offer was extended to New York Superintendent of Insurance, Eric Dinallo, for his blessing. Subsequently, the offer was made last week to Ambac Financial (NYSE:ABK), MBIA (NYSE:MBI) and Financial Guaranty Insurance Co (FGIC). The plan would ensure that the bond insurer would be backed by Berkshire Hathaway in the event that the municipality and insurer both fail.

Buffett addressed the pricing disparity of these “14% bonds” versus Triple A-rated Treasuries below 4%, and added that the muni bond market appears as if it has “lost their Triple A…they’re trading as if they’re uninsured now.” The Buffett Bailout would certainly free up some capital for these bond insurers to deal with their CDO woes.

Apparently one of these firms has already rejected the plan. So, they’re probably gonna tank. Hey, Warren…I hear Latrell Sprewell is broke. Hook a brotha up!

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Courtesy Autoblog.com

The good news? Ford will turn around and add 26,000 libs to its lineup. What happened to the whole “green” thing? The Alton Manufacturing F-650 XUV features a Caterpillar 7.2L C7 ACERT engine, hardwood floors, a few big screens, and triple train horns. And just to be sure you can make it around the block at least 3 times, it includes a 45-gallon fuel tank…all for about $200k. Somebody call Shaq! For those of you that don’t have $200k in dispoable income, do what my friend, Eddie, did. Buy a diesel Excursion, lift it, throw some 22s on that b!+c#, add some drop screens, and your own train horn (which is alot of fun, BTW)…and voila!

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Former “big three” cohort Chrysler will try to dodge (pun intended) disaster by carving out about half of its models as well as decrease its network of dealerships.

Shrinking the number of dealers will be difficult, however, because of laws in all the states protecting those businesses, analysts said. If Chrysler, with about 3,600 dealers, wants to move quickly, it likely will have to offer financial incentives.

Over the years, the automaker and its U.S. rivals, General Motors Corp (NYSE: GM) and Ford Motor Co (NYSE: F), have tried to shrink their dealer numbers, often facing great resistance. However, analysts said some dealers may be more receptive now, given the weak U.S. economy, if the offers are generous.

Reuters

Forbes recently crowned five Chrysler cars as “Automotive Turkeys” on its list of 10 Poorest Performing Cars for 2007. Those models included Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Nitro, Jeep Liberty, Dodge Caliber, and Dodge Magnum. Factors included number of recalls, high depreciation, and NHTSA ratings below four stars. Not to mention they’re all ugly, so…um…that’s probably why also. In addition to the elimination of models — some of which are ineffectually duplicated and rebadged models — Project Genesis calls for the introduction of new, competitive models. The dealerships will likely be consolidated to include all three nameplates under one roof.

If I was a betting man, I’d go all in on the idea that Kirk Kerkorian and Carlos Ghosn will both be involved in preparing a gameplan that includes Chrysler LLC.

Large popcorn please…no butter.

A “fire sale” may not be enough.

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This morning I received an email from a friend containing 12 coupons to Whataburger. The coupons were for a vareity of items to be given away free. They included fried pie, medium french fries, breakfast on a bun, a 20 oz drink, and a burger. While it sounds like a good deal, the coupons are not valid.

It has come to Whataburger’s attention that an unauthorized, unreleased version of a proposed internet coupon promotion called the “12 Days of Whataburger” has been circulated via email. These are NOT valid coupons and will not be honored at Whataburger restaurants.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thank you for your understanding.

Here’s an example of one of those coupons.

Some things are just too good to be true.

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