Below are the 9 most recent journal entries recorded in samblob's InsaneJournal:

Sunday, November 30th, 2008
5:18 am	Why the Camaro should have had a live axle The motoring press is lauding accolades on the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro for having independent rear suspension (IRS) when the Mustang still uses an archaic live rear axle in all its forms, including the high-priced SVT versions that, in earlier versions (SVT Cobra), had IRS. I, however, am not lauding accolades on GM for doing this.  I see the use of a sophisticated, modern independent rear suspension of the Camaro as a sign that General Motors have forgotten who they are. The Mustang proves that there are still thousands of people willing to do without the improved handling and ride offered by an IRS system in order to maintain low cost, low weight, and simplicity.  A live-axle Camaro would also appeal to these people.  Those who value the advantages of IRS would have the system available to them, at a cost reflecting the extra cost of the system, in the standard V-6 powered Pontiac Firebird and the V-8 powered Firebird T/A. In the old days of the F-body, the Firebird was the better-handling of the twins, and was made even more so by the WS6 suspension package.  The Firebird was also the more expensive of the two, with Pontiac being generally more upscale than value-brand Chevrolet.  This heritage could have been continued with a live-axle Camaro and a IRS Firebird... but it wasn't. Another opportunity lost (or is it?) would be a less exciting long-wheelbase version with IRS, which could be sold as a Buick Skylark.  The base would be a V-6, with a luxury-oriented V-8 powered R (for Roadmaster ...or maybe Riviera) version and a sport/power oriented version powered by a turbocharged V-6, which would be called either the GS or the GN. But now it's just a Camaro. Will the real General Motors please stand up? Current Mood: blank Current Music: "Eastbound And Down" - Jerry Reed (Comment on this)
Friday, June 27th, 2008
8:22 am	Chrysler's divisions in 1960 In 1960, Chrysler Corporation had six automotive divisions in the United States.  This as opposed to General Motors five automotive divisions in the United States at the time. Chrysler's six makes in 1960, in order of increasing cost and status, were: 1. Valiant.  When Chrysler began making compact cars, they started an all-new make instead of just having them be Plymouths or Dodges.  This situation lasted only one year, during which they realized that if the Valiant had been a Plymouth instead of a make of its own, Plymouth as a make would have outsold Ford as a make.  They rolled Valiant into Plymouth in 1961, but by this time the Falcon had caught on and it was too late. 2. Plymouth.  Chrysler's value brand, started in 1928.  The make would continue until 2000 or 2001 when it was axed by the bosses in Stuttgart. 3. Dodge. Chrysler's mid-level and sporting (and truck) division.  Bought by Chrysler in 1928, still existing as Chrysler's economy/sporting (and truck) division. 4. De Soto.  Chrysler's mid-level and near-luxury division.  Started by Chrysler a few months before the purchase of Dodge.  Just about on its last legs in 1960, it had one more shaky year of production before it died out at the end of 1961. 5. Chrysler.  The premeir and luxury division of the Chrysler Corporation.  Created from the Maxwell and Chalmers company after Wlater Chrysler took full control.  Still in existence as the premier and luxury division. 6. Imperial.  Chrysler's luxury division, competing with Cadillac and what had been Ford's Continental make before that was rolled back into Lincoln.  Imperial had been spun off from the top-of-the-line Chrysler Imperial to become its own make in 1955.  It was rolled back into Chrysler in 1975, becoming the New Yorker Brougham.  They tried again from '81-'83 but apart from some success in NASCAR (!) it didn't work.  The Chrysler Imperial returned in 1991 as a K-based luxury car (!!) and it took until 1993 for them to see that it didn't work. Next: 10 Most Populated Cities See the source here:  http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=abcdefghinoq&msz=1500&pt=c&va=&srt=pnan (Comment on this)
Friday, May 9th, 2008
12:57 pm	Proposal - New Jamaican currency With more and more people throwing "red money" (10¢ and 25¢ pieces) away and fewer and fewer banks accepting coins, it might be best to do away with cents altogether.  This would not be any great thing, as our government seems already to have done away with sense altogether. I propose a new currency, therefore:  The unit of currency would be the penny, and it would have no fractions nor multiples.  The Jamaican penny would be equivalent in value to what the Jamaican dollar is now. The coinage and bills would be as follows: The obverse of all coins would be the Jamaica Coat of Arms One penny (1p) piece: made of aluminium, size and shape of current $1 piece. Image on reverse: the ackee image from the old 1¢ piece Two pence (2p) piece: made of cupro-nickel, approximatetely same size as 1p piece, but round and milled.  Image on reverse: the crocodile image from the old 5¢ piece Five pence (5p) piece: size, shape and material of current $5 piece.  Image on reverse: Lignum vitae image from the old 10¢ piece. Ten pence (10p) piece:size, shape and material of current $10 piece.  Image on reverse: Blue Mahoe image from the old 20¢ piece Twenty pence (20p) piece: size, shape and material of old 20¢ piece.  Image on reverse: Swallow-tailed hummingbird imae from the old 25¢ piece. Fifty pence (50p) note: Portrait features Sam Sharpe.  Predominant colour, red One hundred pence (100p) note: Portrait features George William Gordon.  Predominant colour, light purple Two hundred pence (200p) note: Portrait features Paul Bogle  Predominant colour, green Five hundred pence (500p) note: Portrait features Nanny of the Maroons. Predominant colour, beige One thousand pence (1000p) note: Portrait features Marcus Garvey. Predominant colour, blue Current Mood: crazy Current Music: Money Money Money - ABBA (Comment on this)
Friday, May 2nd, 2008
7:56 am	Car gone concusion I sold my car instead of having it fixed. I did that because I figured that parts were hard to find, which would make the car more attractive as a parts car. I put an ad in the Sunday Gleaner and got a free ad in the Saturday Gleaner.  By 14h00 I had got J$10,000 more for it than the salvage value stated by the insurance company. I transferred the title on Monday morning, with the proviso that the examination depot had to check the engine number, as the fitness certificate's engine number had a zero at the front and the title' engine number didn't.  The buyer took care of that, though. So my car is gone.  I have no car and am now on bicycle again. Current Mood: apathetic Current Music: De Blinkin' Bus - Lloyd Lovindeer (Comment on this)
Sunday, April 20th, 2008
11:04 pm	Notable things that have happened in the past month: March 21 - Good Friday.  Participated in the LJ striked despite the ridicule of many on my f-list. March 22 - Holy Saturday: Started my InsaneJournal (IJ) account. March 24 - Easter Monday.  Went for a drive to Port Royal. Got hit by an old man in an SUV on the way back in.  Parked the car at work because I was closer to there than to home. March 25 - Reported the crash to the Traffic Department of the Police. March 26 - Reported the crash to my insurance broker March 27 - Got a repair estimate for the car and turned it in to the broker. March 28 - Insurance company send their examiner to see the car. April 1 - Got pranked by bitchwolf at deviantART and by chibijenhen at another art gallery.  Got a cheese bun from my employers that was supposed to have been part of the Easter package they gave us before Easter.  Being generally skeptical of gifts from my employers and of gifts received or All Fools' Day, I did not open the cheese bun nor carry it home. Early April:  Heard about sale of motor vehicles by employers, all vans in need of repair or salvage.  One was the remains of a crashed Toyota HiAce van.  Another was a Korean-built Mercedes-Bens van that is the only vehicle ever to strand me on the side of the road while on the way to doing my employers' work.  The third and oldest vehicle was a Toyota LiteAce van.  I express interest in the LiteAce van, because it was the only one of the three still running, and in the Mercedes van, because I would have liked to destroy it Jeremy Clarkson style.  Sale was by sealed bid and is initially open only to staff. April 7: The police inform my sister that the burglar who robbed our home has been caught. April 9-11: Work carried out on replacing side fence. Break taken after the 11th for the weekend. April 10 - Expiry date on cheese bun.  Saw the Liteace for the first time since it's offered for sale.  My employers were still using it!  This is a good sign.  The bad sign is that it has a big dent in the sliding door and the rear fender behind the sliding door. April 11 - Threw the cheese bun away without opening it. Started asking around about the LiteAce.  I heard it has a tendency to guzzle gas, I heard from one source that it has a 1500 cc engine and from another that it has a 2500 cc engine, I heard from a driver that the suspension is OK but from a passenger that it needs back shocks.  I discovered that the van has an automatic transmission. :( April 14-15: Work on fence continued and concluded. April 14:  The insurance brokers informed me that they have written off my policy and that they will pay me J$110,000 if I turn in the rest of the car or J$100,000 if I keep the rest of the car.  Their estimate of the value of the rest of the car is J$60,000.  I initially decided to keep the remains, have it fixed, and re-insure the fixed car.  I also decided to have the LiteAce van assessed by a professional. April 15: I changed my mind and decided to sell the remains of the car.  Before work I gathered my stuff from the car into a box and locked it in the trunk.  At lunch time I stopped by the garage that assessed the car and gave me an estimate to ask them to assess the LiteAce and to recommend a scrapyard that might want my car.  They expressed interest in the car, named their fee for assessing the van, and said they'd be by later.  They did not show up that afternoon and, when I called them at the end of the day, they said I could bring the car by and they could give me a lift back.  This sounded like a pressure plan to me, but I decided to go ahead with it.  I decided not to let them have my stereo CD player, though. April 16:  I took my stereo CD out of the car and put the stereo tape player that came with the car back in.  This took longer than expected and did not leave me with enough time before work to drive the car to the assessor.  I called the assessor and told him I couldn't bring the car down that morning and he said he'd be up shortly.  He did not show up. April 17: Still no word from the assessor.  I decided to put a bid in anyway, but I didn't yet.  I told a young lady how I felt about her and the result was... awkward. April 18: Closing date for bids.  I put in a bid for J$155,000.  The assessor arrived after this and assessesed the van.  He told me that he wouldn't bid any higher than J$300,000 O_o;  I raised my bid to J$200,000 and hoped no other bidder had the car assessed. April 19:  Held the dogs to that my sister could douse them with anti-tick solutions.  One of the dogs looked like a tick factory,  They were massed everywhere, his ears, his eyebrows, he was thorougly infested with them.. So was our yard... and our house... ^^; If all goes well, I'll drive the remains of the car home early tomorrow morning and hand in the insurance papers at lunch time, at which point I should get the insurance money. Current Music: I Don't Like Mondays - Boomtown Rats (Comment on this)
Monday, April 7th, 2008
8:25 pm	Burglar caught My sister has been informed by the police that they have caught the man who burgled our home last year. I'm not sure exactly where or how they caught him, but they fingerprinted him and the prints match the full set he left on our windows. They might call my sister as a witness to testify that the police did not fabricate all this.  The defence attorney might allege that, which would be a fair enough tactic as I am sure the police have done something like that before. I hope they put him away for a very long time. Current Mood: satisfied Current Music: I Fought The Law - Bobby Fuller Four (Comment on this)
Monday, March 24th, 2008
9:56 pm	Car out of commission for a while Some mad man rammed my car today. He came at me in reverse claiming he didn't see me.  This was very strange, as he reversed into me at full throttle over about three lengths of his SUV. The worst part is I'm sure the police and the insurance company are going to think I'm lying because this doesn't sound plausible.  Why on earth did this guy do that? I was closer to where I work than I was to home, and I heard an occasional scraping that I thought might be the tyre, so I parked the car at work and called my sister to ask her to pick me up at work, which she did. Current Mood: aggravated (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, March 23rd, 2008
3:39 am	Formula One almost a spec car... When I hear about more regulations in F1 I wonder what's stopping people from re-starting the Canadian-American Challenge Cup It is good to see Alonso in an uncompetitive car.  It would be better to see him in a burning car...  Current Music: God Save The Queen (Comment on this)
Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
12:02 pm	O.K., I'm here now... ...now what? I have no idea who's here. Maybe others will follow me across. Maybe not. Ah, well. I'll just take it free and easy. Current Music: Listen To The Music - The Doobie Brothers (Comment on this)