MICRO CARS

BUSINESS WEEK (2008)3/24

E-6 TO E-14

Years ago, when gas was cheap, I bought a Toyota Echo. It did everything that I wanted and got 40 miles to the gallon. I think the cost was around $11, 000 with all the various hidden costs. I got a red one with air conditioning and radio/tape/cd quadraphonic sound. It was a 4 door. Everything was great about it, but its looks. So I put a bra on the front and had that back pained a mute black or gray and put a big spoiler on the back end. I got lots of unsocilicited compliments. It always starts and has inflatable bags in the front. Further, the windows are partially tinted. It cruises nicely at 65 to 70.

Then cars got more expensive and gas started getting very expensive and so far has stayed there. My car is the future. Today, Toyota has the Yaris a much better looking micro car than the Echo. Or most Echoes. So after many years and not driving much, I have 25,000 miles on it. Other than getting ordinary matetainance, nothing has gone wrong.

Today, there are other good cars made both here in the states and in other countries. The one that stands out is the SMART CAR. I would invite you to go to Google videos and key in Smart Car. One of the videos shows a smart car running into a cement wall at

60 miles an hour. What happens? The car is surrounded by a very strong cage like roller bars that protect the two of you. NBC drove one on the highway in the rain next to a big truck transfer and the two large men felt fine. You can park a smart car in between to horizontal regular cars with just about 5 to 7 feet. You can park the car with the front bumper to the curve. It is just that handy. If you had another car it would be a different story and you world drive on.

Domino’s Pizza has purchase a number of 3 wheel electric cars made by Zap of China.

There is tiny Nano from India. Brazil has the small VW Golf. Europe’s best selling small car is the Peugeot. In Japan it is the Honda and Suzuki Wagon R.

They’re coming.

What happens if you are in an accident with a big car? Serious injuries increase by two and one half times. However, this stat does not take into account the very strong Smart Car. It may say something about the very useful TATA from India, but even that car has added safety devices like both front and side bar inflatable bags. Further, when most of the cars are on the road and they are small that stat should change. I have driven a lot of small cars some good some bad but on balance they were a good deal.

THE WEEK (2008) 3/28

13 The world is breaking up. Since the fall of the iron curtain in 89’ 18 new countries have emerged in Europe alone. More have divided in Africa. Fragmentation is stimulated by a global economy and all the amentias to it. With it has come dissention and discord, but countries emerge.

A classic example of who should be divided up is Belgium. The countries in so many ways have 2 different countries Walloon and Flanders. Almost everything about the 2 are different and they speak different languages. One is booming and the other is less so. The citizens of the two states even go to different universities and churches.

Imagine here in the states. The confederates have always wanted separation. Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa are really more like Canada. As it is, the USA is divided into 11 regions and each could make a country. We get along with Canada had only one war with them when invaded them years ago. They won.

Fragmentation is on its way and there is little reason that it can’t happen here.

U.S NEWS & WORLD REPORT (2008) 3/24

Schwartz /26

Climate Change may be the new tobacco. A small village in Alaska is essentially washing a way. For years, it was a viable little village. Global warming changed all that and today it is being washed into the sea. Lawyers for the tribe are using the tobacco model that started years ago when that industry had to admit that smoking causes Cancer.