WHO MAKES 35 MPG VEHICLES?
Our US government has just announced that vehicles sold in our country will have to meet 35 miles per gallon requirements within 15 years or so. The current crop of vehicles are lucky to average 25 mpg, with a host of people opting to buy large trucks & SUVs that barely get 15 mpg in city traffic, loaded with people and/ or purchases.
Some sports cars and heavy 7-passenger SUVs are guzzling gasoline at the rate of 11 miles per gallon. At today's current high gas prices, the owners of gas guzzlers must fork over $90 just to drive 275 miles, with many of the higher-performance models requiring premium fuel. Ouch!
Some questions come to mind when considering what our government has mandated:
1) Who can expect to meet these high standards?
Observation: Currently there are just a handful of Asian imports that can do this well, like Toyota Yaris & Prius, Nissan Versa, Honda Fit & Civic Hybrid, Kia Spectra and Chevy Aveo (from the Daewoo folk in Korea).
None of the 90 SUV offerings in the USA right now will make it.
The top 2 selling trucks & the two best selling cars in the USA don't hit anywhere near that (Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, Toyota Camry, & Chevy Malibu).
2) Can US manufacturers suddenly become economy car experts after 47 years of failed attempts?
Answer: Don't bet the family farm on it. You don't see many 1960 Ford Falcons, Chevy Corvairs, AMC Ramblers or Plymouth Valiants on the street today. Hardly any of the small economy cars produced by our US companies assembled up thru 1997 are still driveable today, and are even less desirable as used cars. Chevy Vegas, Ford Pintos and Dodge Omnis made such enemies of American consumers that the foreign car revolution took over in most big population centers.
3) Are our legislators deliberately sabotaging our own domestic auto industry in favor of foreign competitors?
You decide: If our government refuses to seal our borders & enforce existing laws against unwanted "human" intruders, why would we assume that they care about the US companies that have helped build up our economy for the last 100 years, including using our production plants to save our country during times of World Wars?
Many states (typically southern, but not always) have given sweetheart deals to foreign automobile manufacturers to set up assembly plants in the USA (in on-union areas) starting in 1980 (with the Honda Accord plant in Ohio).
One friend in the automotive business for over 20 years worries that the anticipated arrival of Chinese automobiles on our shores will be a bad omen, as the new products assembled there just are not good at all.
4) Will our streets soon become flooded with tiny, unsafe, unreliable cars from Third World countries?
Wondering out loud: We sure hope that vehicles like Smart cars are not going to be the norm on our roads. There is absolutely no front crash protection of 5-6 feet ahead of the driver, nor the 4-5 feet of steel structure behind the rear seat drivers in the tiny microcars that are made & sold in Asia and Europe.
When one ventures out on our roadways, have you noticed that every 5th vehicle seems to be a 18-wheel semi truck (80,000 pounds), every 4th vehicle is a large SUV (up to 6000 lbs), and every 3rd vehicle on our roads is a large pickup truck (5000 lbs unloaded), all whizzing along at 55 to 75 mph? If collisions today of normal cars against these massive vehicles are dangerous, what would happen if microcars tangle with such mountains of motorized metal?
5) Is there knowledge of, or a desire for, higher US gasoline prices and/or taxes on gasoline, so that fuel-efficient vehicles will seem all the more attractive?
Not sure: Let us hope that our government does not decide to collect taxes at the gasoline pump like the Europeans and Asians have done for decades. Who will enjoy paying $6.50 a gallon, like they do in northern Europe or Japan today? To be sure, none of us will see a rollback to 17c a gallon like Venezuelans or Kuwaitis pay today.
6) Might the used-car market suddenly become a more lucrative business operation, if tiny, low-profit vehicles will be the only future offerings for shoppers
Dreaming creatively: Look at how many folk today are idolizing the Muscle Cars of the 1960s, with some of the rarest models selling for over $1 million at auction (when they had a new sticker price of just $4500). Scores of mechanical and body shops are restoring and polishing up vehicles that were fun to drive and enjoyable visually.
There are many sporty cars on the market today, as well, which may become very high demand by the years that the new CAFE standards go into effect:
Ford Mustang, Chevy Corvette, Cadillac XL-R, Dodge Viper, BMW M3, M5, M6 & Z4, Audi S4,S^,S8, Mercedes SL & AMG models, Nissan 350Z, Mazda RX-8, Infiniti V-8s, Lexus V-8s, Porsche, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, etc.
Scores of 10-year old sporty cars (made in the 1990s), that are now out of production, may eventually become lovingly restored as well, for those who enjoy driving, as opposed to being forced to constrict themselves into future, tiny, bean cans by CAFE bureaucrats:
Toyota Supra & Celica, Ford Probe, Mazda RX-7 and MX-6, Chevy Camaro, Pontiac Firebird & Fiero, Cadillac Allante, Buick Riviera, Nissan 240-SX, Acura NSX and Integra GS-R, Honda Prelude, Mitsubishi 3000 GT, Dodge Stealth, Lexus SC300, Mercedes SL350/560, VW Corrado, BMW Z8, Z3, M5, M6.
What will you drive?
---Torrey H. Brinkley
Mead, Colorado
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Finding the Supernatural in Hollywood
Finding the Supernatural in Atheistic Hollywood
by Torrey H. Brinkley
A recently jailed Hollywood celebrity has claimed to have found religion while imprisoned. Another actor, part of a team of brothers, himself professes to be a preacher now. We all know of a certain vain and goofy Hollywood star, who likes to jump up & down off sofas, in between explaining his belief in the most bizarre religious hoax/scam of the last 50 years.
But, by and large, one rarely ever sees actors or actresses coming in or out of a church service (most likely because churches are not paved with red carpets, or lined with flashbulbs going off constantly). The multitude of self-serving interviews made with Hollywood types hardly ever talk about their spiriutality, and only a few actors, writers, producers and directors seek to give any glory to God in their acceptance speeches at award ceremonies.
In contrast, we almost always know about the political leanings of famous actors and actresses. They share articulate and passionate views on a multitude of national and international subjects, even if they have no training or expertise on any of these subjects. We also know how they view material possessions, consumption of legal and illegal substances, and what they view as moral or immoral behaviour.
It is rare to ever see a film, TV show or cartoon that might depict:
--a biblical view of the creation of the world,
--the moral dilema of humankind steeped in sin & selfishness,
--the need for a personal and global Saviour,
--the historical and biblical accounts of prophets of God who stood up to the evil in their societies,
--the workings of God's servants in Old & New Testaments, who performed miracles, to show the power of God over nature,
--and the factual accounts of Jesus of Nazareth, who was immaculately conceived , sinlessly ministered & performed miracles, suffered a cruel death on a Cross, and then suddenly arose from a rock solid tomb.
Nope, Hollywood truly tries to steer away from religious and supernatural stuff. It might be too controversial.
Yet, curiously, why is it that a large percentage of Hollywood offerings, whether in cartoon or dramatic forms, tries to show persons or creatures with supernatural abilities?
....A new box office release, showing currently in theaters, has 4 superheroes, each with special magical "powers", as they fly across the screen in glorious color (all a figment of some writer's imagaination).
....A popular TV series this past year, had more than a dozen characters, who all looked to be "normal", but each of them had a "special ability" to see or do things above & beyond human attributes (a Special Effects Consultant loves this kind of challenge).
....Children have loved their regular dose of Super Heroes for over 60 years of Superman, Batman, Spider Man, Wonder Woman, etc., who first appeared in comic book form, then cartoon TV series, and followed by major block buster movies (none of these special abilities were ever seen, verified or experienced by witnesses, as they were just figments of imagination of a writer or illustrator).
....Even though many actual villains have appeared throughout history performing grizzly deeds, certain authors and producers have decided to add a little more intrigue by giving strange, evil and extraordinary powers to:
-not die, unless shot with a silver bullet
-disappear from sight when pursued by authorities
-regenerate body parts after being blown up in an explosion
-survive even multiple gunshot wounds by police or "good guys."
-fly away from their pursuers right into the sky
-share certain characteristics with animals or other beasts.
A recent cartoon movie release even gave an old house the powers to eat people and their possessions when it felt it was being threatened.....and then get off its foundation and chase its enemies down the street. Oh well.
Should a wise, sane or relgious person worry about all the bizarre productions and emphases of abnormally wicked entertainment industry?
Wise King Solomon said over 3000 years ago:
"Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future hope." - Proverbs 24: 19-20
by Torrey H. Brinkley
A recently jailed Hollywood celebrity has claimed to have found religion while imprisoned. Another actor, part of a team of brothers, himself professes to be a preacher now. We all know of a certain vain and goofy Hollywood star, who likes to jump up & down off sofas, in between explaining his belief in the most bizarre religious hoax/scam of the last 50 years.
But, by and large, one rarely ever sees actors or actresses coming in or out of a church service (most likely because churches are not paved with red carpets, or lined with flashbulbs going off constantly). The multitude of self-serving interviews made with Hollywood types hardly ever talk about their spiriutality, and only a few actors, writers, producers and directors seek to give any glory to God in their acceptance speeches at award ceremonies.
In contrast, we almost always know about the political leanings of famous actors and actresses. They share articulate and passionate views on a multitude of national and international subjects, even if they have no training or expertise on any of these subjects. We also know how they view material possessions, consumption of legal and illegal substances, and what they view as moral or immoral behaviour.
It is rare to ever see a film, TV show or cartoon that might depict:
--a biblical view of the creation of the world,
--the moral dilema of humankind steeped in sin & selfishness,
--the need for a personal and global Saviour,
--the historical and biblical accounts of prophets of God who stood up to the evil in their societies,
--the workings of God's servants in Old & New Testaments, who performed miracles, to show the power of God over nature,
--and the factual accounts of Jesus of Nazareth, who was immaculately conceived , sinlessly ministered & performed miracles, suffered a cruel death on a Cross, and then suddenly arose from a rock solid tomb.
Nope, Hollywood truly tries to steer away from religious and supernatural stuff. It might be too controversial.
Yet, curiously, why is it that a large percentage of Hollywood offerings, whether in cartoon or dramatic forms, tries to show persons or creatures with supernatural abilities?
....A new box office release, showing currently in theaters, has 4 superheroes, each with special magical "powers", as they fly across the screen in glorious color (all a figment of some writer's imagaination).
....A popular TV series this past year, had more than a dozen characters, who all looked to be "normal", but each of them had a "special ability" to see or do things above & beyond human attributes (a Special Effects Consultant loves this kind of challenge).
....Children have loved their regular dose of Super Heroes for over 60 years of Superman, Batman, Spider Man, Wonder Woman, etc., who first appeared in comic book form, then cartoon TV series, and followed by major block buster movies (none of these special abilities were ever seen, verified or experienced by witnesses, as they were just figments of imagination of a writer or illustrator).
....Even though many actual villains have appeared throughout history performing grizzly deeds, certain authors and producers have decided to add a little more intrigue by giving strange, evil and extraordinary powers to:
-not die, unless shot with a silver bullet
-disappear from sight when pursued by authorities
-regenerate body parts after being blown up in an explosion
-survive even multiple gunshot wounds by police or "good guys."
-fly away from their pursuers right into the sky
-share certain characteristics with animals or other beasts.
A recent cartoon movie release even gave an old house the powers to eat people and their possessions when it felt it was being threatened.....and then get off its foundation and chase its enemies down the street. Oh well.
Should a wise, sane or relgious person worry about all the bizarre productions and emphases of abnormally wicked entertainment industry?
Wise King Solomon said over 3000 years ago:
"Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future hope." - Proverbs 24: 19-20
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Who Plays Baseball?
Who Plays Baseball These Days?
by Torrey H. Brinkley
ESPN this past week has spent much time lamenting about the number of black players in professional baseball. Every ESPN radio show on June 6th was devoted to this subject, with every talk show host repeating the same tired arguments, hour after hour.
Gary Sheffield, the much traveled slugging outfielder, has given his commentary, which incensed many observers, when he opined that American blacks are too hard to control, while the newly recruited Latin ball players are more easily manipulated into co-operating with the rules & structure of the current baseball scene. Sheffield and the other "sports experts" claim that blacks in America have gravitated to football and basketball because they are easier to play in "the hood" and cheaper on the family's budget.
Hogwash. There are some very obvious distinctions between the major American sports, which Sheffield and his critics are missing:
1) Baseball is a difficult sport to master.
--Very few humans can throw a fastball at 95 mph+ accurately, plus a curve ball to deceive other players.
--Even fewer humans can see and hit a 98 mph fastball from 60'6" distance. They never could and never will have that skill.
--Slow pitch softball, which is enjoyed & played by millions, has little in common with the scary speed of major league baseball.
2) Climbing the ladder to the major leagues in baseball requires many steps: high school ball, college baseball experience, A-level ball, AA baseball, and then AAA experience are the typical stages which a player must endure. For some baseball players, that can be 11 long years of a grinding, boring existence, with little or no national recognition, riding on old buses, staying in cheap hotels, playing in small towns (before tiny crowds), and getting a low salary.
--In a society predicated on instant gratification that is no fun for young men which believe they are entitled to everything now.
--For the last 15 years or so, blacks in America's inner cities have seen talented, athletic basketball players skip college/university and jump immediately to the NBA, making millions without any of the requisite maturing and team-building skills deemed helpful in "playing sports."
3) Oddly, although baseball has been an American phenomenon for over 100 years, it is not glamorous as a sport anymore.
....Few stars in American baseball are idolized or seen/heard doing commercials for any kind of products. Certain young people feel that they need to pursue endeavors which get them lots of name recognition & TV face time.
....Many American colleges have dropped baseball from their scholarship-level athletics, under the Title 9 requirements to have an equal number of men's & women's sports available. Thus, if there were American blacks wanting to go to college 4 years, play baseball & then move on, there are fewer & fewer schools which would offer such opportunties. Being a top baseball star on campus also does not offer the same status as a recognizable football or basketball hero.
4) American baseball is undeniably a long grind. There are no other major sports that play 162 regular season contests, plus Spring Training games, plus post-season series of 7 games apiece. The schedule means that baseball players are away from home from February to almost November , if they're on contending teams. Only NASCAR has a similarly long schedule, but they only race on Sundays (unless they do truck or Saturday racing).
++This kind of grueling schedule would not be fun for whites, blacks, Asians, Latins or Europeans, who desire to have quality family time. Few baseball players would consciously wish to postpone marriage or family until after their playing career is over (potentially age 37 or so).
++Only half of all baseball games are played at the home town ballpark, and all of Spring Training takes place away from home in either Florida or Arizona. Many ethnic groups highly value being around family members and/or those who have meant much to them during their youth. Baseball tears away at that close family experience, and almost exclusively glorifies the individualism, which is so uniquely American.
5) One other observation: baseball is not violent in the normal course of its play.
#Americans seem to love the crashing, banging & slamming to the ground observed in football.
#Even basketball has become a bumping and slam-dunking kind of a sport. #Hockey has been labeled recently as a fist fight punctuated by occasional ice-skating exhibitions.
#NASCAR & other racing fans love to watch fender-banging, often following by "the big crash."
#But, lowly baseball is more of a gentleman's game, requiring good throwing, quick bursts of running speed, and tremendous eye-hand co-ordination, with lots of waiting time out in a lonely outfield, hundreds of feet away from one's team-mates.
---The author taught 150 teens in Spain how to play fast pitch baseball, after they had only known the sport of soccer. A few "imported" teens from Chile and Australia helped to jump-start the action for these European youth, who were more adept at using their feet than their hands.
by Torrey H. Brinkley
ESPN this past week has spent much time lamenting about the number of black players in professional baseball. Every ESPN radio show on June 6th was devoted to this subject, with every talk show host repeating the same tired arguments, hour after hour.
Gary Sheffield, the much traveled slugging outfielder, has given his commentary, which incensed many observers, when he opined that American blacks are too hard to control, while the newly recruited Latin ball players are more easily manipulated into co-operating with the rules & structure of the current baseball scene. Sheffield and the other "sports experts" claim that blacks in America have gravitated to football and basketball because they are easier to play in "the hood" and cheaper on the family's budget.
Hogwash. There are some very obvious distinctions between the major American sports, which Sheffield and his critics are missing:
1) Baseball is a difficult sport to master.
--Very few humans can throw a fastball at 95 mph+ accurately, plus a curve ball to deceive other players.
--Even fewer humans can see and hit a 98 mph fastball from 60'6" distance. They never could and never will have that skill.
--Slow pitch softball, which is enjoyed & played by millions, has little in common with the scary speed of major league baseball.
2) Climbing the ladder to the major leagues in baseball requires many steps: high school ball, college baseball experience, A-level ball, AA baseball, and then AAA experience are the typical stages which a player must endure. For some baseball players, that can be 11 long years of a grinding, boring existence, with little or no national recognition, riding on old buses, staying in cheap hotels, playing in small towns (before tiny crowds), and getting a low salary.
--In a society predicated on instant gratification that is no fun for young men which believe they are entitled to everything now.
--For the last 15 years or so, blacks in America's inner cities have seen talented, athletic basketball players skip college/university and jump immediately to the NBA, making millions without any of the requisite maturing and team-building skills deemed helpful in "playing sports."
3) Oddly, although baseball has been an American phenomenon for over 100 years, it is not glamorous as a sport anymore.
....Few stars in American baseball are idolized or seen/heard doing commercials for any kind of products. Certain young people feel that they need to pursue endeavors which get them lots of name recognition & TV face time.
....Many American colleges have dropped baseball from their scholarship-level athletics, under the Title 9 requirements to have an equal number of men's & women's sports available. Thus, if there were American blacks wanting to go to college 4 years, play baseball & then move on, there are fewer & fewer schools which would offer such opportunties. Being a top baseball star on campus also does not offer the same status as a recognizable football or basketball hero.
4) American baseball is undeniably a long grind. There are no other major sports that play 162 regular season contests, plus Spring Training games, plus post-season series of 7 games apiece. The schedule means that baseball players are away from home from February to almost November , if they're on contending teams. Only NASCAR has a similarly long schedule, but they only race on Sundays (unless they do truck or Saturday racing).
++This kind of grueling schedule would not be fun for whites, blacks, Asians, Latins or Europeans, who desire to have quality family time. Few baseball players would consciously wish to postpone marriage or family until after their playing career is over (potentially age 37 or so).
++Only half of all baseball games are played at the home town ballpark, and all of Spring Training takes place away from home in either Florida or Arizona. Many ethnic groups highly value being around family members and/or those who have meant much to them during their youth. Baseball tears away at that close family experience, and almost exclusively glorifies the individualism, which is so uniquely American.
5) One other observation: baseball is not violent in the normal course of its play.
#Americans seem to love the crashing, banging & slamming to the ground observed in football.
#Even basketball has become a bumping and slam-dunking kind of a sport. #Hockey has been labeled recently as a fist fight punctuated by occasional ice-skating exhibitions.
#NASCAR & other racing fans love to watch fender-banging, often following by "the big crash."
#But, lowly baseball is more of a gentleman's game, requiring good throwing, quick bursts of running speed, and tremendous eye-hand co-ordination, with lots of waiting time out in a lonely outfield, hundreds of feet away from one's team-mates.
---The author taught 150 teens in Spain how to play fast pitch baseball, after they had only known the sport of soccer. A few "imported" teens from Chile and Australia helped to jump-start the action for these European youth, who were more adept at using their feet than their hands.
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