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Also this month we have a council meeting on January 27th. I called Anna’s to get a meeting room and discovered that the restaurant now charges a $100 reservation fee for the room. I’ve seen $25 and $50 for a room reservation fee but never this high. I told them I would get another restaurant that doesn’t charge a fee. The restaurants have told me they get reservations, get enough staff to handle the meeting room and then the people don’t show up. They use the reservation fee to pay the staff in case of a no show. First we have never not shown up for a meeting restaurant reservation. Second they’ve got to be joking about staffing. For the last couple of years I don’t think any restaurant has enough staff. We used to get 2 or 3 employees taking orders in the meeting rooms but lately it has been down to one person. In fact one restaurant we went to last year I believe only had 3 people working the entire restaurant. I’m not sure why any restaurant would turn away business but it happens. If you have suggestions for a restaurant that has a meeting room please send. Thanks.
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Inspection Without Impact: Why Virginia Should End Mandatory Car Inspections
By Joshua Devamithran, a Research Fellow with the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Virginia’s mandatory vehicle safety inspection program is less than a decade away from its centennial anniversary. Established in 1932, Virginia’s inspection program is the oldest continuous program in the country. In 1975, thirty-one states and the District of Columbia had mandatory safety inspection programs. Today, Virginia is one of just fifteen states that have retained such a mandatory inspection program.
The stated purpose of Virginia’s mandatory vehicle safety inspection program is to promote highway safety. Inspection programs seek to accomplish this goal by reducing the number of vehicles with existing or potential conditions that may contribute to vehicle crashes and fatalities. The logic concludes that mandatory inspection programs are necessary to achieve this goal.
However, to date, studies have not shown a statistically significant relationship between mandatory inspection programs and an increase in motor safety. In 2015, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) analyzed studies published between 1992 and 2013 that were relevant for determining the safety benefits and costs of state vehicle inspection programs across the nation. Their survey of these studies examined the effect of inspection programs on crash rates related to vehicle component failure and found no clear influence. In some places like Nebraska, after the mandatory inspection program was eliminated in 1982, the number of crashes caused by vehicle component defects actually declined.
The studies reviewed in the GAO report were conducted at a time when vehicles were a lot less safe than they are today. Over the last decade, car safety has significantly improved thanks to advancements in technology and increased safety standards. Cars today have advanced driver assistance programs that provide lane warnings, emergency braking, and crash avoidance. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that these advancements can reduce crashes between 11 and 50 percent. The IIHS also found that structural improvements in the design of cars as well as other improvements like electronic stability control have significantly reduced fatalities.
So, the question is, does a focus on reducing vehicles on the road with component failure – the main focus of vehicle inspections – contribute to the goal of greater safety and less fatalities?
Research shows that the link between vehicle component failure and vehicle crashes is tenuous at best. Component failure is a critical reason in only an estimated 2% of crashes, according to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA). The NCSA found that driver errors, including errors in driver’s recognition, decision, or performance, account for an estimated 94% of vehicle crashes. It seems the benefits of mandatory inspection programs for roadway safety are indiscernible in the data, at least in part because the programs aim to mitigate an agent of vehicle crashes that in reality, is at cause in only a tiny proportion crashes. Then, there is little to no evidence that the inspections eliminate or significantly lower equipment failure related accidents.
Interestingly, state officials from the inspection programs studied in the 2015 GAO analysis all stated in interviews that they believed the inspection programs did improve vehicle and highway safety. These officials believed this despite the conclusions reached by the GAO indicating that there was no such proof. Do we accept anecdotal “belief” or hard data?
Even assuming there is some benefit, the question then becomes, do inspection programs provide enough safety benefit to outweigh the cost of these programs to drivers?
During his administration, Democrat Governor Ralph Northam answered resoundingly “No,” and Governor Glenn Youngkin should follow his course.
In 2020, Governor Northam’s proposal to eliminate safety inspections didn’t get passed the General Assembly, but later that year Governor Northam suspended the program by executive order during Covid. “Data shows that there is no connection between highway safety and these inspections. That’s why 35 other states don’t have them,” he said. Governor’s Northam’s office supported their argument with research from state transportation officials indicating that from 2008 to 2017, the crash rate in states without inspection programs declined by about eight percent, while the crash rate in Virginia declined by only about two percent during that period.
In fact, in the same year as Governor Northam's executive order suspending inspections, vehicle crashes declined by over 17%. It's true that crash fatalities increased also from 2019 to 2020, but that increase was relatively marginal at 2% and was heavily influenced by a massive increase in alcohol and speed related crashes. Could safety inspections be making us less safe?
Northam estimated that eliminating the inspection program and its accompanying $20 fee would save Virginia citizens $150 million per year. With more licensed drivers and vehicles registered now than there were in 2020, the savings of eliminating inspection programs for Virginia motorists could be even greater. On top of the $20 fee for the inspection itself, a reasonable estimate of other costs incurred by consumers, including opportunity costs, could easily double or triple the expense. Even excluding gas for travel, dropping the car off and picking it up with an escort both ways, or waiting in line and wasting what would otherwise be productive uses of their time, all add to the true cost for consumers.
Eliminating the inspection program would also reduce the costs consumers currently pay for repairs that are not necessary, but that are forced by the repair shops because of a flawed incentive structure. Automotive repair is one of the few “diagnosis-cure” industries, with repair shops acting as both the doctor diagnosing problems, and the surgeon fixing them. Herein lies perhaps the most troubling aspect of mandatory vehicle inspection programs: inspection providers have a financial interest in identifying vehicle component flaws, since every flaw they identify means more money in their or other mechanic’s pocket. To make matters worse, the inspection criteria repair shops use is subjective, and the results of the inspection are binding, so consumers have no way to discern truth from money grabbing.
This fluffed incentive structure creates ample opportunity for moral hazard and abuse, as evidenced by the many reports of drivers being forced to pay for unnecessary repairs in order to pass inspection. Whether the defect is a minor issue that has little or no bearing on safety, or an exaggerated claim of wear on a specific part, drivers are compelled to purchase the prescribed repairs to avoid being straddled with a failed inspection sticker.
Unfortunately, as with many safety regulations which raise the cost of ownership, the cumulative burden of Virginia’s mandatory vehicle inspection program hurts the poor the most. There is ample evidence that car ownership helps the working poor get ahead by improving access to job opportunities and increasing their ability to live in safer neighborhoods. Inspection programs add to the cost of car ownership in a time when both new and used car prices have soared to all-time highs and have yet to return to their pre-pandemic levels. In a post-pandemic world, where moderate- and higher-income workers can log in remotely, most lower skilled jobs still require a commute. Eighty percent of Virginians commute by car, and a higher percentage of lower-income workers must commute.
The principle is simple: In the absence of clear evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of a regulation in meeting its stated goal, that regulation should be eliminated. And if that regulation costs more than its benefits, it should be eliminated or significantly revised.
Under Governor Youngkin’s leadership, this principle has been guiding. In two years, Virginia has made considerable strides in uprooting unnecessary and burdensome regulations, streamlining rules, and cutting costs for consumers. Governor Youngkin’s newly established Office of Regulatory Management (ORM) has exceeded expectations, saving Virginia citizens an estimated $1.2 billion per year through various regulatory cutbacks. Reeve T. Bill’s, ORM’s Director, recent article in the Regulatory Review highlights several of the tremendous accomplishments achieved by the ORM. Our President, Derrick Max, has also compellingly explained how Virginia’s recent regulatory reform could serve as a model for other states to create an environment where their citizens can thrive.
Virginia and Governor Youngkin have one more page to steal from other states. Eliminating Virginia’s mandatory vehicle inspection program would fit our state’s agenda, eliminate a costly and unnecessary burden on Virginia motorists, eliminate one more burden on the poor, and further nurture the environment of prosperity critical to keeping Virginia the place to live, work, and raise a family.
Adrian Maurice Cary Scholarship: Empower Education
Submitted by Barbara Cary
gofund.me/c363e44b - Adrian Maurice Cary Scholarship: Empower Education
Please post this GoFundMe page on your site to raise money for scholarships for students attending college.
We deeply appreciate your commitment to supporting education by posting this GoFundme Site in memory of my son. Funds will not only impact the lives of students but also inspire others to contribute to our cause. Thank you for your support.
Best regards,
Barbara Cary
Join us in this Giving Campaign to honor Adrian’s legacy. Your contributions will help us continue providing scholarships through the Adrian Maurice Cary Scholarship Foundation, ensuring that more students can achieve their educational dreams. Together, we can make a difference. Thank you for your support!
Your contributions will enable us to continue offering scholarships through the Adrian Maurice Cary Scholarship Foundation, ensuring that more students can realize their educational aspirations. Together, we can create meaningful change. Please share this message within your network. Thank you for your support!
Adrian Maurice Cary was a beacon of love and kindness, touching the lives of everyone he met. He was dedicated to his family, worked tirelessly, and embraced life to the fullest. Adrian understood the transformative power of education; he believed that higher education could pave the way for a brighter future. Whether through a four-year university, a two-year college, or vocational training, education can elevate lives and break the cycle of poverty.
Adrian attended Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and later earned his degree from ECPI University. While juggling two jobs, he achieved a Bachelor of Science in Computer and Information Science. He began his career working on the loading docks at Walmart Distribution Center at Zion Crossroads, Gordonsville, Virginia, and later at Estes in Richmond, Virginia. Through hard work, determination, and perseverance, Adrian advanced from the loading docks to a position as a Computer Specialist at the corporate office of Estes.
Tragically, after starting his new career, Adrian fell seriously ill and passed away due to complications from heart surgery. He left behind two daughters—one in middle school and the other in her third year of college—who will graduate debt-free, thanks to their father's relentless dedication and hard work.
Together, we can make a difference. Thank you for your support!
Jewels Found On Ebay
Here are a couple of hot finds from Ebay Motors.
eBay item number: 226475998836
$4,500 Buy It Now
eBay description: 1980 Porsche 911 Targa front body section VIN 91A014309xx.
It was cut off under the front seats.
No suspension, no gauges, just a bare bones inner structure.
Clear PA title.
I think it was stolen and stripped. This was all the Police recovered.
Good solid structure if you need to repair crash damage.
Yikes! Double Yikes! This was listed as a "car" and as you can see this is one piece of a car. But the ad says it has a clean title. Why? It's just a piece of a car. Classic.com says the average price for a 1980 Porsche 911 SC Targa is $49K so maybe this "piece" is worth that much but the "car" just doesn't look like much. Most people would see this at a scrap metal recycler and not think twice about it - that it is just another piece of scrap.
Next up is another "project".
eBay item number: 267088173098
$3,000 or best offer
eBay description: 1951 MERCURY EIGHT COUPE PROJECT NEEDS RESTORATION
2 DOOR PROJECT
NEEDS HEAVY RUST REPAIR
LOWER QUARTERS, LOWER DOORS, ROCKERS, FENDER HOOD, AND FRONT FLOORS
ALL NEED WORK
HAS ORIGINAL FLAT HEAD IN IT
ADDITIONALLY HAVE A 51 LINCOLN 4 DOOR AND 50 MERC EIGHT PARTS CAR THAT WERE
MEANT TO PUT THIS TOGETHER
No mention if this thing has a title. Owner/seller runs a junkyard and has several vehicles for sale. He listed the color on this Merc as "brown" - I'm guessing rust wasn't an option. Good news - you can buy two more vehicles in worse condition than this one to use as parts cars to fix this one up. Good luck.
eBay item number: 335728061087
$39,995 or best offer
eBay description: This 1970 Jaguar E Type 4.2 is a classic beauty that will make any car enthusiast's heart skip a beat. With its sleek design and powerful engine, this car is sure to turn heads. The owner has had it for 5+ years and has kept it clean and well-maintained. Make a bold statement with this car. Whether you're looking to add to your collection or just want to drive it for a few hours, this Jaguar E Type 4.2 is a must-have. Don't miss out on the opportunity to own a piece of automotive history.
Restoration was started and put on hold as happens. 25 years stored in my garage . Time to Let someone finish the job.
WOW - there is no photo of what you might call a car - just photos of parts and pieces. It's been stored for 25 years - want to take a guess at how many pieces, bolts, nuts and of course some impossible to find part are all missing? The Classic Car Guide lists this car in average condition at $50K and this seller wants $40K for one that is taken completely apart. Doesn't take much thinking to do the money math on this one.
Donations Made By Council Members
I sent out an email asking member clubs for information on the donations they had made to charities during 2024. As we know most car shows and events donate money to various charities including those in our communities. Below are responses.
Shenandoah Valley British Car Club
The Shenandoah Valley British Car Club donated over $1,000 to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, our Club's designated charity.
Over the years, the SVBCC has donated well over $20,000 to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.
Mark K. Brown, President
SVBCC
Waynesboro, VA, USA
Central Virginia Mustang Club
On the left is a representative of Hanover Safe Place and on the right is
Kathy McWilliams, president of the Central Virginia Mustang Club(CVMC)
For 2024, CVMC donated $2000 each to two local charities, Hanover Safe Place & Vets On Track from proceeds of our two car shows held on April 27 and September 21. Each January, a small committee decides which local charities to support. We invite the charities to participate in our shows to share their mission and promotional materials. We then invite a representative to attend a meeting for a donation presentation. Attached is this year's picture of Kathy McWilliams presenting a check to Hanover Safe Place. NOTE: We haven't presented the check to Vets On Track at this time, therefore, I don't have a picture yet. I plan to schedule a trip to their office before the end of the month.
Cruisin For Heroes
CRUISIN FOR HEROES is a small area not-for-profit group led by Vietnam veteran Lou Realmuto whose mission is to raise awareness and funding for the Fisher House Foundation as well as other charities and local community service groups supporting Military Organizations, Veterans and First Responders while encouraging interest in preserving the great Classic Automobile hobby for future generations.
For over fifteen years they have been partnering with various businesses, retailers, clubs and organizations and are a Registered Proud Supporter of the Fisher House Foundation. Some of their many collaborations have been with the Culpeper Regional Airport Annual AirFest, The Chili Appreciation Society International Virginia State Championships, The MinuteMan Mini Mall, Old House Vineyards, Madison Vines RV Resort and the Bull Run Region AACA Car Club.
Fisher House is a unique private-public partnership supporting America's military in their time of need. It recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
The Fisher House Foundation builds and donates "comfort homes," on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful time - during the hospitalization of a member of our military and no family pays to stay at any Fisher House.
Cruisin For Heroes can help promote a special event or business to attract additional spectators or customers to a grand opening, holiday event or any special community activity. They have raised significant donations over the years and are currently ranked 5th among the 2024 Fisher House 35 Fundraising Campaigns. For more information go to their Facebook page facebook.com/groups/969965209721565
GTO Club of Richmond
It has been the tradition of the GTO of Richmond car club to donate to the Richmond Christmas Mother each year. We have been doing this since the club was founded in 1988.
Ron Bartek
Car Club Council of Central Virginia (CCCCVA)
The CCCCVA has helped raise money for Pamplin Historical Park, a 501(c)(3) organization, with the Breakthrough Car Show. At the 2024 show $8,825 was raised. The park had its budget cut in January 2024 which made this fund raiser even more important. $32,900 has been raised by the show since 2020.
The Heart Of Virginia Classic Auto Club
We give donations at the end of every year to local charities.
We selected two this year.
This year 2024, the Heart Of Virginia Classic Auto Club donated money to Better Days in Farmville, Virginia.
It was designed to be a one stop shop to make a home out of a safe space. It is based on a non-profit in Tazewell County Virginia run by the legendary Teri Crawford Brown. The program helps individuals and families in our community that are starting over across the seven counties of the Piedmont Health district, whether it is a house fire, incarceration, fleeing abuse or relocating refugees. Their organization is designed to give big and to step up and provide all the basic necessities of a home. Hopefully better enough to keep someone safe, sober, clean and moving forward to even better days. The organization is run on donations and volunteers with the motto of “Neighbors loving Neighbors.” Their ultimate goal is to make sure every person in Southside Virginia has a home, in every sense of the word.
The Heart of Virginia Classic Auto Club also made a donation to The Hope Clothes Closet, a project since 2018 of Heritage Baptist Church in Farmville. Their mission has been providing gifts of clothing for all ages to families in need including Madeline’s House, Christmas Mother event, low-income apartment complexes and nursing homes. Each year, the church holds two giveaways. One takes place in the fall to provide winter clothes and one in the spring to give out summer clothes at the church. The giveaways are not only for residents of Farmville, but also the surrounding areas.
Corvette Club of Richmond
The Corvette Club of Richmond selects a worthy charity each year to support through Member donations. We utilize our Christmas Party as the means to raise the funds for the charity of the season. For 2024, CCR has chosen to support the Fisher House of Richmond. Richmond Fisher House serves as a home away from home for the families of veterans receiving care at the central Virginia Veterans Administration Health Care System. Fisher House receives VA funding only when available and is dependent on the generosity of corporations, individuals and groups that give to support the mission of serving veterans and their families. The average length of stay for families at Fisher House is 12-14days. There is no fee for families to stay at Fisher House.
On December 9th, CCR president Gary Butler, wife Cindy, CCR Board Member Penny Johnson and husband, Walter Johnson, visited the Richmond Fisher House and presented our check for $1,250 to Wayne Walker, CSM, U.S.A. (Ret), Director.
Gary Butler
President, Corvette Club of Richmond
River City Cruizers
This is a list of the beneficiaries that we have helped in 2024:
Chesterfield Technical & Career Center - Hull St - $4,225.00
Chesterfield Technical & Career Center - Courthouse Rd - $2,930.73
Manchester Moose Lodge #699 - $689.90 (Napkins/Tableclothes/Wine Glasses/Tumblers/Dishes/Cups/Red Plastic Cups/Cutlery/2 gift cards)
Manchester Moose Lodge #699 - $575.00 - 2 (Wine Certificates) 2 Raffle baskets
Fort Lee Baptist Church - $550.00 - 2 (Wine Certificates) 2 Raffle baskets
Hyles Baptist Church - $450.00 - 150 Nylon child size back packs donated to their back to school outreach program
Vet to Vet Vehicles - $479.12 Donated unique veteran trophies that were custom made
O B Gates Elementary School - $300 (Assorted school supplies for back to
school)
Alzheimer's Association of Greater Richmond - $150.00 Donation
A Little Piece of Mind Daycare - $200 - Assorted Children's Books/Games
Southside SPCA - $200 (Doll House) to be used at their gala to raise funds for the animals
Blue Ridge Senior Living - $100 (Assorted holiday themed items for the seniors to enjoy - new)
5 Stone Church Preschool - $150 ( paints, books)
North Carolina Hurricane Relief Drive $325 (Cleaning supplies, mops, brooms, trash bags, water, animal food etc)
Hope Point Church - $150 (Can food drive)
Breakthrougth Car Show - $500 - 2 (Wine Certificates)
Total donations for 2024 is $11,975
American Legion Post 175
Your Support of the American Legion Post 175 Mechanicsville, Va., makes it possible for us to:
Sponsor Boys State leadership and citizenship program for outstanding High School Students
Sponsor and support three Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC)
Host a Scouts BSA Troop (Troop #553) at our Post
Provide Flag Education and Americanism to Hanover County Elementary Schools
Provide Wreaths for Cold Harbor National Cemetery, Mechanicsville, VA (Wreaths Across America)
Ray Lewter, President American Legion Post 175
Central Virginia British Car Club
Each year, the Central Virginia British Car Club (CVBCC) engages in a fund raising effort for the benefit of the Richmond Fisher House which is located on the grounds of the Hunter Holmes Maguire Veterans Hospital in Richmond. The club has conducted this activity every year since 2010 in honor of Veterans Day and to support the families of veterans who are being treated at the VA Hospital.
The Fisher Houses, 98 in all, are located at VA hospitals across the country. They provide housing support and other services for the families of veterans. Families can stay in the houses, free of charge, while their veteran is receiving treatment. Some stay for a few days and others stay for longer periods of time, sometimes for many months.
There are two houses at the VA hospital in Richmond. They total 16,800 square feet and contain 41 suites. Each house also has a large, fully equipped kitchen, laundry facilities, a large dining room, a library, a common area where families can relax, and a large recreation area outside for use in good weather. Because the VA hospital in Richmond has a large poly-trauma unit, a significant number of combat wounded veterans are treated here. Often their families stay in one of the two Fisher Houses on the campus.
In 2023, club members donated $8,225.00, the highest amount we ever received. The next highest was in 2021, when our members donated $6,270.00. This year, 2024, we broke all records with members generously donating $9,750.00 to this very worthy effort.
Write-up was prepared by club member Mike Johnston who coordinates the annual drive.
Richmond Metropolitan Antique Car Club of Virginia (RMACC)
Richmond Metropolitan Antique Car Club of Virginia was founded in 1978 and charted by the state of Virginia in 1983. The club’s primary concerns are the people and the community of this region. We have made it a practice to make our cars available wherever they provide information and joy to other clubs, schools, and organizations.
Each year we make contributions to organizations like Breast Cancer Awareness, Sickle Cell Blood Drive, and our Annual Scholarship Initiative.
One of our most rewarding investments in the community is our Annual Scholarship Initiative. As early as 2008, RMACC sponsored one student to attend Good Guys Nationals Competition in Ohio. This was a weeklong program where the participants built a Street Rod Vehicle. Education is the key to career success and with our encouragement, we wanted to help young, beleaguered students to become educated global thinkers and workers by awarding scholarships to students based on individual needs, academic achievement, extracurricular performance, community service and general merit. Each year since 2017, we have selected a minimum of one deserving student as a recipient of our monetary award. This award would lessen the student’s financial burden and enhance their higher education opportunities to attend college or technical school. Last year RMACC was able to provide four scholarship awards. Over the last five years RMACC has managed to donate over $25,000.00 dollars to our Scholar Initiative and our outreach programs.
We felt that our annual donations to individuals and families at Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as contributions to Local Churches and Families would provide a helping hand to those in need. RMACC also extends a special thanks to all the organizations, friends, community helpers and club members who helped us achieve our goals.
We know that this scholarship initiative is one small way for us to pay forward and pay tribute to those who helped pave the way for our life journey!
Warm Regards, L.R. Tunstall, President RMACC
Lithium Battery Incidents on US Flights Occur Weekly on Average, FAA Data Show
From The Epoch Times
Federal legislation that seeks to tackle the fire risk posed by lithium batteries is being considered.
Incidents triggered by lithium-ion batteries are now, on average, a weekly occurrence on U.S. flights, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with cabin crews expressing concern over the risk.
This year, 69 lithium battery incidents involving smoke, fire, or extreme heat have occurred on U.S. flights as of Dec. 16, FAA data show.
This equates to more than 1.3 incidents per week. Since 2015, the number of such events has increased by more than 330 percent.
Between March 3, 2006, and Nov. 5, 2024, a total of 579 lithium battery incidents were recorded, with the majority of cases coming from passenger carriers.
Battery packs and batteries accounted for the bulk of these incidents, with 229 events, followed by e-cigarettes/vape devices with 122, cell phones with 81, laptops with 70, and the rest involving other electronic and medical devices.
On Nov. 5, a smoke detector alarm from the lavatory of a United Airlines flight coming from San Francisco went off.
“Flight attendants found a passenger in the lavatory who stated their laptop began to overheat. A flight attendant placed the laptop in a thermal containment bag, and the aircraft continued to its destination without further incident,” the FAA said.
Earlier on Oct. 5, a passenger carry-on bag caught fire during the boarding process in Buffalo, New York, with lithium batteries being the culprit. Passengers were removed from the aircraft, while the fire was extinguished and batteries were taken out of the plane.
A survey report released by the nonprofit UL Standards & Engagement said cabin crew concerns about these risks of lithium batteries are “pronounced, with 87% expressing that they are very or somewhat concerned about lithium-ion battery incidents occurring on an aircraft.”
While almost all cabin crew members, 97 percent, reported they were aware of such risks, in contrast, “only 65% of airline passengers from ULSE’s consumer-focused surveys say they are aware” of them.
“Although very unlikely, thermal runaway incidents onboard happen around twice a week and are at the highest point we’ve seen,” said David Wroth, director of the Thermal Runaway Incident Program at UL Standards & Engagement. “Airlines are playing an active role in working to mitigate the risk of these incidents. Most importantly, airlines are equipping their crew with the knowledge needed to handle a potential lithium-ion battery incident.”
Lithium Fire Dangers, Legislation
Fires triggered by lithium batteries are a major concern among experts. During testimony to Congress earlier this year, Chief Fire Marshall of the New York City Fire Department Daniel Flynn warned that lithium battery fires are “more intense and more dangerous” than other sources.
“They undergo a series of explosions, releasing highly toxic gasses and projecting flaming cells that can travel great distances, increasing the likelihood that the fire will spread,” he said. “These fires instantly create severely dangerous conditions, rendering escape for anyone nearby significantly challenging. This is especially true if a fire occurs at night when an occupant is sleeping.”
Large volumes of water are required to suppress lithium fires, making it “extremely difficult” to be extinguished. Last year, New York City reported 268 fires triggered by lithium batteries, which injured 150 people and killed 18. Many of these batteries were being used in e-bikes.
In March last year, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) introduced the HR 1797 “Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act,” which aims to tackle the issue of lithium fires.
The bill requires the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to set up a safety standard for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in micro-mobility devices such as electric bikes. Companies such as Uber and DoorDash have lent support to the bill.
Robert S. Tucker, commissioner of the New York City Fire Department, is also backing the bill. In a Dec. 18 statement, the department said that Congress was moving closer to passing the measure.
“We know the problems we see here are occurring all over the country. This legislation will finally allow everyone to be on the same page when it comes to the safe use of these devices,” Tucker said. “This federal legislation is the critical piece that was missing in our fight against this problem. We are elated to hear that there will be a law signed soon.”
Vegas 1959
The Briefs
Last week, General Motors issued a recall for just north of 132,000 heavy-duty pickup trucks that could have a faulty tailgate power latch, causing the tailgate to open unexpectedly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) web page for this recall, the issue pertains to certain 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, and GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD models equipped with the power-unlatching tailgate. If water gets into the tailgate mechanism, the switch that controls the powered gate release may short-circuit, causing it to open while the vehicle is parked. Something like this would obviously be pretty easy to spot if you’re vigilant before setting off. Still, if you’re not expecting an open tailgate and you throw it in drive, you could risk your payload making a rapid and violent departure from the truck’s bed. No bueno. NHTSA’s page says that “owners are advised to check that the tailgate is closed before driving,” which makes sense. As a remedy, dealers will replace the exterior touchpad switch assemblies free of charge. Letters will begin mailing to affected owners on or after January 13, 2025.
It’s good to have friends in high places, as the first customer for the all-electric Mercedes-Benz G-Class has just found out.
Delivered to the smallest country in the world, Vatican City, the new owner is none other than Pope Francis, who makes history in the process.
Mercedes has been making Popemobiles for almost 100 years, supplying a Nürburg 460 Pullman Sedan for Pope Pius XI in 1930, and a 300 Landaulet for John XXIII, a 600 Pullman Landaulet and a 300 SEL Landaulet for Paul VI. The G-Class was first provided to John Paul II in the 1980s and the model has also been used by his successors Benedict XVI and Francis.
The new Popemobile, however, will be the first green machine to be run as a Vatican vehicle and it has been extensively modified for the purpose. The roof has been removed at the B-pillar and the rear seats ditched in favor of a height-adjustable swivel seat for the pontiff and space for two extra passengers. On the left side the rear door has gone, while the right rear door has been reversed to allow easy access to the pope’s platform. In case of rain there’s a removable hard top.
Ten people were injured after a police traffic officer reportedly trying to show off on a motorcycle crashed into bystanders at a holiday parade in Palm Springs, California, according to authorities and witnesses who spoke to a local newspaper.
All of the injured were taken to hospitals for treatment of injuries that were not life-threatening on Saturday night, including the officer, police said.
The name of the officer wasn’t immediately released. But the Palm Springs Post reported that he may have suffered a traumatic injury to his wrist.
The Desert Sun said witnesses told the newspaper that the officer was reportedly popping a wheelie and suddenly lost control of his motorcycle.
General Motors announced it will stop funding its Cruise robotaxi project, citing competition, costs, and time required to scale the business. GM will instead focus on developing advanced driver assistance technologies and autonomous systems for personal vehicles, merging Cruise's technical team with its own. GM spent over $10B on Cruise since acquiring it in 2016 and expects to save roughly $1B annually from the restructuring.
The decision follows a series of challenges for Cruise, including an October 2023 incident where one of its vehicles struck and dragged a pedestrian, leading to federal regulatory scrutiny and operational setbacks. Amid the fallout, Cruise cofounder and CEO Kyle Vogt resigned, and Cruise laid off 900 employees, or about 24% of its workforce. Last month, Cruise paid a $500K criminal fine for submitting a false report related to the October 2023 incident.
Amazon expanded Tuesday into online car sales with the launch of Amazon Autos, an e-commerce business that lets customers find, order, and buy new cars, trucks, and SUVs from dealerships.
Amazon is kicking off the new endeavor with Hyundai in 48 U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. The launch comes a little more than a year since the e-commerce giant announced plans to start selling vehicles on its website in the second half of 2024. Amazon said it will add more cities and additional auto manufacturers in 2025.
Amazon Autos will function, in many ways, like the rest of the broader Amazon e-commerce ecosystem. Shoppers will be able to search for available vehicles from participating dealers by model, trim, color, and features. Notably, customers will also be able to secure financing and e-sign paperwork via the Amazon Autos site. Once the payment is finalized, customers can schedule when to pick up their vehicle from that dealership.
When vehicles go on sale at Amazon, the local dealer (for now just Hyundai dealers) will be the seller of record. Amazon Autos will even handle trade ins.
Britain to switch off street lights to get to Net Zero emissions:
Keir Starmer is backing a bizarre plan to rip out up to 1.5 million streetlamps to cut carbon emissions. But dimming the lights won’t dim the risks: poor lighting is linked to 40% of fatal crashes, higher crime rates, and dangerous conditions for older Brits.
A Yorkshire trial—part of a £30 million “decarbonisation” scheme—is swapping proper streetlights for dim road studs and bollards. Great idea, eh? Tell that to someone trying to get home safely on pitch-black rural roads.
The government says “modern headlights” will solve it. But not everyone can afford flashy new cars, and this plan is pound-foolish when it comes to safety.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol shared a photo on social media showing a Ford Mustang pulled over by a trooper who noticed the entire vehicle was decked out in colorful lights for the holidays.
"As the holiday season approaches, we would like to remind you of a Wyoming statute," the post said.
The statute in question states that "no person shall drive or move any vehicle or equipment upon any highway with any lamp or device thereon capable of displaying a red or blue light visible from directly in front of the center thereof."
The post said that while decorating a car "might look cool and be festive, we would to remind you that it is illegal. Please remember to stay safe when celebrating this season!"
The Federal Highway Administration on Friday announced a $25 million grant to help North Carolina construct wildlife crossings through the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, a potentially significant step toward reducing traffic-related deaths among one of the nation’s most endangered species.
In recent years, vehicle strikes have become the leading cause of mortality among red wolves, or Canis rufus. Many of those strikes have happened along U.S. Highway 64, where the wildlife corridors are slated to be built. The road runs through the heart of the refuge and is a popular thoroughfare for travelers coming and going from the nearby Outer Banks.
“We know the benefits wildlife corridors can provide to species traversing our state’s roadways, and perhaps none are in more need of safe passage than the red wolves,” Ben Prater, Southeast program director for the advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife, said in response to the news.
There are fewer than 20 red wolves known to be living in the wild, making them the world’s most critically endangered canids. Since 1987, the effort to save red wolves from extinction has centered on this experimental population in eastern North Carolina, where they live among the vast swamp forests, marshes and open farmland of the Albemarle Peninsula.
Two of Japan's leading automakers, Honda and Nissan, have formally announced they are exploring plans to merge. The move would create the world's third-largest car manufacturer by revenue ($191B) after Toyota and Volkswagen.
Honda and Nissan signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday, with the goal of establishing a joint holding company by August 2026 and bringing in Nissan partner Mitsubishi. Analysts view the deal as a lifeline for Nissan, which announced plans to slash 9,000 jobs last month and whose profits have tumbled partly due to an outdated model lineup in the US and lagging sales in China.
However, Honda and Nissan executives said the merger would aid in developing new technologies amid a transition from fossil fuels, including managing the costs of building intelligent cars and electric vehicles. Discussions are set to conclude in June 2025. Honda shares closed up nearly 13% on the news.
Brazil’s Public Ministry of Labor rescued 163 Chinese workers who were living in conditions akin to slavery while building electric vehicle manufacturer BYD’s first factory in the country.
Repair Mistakes & Blunders
From Rock Auto
Back in the early 1970’s, I was a Ford Dealership mechanic. One of our customer’s had bought a new Falcon Utility, but returned the following day saying that it had developed an extremely annoying, intermittent “buzzing” sound somewhere in front of him in the dashboard area. We went for a drive with the owner but heard nothing. This scenario was repeated several times with the same results over the next few weeks.
Eventually an extremely frustrated owner managed to have me drive in the vehicle, and I finally heard the noise! Now we knew the sound we were looking for. We removed the dash and everything else back to the firewall, checked, and re-assembled everything. We never found the cause but the noise was now gone ... or so we thought until the owner returned the following week.
The shop manager and I were put on the case. One of us drove while the other, with feet in the air and head up under the dash, looked for the source of the sound. On day two, I started the car, and the buzzing started immediately. As the seat was too far forward for me, I reached under the seat, grabbed the seat release handle to move the seat, and the buzzing stopped immediately. Hah ... I found it! A small plastic knob mounted on the metal seat release lever, retained by a small grub screw, was loose! I tightened that tiny screw and all was well.
Steve in New Zealand
1973 Pink Volvo
EPA Adopts New Stringent Smog Regs in Biden Admin’s Final Days
From Hot Rod
The Feds agree with California: no more gas cars after 2035 for states with CA emission standards. Is your state on the list? Can Trump fix this?
We got word today from SEMA that the EPA has granted California’s Clean Air Act waiver to bar the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles past 2035 and to make even stricter the existing emission regulations of gas-powered light vehicles as spelled out in California’s new Advanced Clean Cars II Act. The Biden administration’s EPA administrator, Michael S. Regan, made the announcement today, which cement’s California governor Gavin Newsom’s war on emergent internal combustion technology as the law of the land. Lest you think this has California-only impact, know that 17 other states have legally chosen to follow California’s lead by accepting the EPA’s long-standing rule that any state is allowed to adopt California’s stricter standard. Those states which shall adopt this ruling include Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington. SEMA has called on President-elect Donald Trump to work quickly and efficiently to reverse this stunning misstep at the federal level, and HOT ROD urges the President-elect to act on this quickly. The official SEMA news release is stated below:
“The Specialty Equipment Market Association today decried a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to approve California’s request for the Clean Air Act waiver the state needs to implement its Advanced Clean Cars II regulation, a significant blow for our nation’s ability to develop groundbreaking solutions for reducing carbon emissions. SEMA contends that by allowing California to overstep its constitutional and state statutory authority, the federal government is a coconspirator in the state’s regulatory land grab to advance deeply unpopular policies that the American people have summarily rejected.
SEMA, which champions a technology-neutral approach that fosters innovation and ingenuity, will continue efforts to preserve Americans’ rights to vehicle choice and the automotive aftermarket industry’s ability to design, manufacture, and bring to market products that help solve the emissions challenge.
SEMA now calls upon President-elect Donald Trump to work quickly and efficiently to reverse this stunning misstep at the federal level.”
“Siding with California on these waiver requests is the ultimate bad-faith gesture by President Joe Biden, particularly after our nation’s voters last month backed the Presidential candidate who promised a ‘day one’ halt to federal EV mandates,” said SEMA President and CEO Mike Spagnola. “It’s high time that the government stops capitulating to the whims of a single activist state; this is the United States of America, not the United States of California.”
“And shame on the EPA. Instead of putting its faith in our nation’s innovators to develop multiple, groundbreaking solutions to halt carbon emissions, the EPA instead continues to tilt the playing field in favor of a single technology, the products of which are unsuitable for many Americans. SEMA will continue to fight back against any effort—whether by California or by radical activist policymakers at the federal level—to force vehicle mandates on the American people and deny the automotive aftermarket of its unparalleled ability to deliver cleaner, safer vehicles through innovation and American ingenuity—particularly through alternative-fuel innovations, replacing older engine technologies with newer, cleaner versions, and converting older internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to new electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles. SEMA will exhaust every option to ensure a technology-neutral approach that rewards innovation, ingenuity, and practicality.”
“SEMA is not an anti-EV organization; rather, the organization is steadfast in its belief that a technology-neutral approach is the best way to achieve lower vehicle emissions. By declaring one technology as the preferred solution of government, California will kneecap other potential solutions, regardless of their promise for delivering the results the state seeks. Those at the forefront of American innovation, in tandem with the free market, are owed the opportunity to provide meaningful contributions to efforts to eliminate carbon emissions. SEMA will continue to pursue its lawsuit against California and its Air Resource Board, filed jointly with NTEA—The Work Truck Association in the U.S. District Court’s Eastern District of California—seeking immediate declaratory and injunctive relief to stop electric vehicle mandates CARB intends to implement through its Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulations. The organizations contend that CARB’s actions far exceed California’s constitutional and state statutory authority, and will have a dire effect on an industry that historically has led the way toward cleaner, safer vehicles through innovation and American ingenuity.”
Beep-Beep!
Walt Disney 1955 Nash Commercials With Mickey Mouse Designed By Tom Oreb
Supreme Court Accepts Case About California’s Strict Tailpipe Emissions Policy
From The Epoch Times
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Dec. 13 to decide if it will revive a lawsuit filed by energy companies over California’s tough vehicle emissions standards.
In April of this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in an earlier iteration of the case that California had authority to regulate tailpipe emissions.
That court held that the energy companies bringing the legal action could not demonstrate they had legal standing to sue. Standing refers to the right of someone to sue in court. A party must show a strong enough connection to the claim to justify its participation in a lawsuit.
The Supreme Court granted the petition in Diamond Alternative Energy LLC v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in an unsigned order. The court did not explain its decision. No justices dissented.
The lead petitioner, Diamond Alternative Energy, is a subsidiary of Valero Energy Corp.
Other petitioners include the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, Clean Fuels Development Coalition, Domestic Energy Producers Alliance, and Energy Marketers of America, as well as several agriculture industry organizations.
The petitioners argue in their petition filed on July 2, that they will suffer economic harm if California, whose state economy is large, is allowed to continue imposing vehicle emissions standards that are more stringent than those mandated by the federal government.
California’s policy stances are influential and several states have already adopted its regulatory framework for automobiles. California says its policies are needed to fight climate change by driving down demand for liquid fuel.
The petition said California is mandating “100 percent electric vehicles by 2036,” and this policy has the effect of “forcing electrification of the country’s vehicle fleet.”
The state’s goal is supported by the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, whose emissions and fuel economy standards “impose de facto electric-vehicle mandates in violation of their governing statutes,” the petition added.
The companies say it is a problem that the federal Clean Air Act allows a single state—California—to establish emissions rules for vehicles. To make its own rules, California has to be granted a federal waiver from the act’s requirements.
President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2025, has said he will block California’s ability to enforce its own vehicle emissions rules in the state. In 2019, his previous administration revoked California’s waiver that allowed the state to impose strict emissions standards.
The revocation of the Clean Air Act waiver was challenged in court. In its April ruling, the D.C. Circuit held that the energy companies failed to establish redressability, a key element of standing.
That court found that the companies had not “demonstrated that their claimed injuries would be redressed by a favorable decision by this Court.”
Redressability is the ability of the courts to give a successful party the relief it is seeking if it wins its case.
Separately, in 2022 the EPA under President Joe Biden, allowed California to require car companies to sell new cars that generate less pollution, including a mandate providing that a proportion of all cars sold in the state be hybrid or electric. Other states are also following this California policy.
In their Dec. 13 ruling, the justices agreed only to look at the redressability aspect of standing in the case.
Specifically, the court will examine whether the parties “may establish the redressability component” of legal standing “by relying on the coercive and predictable effects of regulation on third parties.”
The Supreme Court said it would not address the other question posed in the petition, which was “whether EPA’s preemption waiver for California’s greenhouse-gas emission standards and zero-emission vehicle mandate is unlawful.”
Companies Say California Acts ‘As a Junior Varsity EPA’
In its petition, the energy companies criticized the regulatory independence that the Clean Air Act gives the Golden State.
The companies argue it is the EPA’s current position that the federal statute allows California “to operate as a quasi-federal regulator on global climate change.”
“There are serious constitutional concerns with a statute that allows only California to act as a junior-varsity EPA,” the petition said.
Moreover, “the question whether California may set greenhouse-gas emission standards for itself and other States is undeniably major,” the document continued.
The EPA previously asked the Supreme Court to reject the petition.
The petitioners “have not shown that a favorable judicial ruling would redress their injuries,” the agency said in a Sept. 9 brief.
For example, as the circuit court noted, the petitioners did not “produce any form of evidence indicating that automakers would change their conduct in response to a judicial ruling in petitioners’ favor.”
California also urged the Supreme Court in a Sept. 9 brief not to accept the case.
“Congress has enacted laws that treat certain States differently since the founding,” it said.
Here, Congress allowed “California to craft alternative emission standards in certain circumstances in recognition of that State’s experience regulating air pollution and its special pollution challenges,” the brief said.
The court has not yet scheduled the oral argument in the case. If the argument takes place early in the new year, a decision is expected to follow by June 2025.
Missing jumper cables? No Problem.
Electric Bus Co. Suspends Production at Brand New Plant
From yahoo!finance
Is another EV maker about to bite the dust ~ Fred
It was just July of last year when Illinois governor JB Pritzker cut the ribbon at the Lion Electric EV bus plant in Joliet.
At the time, the company touted plans to produce 20,000 electric buses annually – claims that hit noticeable snags almost immediately. Within little more than a year of opening Joliet, Lion had announced four rounds of layoffs company-wide.
And it appears that things may have gone from bad to worse for Lion. Recent reports state that the bus company will “suspend operations” at the plant, and lay off 400 workers in both the U.S. and Canada. This leaves around 300 workers company-wide tasked with sales, delivery and customer service related to already produced buses.
The layoffs have been characterized as temporary, but there’s a lot riding on what happens next.
Lion has reportedly received a two-week credit extension as it deals with financial problems that have resulted from an inability to meet sales goals.
During this period, Joliet mayor Terry D’Arcy said the company would "evaluate its options, including a potential sale of the business, which could lead to the reopening of the Joliet production site."
The state of Illinois initially partnered with Lion in an attempt to nurture its goal of becoming an electric vehicle manufacturing hub.
At the time, Gov. Pritzker said the hub would "put Illinois at the forefront of a national movement to transition to zero-emission vehicle use."
According to CBS News, the Lion Electric plant was the first new vehicle assembly plant to open in the Chicago area since 1965.
Website for Lion: thelionelectric.com.
Trouble Tax: We All Pay a Time Price for Bureaucratic Dysfunction
From The Epoch Times
This explains the DMV - see below - Fred
Adam Smith said it all, in “Wealth of Nations”: “The real price of every thing, what every thing really costs to the man who wants to acquire it, is the toil and trouble of acquiring it.”
Now, we might interpret “toil” as the cost, or money price, of the thing, and “trouble” as the transaction cost, or inconvenience of the purchase. Then an increase in either the money price, or an increase in trouble, are both cost increases. Demand curves slope downward, so people are better off if the price, or the “trouble,” are reduced. They are substitutes, for citizens.
The problem is that these two costs are not seen as substitutes for bureaucracies, not at all. The result is that citizens are constantly paying substantial, and easily avoidable, “taxes” in the form of trouble, just so bureaucracies can save money.
It is easy to think of examples. You are trying to enter the country, after a trip abroad. There are only two stations open at the passport control barrier, and hundreds of people in line. Now, the government could easily hire more passport agents, but that would cost money. Instead, a terrible “trouble tax” is imposed, as people have to wait in line for more than two hours just to have a bureaucrat spend 30 seconds looking at a passport and waving you through. (This happened to me in Charlotte this year: there were literally two agents working. We were told “there is a shortage,” as if that were an explanation for indifference to citizens’ needs). Other places, including Dulles Airport in Virginia, may even be worse!
Each of the hundreds of people in line, many of whom missed their connection, would happily have paid $10, or $20 (I would have paid $50!) to have a ten-minute line instead of two hours. The extra thousands in revenue would easily have paid an hour’s salary and benefits for five more bureaucrats to process passports. This is a “government failure,” because the outcome is Pareto inferior—the new bureaucrats would be better off being paid, and the customers would have been happy to pay. Yet the transaction fails to take place, resulting in what economists call “deadweight loss.”
This kind of failure is epidemic in our current system of government, and it’s getting worse fast. A friend who has young children recently recounted his experience getting “school supplies” (an experience parents all over the United States can identify with). Parents were given a specific, mandatory list of items: the pencils needed to be of a certain type, the notebooks had to have specific dimensions. No single store had every particular item required, so my friend had to go to multiple stores to buy just a few items at a time.
The parents of all 30 kids in the class each had to go on this tiresome search and purchase quest, spending hours that they would have paid to avoid. Why doesn’t the school buy these items, of the correct type and in bulk, and then distribute them on the first day of class?
The diligent school-shopper wrote in an email: “Sure, this would cost money. But they could send me a bill! Or raise my taxes by whatever amount that offsets the cost. It would surely be socially efficient to allow a procurement specialist to take care of this, rather than outsourcing it to hundreds of families” in the whole school.
Look: the money cost is the same, either way: the parents are paying for the supplies. Either they pay directly, to the retail store, or they pay taxes which fund purchase of the supplies. (Actually, since having the school buy in bulk is cheaper, the tax cost would be less, but let’s ignore that, and call it even).
The explanation is obvious, and it illustrates why the use of bureaucracy as a means of provision of services is so inefficient, and frustrating: the burden of the costs is different for the government, and the citizens! Citizens pay both the money price (from their toil to earn cash), and the trouble (time waiting in line, driving around, filling out forms) of acquiring the needed permission or service. But the bureaucracy only counts the money cost, because they only care about their “budget.” That doesn’t make them bad people, but they are drawn that way, because all the incentives are to save on budgets.
In many areas of government, this has led to a doom loop: tax cuts reduce funding, funding reduces service, and lack of service imposes a very large “trouble tax” on citizens. Citizens would love to pay more taxes to avoid the trouble, but that option is not available because government is not a competitive system where a competitor can enter and offer better service for a lower total (toil plus trouble) cost.
In North Carolina, my home state, the “need to hire more workers” problem is particularly egregious at the Department of Motor Vehicles drivers’ license stations. The General Assembly is proud of its tax cuts, and the “savings” on the DMV budget. The Governor has responded by refusing to use what money is available to hire new inspectors and clerks. As a result, the average wait time for a driver’s license is four to six hours, if it is possible to get one at all.
Of course, it is illegal to drive, and impossible to fly, without a valid “Real ID” driver’s license, so citizens have no choice but to pay the trouble tax. This kind of government failure, driven by the fact that employees of the state focus on money, but care nothing for the time of citizens, is a product of bureaucracy and monopoly power. There is no reason to make the system more convenient or more efficient, because there is no profit incentive, no payoff to providing good service. We are all forced, essentially at gunpoint, to line up and accept whatever “service” the state deigns to provide.
The Cashier
A young cashier told an older woman that she should bring her grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized, "We didn't have this green thing back in my day."
The young clerk said, "Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations." She gave him a firm stare and a hard grin and said “Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles, and beer bottles. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over. They were recycled.
Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags, which we reused for numerous things. We walked upstairs because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.
Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power did dry our clothes back in our day. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.
Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. The TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded-up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.
Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades with a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
Back then, people took a bus and kids rode their bikes instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles in space to find the nearest burger joint. But the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing.”
The cashier stood there still and quiet as the old lady found her wallet to pay. Then lady turned to leave but stepped back and turned toward the cashier. She said “You have a world of knowledge in that little device in your hand. Pity you just use it to gossip, take pictures, and waste time. It would do you good to search a bit of history before you embarrass yourself like this again.
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