It dawned on me the other day, despite the fact that everyone seems to agree that automobiles are one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gases imaginable, WHY this state of affairs would be is still open to question. Now, if you brought back someone who was frozen in 1976, not to be too Austin Powers, it's pretty much a fact that they wouldn't recognize very much; 8-track tape players? You gotta be kidding. They've been long-since supplanted by, consecutively, cassette players, Sony Walkmans, Sony CD Walkmans, and seemingly the ultimate incarnation, the Apple iPod; carry thousands of songs, practically in your friggin' wallet. 35mm SLR cameras? Once again, technology had a better idea, and we've all now traded even our trusty point-and-shoot 35s for digital cameras, sometimes even dispensing with those, and just trusting the ones that came in our cell phones. Cell phones? Boy, that'd fry some diodes in our societal time traveler, to say nothing of Google, Twitter, Facebook, and, God forbid, even email. Which begs the question, what WOULD our friend recognize from his own time? Flourescent light bulbs, Bob Dylan, and the ultimate no-touch-um item on automobiles; the catalytic converter. Foisted upon Americans by public outcry admonishing us to clear the smog from our air, so we could all breathe better, these devices were supposedly in our best interest. How did they work? In the event that you've forgotten, or never knew to begin with, the concept was simple; platinum pellets, or, later, platinum embedded in a ceramic substrate, would oxidize the Carbon Monoxide produced in internal combustion engine exhaust into-TA DA!-Carbon Dioxide and water. For a while this seemed to work. The skies were clearer than they had been in decades, never mind the fact that soon after this, the post-industrial era would begin in America, and almost everything we were even remotely able to buy came from China, Malaysia, or somplace else other than Heartland, USA (unless you happened to be in the market for a conversion van or mobile home, which would almost inevitably come from Elkhart, Indiana.) Obviously, then, too, the technological change brought about by catalytic converters brought all sorts of new things with it, like stealing catalytic converters and selling them for their platinum content. This is not a procedure I'd recommend, primarily because I'm not of that criminal a bent, first of all, and second, having removed catalysts in the course of being a mechanic, (and then dutifully replacing or reinstalling them, of course,) it's a bit*h. This is NOT a procedure you really wanna be involved with, trust me. The water content in the exhaust also necessiatated the almost universal use of galvanized or stainless-steel exhaust systems. In the event you haven't checked, a stainless-steel exhaust, while it does have a 5-to-10-year life span, also costs at least 5 times as much as a comparable setup where there is no worry about what the water content of the exhaust is going to do to the pipes over time. Which, of course, is almost impossible to compare, since catalysts have been with us for almost the last 35 years. But let's examine what else has occurred in the past 35 years, shall we? In 1974, a Lincoln Mark IV, arguably the car Jesus would have chosen to make his return in, had He returned from the right hand of God in that year, was a by-today's-standards paltry $10,194. Slightly more reasonable was the $3,088 charged for a 1973 Mustang Mach I. (We shall not even contemplate that automotive travesty known as the 1974 Mustang II; a Pinto in drag doesn't qualify as a real car in my book.) By 1978, the Ford LTD Landau like my dad had, when I first got behind the wheel of a car, would set you back $5,898. By 1998, a top-of-the-line Mustang Cobra convertible would set you back $30,200, although it also had a significant power advantage over its 1973 brethren. These days, a Lincoln MKZ will run you $37,000 and change. This, friends, is the real world, dollars-and-cents cost of progress; that a new Mustang will significantly outrun its 1970s counterpart, but cost you ten times as much. Which, of course, has driven the necessary increases in wages, due to the increased cost of living. And by all that, of course, well, the supply of money employers can generate is just as finite as anything else in this world; there's a finite number of consumers for everything. What happens then? Unemployment goes up, stress increases, the cost of health care skyrockets so much, having a job with health benefits has almost gone back to being a gamble. Which brings us back to my initial point about the catalytic convertor; 30 years ago, the waning size of the polar ice caps wasn't causing alarm that, as Robin Williams once said, "all the people in California (would surf) to Denver." Are we seeing the spiral here?! In my opinion, (humble though it is,) catalysts, stainless-steel exhaust systems, and all the other detritus that has come to go along with them, need to be consigned to the history books where they belong; we don't need to be able to access our emails, answer our cell phones, or do anything that's going to distract us from the chore of simply driving. And I'm fairly certain Polar Bears don't enjoy falling through the ice because it's so thin it can't support their bulk. (And no wisecracks about telling the bears to go on diets; if you had to live on Salmon, Seals, and whatever else you could lay your paws on, you wouldn't even begin to contemplate the notion of feasting of Honey Barbeque boneless chicken wings.) This is yet another case where we need to be smarter, which is nothing new, really; Sir Alec Issigonis, if you examine pictures of him, appears to be towering over the Austin Mini he brought the world in 1959. He was; and still, at six-feet-four-inches tall, he drove a Mini, a car no longer than ten feet in overall length, for years. Also amazing was the fact that 80% of the original Mini design was devoted to passenger space. The world can suit us all, we have the technology to do amazing things in the name of saving us all, and all we need are a few more creative genuises, not willing to think about how to remake what belongs in the trash heap of history, but contemplate something totally new. Step right up and save the world, if you've got the goods.

http://autos.aol.com/gallery/unmarked-police-car

Realizing that a lot of motorists pay more attention to their cell phones, (believe me, that's definitely the case in Detroit,) well, ya can't tell the players without a program. I also had the crazy thought that, what if, instead of the pop star Michael Jackson, the person who actually died recently was Auto Nation USA founder Michael Jackson? I mean, presuming (not really logically, I admit,) that nobody had looked at the body, it's entirely possible. A passing, goofy thought, yeah, I know. And if you think about it, too, I don't know why people are getting so upset about having to move back in with their parents when the sh*t financially hits the fan; I mean, think about it, the Queen-of-freaking-ENGLAND basically lived in her mother's house until her mom passed away at the age of 101! Can you imagine the conversations in that house? Comedian Louis Anderson was speculating about the Queen Mother shouting something about "TURN THAT GLENN MILLER SH*T DOWN, WOULDJA?!" I can see it. I'm also in the middle of reading a book about how to be a better father, which I admit is something I do need to work on. By the words of this author, it comes down to spending more time with my daughters, which I'm ready to do, even if I'm not always sure how to, particularly give that they're reaching that age where they're both getting a little old for board games and sand toys. I'll do my best, ain' a whole lot else I can say.

Have You Tried These Interview Tips?
Real job seekers share what works
By Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer
"Dress professionally."

"Make eye contact."

"Research the company."

"Have a firm handshake."

Any of these pointers sound familiar? They should, because you've heard them thousands of times. While the above suggestions are great (and valid), the truth is that this kind of advice can get a bit generic.

We decided to turn the tables and make you -- the job seeker -- the expert. After all, you're the ones out there interviewing, so really, it's not too much of a stretch. We asked you to share what you've found to be successful during your interviews.

Check out these interview tips from real job seekers around the country. Have you tried any of them yet?

Ask the important questions
"One thing I always ask at the end of the interview is, 'Have I said anything that would lead you to believe I'm not the best person for this position?' This gives me an opportunity to clear up any misunderstandings and it also gives me a chance to redeem myself or explain where I am coming from on something. It also shows that if there's a problem, I am capable of fixing it." - Brooke Kelley, magazine editor

"During an interview, you are always told to have a set of questions to ask. A question that is helpful, that they do not expect -- 'I know you are interviewing a lot of candidates for this position and I'd like to leave this interview feeling like I've done my absolute best. Where do I stand in comparison to the other candidates so far?' – shows boldness and that you are aggressive in your job search." - Jeannie Lee, PR manager

It's not all about you
"The interview is not about the candidate, it's about the job. No matter how great you are as a person or employee, the interviewer is trying to fill a position. Hence, talk about the job as much as possible. Ask what a perfect candidate would be like. Only occasionally talk about yourself and only to show how you suit their requirements." - Dave Field

Research the company -- and the interviewer
"Find out some information about your interviewer(s). See if you share anything in common and understand that they're a person, too, with interests, background and hobbies. Whether or not you know who will interview you, you'd better make sure you know as much as possible about the company and don't be afraid to let them know what you know." - Josh Bob, regional manager

Can you take the heat?
"I've found that saying that I can take constructive criticism has a big impact on employers. They need to know that you are not going to fold under scrutiny. Especially with the younger generation, where we have been coddled quite a bit with excessive praise and self-esteem boasters, you need to show you are resilient." - Liz Cauley, teacher

Make a list
List five things you've accomplished during your previous job and concentrate on those items during your interview. "Each time I prepared for an interview, I was reminded of five things that I had accomplished under my last employer. That gave me a boost of confidence when going to the interview. It helped me to decide how I wanted to frame the answers that I gave to the interviewer." - Sue Chehrenegar

Make it personal
"One thing that I do that has gotten positive feedback is I send a handwritten thank-you note. I have had numerous people comment and thank me for doing this." - Danny Kofke, teacher

Show your research
"Print out a couple pages of the Web site from the company you're interviewing with and bring it with you to the interview. Keep it on top of your résumé ... when you open up your notebook or binder to take notes or pull out your résumé, the interviewer will see the printed company materials and assume you've done your research. Of course, ideally you have actually researched the company ... in which case you're showcasing that fact." - Katherine Opie, senior executive recruiter

Know the job description
"Reviewing the job description will help you customize your answers by addressing the specific needs of the organization and requirements of the position to your skill set. Many people have no idea what the job entails or how their skill set makes them better qualified." - Cristina Castro, director of marketing and communications

Keep your answers to questions short and to the point
"Don't volunteer extra information. In my case, I talked about my children. We discussed that I had been a stay-at-home mom. Even though I had impressive writing credentials, he told me that I wasn't a 'corporate person.' (His exact words.) Of course, I never learned if this was why a job offer wasn't forthcoming but I'm 99.9 percent sure I said too much." - Marilyn Pincus, author and ghostwriter

Be gracious
"Be polite to absolutely everybody. If someone gets you a cup of coffee, thank them; hold the door for someone else -- that kind of thing. Give the receptionist or the last person you see a cheery goodbye. You want to leave a good impression." - Phyllis Harber-Murphy, virtual assistant

Speak as if you have the job
"Steal a page from the presidential candidates and talk if as if you already have the job. Say 'I will," not 'I would.' 'I can,' not 'I could.' This will remove doubt instead of inject it. Bosses like someone confident and proactive." - Joel Schwartzberg, director of new media

Use social networks
"I get a lot of my job interviews through social networks. I get recommended through others and it is significantly better than applying and actually interviewing. They basically feel like they interviewed you already!" - Albert Ko, business owner

Gads. As I'm quite certain my regulars already know, dealing with a parent who's experiencing mild to moderate dementia is a little like dealing with a four-year-old on steroids; conversations, or attempts at conversations, are almost inevitably total non-sequiturs. Trust ceases to be about years of proof, and begins to just live in any given moment. To say nothing of the anxiety you can experience over the prospect of them injuring themselves, or someone else. I won't get into the specifics of a recent incident involving a relatively antique dagger, but, a) the story doesn't go the way you might think, and, b) thus far noone's been injured or killed, thank God. Suffice to say, though, it's nothing if not unsettling, and I'm sure as he*l not taking any chances. This having-to-monitor-behavior-24/7 stuff is wearing on my nerves. Parents, special-ed students, during the year, my general-ed students......raise your hand if you don't require constant attention. What it makes me realize in a lot of instances is that relatively speaking, my own behaviors aren't all that bad, at least not in my relative perception. Color me wrong if you like, but be prepared to back it up. There's a lot going on right now, and I'm not really concentrating on the things I'd like to be concentrating on, but I figure I'll get there, none the less. I would kill to just sit down with a bunch of Korean films and a bowl of popcorn, and have everyone just leave me the he*l alone for three or four hours. Relatively speaking, that'd be a cakewalk in terms of having to focus. Yeah, I probably am about as weird as I've ever been, and now more tired a lot of times. On the upside, if this summer goes the way I suspect it will, I'll at least be working a couple days a week, subbing in one of my special-ed programs. Enough to take the nerve-rattling out of the finances of being a normal sub, and surely one monster boon in this economy. It's all relative, I guess, but it's all good at the same time.

And as much as I know I've made mention of him before, I've been meaning to assemble a little homage to one of the greatest automotive artists God ever put on this earth, Syd Mead. Mead was a designer at Ford in the 50s and 60s, and did the set design for the movie Blade Runner. (That probably takes a lotta people back a long ways.) He has always been categorized as a futurist, and did print ads for United States Steel, of all companies, back in the 60s. Hot Wheels designers openly acknowledge him as a demi-god, at least, and I admire his sense of style, and his sense of humor. And he's still among the living, at least as of today. I saw him speak at Lawrence Technical University down the road in Southfield in '05, and immediately agreed with everyone else who came that night that the man was worthy of automotive-hero status. He's an innovator, if you could never say anything else about him. But his artistic skills are awesome, if not necessarily to everyone's liking; so be it.

Yeah, I played a little with the page, on top of all the rest of the miscellanious crap I've been trying to get handled lately. If you look at my full profile, I have an audio track on there for your entertainment. I first heard about K'naan on an NPR segment, and was impressed initially with this man's skills as a poet; I doubt if Shakespeare could have come up with a word or phrase to rhyme with "Kandahar" (Yes, we're talking about the city in Afghanistan here,) but K'naan does. Actually, K'naan is from Somalia, and the tracks I've heard just straight-up ROCK. I also like the line in "Dreamer" about the perfect woman being an "intellectual, sexual, who still can cook." Amen ta dat. Speaking of fine women, Martha had a birthday this week, and despite whatever else may not be going the way it should this week, I seem to at least have managed to get her a birthday gift she likes. Phew. Believe me, ladies, it really is that kinda moment for a guy to do something like that. As for what it was, exactly....Martha like ceramics, among other things, and on my trip to Greenfield Village, I came across a tile with a design inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. It really is cool. Is it the sensitive, artsy, creative-guy gift that some women would probably kill to get? Perhaps. And that view of it, as opposed to portraying me as a wussy, effeminate, Pina-Colada-sucking piece of God-knows-what is worthy of reverence if you're married and 44, as opposed to being single and 22. Make no mistake, it is no sign, in and of itself, that I necessarily do everything right, but I managed to score on this one.

And as the other assorted foibles go, it's time for Martha's "routine maintenance" that I've come to get used to by this point in our relationship; pacemaker replacement. Interesting that every time it needs to happen, it will coincide with 5 years (or five more years,) we have been together. La chaim. And I admit there are days when it's like, "somebody throw me a rope, dammit, the ground is sinking!" Detroit is no place to want to be in this economy, at least not to me, and.....I don't know, just the specter of everything I have to be, for the benefit of all the people in my life that matter, is daunting, to say the least. I can't, I won't, I shouldn't give up, but that's not to say it isn't an uphill battle, either. The strangest piece of news from here in the Motor City, is that in the wake of Chrysler's ownership shake-up, (they're now owned by Italian carmaker Fiat, the United Auto workers, and the United States government,) most of the company's plants are still idle at this point, save for one; the Dodge Viper plant. That's right, you may be going to Hell in a bucket, as the Grateful Dead would say, but at least you can enjoy the (very fast,) ride. It actually says less about the demand for 10-cylinder, 600-horsepower sports cars than it does for the fact that "Team Viper," as they're known, has the smallest production staff in the whole company, amounting to 48 assembly workers, plus assorted engineers and ancillary staff. From that standpoint, it's a no-brainer, and probably more about igniting hope that more is possible. Pass some o' that over here, while you're at it.........

I did something last Friday that every dad should; well, maybe just every dad in a circumstance similar to mine, who can get lucky enough to be able to take some time off and do it. I went to Greenfield Village with Sydne and all her 5th Grade classmates. I had a ball, and I know she was thrilled that I was there. It makes all the difference, believe me. And believe it or not, (well, maybe you can now,) at least the first two images below are hers, from start to finish. I happen to LOVE the very first one, which is a maufacturer's plaque from a steam locomotive. Awesome. the next one was conspicuously the only boy in her class she photographed individually; things that make ya go, HMMMMMMM......... I guess I shouldn't fret, anyway, she claims to still not be all that interested in boys, and I believe her. Glass-blowing demonstration, railroad roundhouse, and Syd as she compares to two very LARGE pottery jars. Savourez.

"Car as art" is philosophy BMW has been propogating for years, with the semi-regular commissioning of it's "Art Cars," rolling canvases that have been adorned by such artistic heavyweights as Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, and Roy Lichtenstein. 2010 marks the first use of the car as the paintbrush, instead of the canvas. Artist Robin Rhode is responsible for this one, thanks to his reputation as an "artistic storyteller." The canvas used to produce the work in the video above is as large as a football field. Rock on.