Fuzzy Bus

America is land of the free, home of the brave. It’s also home to SUVs, big rims and gas guzzling Hummers. Day after day Americans hear about the impact that larger cars make on the environment. Not to mention the gargantuan amount of money it takes to fill up their gas tank.

Also, automakers are advertising a shift to a smaller car. Hybrids are the new it car, and the cars are just getting smaller and smaller. But once question remains: Is there a demand for smaller cars in America?

According to Forbes.com Americans may not be entirely sold on the whole small car thing. As a whole there is an assumption that smaller cars are less safe, less comfortable, and most of all smaller!

In a nation that has seen its custom wheels industry double in the last decade, one begins to wonder if the small car thing is a sound business investment. Sure it may be the right thing to do because of the environment and gas prices, but what about what consumers really want?

There is a new government program now that will allow for a rebate if a consumer trades in their old gas guzzler for a car that gets better gas mileage.

There have been incentives in states, that if you purchase a hybrid or clean fuel vehicle you are allowed to drive in high occupancy vehicle, aka car pool lanes even if you don’t have two passengers or more.

Another factor is that now is so not the time that people are buying or making big commitment purchases. More Americans will probably being holding onto their older vehicles because it is paid off and they fear they could lose their job or their current economic status could be changed in one way or another.

Gone are the days of chrome wheels, the future, according to many, is small cars.

Every day thousands of visitors arrive in Kuala Lumpur for the unique experience of traditional Malay charm surrounded by the contemporary conveniences of a modern, global city. While KL (the city’s much-used nickname) is an urban center of finance, politics and culture for Malayasia and the surrounding region, the city maintains a much slower pace and friendlier atmosphere than many of the world’s urban centers.

Two of the tallest buildings in the world are in Kuala Lumpur. The Petronas Twin Towers once held the distinction of the tallest towers in the world. Today they are number 2 and number 3 on the list, but still hold the distinction of the world’s tallest twin towers. Another famous structure is the KL Tower, which also attracts numerous tourists.

Visitors to Malaysia’s capital (which is also its largest city), will find numerous luxury hotels in Kuala Lumpur that blend the traditional with the modern. Likewise, the restaurants in the the city range from traditional Malay, Indian, and Chinese eateries to gourmet restaurants offering cutting edge global cuisine.

The city still holds a number of traditional markets. The Central Market features a wide variety of arts and crafts, including traditional clothing and textiles. On the modern side, KL has over sixty shopping malls and centers, making it the country’s fashion and retail hub.

As a capital city, KL is full of conventional “tourist attractions.” These include the official royal residence, the Istana Negara, as well as Independence Square, the Masjid Negara (National Mosque), and the House of Parliament. KL is also home to the Masjid Jamek, the Istana Budya and the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve.

With a gorgeously mild climate most of the year as well as its many cultural, historical, and modern attractions, KL will no doubt continue to be a major tourist magnet for years to come.

It would be intriguing to see if any particular countries or cultures are significantly more successful at drug rehabilitation than others.  Because each culture is different and has different ways and viewpoints regarding addiction and recovery, it’s hard to believe that every country is as successful as the others.

If there are certain countries that perform better than their peers at drug or alcohol rehab, than why haven’t these practices been thoroughly examined, tested, and been used as a best practice case study across all other countries.  There have likely been studies of this type done, although they are very difficult to find if they exist. 

Some countries or cultures don’t believe substance abuse is a mental issue, while others believe it is.  This fact alone can lead to huge variances in how addiction is treated, if it’s treated at all.  The same individual could likely receive two completely different diagnoses depending on which country he or she is diagnosed in.  It’s hard to believe that both treatment programs would be equally as effective.  Can anybody find any studies or data that compares drug and alcohol treatment types across countries and cultures?  If so please respond in the comments.

Often times I daydream when I should be working or taking care of something at home. When I want to dream about beautiful beaches, I pull out my map of Jamaica and retrace what I did while I was there. Sometimes I even turn on Bob Marley, just for kicks.

If I long for delicious food, I pull out my map of Thailand and think about the different foods in that country. Thai food is my favorite and it’s usually always spicy so it clears my sinuses while it fills me up. I love the tofu that they use in so many of their dishes.

And when it’s too hot to be comfortable, I dream of Norway and, you guessed it, I pull out my maps of Norway and imagine that I was there, in the cooler climate.

I needed several new rugs for my house. I mean I needed everything from kitchen rugs to braided area rugs. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do then I went online and found a company called Natural Area Rugs that had great prices and a great selection.

After the rug part was taken care of, I needed some new paint for my kitchen. I wasn’t sure what color but once I decided on a color I went online to learn about painting. I needed to add a lot of color because all of the walls were while. I decided to keep the moldings white but I went with a yellow for the kitchen.

The rug ended up having that same color in it and with the addition of some curtains, the entire room was color coordinated. Now I think I want to work on the bathroom. I bet there are tons of rugs that would look great on white tile floors.