The One And Only... SmartCar

You're driving in the right lane when suddenly a small vehicle whizzes by you. At first, you may think it's a Volkswagen Beetle like I did, but driving up closer to the car, you realize you're quite wrong. Envision a two seat hatchback; the Smart Car. Quite possibly one of the most ugliest cars I have ever seen, along with the PT Cruiser. The Smart Car, which originated in Europe is suddenly becoming popular in the United States as we learn to become more environmentally aware.

In city driving, the Smart Car gets a reported 46.3 miles per gallon, while highway driving is an even more impressive 68.9 miles per gallon. Now it's getting easier to understand why people drive these efficient little cars back and forth to work. While you can't exactly take the kids home from soccer practice in the Smart Car, it would be a nice essential to have. Most city drivers only have a driver and sometimes a passenger in the car to begin with, so who needs the extra space if you're not going to use it right?



This commercial for the Smart Car is clever and entertaining for all people. It was enjoyable for me to watch with all the crime references, since I have an interest in criminal movies and T.V. Shows. It's simple, easily remembered, well thought out and well put together. Though I haven't seen it aired on T.V. in America, I feel it should be. More commercials and advertisements for the Smart Car should be seen through the U.S. if we want to become more Eco-friendly. And though many people think that the Smart Car is expensive and pointless, in the end, it's around $12,000 and the amount of money you save on gas is almost worth it. Personally, I wouldn't ever find myself in a Smart Car; as great as the fuel efficiency is, it's honestly just not my style. But whatever gets you from point A to point B that you're satisfied with, works just fine.

I'm Gonna Live Where the Green Grass Grows...

When I Think "Maryland", I think of agriculture. Growing up around farmland, you notice how much greener the grass is, and how fresh the air smells in the beginning of spring and fall. The scenery is one of the most blissful things to see.

But as the years pass, and the economy grows larger, people need larger homes or homes that are closer to their jobs. Farmers are loosing farms by the year, selling them to make profit. Only to have the farms be taken over by construction companies who drop houses or build houses on the land. To be honest, it almost breaks my heart driving by the old farmland every day and seeing houses and roads being put in. The very farmland that I used to sled ride in during the snow days, take pictures of, and walk through.

This region of Maryland is supposed to be agricultural in my opinion. There are other parts of the state that are more city-like. Take Baltimore for example, where many people have jobs. I guess it's just the fact that Brunswick has a train station where many people choose to ride trains to work in Baltimore or D.C. while Brunswick is a rural community, but there is no more 'small town' scenario.

The farms go down, and houses come up. Farmers sell their land for a decent profit, and sometimes under a decent profit. Farm owners children and family can no longer take over the family farm, instead new families take over and create a new urban community. So whos call is it? is it necessary for all this land to be taken over by buildings? or should it be left alone to keep America beautiful? and what's going to happen when all of our farms are gone completely?