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a; l'imite WMtnÂufav trap •Sc',% y ■*» mono wcexiy 1 unes, wcuuoauej, Vi Mi Basic Black by Arthur Black Cars: Too smart for their own good Had your car recalled yet? If not, don't feel left out. At the rate things are going - and providing you're behind the wheel of a vehicle of more recent vintage than a 1983 Wéstfalia - you should be getting a letter from your dealer sometime soon. Consider: Daimler Chrysler Chrysler is recalling 135,000 sedans to replace faulty seat bolts. GM wants to have another another look at a few thousand specimens of a dozen car and van models built since 1999 to fix the air bags, steering linkages and trunk releases. Volkswagen is asking owners of Passats built between 1990 and '97 to . bring in their buggies for some work on defective front seat heaters. There are also recall orders for Dodge Dakotas (headlights); Kawasakis (oil leaks); Honda minivans (leaky gas tanks); Mitsubishis (accelerator pedal problems); Chevrolet Silver-ados (unsealed windshields); windshields); and Toyotas (slippery (slippery floor mats). And those, friends, are merely the recall notices that went out to the public in ONE WEEK recently. What's the problem here? Are carmakers building lousier cars these days? No, they're just building cars that are 'way more complicated. At the risk of sounding like a dinosaur, I have to say that I remember riding in the rumble seat (look it up, kiddies) kiddies) of my brother-in-law Roy's Model T Ford. It had hand-operated windshield wipers, skinny rubber Pedicures/Manicures Waxing Nail Extensions Air Brushing Eyelash Tinting Electronic Muscle Stimulate (EMS) Paraffin Wax wheels with wooden spokes, and a brass horn mounted on the door frame that went AY- OOOOOOOO-GAH when you squeezed the rubber bulb. And no worries about the electric starter malfunctioning. malfunctioning. There wasn't one. You started the car by jamming a steel hand crank into a slot below the radiator, giving it a reef, then running, back to the driver's seat before the car took off on its own. Roy's Model T wasn't fast or smooth riding, but it was reliable. Most cars were back then. After all, there wasn't that much that could go wrong. And when something something did go wrong, you didn't didn't have to be a diagnostic technician or a mechanical wizard to fix it. I also recall a '52 Pontiac my Dad drove that had a tendency to jam in first gear. My Dad's solution? He'd get out, open the hood, smack the gear linkage with a ball peen hammer, close the hood, get back in the driver's driver's seat and drive on. I try not to even open the hood of my car nowadays. What's the point? It looks like the command centre for the Pickering nuclear plant in there, with sleek, gray, anonymous modules ticking and humming, all carrying stern admonitions. Warning: Never open when hot. Poison! Causes severe burns. Danger! Exhaust gases present. Caution! See manual. And the mystifying reminder: Use ATF Dexron as fluid fill. 'Brigitte Brown *** ESTHETIC STUDIO Gift Certificates Available 15% DISCOUNT with coupon 171 Mill Street, Orono, ON LOB 1M0 • 905-983-8169 Can you remember when Volkswagen Beetles came with a wooden yardstick you dipped into the gas tank to measure how much fuel you had left? I can. Seems impossibly Neolithic Neolithic when I read about the latest 'automotive breakthrough'-- breakthrough'-- something called iDrive. iDrive is a knob that you'll find in the centre of the dashboard on the latest models of BMWs. It can be moved in eight different directions and that gives you access to--get this--SEVEN HUNDRED different functions. functions. What kind of functions? Everything short of a moon landing. iDrive puts you in charge of Communications (telephone), Navigation (guidance, scroll-down road maps, GPS etc.), Entertainment (radio, CD, DVD) and Climate (heat, AC, air distribution). But that's just the major groupings. Secondary menus include options like OB Data (On board computer and maintenance operation, don't you know) and Settings (activation and deactivation of vehicle settings such as tractioncontrol). All I can say is: Earth to BMW: I don't give a flying lug-nut about all that crap - and it does not improve my highway confidence to think that the guy at the wheel of the oncoming BMW is bent over fiddling with his iDrive to check his latitude and longitude. longitude. I don't want a dashboard console with. 700 functions not counting the DVD/audioCD-R/mp3 play- I er - I want a car that conforms conforms to the philosophy of those early Model A and Model T Fords. Somebody once asked the man who created created them, Henry Ford, what colours his cars came in. Ford fixed the inquirer with a flinty glare and grumped "You can have any colour you want. As long as it's black." That's all a car driver really really needs. That, and a ball peen hammer. Monthly book picks from the Clarington Public Library Find your old favorites as well as some new authors to read in Clarington Public Library's New Main Branchl Visit us ât 163 Church Street Bowmanville or online at www.clarington-library.on.ca. Dead Aim by Iris Johansen Iris Johansen continues her series that began with "The Face of Deception" in her latest thriller "Dead Aim". The life of pho- tojoumalist Alex Graham becomes endangered after witnessing an event that proves a devastating landslide was man-made rather than a natural disaster. Her saviour is Judd Morgan, an exspecial exspecial ops man who is more than up to the challenge. The story reads like a fast paced movie and while the characters and plot are a bit fantastic, this is a fun read. Piece of Heaven by Barbara Samuels This newer writer of women's fiction is building on a strong beginning with her latest novel. Recovering alcoholic Luna 1 McGraw, sober for 4 years, is elated when her beloved daughter comes to live with her once more. While Luna is a strong, good natured character, she is afraid of change disrupting her recent peace - and the person most in danger of disrupting her life is love interest Thomas Coyote. New beginnings abound in this stoiy full of family relationships. All He Ever Wanted, by Anita Shreve. New England college professor Nicholas Van Tassel is a controlling, controlling, and irritatingly pompous man who, try as he might, cannot cannot totally control the secretive Miss Etna Bliss. He fell madly and obsessively in love with Etna, after they met eating in a hotel that has a terrible fire. This is a sad and sometimes rather depressing story of two very different people#, one who is unconventional unconventional and the other not. Shreve writes an eloquent love stoiy .about a man who is hurt in love, but it is hard to feel any compassion compassion for him. The Bargain Buyer's Guide 2003: The Consumer's Bible to Big Savings Online and by Mail This consumer's guide, formerly known as Wholesale by Mail and Online, is a treasure trove of information about buying all kinds of products, from furniture to food. While this is an American guide, the author has noted which companies will ship to Canada with a maple leaf symbol. She boasts deals from 10% to 90% off the retail price. The Little Friend by Donna Tartt 2002 When Harriet was a baby, her nine-year old brother Robin was killed. Twelve years later Harriet decides that she is going to find out who killed her brother. Tartt captures the preadolescent preadolescent willfulness and stubbornness of the young Harriet as well as all the attitudes of the South and it's double standard of race and justice. The character development is meticulous and although the plot is sometimes uncomfortable, it is worth taking the time to read this long but richly worded story. Main Street, Orono Proprietors: Gary & Carol Vreeker •Wedding Cafes • Cafes for all Dccasms • Ptistries - Donuts - Pies • Bretid & B ms 905-983-9779 Closed Sunday and Monday West Nile virus: Fighting mosquitoes. Eliminate standing water around your house. Drill holes in bottom of used containers so water can't collect. Change water in bird baths every other day. Turn over compost frequently, and clean eavestroughs thoroughly. To learn more, call or visit our Web site. 1-877-234-4343 TTY 1-800-387-5559 www.IlcalthyOntario.com Fight the Bite! Ontario