| US auto industry expects weak January sales as a tough year begins
Analysts forecast U.S. sales could fall by as many as 36,000 vehicles, or 3 percent, in January compared to the same month last year, bearing out predictions that 2008 could be the worst year for automakers in more than a decade. Automakers report January sales on Friday. "Car sales were remarkably slow in January, probably in part because of dramatic stock market fluctuations that flustered consumers at a time when the housing market and other economic uncertainties were also making headlines," said Jesse Toprak, executive director for industry analysis at the auto information site Edmunds.com. Toprak and others predict January sales will be down 3 percent and that few automakers will escape unscathed. January sales are normally lower after the holiday rush in December. .
An orchestra with a grand piano and no conductor
When the hi-tech bubble burst, when deficits rose, when the Iraq war went sour, the shine on the American model dimmed. But, despite widespread dismay over U.S. foreign policy, few here used to question America's role as the world's unipolar power. What a difference a year makes. Davos 2008 has laid bare a world in which no superpower seems to be in charge. The unipolar American moment is deemed over, in part a casualty of Bush political and economic policies; in larger part the result of global economic changes that are shifting wealth elsewhere. Last week's economic crisis seemed like a coda. But we have not entered a multipolar world: China and India aren't ready to take the global lead, nor can Europe do so. The consensus at Davos seems to be that we now live in a ''nonpolar'' world, with America too strong to stand on the sidelines, but too weak to implement its agenda alone.
Young writer teaches valuable lesson
A little more than a month ago, a young lady wrote a column in this paper about what its like to live with a disability. My first thought was, What courage she has for a 12-year-old! Although she insisted she wasnt looking for pity and I believe her - I couldnt stop my heart from hurting when I read about the many times shes encountered long stares, rude comments and just plain ignorance from people who should know better.
What is it that makes humans act this way?
She lives with her disability daily and still manages to have a bright outlook on life. What strength!
In the months ahead, our family will likely experience some long stares too. Our 8-month-old son Brenner has plagiocephaly - a flat spot on the back of his head - and needs a cranial remolding helmet to correct it.
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