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The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Wedesay, 00 - heMicignp.

THE EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK with KATE PEABODY
A look at the big news events this week and how important they really are. Conveniently rated from one tol0.

rule 75: Know-
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BRADY ENVY
On Sunday, the New England Patriots continued with
their unassailable domination. If they continue this
streak, they will be the second NFL team ever to fin-
ish a season undefeated. It's too bad we don't still
have Tow Brady as our quarterback. Maybe then we
wouldn't have Inst to Ohio State.
VOTING OF THE FUTURE - NOW!
For those caughtabroad duringthe presidential race,
there may be a way of voting online. Expatriate Demo-
cratswill be the first group to use this method, but many
states are pushing to include this option for all citizens
overseas. The company who offersthe service toutsthat
it is even more reliable than paper and pen.
THE CONVENIENT TRUTH
If you listen to Al Gore, you know that there is an
inconvenient truth that the world is in an environ-
mental crisis. The increasing thinning of glaciers is a
serious issue, he points out. But thejournal Nature
Geoscience published that the melting, specifically in
Antarctica, may be caused by a volcano found under
the continent. It seems that when ice is exposed to
heat - and volcanoes are pretty warm - it melts.
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KarlStampfl BOBBY FISCHER
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TO BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS
It is hard to ignore that around the world, the stock
markets are taking a massive hit. America's poor
economy is finally spreading its infection, and other
markets, such as the European Union, are hoping to
bounce back from this distress. But like bad Ameri'
can pop music on MTV, sove trends simply can't be
avoided.
4 STARS FOR YOUR DOWNWARD DOG
Ann Arbor held a Bikram yoga competition on Saturday.
Yoga is supposed to bea tool for relaxation, but appar-
ently there is a pushto make it an event in the Olympics
- one of the most stressful and demanding athletic
events hosted. Yoga will fit right in.
BUT MOM, HE STARTED IT,
In the Democratic debate held Monday, Barack
Obama and Hillary Clinton squabbled over nearly
every issue. The third - less aggresive - candi-
date, John Edwards even mentioned at one point
that there were more than the two bickeringcandi-
dates in the "he said, she said" debate. Some chilt
dren grow up to be politicians and some politicians
grow up to be children.

For most people, the holiday season ends Jan.-1. For some, though, it doesn't stop until Jan.19,
the last day of the North American International Auto Show. It's the best thing to happen to
Detroit every year. Hundreds of thousands of people pour into Cobo Hall to see what the
latest and greatest in automotive technology has to offer. This year, the show was attended by
celebrities and presidential candidates alike, but the real stars, as always, were the cars.
Rv Paul Tassi I Daily Staff Writar

PERSON OF THE WEEK
Fischer, an eccentric genius and chess grandmaster, died last
week of kidney failure at 64 - a fitting age for a man who
earned his fame moving pieces on a board with 64
squares. Fischer is lauded as the best chess player
in American history, and his games against Soviet
players in the 1960s were a perfect symbol of
Cold War tensions. But Fischer had had enough of
America. After reaching the pinnacle of his fame, he
decided to live in self-imposed exile in a number of
countries, including Budapest and Iceland. In
the years before his death, Fischer occa-
sionally made radio appearances to rail
against Jews and a Jewish conspiracy,
which he said was set on destroying
the world. Naturally; Fischer him-
self was Jewish.
cycle as much as TELL
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Best concept
I hate Mazda. Every year the company
makes possibly the most gorgeous car
at the show, yet you view it knowing
that it will never, ever make it to produc-
tion. More of a work of art than anything
else, the body flows gracefully - Furai
does mean "the sound of wind" in
Japanese, after all. Plus, it's a supercar
CEOs can't even get their hands on.
V... orst concept
Jeep usually tries to debut a concept every
year with a ridiculous name like "Gladi-
ator" or "Hurricane" (I bet they regret-
ted that one pretty quickly). This year
it's the "Renegade" and, quite simply, it's
awful. Essentially, it's a two-seater with
the windshield cut in half. Its awkward-
looking body panels make it look like a
model car that a very strong six-year
old could put together in half an hour,
Best production
Yeah, screw the environment; just give
us speed. That's what the return of the
once deceased GT-R is saying, if uninten-
tionally. Faster than a Porsche and more
powerful than a Corvette, it's the newly
resurrected superhero of the sports car
scene. And it's coming soon, so get ready.
\A/orst production
Kia, whenwill you stop designing cars
that look they came out five years ago?
The Borrego is some sort of small SUV
whose front was stolen from an already
ugly SUV, the Chrysler Aspen, with the rest
cobbled together from an SUV junkyard.
Hyundai is starting to not suck; if only Kia
followed its lead and stopped using the
selling point of "we're really damn cheap."

Dodge ZEO

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Likely to Succeed (Hopefully)
p.. }1
Ford needs a break. After suffering a yearlong
beating from Japanese automakers, the company is
looking to get back on track and the new Explorer
might be its ticket. What used to be the bestsell-
ing SUV on the planet has slipped into mediocrity,
and the new design is a welcomed makeover.
And yes, it's called the "America Concept."
There's no messing around with subtlety here.
PHOTO/AP Aost Improved
_ Nothing screams "MORE POWER!" like a typical
.. Dodge, assailing your eyes and ears with its brutal
style and deafening Hemi engine. This is why the ZEO
is such a pleasant surprise. It produces zero emis-
sions, it's fast and it's good-looking. Despite being
touted as a vehicle for people with a "dynamic life-
style" (what the hell does that even mean?), it looks to
be quite a bit of fun if it ever makes it to production.
I ost unnecessary
BMW is amazing, but the X6 is incredibly confus-
ing. It's not big enough to be considered a crossover,
PHOTO/AP but it's not small enough to be a car, The result?
It's, awkward. The individual elements are nice,
but the strange shape doesn't fit into any particu-
lar category, and being unique isn't always good.
Mostuun
Ever get the urge to drive a car off a sand dune? If
so, the HX can fulfill that wish. Although it's the
smallest Hummer yet, with only two doors, it's still
a Hummer. It's got the grill. It's got the slantback.
It's got everything but a machine gun turret. Some-
thing similar to this will make it to production, com-
pleting Hummer's welcomed shift from 10OK war
MAX COLLINS/Daily machines to practical yet badass production cars.

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January 27-
Kick Of
January 28- Cl
January 29- M
10am
University of Michigan W
www.recycl

BMw x6

Ford Explorer American Concept