Backstreet Boys Back in Copenhagen
There's a love affair going on between the truckster and myself once again, for now, as it is all fixed up and running like a dream. It wasn't the tranny that gave out on me, thank goodness, but rather a minor problem known as a broken cap, rotor or something like that..
Needless to say, it isn't any secret that I'm not well versed, nor do I care that much about cars. I barely know where the motor is, so I just trust that auto repair experts are telling me the truth. One thing I do know is, I despise visiting auto repair shops because like my friend says, "The bill either ends up being 100 Dollars or 1,000." There doesn't seem to be any middle ground.
When the truckster lets me down, I usually just wander blindly on into the nearest automechanic's shop and say deceitfully, "Yeah, that's exactly what I thought was wrong with it, let's get'r done." Anyhow, this time because it was nothing major, it meant that the bill ran into the low hundreds, rather than the thousands. For me, that's the difference between a vacation or not.
I think most people would prefer to purchase something that they really want, or go on a trip of a lifetime, rather than paying for bloody repairs on cars. Besides that, vehicles are a poor investment and some are designed to fall to pieces rather quickly, and that can leave one throwing cash at a new junk heap every few years.
Like I've mentioned before, since I have lived in a culture where the "Car is Not necessarily King," and Denmark is such a small country, I really got used to bicycling, taking the train, bus or walking. For the most part, I didn't mind waiting a little bit for public transit because for me, it outweighed the irritation of taking the car. In Denmark and in a lot of European countries, they really make a concerted effort to ensure that the public transit is fast, efficient and available to everyone, because the public demands it, and the government wants fewer vehicles on the road.
I know it's good for the environment having this attitude, but I usually opt for public transit for my own selfish reasons, mostly. I like the idea of getting some exercise, using the money I've saved on other things (e.g. 2 or 3 trips a year), and not having the inconveniece of waking up, wondering if I'll have car troubles that day and if I do, waiting anxiously by the phone, wondering what's wrong with the jinxed, depreciating asset - a.k.a the car.
Since I've been over in Ontario for an extended period now, people look at me like I'm a social misfit, or that I'm from Mars when I voice the anti-vehicle/pro-public transit attitude. I get why people like the independence of their own wheels and one can preach the "save the environment sermon" 'til we're blue in the face. I think, in order to encourage people to use alternatives to cars, and to convince them to cheer-lead for better public transit - and for them to actually use it - they have to see what's in it for them.
I recently read an article at autoblog.com written by Jeremy Korzeniewski called, "Youth in Asia: Japanese sales plunge as young people abandon cars." He basically stated that in Japan the young people aren't buying cars like they used to, and are opting for public transit instead. The article goes on to say that, "Kids in Japan are much more interested in the latest electronic gadgetry than they are with cars, and many have no intention on 'ever' owning an automobile. Early predictions are that 4.86 million new cars will be sold in Japan in 2009, which would mark the first time in three decades that sales have sunk below five million." This is not good news for the car makers but great news for the environment, which finally brings me around to the topic of this blog.
The legendary boyband the Backstreet Boys will be performing for FREE in Denmark at a concert on the 6th of December. Remember the tune, "I want it that way?" I'll admit it, I like it and attempt to sing to it often. The concert is in conjunction with the EU commision's "Play to Stop" Campaign designed to encourage the young people to pay more attention to the climate problem, and take initiative to prevent any unnecessary damage to the environment.
There will be 900 FREE tickets available for the concert taking place at KB-Hallen. Tickets can be purchased via http://www.mtvplay4climate.eu from the 12th to the 31st of October. If you aren't one of the lucky 900, the Backstreet Boys will also be playing for free again the next day, on December 7th at Vega, Enghavevej 40, Copenhagen West.
