I'm so sorry to see The Fix go — I've been dreading this moment since the hiatus note went up. Can't blame Scott Lamb for getting tired of covering all the celebutrash, but I'll miss him for his clever take on it.

The Fix was that really smart medium between the sycophantism of ET and the nastiness of Perez Hilton. It gave us all the dirt we wanted, without actually making us feel dirty about wanting it.

And you know, it was great to have something light and frivolous and fun amid all the serious stuff Salon covers. I really hope you replace it with something just as good. Because the sad truth is if you don't, I'm not entirely sure how I'll start each day.

When did it become immoral to buy — or adopt, pick your verb — a dog from a breeder? Are people confusing responsible breeders with puppy mills, which really are evil? Isn't there something more important we could be worried about like, say, those millions of Americans without health insurance, a crashing economy and, oh yeah, the war?

When we chose our dog, we knew we wanted a spunky and adorable Welsh terrier, both for looks and personality. We also knew we wanted a dog from a breeder who not only bred and nurtured healthy dogs, but took great care with where they ended up.

We did a ton of research and found that the dog-breeding world is a pretty small one, and it's easy to learn who the good and bad ones are. Our pup's breeder made us fill out an extensive application form with a long questionnaire about our lifestyle, and she did the best she could to make sure we were a perfect match. When we took our pup home, the breeder told us that if we had any problems, she would take the dog back any time. How is any of that irresponsible?

And what's wrong with preserving the genetic lineage of a breed anyway? We know exactly what illnesses and behavioural problems to expect, so we're prepared to deal with all eventualities. I fail to see how that is a bad thing — or, frankly, why it's anybody's business but ours.

From the tone of this article, you'd almost think the Smart car was a threat to the American way of life which, um, don't know if you've read the business pages lately, but is under a much more serious threat than a cute little diesel-fueled automobile.

I own a Smart, bought it as soon as they landed in Canada, and I can tell you that you'll want one not just because it's great on fuel and easy to park, but because it is insanely fun to drive.

The Smart is one of the most nimble vehicles on the road. It's not powerful, but it's quick and manoeuvrable and you can zip in and out of traffic like you're driving a sports car. You can even parallel park going forward — its wheel base works something like a lazy Susan.

It's also great in all kinds of crummy weather. I was living in Alberta when I bought it, and while its low road clearance wouldn't be great in really deep snow, it had great grip in most snowy, slushy and icy conditions. The biggest danger was from the idiots speeding in their SUVs who thought that because their vehicle was big it was safe. Wrong.

That said, the Smart is also a lot safer than you might think. The Mercedes people have this video of a Smart in a collision with one of their massive sedans. The Benz limps away all crumpled, while the Smart just ping-pongs off with a tiny dent. Heh.

It also has a lot more room in it than you might think; I've carried lots of luggage, tons of groceries, even patio furniture in it.

It is more expensive than other little cars, but that's because of all the brilliant design elements that went into its manufacture. It was a joint venture between Mercedes and Swatch ("Smart" stands for Swatch Mercedes Art), with all the high quality and clever design that you'd expect from a German car maker and Swiss watch maker.

Why not drive one yourself? Maybe you'll be tempted to trade in your gas-sucking Hummers and Navigators for a fun little car that you can literally fill up with pocket change.