Payback For Many Hybrids Grows As Gas Costs RiseSource: Edmunds.com (Green Car Advisor)
In a piece posted last month, we reported that the payback period for hybrid cars shrunk a bit in March, with four models—30 percent of the market segment at the time—whose fuel savings could amortize the so-called hybrid premium in under 5 years. Higher demand has stiffened sales prices for hybrids and other cars and crossover SUVs with decent fuel economy while dealers and manufacturers are discounting less-efficient conventional gasoline models to try to move them off the lots.
That boosts the difference between the retail price of a hybrid and the equivalent gasoline model in a manufacturer’s lineup, and makes it harder for the hybrid to earn back its price premium from fuel savings alone. There are a few exceptions. Ford’s Escape hybrid SUV and its Mercury Mariner sibling and Saturn’s Vue Greenline mild hybrid SUV all saw slight dips in the payoff period, while payback for Toyota’s Prius remained unchanged, according to June figures just prepared by Edmunds.com analysts. Tax credits and really good fuel economy helped shrink the price difference and made payoff easier.

Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by the Federal Reserve
The Beige Book, June 11, 2008: "Reports from the Federal Reserve Districts suggest that economic activity remained generally weak in late April and May. Three Districts described economic activity as softer, weaker, or lower, with an additional four Districts reporting slower, sluggish, or modest economic growth. The remaining five Districts of Philadelphia, Cleveland, Atlanta, St. Louis, and San Francisco described activity as stable or little changed in recent weeks.
Consumer spending slowed since the last report as incomes were pinched by rising energy and food prices. Higher energy prices also appeared to damp domestic tourism. Reports on non-financial services varied across Districts and industries. Manufacturing activity was generally soft in recent weeks, with weak demand for housing-related and some other products but with increasing demand for exports. Residential real estate markets remained weak across most Districts. Commercial real estate conditions varied across Districts, as did reports on nonresidential construction activity. Lending activity also varied across Districts and market segments, though tighter credit standards were reported for most loan categories. Districts reporting on the agriculture and energy sectors noted improved crop conditions and increased drilling and extraction activity.

EPA: Green Buildings On the Rise
News release: "Green building continues to gain momentum as it demonstrates numerous opportunities to improve the impacts of buildings on the environment and health. To acknowledge this growing trend and EPA's expanded role in it, EPA has released a new video on green buildings in its Green Scene series. The video features Dr. Bill Sanders, director of EPA's National Center for Environmental Research, talking about how EPA is encouraging and supporting green building, and how homeowners can take simple steps to green their homes."

smithereens (smith-uh-REENZ) noun
Tiny fragments.
[Probably from Irish smidirin, diminutive of smiodar (fragment).]
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