Hello Gentle Readers:
I went to a magnificent 'Pink Martini' concert tonight at Place Des Arts in Montreal, with their on stage invited guests, the young Von Trapp family singers. If you have seen the movie the Sound of Music with Julie Andrews, you may remember how one of the Von Trapp children declared he was incorrigible. That child grew up to train his grandchildren into one of the best singing groups of our time. I could not believe my ears. These kids are excellent and they are going straight up the charts with their first de-but performance in Montreal. The Von Trapp great grandchildren are on their way to becoming international super stars and if they remain with Pink Martini, the mix will meld into one of the best shows in the world! It will also finally give Pink Martini the kind of international publicity they deserve because these musicians and singers are the very best and they are well worth both the price of admission and the standing ovation they received from tonight's adoring audience.
The customised Mira EV travelled at speeds of around 40kph as it drove non-stop around a car racing course in Shimotsuma in Ibaraki Prefecture.
The red and white vehicle, fitted with a special lithium ion battery created by the Japanese company Sanyo, ran for 27.5 hours covering a distance of 1,003km without being recharged.
A total of 17 different people took turns at the wheel of the electric car as it circled repeatedly around the racecourse during the experiment.
The test run was organised by the Japan Electric Vehicle Club, which plans to request that the Guinness World Records officially recognise it as the world's longest electric car journey, according to media reports.
The achievement is timely: Japan and other nations are bracing themselves for an electric car boom as car manufacturers race to produce competitive versions of the environmentally-friendly vehicles.
However, the biggest inconveniences for many potential e-car owners relate to charging – from finding a nearby charger to making sure that the car does not run out of power during the school run.
The latest epic electric vehicle drive of over 1,000 km effortlessly beat the previous world record of uncharged driving 555.6km, which was achieved last November by the same Japanese organisation.