NASA’s spacecraft Messenger, now orbiting the planet Mercury, has sent back photos of the surface seeming to indicate that the fabulous Disney marketing efforts have attained otherworldly proportions.

Mercury has been bombarded through eons by internal eruptions and external space junk attacks. Its surface is covered with many such craters, and these seem to form that familiar rodent’s head and ears.

A whole new Disney theme park section is devoted to America’s deep love for cars, based on the fun animated car movies and autos in general. Of course, they don’t mention that gas prices are once again sure to be pumped sky high this summer by the greedy oil robber barons. Whatever, it’s all now good carbon-print fun at the happiest place on Earth.

Now rolling at Disneyland’s California Adventure, the new Cars Land ride is attracting thousands of visitors daily. A combination of the old amusement park bumper cars and digital updates, it involves several kinds of rides, including swirling around in cars mounted on huge horizontal tires.

Whatever the appeal, while the kids race around in Cars Land fantasy, at least it will allow Mom and Dad to momentarily forget the stark and expensive reality of driving the highways outside of Disneyland.

A recent sting operation at a Florida cruise terminal parking lot revealed what could be a common practice. Because lot employees knew the cars would be there for a week or more, they felt free to drive them for personal use.

Secret GPS tracking and video recordings showed who was driving, times when the cars were used and miles traveled. Some evidence included racing, shopping, nightclub visits and other personal journeys by the lot owner and employees.  

It doesn’t take advanced math skills to realize that paying for parking for seven or more days, at the modest average charge of $15 to $25 a day, plus the cost of fuel, can actually be more expensive than taking a cab from home to port of embarkation.

Next time you plan to drive your car to the airport and park it for a week or more, consider the cost compared to taking a taxi or bus. Additionally, the security of leaving the car locked in your home garage may be more advantageous than exposing it to untrustworthy parking lot employees and other dangers.

If you happen to be in Paris, consider taking a day to visit one of the most visited places in the city. Père Lachaise is known as the largest and most popular cemeteries in the world. Buried under all the crowded headstones, monuments and plaques are 70,000 people. Most are unknown, but some of the famous attract thousands of tourists each year.

The most visited grave is that of rock star Jim Morrison, who died in 1971. The modest site is usually filled with flowers and mementos from those former hippies and other admirers, now older and greyer, who come to pay homage to their idol.

Also there are France’s greatest generals, politicians and diplomats, as well as Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Chopin, Edith Piaf, Balzac, Moliere and famed lovers Abelard and Heloise. Rebel students from street battle were executed there, as in Broadway play, “Les Miserables” Their common grave is is near the last resting place of the author, Victor Hugo.

For more information, go to www.reidsguides.com/destinations/.../paris/.../pere_lachaise....