Miles Passed, Miles Ahead

By KRIN GABBARD

A recent television commercial for Mercedes-Benz shows tigers, giraffes, and other exotic animals walking two by two into Noah's ark. The animals are followed by a line of people carrying treasured possessions: Michelangelo's "David," paintings by Van Gogh and Rembrandt, musical scores labeled Bach and Mozart, even a desktop computer. At the end, two silver automobiles drive in just as the rain begins and the ramp is pulled up. The announcer asks, "If you were loading the ark today, what