Once-mighty Toyota is having a rough month, during a period of already lean times for the global auto industry. As our correspondent (and green car guru) Jim Motavalli has been documenting for TDG, the recalls of millions of Toyota vehicles has seemed to spiral into an ever greater mess. While the car maker points fingers at pedal assemblies provided by a third party, others worry that the fixes being offered by dealers don't get at the route of the problem (which some theorize may be electronic interference in the increasingly complex computer systems of modern rides, and which may extend beyond Toyota to other brands).

At the same time, Toyota is getting pummeled by at least 100 complaints from American drivers who claim the brakes failed on their 2010 Priuses (or Prii, as some put it). As industry analysts have looked closer at the hybrids' regenerative braking systems, questions have also emerged about at least one Lexus model and hybrids offered by Ford. So the popular, gas-sipping cars have clearly hit an icy patch, while Toyota and others scramble for solutions.

Against this context, some observers have quipped that Toyota's recent branding strategy, "Moving Forward," now takes an ironic tone. Since some drivers have complained of sudden acceleration moving their vehicles forward on their own, one blogger suggested that the company change its slogan to "Toyota: Not Moving At All. Promise." Other timely suggestions for Toyota include "Moving Forward, but Slowly and with Complete Control"; "Sorry We Killed Your Neighbor"; "You Be the Test Dummy"; and from commenter Luke Duke, "Toyota. Because you never know when someone is going to turn your life into the movie Speed."

My friend Remy C. (who is trying to shut down Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant with his effort Rock the Reactors) dropped by my place yesterday to drop off some fresh flyers for his Bastille Day (July 14) green lighting party extravaganza in NYC. He also showed me the latest issue of Complex magazine, the men's urban style and shopping title from designer Marc Ecko. He flipped past pinup photos of Buffy the Vampire Slayer cutie Michelle Trachtenberg to a double-sided ad for Toyota Corolla. We were both struck immediately by the creepy irony.

This Sunday is Super Bowl XLIV. Much of my family can't wait, since we are from Indianapolis, and Colts fever runs high. While the game itself may prove to be exiting, the atmosphere and hype around the event is a study in contrasts -- luckily there may be some green linings.

FiLife has a thought-provoking infographic on Super Bowl economics, comparing the expense of the event to the recent disaster in Haiti. While the average per capita annual income in the island nation is a scant $450, the cheapest seats at the Super Bowl cost $1,777 (and go from there up to a whopping $243,000!). The combined value of the two football teams, my hometown Colts and the New Orleans Saints, is 30% of Haiti's entire GDP.

The expensive event does also sit in contrast to the devastation that remains in poor sections of post-Katrina New Orleans. True, some fans are looking at the Saints' bid as a source of pride and hope for the community. And it may be. But it's hard not to at least notice the inequality of champagne caviar luxury boxes when so many are still without adequate housing. It's easy to bah-humbug lavish sporting events, like gladiator battles at the coliseum while the republic burned. Of course, that's not the whole story either, and in our complicated global web of commerce and society it's hard to tease out fair comparisons.

Super Bowl ads this year are controversial enough, right?

We're not saying you can't enjoy the Big Game, since we know some of you could use a little distraction in these troubled times. That's why we put together some suggestions on how to minimize your own impact. At the stadium level, there has been talk of greening the Super Bowl, but it's even easier to start in your own home.

Check out our seven scrumptious Super Bowl party recipes, like natural salsa fresca, hummus or Swiss cheese onion crostinis. Or browse on over to Big Green Boulder's ultimate green Super Bowl guide. There you will find recipes for holistic Super Bowl vegetarian chili and jambalaya. As the Daily Camera suggests, "walk a little lighter on the planet as 300-pound men hit the turf." Plus, got a hankering for potato skins or nachos? Planet Green has ya covered.

If you are watching the game, hopefully it will be on an efficient TV.

Toyota dealerships: The cars are under several recalls. (Flickr photo)

Do you own one of the Toyota cars recalled by the company for unintended acceleration? Good, because many consumers are confused. At a time when cooperation would seem to be key, three of the principals -- including Toyota, the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and CTS Corp., the company that makes the recalled pedals, are feuding. Meanwhile, at presstime the feds announced that their investigation is spreading to include the possibility of electronic interference causing the problem.

The casualty may be the public's need to know how to handle this burgeoning crisis. "The mess has spread," says Barron's.

Toyota North American boss Jim Lentz has been very visible as apologist in chief. "This is embarrassing to us," he said during media appearances Monday, "but it doesn't necessarily mean we have lost our edge on quality. Our reputation is based on safety."

Toyota will lose sales: According to Kelley Blue Book, the resale value of Toyota's recalled models is likely to erode by up to two percent on dealer lots this week. Still, there's some evidence that consumers are snapping up the company's used cars because they're perceived as bargains.

Earlier today, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood responded to complaints that NHTSA (one of his agencies) has let Toyota take the lead in engineering a fix for owners of the cars. According to LaHood, "They should have taken it seriously from the very beginning when we first started discussing it with them," he said in an Associated Press interview today. "Maybe they were a little safety deaf in their North American office..."

Meanwhile, trouble is also brewing in CTS Corp., the Elkhart, Indiana firm that makes the 5.3 million pedal assemblies that Toyota has recalled. CTS doesn't want to be the fall guy for Toyota, and has pointed out that it had no role in initiating the recall. And it is denying responsibility for unintended acceleration. "CTS believes that the rare slow return pedal phenomenon, which may occur in extreme environmental conditions," it said in a statement. The company's pedals "should absolutely not be linked with any sudden unintended acceleration incidents," the company said.

CTS said that it wasn't aware of any injuries or accidents "caused by the rare slow return pedal condition."

Indeed, the great Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow this year, so we're supposed to get six more weeks of winter! Of course, despite the complete faith of his supporters, ol' Phil is only correct about 40% of the time, according to the U.S. National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).

We got a big kick out of hearing about other weather-predicting groundhogs around North America, Milltown Mel being one of our faves. So I did a little research and put together this quiz of famous groundhogs. How many can you identify?