On our blogs: whales, pandas and tiny cars

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WHALE FIESTA: The annual Whale Fiesta will be held at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The festival will celebrate marine animals and the migration of Pacific gray whales along the California coast and will include fun activities and more than 20 exhibits to promote awareness of marine life.

PANDA’S SWEET CELEBRATION: Gao Gao, the male panda on loan from China, celebrates his guesstimated birthday at the San Diego Zoo with a bamboo cake. He is 17 years old, and this is his sixth year at the zoo.

WESTERN U.S. DRIVES LESS AS GAS PRICES FALL: Although gas prices fell dramatically in November, the Federal Highway Administration finds that U.S. motorists drove 12.9 billion fewer miles than November 2007, with the largest drops in miles seen in the Western United States.

TOYOTA iQ TO ARRIVE IN THE U.S.: Japanese automaker Toyota may introduce its iQ ultra-compact car to the U.S. market. At 10 feet long and rated at 54.1 miles per gallon, the iQ will have the best mileage of any car sold by a major manufacturer. The Times’ Martin Zimmerman provides more information here.

--Stephanie Chang