| Maserati roars back into lead
FIFTY years ago the great racing driver Juan Manuel Fangio called a halt to his career at the age of 47. He retired at the top, Formula 1 world champion for the fifth time in 1957. His last race, the 1958 French Grand Prix, was in a Maserati 250F and it marked the end of the road for the Maserati racing team, which had been more than a match for Ferrari, its Italian compatriot. For all its success, Maserati, then owned by the Orsi family, had run out of money. Though it subsequently raced sports cars, Maserati continued to decline. It teetered on the edge of bankruptcy and new shareholders and owners came and went until it fell into the hands of Fiat, Italy’s automotive giant, in 1993. After wondering what to do about a company with an exciting name that was making a small number of cars with a poor reputation for reliability, Fiat entrusted the management of Maserati to Ferrari, which it had owned since 1988.
TANNIS TOOHEY / TORONTO STAR
Jonathan Garfinkel was raised with two younger brothers in Toronto's upscale Forest Hill neighbourhood. His psychiatrist father, Dr. Paul Garfinkel, is president and CEO of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health; his mother, Dorothy (divorced from his father), is a teacher of English as a second language at OISE. .
FIA Needs To Do More Than Send Flowers
Like most modern sports fans, purveyors of Formula One tend to be a partisan lot. In consequence, petrolhead's are predisposed to be divided over issues both big and small, important and trite. Some say Max Mosley is a Ferrari stooge, while others claim he couldn't care less about the Scuderia. Some say banning traction control is risky, while others claim it brings out the best in the drivers. And since Lewis Hamilton set the F1 circus aglitter last year, a divide has formed between those who buy into Lewis mania and those who think the jury is still out in lieu of his inexperience or whatever else. Therein is the beauty of being a sports fan and the key element to making sport entertaining. After all, fans need to have a vested interest in their protagonists' performances for the sport to matter.
TORCH NEWS TICKER 2/10: Identity of Steiner's new valet, Foley ...
Updated throughout the day, it's the Torch News Ticker with all the news and info that's not fit for print. Keep it open in a new tab and bookmark it every Monday! Sunday, February 10, 2008 10:00 p.m. - Early TNA PPV notes: The new valet to Scott Steiner is Trenesha Biggers, who was a college volleyball player at Florida St. and contestant in the 2005 WWE diva search. She worked through WWE's developmental system before being released in May 2006. Trenesha recently appeared on an FIP show in November 2007 against the current Peyton Banks, who wrestles as Rain on the independent scene. 6:00 p.m. - Mick Foley has an interview with the U.K. Sun discussing his future in WWE and his current limited role. The usual self-deprecation from Foley, including this line about his Rumble cameo appearance: "If everybody is tanned, then nobody really looks tanned, there's got to be one pale guy out there to make the tans stand out, and I see that as my role – the pale white guy." Foley talked about one of his sons booing him and accepting his role in WWE as a guy who won't draw ratings or buys, but can be valuable in a limited role.
Scotland's banknotes 'under threat in Treasury shake-up'
Alex Salmond, the First Minister, has also voiced fears over the move, claiming the changes posed the "biggest threat" to Scottish notes in more than 160 years. Under current laws, Clydesdale Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland and Bank of Scotland have to lodge funds with the Bank of England to cover the value of their notes, but only for three days of the week – the other four days they can be invested elsewhere, gaining millions of pounds in interest.However, the new proposals, announced last week by Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, would require funds to be lodged with the Bank of England for the entire week.A spokesman for Clydesdale Bank said it was "very concerned" about the potential impact of the proposals and was seeking a meeting with the Treasury. He added: "If this were to go ahead, it would force us to consider whether issuing bank-notes would be viable in the future, a position we do not want to be forced into."A consultation on the measures, aimed at improving financial stability and protecting depositors, has been launched.Mr Salmond said the changes could cost the Scottish and Northern Irish banks which issue their own notes a total of £100 million a year.The First Minister said: "This is a dagger at the heart of Scottish bank-notes, which are a proud tradition in Scotland and hugely popular with the Scottish public.
Photos: Suzuki Offers Truckloads of Fun at 2008 North American ...
DETROIT, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- After a fourth consecutive year of increasing sales, and more than 100,000 units sold for the second year in a row, Suzuki Auto carries enormous momentum into the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). With the Motor City serving as a backdrop, Suzuki showcases its X-HEAD concept, a completely contemporary vision of off-roading built on Suzuki's 40-year history of credible off-road architectures. The Suzuki X-HEAD, making its North American debut at NAIAS this year, combines form and function -- with a healthy dose of "cool factor" -- using purpose-built modules for various active lifestyles. To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/suzuki/31375/ In addition to the go-anywhere X-HEAD, Suzuki will showcase the SXForce, a sportbike-inspired concept based on the all-new 2008 four-door SX4 Sport that embodies the company's legendary motorcycle heritage.
Viewing all entries for: January 2008
LAST night after her uncontested "victory" in Florida, Hillary Clinton was introduced by... Alcee Hastings, removed from by the Senate in 1998 after impeachment from* in the House, under a heavy cloud of suspicion of bribery when he was a federal judge. (A bit of the colourful background here.) Bill Clinton pardoned Mr Hastings' alleged co-conspirator on his last day in office. Doesn't Ms Clinton have any slightly less dodgy-looking Floridian backers? Or if slightly suspect they must be, ones whose former associates had not been pardoned from federal prison by her husband? *[Correction: Mr Metcalph is correct. The text has been changed accordingly.] Permalink .
Slay That Green Dragon
Here on OpEdNEws, I haven't seen one single article supporting Hillary. It's not because we haven't accepted them. Matter of fact we welcome cogent, well written articles supporting ANY candidate, since we trust our readers to respond and balance out the perspective in the comments section. It appears that the concensus of the readers and writers on this site, most of whom were Kucinich, Edwards or Paul supporters, are, except for the Paul supporters, now leaning towards Obama. .
Longing for Size and Speed Auto Show Crowd Eschews Green
Like it or not, the most enticing cars at the Washington Auto Show have little to do with alternative fuels, pollution-reducing technology or any of the Earth-friendly marketing themes spilling forth from the world's top automakers. People see the Rolls-Royce Phantom, the latest iteration of the mammoth British luxury sedan, and they exude desire. Tucked on a sliver of convention floor space up against a black wall, it has the presence of a tank. Its audacity affects people. Some circled it yesterday and tugged at its door handles, trying to get in. Others stood off to the side, leaning back, trying to get all of it into their camera's viewfinder. "You can come out of this car and slap somebody," said Chukie Gboneme, a 25-year-old from Bowie who was at the show this week with his little brother Ike.
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