| Big wheels keep up to the marque by buying flash
AS ECONOMIC barometers go, there could hardly be any more dashing a $580,000 status symbol on wheels and at least 80 Australians have already placed their order for Ferrari's slick new model, the F430 Scuderia. The latest street incarnation of the world's most famous motor racing emblem is an eight-cylinder, 503-horsepower, high-performance vehicle its Italian makers would seem wholly justified in touting as a "unique supercar perfect for passionate and sporty customers". Then there's the Porsche 911 turbo, retailing at $370,000. More than 100 Australians put themselves behind the wheel of one last year, and others are queuing to take delivery of the next generation GT2 priced at $425,000. Property developer Zac Brankovic, 38, who has been driving Porsches for about five years, shelled out $260,000 for his Porsche Carrera S convertible.
Need for Speed: ProStreet Porsche demo
Need for Speed: Pro Street lets you design and build a car, then compete in iconic locations around the globe, battling in four distinct racing styles--grip, drag, drift and the all-new speed challenge. The atmosphere is complete with energetic crowds, photo-realistic vehicles, and billowing smoke, all designed to embody the pressure and intensity of the gladiatorial challenge known as Show Down. This new demo features two Porsche cars (911 GT2 / 911 GT3RS) drivable on the Porsche Leipzig testing track. CNET Networks is not responsible for the content of this Publisher's Description. We encourage you to determine whether this product or your intended use is legal. We do not encourage or condone the use of any software in violation of applicable laws. Any questions, complaints or claims related to any specific download should be directed to the relevant vendor.
Sudan sees U.S. relations normalized within 6 months
Although Washington has a large embassy in Khartoum, it does not have a full ambassadorial post. Removing sanctions was tied first to ending a long running war in the south of Africa's largest country, but after a north-south peace deal the separate conflict in Darfur brought a new U.S. focus on human rights and kept relations icy. "The end game is normalization of relations between the two countries," Foreign Minister Deng Alor told reporters after the meeting new envoy Richard Williamson, who was making his first trip to Sudan since taking up the post. "We have a timetable something between now and the coming four months ...maximum six months." He said normalization could include restoring a U.S. ambassador in Sudan, the lifting of some or all the sanctions and the removal of Sudan from the list of sponsors of terrorism.
Shrink's Progress
DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- This is a hard Thanksgiving. People are dying who shouldn't be dying. People are being held prisoner in places we can't imagine, and being tortured in our names. People are cold and hungry here, in the richest nation on earth. The dollar is falling. Gas prices are rising. Our economic and political futures are uncertain. Where, then, do we find the generosity of spirit to be thankful for the things we have, when so much of our time is spent railing at the world in anger, fear and mourning? Digging deep and with purpose, I find that I'm thankful this year for many things. I'm thankful I can still contribute groceries to the food banks instead of depending on them to feed my family. I'm thankful that I can donate money to our local paper's Christmas Stocking instead of begging for a warm coat.
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.
Crash, pal's death shift Force focus
There's a photo of Vince Lombardi on a wall in John Force's Yorba Linda, Calif., race shop.
But after the most serious accident of his career, Force said he no longer agrees with the legendary Green Bay Packers coach's philosophy that "Winning is the only thing."
"I don't want to go against Lombardi," said Force, winner of a record 125 NHRA Funny Car races. "But maybe he never had anybody die on the playing field." .
Avatars let cybersavvy show their inner selves
Some educate or perform concerts, perhaps in the form of an ogre or a large squirrel. Some have sex or annihilate armies of other avatars. They are whatever you wish to be in a cyber-land that doesn't exist, yet does. "Life beyond reality ... where imagination knows no bounds," announces a video clip for Second Life, an online site that Carter recently introduced to his English students at the University of Central Missouri. "So vast, so versatile, so exhilarating!" So very weird And to the uninitiated, so very weird. The uninitiated, however, shrink by the hour. Worldwide, at least 9 million 3-D avatars exist in Second Life, buying islands, racing cars, raising pets and attending church (or strip clubs). The fantasy role-playing game "World of Warcraft" boasts more than 10 million subscribers, .
McIlroy praises classy Shrimps
McIlroy's men took the points with first-half goals from skipper Jim Bentley and striker Michael Twiss but had to endure a strong fightback from the Shakers. Andy Bishop gave Bury a lifeline on 76 minutes when he slotted home from close range after Joe Lewis had superbly blocked Ben Futcher's header but Morecambe held on for victory. McIlroy said: "The football in the first half was the best I have ever seen from any side at this level. The passing and the movement was a different class and it was fantastic to watch. "We scored two and could have added another but I knew it wouldn't be as easy in the second half and Bury would come back at us. But we rolled our sleeves up and fought to the end. "We could easily have folded after they scored but we saw the game through and I was delighted." .
Scavenging for Superdelegates
As we went to bed last night, the juicy New York Times headline "Black Leader, a Clinton Ally, Tilts to Obama" tucked us in. The story explained the soon-to-be defection of Georgia Rep. John Lewis from Hillary Clinton's camp to Barack Obama's. Lewis is a superdelegate and a civil rights leader whose district voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama in Georgia's Super Tuesday primary. If he officially defected, his change of heart was thought to be a bellwhether for all of Clinton's superdelegates whose districts voted for Obama. The Times reported that Lewis "said Thursday night that he planned to cast his vote as a superdelegate for Senator Barack Obama in hopes of preventing a fight at the Democratic convention," but that Lewis was still weighing whether to officially endorse Obama. But after changing his mind on Clinton, he may be changing his mind on Obama.
|
