| 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.
Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S: An Under-Apprectiated Classic
I've always been attracted to engineering oddities. You know, things that get the job done in a different way than most. And I'm especially partial to out-of- the-ordinary engines. So it just seems natural that sooner or later I'd own a car with a rotary engine. And I do: a Mazda Cosmo Sport. "A what?" you say. The two-seat Cosmo is a '60s-era small sports car powered by a 110-hp, two-rotor Wankel engine. The rotary was the brainchild of Felix Wankel, a self-taught German tinkerer who never went to college. He made the first rotary prototype in the late '50s for NSU, a German motorcycle and car manufacturer eventually bought out by Volkswagen. For a while in the '60s, it looked to some like the rotary would be the engine: light, small and only a handful of parts. Several carmakers paid Wankel for the rights to use the rotary.
NASCAR: Team owners feel crunch as season revs up
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- If you're looking for a sign that NASCAR's sustained surge of success is leveling off, just ask veteran driver Mark Martin if he'd ever be interested in owning a racing team. "I'm just not going to do it," Martin said. "I've worked too hard too long, and I know all about this business. I owned a team, and I went broke in 1982. I know how this deal works, even when things look really good, like two years ago. Then you look at the climate of the sport today from an owner's standpoint or whatever, and the climate is not so good." Sure, Fortune 500 companies will be splashed all over car hoods and fenders in Sunday's Daytona 500. But behind those flashy corporate logos, there are signs NASCAR's runaway prosperity and popularity are beginning to plateau. Television ratings that leaped in recent years began to slip last season.
Accused killer says wife hit him
Veillette did not enter a plea. He could face the death penalty if convicted of aggravated murder. Veillette, dressed in an orange jail suit and wearing shackles, didn't speak aloud during the hearing but sometimes put his head down and quickly shook it back and forth during the testimony. Tim McKenna, his court-appointed lawyer, suggested police should have pursued other explanations for the fire and questioned the detective about conducting the hospital interview with Veillette, who was still recovering from injuries. "He was in the hospital, he was chained to a bed, there was no attorney present and I'm sure that's going to be an issue as to what he said can be admissible in court or not," McKenna said after the court hearing. Veillette admitted to investigators that he was having an affair and expressed concern about his girlfriend being dragged into the case, Deidesheimer said.
Robins: Poodle is favored for best in show
.icoVid{background:url(http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/SITEWIDE/Icons/iVideo.gif) no-repeat center;padding-left:14px;text-decoration:none;position:static;} .icoVid:hover,.icoVid:visited:hover{text-decoration:none} .icoSli{background:url(http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/SITEWIDE/Icons/iSlides.gif) no-repeat center;padding-left:14px;text-decoration:none;position:static;} .icoSli:hover,.icoSli:visited:hover{text-decoration:none} .icoDis{background:url(http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/SITEWIDE/Icons/iDiscuss.gif) no-repeat center;padding-left:14px;text-decoration:none;position:static;} .icoDis:hover,.icoDis:visited:hover{text-decoration:none} .icoNew{background:url(http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/SITEWIDE/Icons/flag_new.gif) no-repeat center;padding-left:23px;text-decoration:none;position:static;} .icoNew:hover,.icoNew:visited:hover{text-decoration:none} .icoUpd{background:url(http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/SITEWIDE/Icons/flag_updated.gif) no-repeat center;padding-left:40px;text-decoration:none;position:static;} .icoUpd:hover,.icoUpd:visited:hover{text-decoration:none;} Skip navigation .
Greens split over roads vs. rails measure
The single-occupancy vehicle drivers need to pay for roads through tolls. If we want to get people out of their cars, we need to quit subsidizing them. The trucks that spew pollution and chew up the roads need to be paying their fair share, too. They say that they pay lots of taxes, but not enough to cover the REAL costs.Why should I pay MORE in taxes while working to cut my driving to almost nothing? Why am I now DOUBLE TAXED for my Flexcar membership, which is helping me cut my miles driven? How about tolls that not only pay ALL the expenses of roads, but additionally support mass transit and bicycle commuting options? And while we're at it, how about traffic laws, new, SAFE bike lanes, and facilities to encourage bicycle commuting--which is about the most eco friendly and efficient way to move people known to man? .
Apprentice hunting gains momentum
Virginia appears poised to join the swelling ranks of states easing a potential barrier to hunter recruitment. Separate Senate and House bills that would create an apprentice hunting license continue to fly through the General Assembly with bipartisan support. Assuming that the law change is signed by Gov. Tim Kaine, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries would still need to approve a regulation creating the license. However, it seems likely the agency would be able to get through that process in time for the rule to take effect by July 1, when other changes to game laws are set to go into effect. Both the Senate and House apprentice hunting license bills would create a two-year license that would give new hunters the one-time opportunity to take what amounts to a long-term test drive before they would be required to complete hunter education requirements.
AHH YEAR IN REVIEW 2007: American Gangster All-Star Review
It is still a good possibility that people can do different things and still be accepted commercially as well. I think that was a highlight for me. It's hard to tell if this is a classic, classics are defined by time. I don't know if it has that quality to it. I think for me it was more a refreshing kind of change of what was going with all the ringtone rapping. - JR Writer: No comment. - Mr. Collipark: Can I be honest with you? I didn't buy it. I tried to buy it once on I-Tunes (laughs). Quite honestly I don't go to the store that much. From what I heard so far though, I like it better compared to what I heard on the last album (Kingdome Come). That's why I probably didn't make a point to just go get that record feel me? I feel like music is going through something right now and for me I'm playing my old music.
|
