The biggest jewels

TORONTO, ONTARIO -- If a 605-horsepower, 390-cubic-inch all-aluminum V-10 engine, and a 6-speed transaxle with limited-slip differential works up a lather, then the Auto Show is for you. Even if projectile headlights don't make you quiver, you're likely to find plenty of interest. So it was when I joined two boys and their grandfather on a quest for automotive Shangri-la.

Making our way past vendors on the periphery, we finally reached the big top. General Motors was rolling out its show, complete with drum rolls, a performance biker, and a cheerleading MC. Beyond, other manufacturers diplayed their metallic jewels of dazzling mechanics. I was overwhelmed by a world to which I normally pay little mind. And I liked it.

I learned about hydrogen-powered cars, and sensors that alert a driver to obstables. I admired the va-va-voom of a Maseratti racer, and the discrete lines of an Aston Martin. I marvelled over concept cars of the future, and the marketing breadth of Volkswagen.

The Rabbit was back. And breeding.

Coming across a petting zoo of, why rabbits, we wished we weren't so old for the day care centre of which it formed a part. So we delighted in finding couches on which to view global ads of brilliant humour. One ad presented stereotypes, only to be discouraged by a Bavarian in lederhosen. Another ad showed alley cats hunting a VW, its puzzled driver unaware that Speedy González was mooning out the back window. We continued roaming and came across a Lucite factory, rolling out toy VW's on an "assembly line", to the delight of the young.

Marketing experts start them so early.





Car buffs welcomed here for more photos!

A valentine gone wrong

Somehow I don't think Valentine's Day cards will be exchanged this year between certain high flyers.

Unlike a siamese twin tomato, the case surrounding NASA astronaut, Lisa Marie Nowak, is more like an onion: multi-layered. Adding to it is speculation, including my own.

Of Nowak we know the most, which is not much. And of Colleen Shipman we know a lot less. But what about Bill Oefelein? Why is his story so under wraps? Could it be on account of his reported cooperation with the police? And might that be giving him protection from the media? Or protection, period?

I wouldn't mind knowing what Stud Muffin did to cause such a meltdown in a 'less than romantic' partner. Or how the threesome evolved. Nor would I mind knowing whether Billy-O played emotional games. That is, to maintain the intoxicating effect of having two women interested in him.

And what about Nowak's marriage? Was it crumbling before or after her path crossed with the flicker of hope for a more exciting partner? Or was she simply delusional?

Certainly the issue is complex, made worse by damning evidence. Which makes you wonder. With all of Nowak's meticulous planning for her trip from Houston to Orlando, why would she not have taken a minute to think about her children and their legacy?

"Cold, eh?"

NORTH YORK, ONTARIO -- It's taken me decades to get used to northern winters. And to understand why Canadians normally start a conversation with a remark on the weather. But I have a long way to go before I spend hours in the bitter cold to perfect a winter sport. That's why I salute those who exert their muscles in wind chill factors of minus 20 degrees Centigrade. Especially new Canadians from warmer climes. In borrowed or oversized skates, they slip, they slide, they stumble, they fall. And each time, they pick themselves up, ready again to master the ice under two blades. These are the determined, determined to make it 'round an outdoor rink with no handrails. Determined to make a new life for themselves in their adopted homeland. To you: Three cheers! Chapeau!








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