On a recent flight, I became aware of this car with an article in the inflight magazine on Continental. This new AMG is an impressive rig with some minor flaws. For a production run manufactured (albeit of 700 total) automobile of this heft to achieve zero to 60 in 4.4 seconds is an impressive feat in anyone’s book. Jordan’s (2nd below) article highlights that we are likely nearing the end of a performance era with oil reaching $100/barrel.
by Eric Tegler (Continental Airlines Magazine, December 2007)
Here’s the review by Michael Jordan, Executive Editor, from Edmunds Inside Line. You can bet he reserved this plum speed fix for himself…..
Your $136,000 Ticket to a Lap at the Nürburgring
“But this is not some big-block muscle car. AMG has built a genuine Mercedes-Benz track car, the kind of street-legal racer we’ve seen in the parking lot of the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife, where a $10.75 ticket entitles you to test your car against the classic racing circuit.”
The next time I’m in Germany, I think I’ll try to get that ticket punched. – S.
P.S. – Two other very notable autos:
2008 SRT10 Dodge Viper Coupe – 600 bhp
http://magazine.continental.com/content3419
2009 Corvette ZR1 – 620 bhp
Not Pretty – Indoor Winter Exercise
January 7, 2008
The long road home (in terms of relative fitness). I’m using a Kurt Kinetic Cycle Trainer in order to get my daily dose of good exercise.
This is what a cycle trainer looks like (from a recent cyclocross race at Alpensrose Dairy here in Portland):
I’m contemplating putting something up here as a log to ensure that I get on the trainer every day.
Recommendations for winter exercise
http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489
Get ready to race! A pic below from the amateur cyclocross race mentioned above in which our friend Tim competed (his first).
More imagery on the Portland Aerial Tram and Groenig
January 6, 2008
(home of the Portland Aerial Tram & wikipedia article plus photo link)
copyright 2008 by Matt Groenig of Portland, OR
On the night the January 5 back-to-back New Hampshire/ABC/Facebook debates – a look back to 2007
January 5, 2008
A fairly balanced political review from 2007 from Paul Kane of the Washington Post (from Dec. 22nd)
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2007/12/from_slow_bleed_to_larry_craig.html
With that, let’s look back at 2007 through the eyes of this blog, at what went wrong for both the Democrats and the Republicans, as a way of looking forward to what might come to pass in 2008:
The “Slow Bleed” moment. By mid-February Pelosi brought to the House floor a non-binding resolution that put the House on record opposing Bush’s troop surge of an additional 30,000 or so soldiers into Iraq. Many Republicans expected several dozen from their ranks to break away in what would have been a symbolic vote against the Iraq strategy. Instead, just 48 hours before the vote, the Politico’s John Bresnahan broke a story detailing Rep. John Murtha’s (D-Pa.) plan to force Bush out of Iraq, a strategy that Republicans dubbed the “slow bleed” plan. It was a galvanizing rally cry for the GOP. In the end, just 17 Republicans voted with Democrats against the surge, laying the groundwork for what would become a yearlong frustration for House and Senate Democrats who were stunned by how many Republicans stuck with Bush.
· With Friends Like These. The single greatest success for Democrats in 2007 was likely their oversight investigations in both chambers. From probes of the Pentagon’s handling of the death of NFL star-turned-special forces ace Pat Tillman to those missing White House e-mails of Karl Rove’s, Democrats made the administration take notice. And quite often Republicans were left to shrug their shoulders and agree. The probes of Alberto R. Gonzales’s firings of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 epitomized the zealous and efficient oversight by House and Senate Judiciary committees. On April 19, the attorney general appeared before the Senate panel to tell his side of the story. It was brutal. He stammered, he dodged, he pleaded ignorance, he pleaded and he pleaded. Finally, Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, the most conservative Senate Republican, told the beleaguered Gonzales he needed to “suffer the consequences” of those prosecutors. “I believe that the best way to put this behind us is your resignation,” he said. Stunningly, it took Gonzales four more months to realize his political capital in Washington was destroyed. He announced his resignation Aug. 27.
· “Expletive you” Immigration Showdown. The Senate devoted almost six weeks of its precious floor time to a tenuously crafted immigration reform compromise, which was backed by Bush, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Reid and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and spanning the ideological gamut. However, it became apparent the bill was doomed during private meeting McCain attended in mid-May. When a colleague questioned McCain’s commitment to the issue because he’d been away on the presidential campaign trail, the ex-Navy pilot cursed at his colleague and told him he knew more about the issue than anyone else in the room. McCain’s famous temper got the best of him. The immigration bill died in late June amid conservative backlash, and days later McCain’s presidential campaign apparatus unraveled as well, mired in debt and campaign disorder. He’s still in the race, but as a long shot, not the frontrunner.
· Iraq-around-the-clock. On the night of July 17 rolling into the morning of July 18, Reid pulled a stunt to illustrate to the anti-war voters that beating a GOP filibuster on Iraq funding issues was virtually impossible. The chamber debated the issue for 24 straight hours. Reid was unable to pick up GOP support when a vote on the Levin-Reed withdrawal language was held on day two. Like so many votes before and after, McConnell stymied the Democrats. And the anti-war base, judging from its reaction to this week’s award of $70 billion in unrestricted war funds, still does not understand why Reid can’t win on this issue.
· Retirements. In one fell swoop in early August, a group of veteran House Republicans all announced their intentions to resign rather than seek re-election next year, including former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). As much as Democrats have had trouble passing legislation, they continue to be in much greater political shape heading into next year because so many GOP veterans in both chambers have vacated seats Democrats now think they can win.
· The money chase. Not only are Republicans facing dire political straits because of retirements, they are also dramatically cash strapped compared to the Democrats. This week’s fundraising reports show the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee holding $31 million in cash, compared to just $2.3 million for the National Republican Congressional Committee. That will allow Democrats to go on the offensive next year.
· The “wide stance” defense. Hold up your hand if you could identify Larry Craig in a police lineup before his arrest and guilty plea for disorderly conduct in a men’s restroom? Now, the Idaho senator is a national laughingstock who refuses to resign. It surely was the you-won’t-believe-this-story of the year. Plus we all get to relive the storyline in Minneapolis at the Republican National Convention, kicking off Sept. 1, 2008 – the one-year anniversary of when Craig first pledged to resign in disgrace!
· Polling peril. In mid-November a Gallup Poll revealed what many inside the Capitol had known for months: that the public’s approval of the Congress was at historically low proportions. All sides of this argument can debate the causes for this low esteem – obstructionist Republicans, weak-kneed Democrats, Bush’s veto-pen intransigence – but the facts are the facts. The public doesn’t like what it saw this year.
· A Whole Lott of Dollars. Nothing may symbolize the state of Congress – the Republican Party, life in the minority and the overall lack of fun these days in the Capitol – more than Trent Lott’s retirement. The Mississippi Republican is not running from scandal, not running from a pending indictment. No, Lott just wants more money now, at 66, because he’s not having fun anymore in the Senate. He’s the first senator to ever leave midterm to become a lobbyist. In his farewell speech, after 35 years in the House and Senate, Lott thanked his colleagues and gave us all a lesson to follow. “I believe whatever you do in your life you should find a way to enjoy it and have fun. I have to say I have had fun in the Senate because I really enjoyed it. That is all there is to it,” he said.
Well, if that’s all there is to it, I hope I’ve measured up to that very standard. This blog, this year, has been fun for me. I hope it’s been fun for you readers as well. And, remember, keep commenting next year. It’s your blog, too. Happy New Year. –pk
By Paul Kane | December 22, 2007; 8:00 AM ET
From hard left field -
Whatever your political stance, you have to admire the tenacity of ”Tom Tomorrow.”
“2007: An incomplete, subjective, and altogether inadequate Year in Review – Part the First & Part the Second“
I’m working on finding a more balanced cartoon for this post as well. Please let me know if you know of one and the URL.
Saturday Musings from River City
January 5, 2008
This is a quiet morning for us here in Portland, OR after a late evening over at Patti and Lonnie’s with them, Kaitlin and Hailey before Kaitlin has to go back to Syracuse following her winter break. Lonnie kindly watched the sleeping kids last night and four of us snuck out to see The Golden Compass. This a really fun movie with great special effects based on the novel by Philip Pullman.
I thought you might enjoy these photos from The Oregonian (by Ross William Hamilton).
This lazy morning, we watched the excellent documentary by Judy Irving called The Wild Parrots of Telegraphy Hill about the parrots and the life of Mark Bittner. This is a must see movie for families.
There is a funny segment in the documentary where they show the Vesuvio Cafe in SF whose motto/mantra is “We are itching to get away from Portland, Oregon.”
The big, disappointing news from last evening was that the Dakar Rally has been cancelled due to a threat of terrorism. The teams from around the world were set to depart from Lisbon, Portugal today.
I have to concur with the analysis below. I’ve also included the official release from the race organization.
From Basem’s Motorcycle Blog -
The Dakar Rally is arguably the most grueling offroad competition in the world, a high profile, international event that draws some of the most talented motorcycle riders alive. Unfortunately, the Amaury Sport Association has announced that this year’s Lisbon to Dakar event– which was set to kick off this Saturday– is being canceled.
Citing Al-Qaeda’s murder of four French tourists last month, current political tensions, and direct threats from terrorist organizations, the ASO nonetheless asserts that “The Dakar is a symbol and nothing can destroy symbols.”
Rally organizers are to be applauded for their desire to protect participants, fans and journalists from danger, but it is a sad day when something as good spirited as motorcycle racing is affected by terrorism.
Photo © van Oers J. / KTM
Official Release (Communique Officiel de L’Organisation de l’Euromilhões Dakar 2008)
Lisbon, Portugal – Friday the 4th of January 2008
A.S.O. cancels the 2008 edition of the Dakar rally
After different exchanges with the French government – in particular the Ministry for Foreign Affairs – , and based on their firm recommendations, the organisers of the Dakar have taken the decision to cancel the 2008 edition of the rally, scheduled from the 5th to the 20th of January between Lisbon and Senegal’s capital.
Based on the current international political tension and the murder of four French tourists last 24th of December linked to a branch of Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb, but also and mainly the direct threats launched directly against the race by terrorist organisations, no other decision but the cancellation of the sporting event could be taken by A.S.O.
A.S.O.’s first responsibility is to guarantee the safety of all: that of the populations in the countries visited, of the amateur and professional competitors, of the technical assistance personnel, of the journalists, partners and rally collaborators. A.S.O. therefore reaffirms that the choice of security is not, has never been and will never be a subject of compromise at the heart of the Dakar rally.
A.S.O. condemns the terrorist menace that annihilates a year of hard work, engagement and passion for all the participants and the different actors of the world’s biggest off-road rally. Aware of the huge frustration, especially in Portugal, Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal, and beyond the general disappointment and the huge economical consequences in terms of direct and indirect repercussions for the countries visited, A.S.O. will continue to defend the major values of great sporting events and will carry on its engagement for a durable development through the Actions Dakar, started 5 years ago in sub-Saharan Africa with SOS Sahel International.
The Dakar is a symbol and nothing can destroy symbols. The cancellation of the 2008 edition does not endanger the future of the Dakar. To offer, for 2009 a new adventure to all the off-road rally passionate is a challenge that A.S.O. will take on in the months to come, faithful to its engagement and its passion for sports.
