- Some of you were skeptical when a make a tongue-in-cheek prediction that eventually, every Toyota vehicle ever produced would eventually be recalled for some potentially deadly flaw in its design. Well, allow me to inform you of the next step toward my vision becoming reality. A Transportation Department official stated Wednesday that the department plans to open a formal investigation into the 2009-2010 Toyota Corolla over potential problems with the car's power steering. The investigation didn’t officially commence until today, so the official spoke on the condition of anonymity because Toyota had not yet been notified of the planned probe. Toyota did announce earlier in the day Wednesday that it was investigating complaints of power steering problems with the Corolla and was considering a recall. The company claimed that there have been fewer than 100 complaints, but the government clearly feels it’s enough of an issue to dig deeper. I would agree, given the fact that drivers who complained of power-steering issues said they felt they were losing control over the steering, particularly at highway speeds. Hmm, think losing control of your steering wheel at 65 mph is much of a problem? With Toyota selling nearly 1.3 million Corollas worldwide last year, including nearly 300,000 in the United States, this is something that Toyota should feel free to address any time now. Shinichi Sasaki, Toyota’s executive in charge of quality control (talk about not getting the job done lately), said drivers may feel as though they are losing control over the steering, but at this point, Toyota is not sure exactly why. Thanks for the reassurance, S. All Sasaki could offer were theories about how problems with the braking system or tires might be the underlying causes for the problem. Oh, and in a truly magnanimous gesture, Sasaki promised that the company was prepared to fix any defects it finds. Very big of you, Toyota. But at least you are confident that you can fix this issue, which is a marked improvement over your mystified reaction to the initial occurrence of issues with your company’s Gas Pedal of Death that led to a massive recall. The power-steering issue could also lead to a recall, although no official decision has been made. In one final bit of Toyota-related news, company president Akio Toyoda said would consider appearing at congressional hearings next week in Washington after being officially “invited” by the committee looking into his company’s ever-growing stable of death machines on wheels. Hope you can make it, A., because it should be one heck of a show………….
- With one alleged murderer on their team (sorry Ray Lewis, but you were once accused of killing a dude in Atlanta), the Baltimore Ravens must have asked themselves, “Why not add a second one, but this time, a guy who for sure killed another person?” They got their man Wednesday, inking wide receiver Donte' Stallworth to a one-year contract as he seeks to resurrect a career that was halted by a manslaughter conviction. You may remember Stallworth getting drunk off his ass, getting behind the wheel of his luxury car and striking and killing Miami construction worker Mario Reyes back in 2008. Somehow, the taking of another person’s life only necessitated Stallworth serving 24 days of a 30-day sentence in a Miami jail. He was released from jail and then released by the Cleveland Browns, with whom he played only one lackluster season. He also spent this past season suspended by the NFL for violating the league's personal-conduct policy after pleading guilty to a DUI vehicular manslaughter charge, but reinstated once the season ended. Now, he’s been handed a contract worth $900,000, with an additional $300,000 in incentives, at a time when he should still be sitting in jail for senselessly and indefensibly ending the life of another person. "There was a time I felt the mistake I made was the end of the world for me," Stallworth said in a statement. "I will never get that morning back. It weighs on me every day and will for the rest of my life. What I can do is move forward, try to be a better person, try to convince others not to do what I did and warn others about the dangers of drinking and driving. I have to show otherwise that what happened doesn't reflect who I am.” All of that is great and you should feel like crap, but you shouldn’t feel like crap while potentially earning seven figures and playing professional sports for a living as a free man. No, you should be wearing an orange jumpsuit for another five years minimum, working out in the prison yard instead of an NFL team’s weight room and eating your meals at a table bolted to the floor and off of a plastic cafeteria-style tray instead of grubbing from the post-game buffet in the Ravens’ locker room. I also fault the Ravens because while I appreciate giving people second chances, this goes above and beyond that. Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome is a great guy by all accounts but inking a confirmed killer to his roster doesn’t exactly scream high-character organization. "We've given a lot of thought to this and we've done extensive research into Donte' beyond football," Newsome said. "He made a huge mistake. There's no doubt about that. He has paid a significant price for that and, as he has said, he carries a heavy weight. As [Ravens owner] Steve [Bisciotti] has said, we believe in second chances, and Donte' does deserve that.” I believe it too, Oz, just not at this point in time. And if another five years in prison would have meant that Stallworth never played another down in the NFL, so be it. He took a ginormous dump on that privilege when he made the decision to order about four drinks too many at that hotel bar in Miami and get behind the wheel. The judicial system and the Ravens both dropped the ball on this one and I for one will be rooting against Stallworth every down of his NFL career from here on out…………
- Adventure and archaeological travelers, good news for all of you: Peru's ancient Inca ruins of Machu Picchu should reopen April 1, more than two months after rain stranded hundreds of tourists at the mountain-top site. Back in January, torrential downpours set off mudslides that cut off roads and blocked a rail line between Machu Picchu and the nearby city of Cusco. The government has finally decided that water levels at the Vilcanota River have receded enough to allow repairs to the rail line, said Martin Perez, head of Peru's Ministry of Exterior Commerce and Tourism. "We expect that starting April 1, we will start to receive the millions of tourists who always have come," he said Tuesday. At the time of the mudslides, officials had to use helicopters to evacuate more than 1,000 stranded tourists. The effects of the mudslides extended beyond tourists and all told, authorities estimated that 10,000 people were affected by the rain and 2,000 homes were ruined near Machu Picchu by the mudslides and flooding. Additionally, seven deaths were reported. While respecting those who lost their lives and also those who have been displaced from their homes by this tragic incident, it is good to see an amazing site like Machu Picchu reopen because it does bring a lot of tourists to the region and their spending is definitely a key cog in the region’s economy. And if you have any doubt about how cool this place is, just Google some images or videos of it and see for yourself. If it looks that awesome through the lens of someone’s camera just multiply that shock value by about 1,000 when you see it in person and you’ll have an accurate idea of how great it is…………
- Here is a decision that goes against everything that St. Patrick’s Day stands for and what makes it such a great holiday. The town of New Haven, Conn., home to Yale University, has decided that the consumption of alcoholic beverages at its annual St. Patrick’s Day parade is forbidden. Police will be ticketing anyone who dares to consume alcohol in public at the parade, which travels down Chapel and Church Streets in New Haven. This is particularly despicable because in the past, St. Patrick's Day was one of the only days of the year when people could get away with bringing their own booze and having a party along Chapel Street. Yet the authorities have decided that they can no longer look the other way on drinking at the parade and must ram a ginormous stick up their collective ass instead. . "It's getting to the point where it has gotten out of control," said New Haven assistant police chief Ken Gillespie. "It's not people having a beer, it's people coming out staggering drunk and causing problems.” See, that’s an issue right there. It’s freaking St. Patrick’s Day, so what problems could possibly be posed by peoeple who are falling-down drunk? If anything, they will add to the festivity and fun of the parade. The city plans to put in an extra 50 police officers on the streets to ticket and or arrest people who have open containers. What that means, everyone, is that you’re going to need to be much more creative when it comes to finding ways to stash your booze. My best advice is to find a container that looks like something your kids would drink out of, say a thermos featuring Dora the Explrorer or Hannah Montana, and using to hide the alcohol. If you don’t have a child, simply stand near a family that does have kids. No one is going to think that a guy with a Blues Clues thermos standing next to a stroller with an infant in it is downing a fifth of Jack Daniels. Another possible solution is to avoid the parade all together because parades are lame, but if you absolutely must go because there is nothing else to do in a craphole of a town like New Haven, heed my advice and be wise about hiding your liquor……….
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