Trackside Confessions
Francesco Gori shifts nervously in his cane-back seat, carefully surveying the scenes around him. Behind us, 50 or so U.S. dealers take hot laps around Pirelli’s Vizzola proving grounds. In front, testy caterers are tearing down tables and trying to stack chairs, including the two we’re occupying. The man in charge of Pirelli’s world-wide tire
Haydn to Shubert to Slone
Ah, it’s springtime! Flowers blossom. Warm breezes bring welcome relief from winter’s chill. And a young boy’s fancy turns to…singing in the world’s most famous choir. That’s what 11-year-old Ryan Slone is doing right now. Ryan and fellow Cincinnati Boychoir member, Donald Smith, 13, are full-fledged, sailor suit-wearing members of the Vienna Boys Choir –
Good Idea and the Law
As much as I dislike Bill Gates, I will give him credit: He sure knows how to get products registered. Microsoft wants its products on record to prevent piracy and build databases, not for any altruistic safety reason. Afterall, the worst thing a little software separation can cause is computer lock-up. Never heard of a
I Do. I Do.
Birds do it. Bees do it. Tire companies and dealers do it. Let’s do. Let’s fall in love! And now dealer associations are doing it. The most visible tire association nuptial, of course, is that of TANA and ITRA, now officially wed and the band’s ripping through "Daddy’s Little Girl" even as you read this.
One Should Mean One
Hindsight is a strange exercise in revisionist history. It’s always 20/20, even when dimmed vision clouds the reasons why things happened as they did. That’s why I shook my head when so many jumped on the it-shoulda-been-done-long-ago bandwagon after the proposed merger of TANA and ITRA was announced. Sure, it should’ve been done years ago,
Cleaning Day Notes
Well, it’s December and time to clear off the desk. So let’s get right to it:Contributions to The One Fund, the industry relief effort supporting the families of NYC emergency workers killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, has to-date reached just over $36,000. Toyo Tires, Nitto Tires, Tire Treads Inc., TRIB, and ITRA all made
One Way You Can Help
It’s not possible for any of us to return to our "normal" workaday lives. After the events of Sept. 11, the lives of so many will never be the same. Too much has happened to our world. Too much damage. Too much pain. The horrific loss of life, the suffering of innocents, the senselessness of
Mere Coincidences?
You don’t have to be deaf, dumb, blind or even nasally challenged to know there’s something really smelly about the Ford Explorer. Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. (BFS) has taken the brunt of the negative publicity, and suffered significant financial and perception damage, because of concerns that a "high" number of its tires failed on one particular vehicle.
In The Driver’s Ed Seat
Hi. My name is Jimmy, and I’m filling in for Dad this month.He asked me to write his column for him, so this becomes my Father’s Day gift – apparently he didn’t think a card was enough. With all the work he tells me he does, and the baseball coaching and stuff around the house,
Git Yer Red Hots Here!
When it all went down, the media called Bridgestone/Firestone’s split from Ford a "bitter divorce," comparing it to the Charles-Diana split. That little Brit spat was nothing. Not when you’re watching these companies go at it like two jealous cheerleaders slap-fighting in the school hallway. Lost in all the moaning about the end of a
Where’s The Smoking Gun???
Police detectives call it "the smoking gun." It’s that key piece of absolutely indisputable evidence that seals the case. The smoking gun is the perfect counter to any argument of innocence. Yet finding that bit of evidentiary nirvana is not as simple as the name implies. Sometimes it takes some serious digging and rooting and
The Weighty Issues of Law
Regulation and legislation. Usually the twin banes of industry. Due to current circumstances, top of mind in the tire biz. Two recent regulatory matters – one a serious directive from Europe, and the other a piece of knee-jerk silliness from South of the Mason-Dixon – demonstrate the yin-yang of legislative matters – some are good,