A Piece of Valentino Rossi's Yamaha M1 for your Very Own

What would you do to own something that’s been used by the amazing Valentino Rossi? Just about anything? I agree. Similar to collecting art, or motorcycle’s, or say...art deco perfume bottles. But for those of us passionately rooted to the MotoGP and its phenomenon Rossi, this would be a most amazing prize. And one that as you read further, is born from simple good will.

On April 6th two parts of Valentino Rossi’s title-winning 2009 Yamaha M1 MotoGP racer tail piece will be auctioned off to help the victims of the L'Aquila earthquake. If you recall the time of Qatar opener last year, the quake struck the region of L’Abruzzo. At its tragic anniversary, now one year later, the auction will occur. Its aim to continue to provide assistance to the victims and the community.

“There’s a bit of Abruzzo in my ninth world title,” said Rossi “I’ve never forgotten the images of the earthquake and the immense tragedy that followed. This is a way to tell the people that we haven’t forgotten, and we want to support the reconstruction of the city of L’Aquila and the neighbouring towns destroyed by the quake. It’s also an invitation to focus on young people, on students to help this land and its extraordinary people and get them up and running again. We’re going to be auctioning the two parts of the tail section of the Yamaha that I used in Qatar. In that race in April, to show my closeness to the population affected by the earthquake, I put the “Forza Abruzzo” sticker on my Yamaha”, he stated. (*source Rossi press release)

The tail section has been cut into two and both halves are autographed by Rossi!
You’ve got until 5 April 10 am CET (Central European Time) to register on the website and place your bid. Its in Italian yet simple to navigate.

That Rossi, a champion in every way!
Good luck!

Followers

Hello again.

You might have noticed that on the right-hand side of the page there is a section titled "followers"

I am delighted to see that there has been for some time a "follower" and would be most happy if one or two of the regulars would register as followers.

The reason I mention this is that today I have a new follower who is not welcome. I received a comment today from this person, apparently in response to my most recent post about the aircraft. The "comment" was a rant in Spanish I think, about the parents of the missing Madeleine McCann. Strange to say (!) I rejected the comment and deleted it from my email inbox.

So please, please, register as a "follower to help swamp out this conspiracy-theorist spammer. Unfortunately there seems to be no way to remove this turd from my blog!

Thanks in advance,

A bientôt.

Kuwaiti Pink Cabs Strictly for Women.

It’s a rare thing that I discuss a topic involving autos—but the news that Kuwait’s roads will shortly be accented with bright pink cabs is certainly worth mentioning. Yes, these hot pink taxis will soon make their debut on the roads of Kuwait--each one driven by a woman, available only for female customers!

Bedoor Al-Mutairi the female business mind behind the project expects her ambitious concept to succeed because many women need to feel secure in their transportation.For women in Kuwait, travel has always been a problem. Female drivers travelling on their own or with female friends are regularly hassled, even followed by men wanting their phone numbers—going as far as knocking on car windows. Even male cab drivers have been known to kidnap their paying female customers and sell them to brothels!

Al-Mutairi hopes to spare women the hassles with her taxi solution referred to as “Eve Taxi”. The concept follows examples set in a number of Arab and Islamic countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Bangladesh. Even Britain, Spain and Mexico implemented similar transportation programs—even with the fact that these locations are much more liberal.

Hopes are high that the pink taxis will help women in Kuwait travel more easily, with more freedom of movement. They really are the solution for women who hesitate to travel alone.

The program however is taking much criticism in Kuwait. Many say the pink taxis go against everything feminists have been fighting for in the Middle East being equal rights. Others say pink taxicabs are but a clever marketing tool to exploit the fears of women and make money. And others see the pink cabs as a disaster waiting to happen given the chase that some men put on when pursuing women on the streets of Kuwait, with one Kuwait blogger stating-- “Since the taxis are bright pink and for ladies only, it should make life a lot easier for the guys--it’s like waving a red cape in front of a bull.”

It seems this initiative comes from the right place with Bedoor Al-Mutairi’ aim to assist women's needs and the challenging circumstances Kuwaiti women face travelling alone. Let’s hope this helps.