| Fiat Considering New Low-Cost Car
Italian automaker Fiat SpA said Tuesday it is considering whether it should develop a low-cost passenger car similar to ones made by French rival Renault SA. Fiat Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne, who spoke to reporters at the Geneva Motor Show, said the company was considering its own low-cost version similar to the Logan, which is marketed by Renault and made for the French company by its Romanian subsidiary, Dacia. The cars are also produced in Colombia, Iran, Morocco and Russia with plans to make them in India announced in 2006. Even though Fiat already has its Palio, a hatchback sold mostly in emerging markets and made in several countries under joint venture agreements, Marchionne said that there was a clear demand for such an inexpensive vehicle. "Our low-cost vehicle will be the new version of the Palio," Marchionne said.
Maternity Spas Give Birth To Trend
LAND - O' LAKES - With 3-D/4-D ultrasound technology, 26-year-old April Simons of Land O' Lakes was able to put a name to her baby's face. Simons, who is eight months' pregnant, decided with her husband, Robert, to name their son Tristan. They knew they were having a boy at 12 weeks. "There is so much more we know now," said Simons, who recently had an ultrasound for entertainment - not diagnostic purposes - at Look Who's Kickin' Ultrasounds. "My mom had one sonogram with me and they thought I was a boy. They did not have any clue 27 years ago. Now it's so enlightening." Look Who's Kickin', which opened in January in Land O' Lakes, is one of an increasing number of ultrasound and maternity spas that cater to pregnant women who are hoping for a sneak peek at their babies.
Polar Plunge a success for Special Olympics
Polar bears, hula girls, human ice cubes, even Elvis. Where else but the Polar Plunge can spectators spot this eclectic mix dying to take a wintry dip? About 900 brave souls turned out to Oshkosh's American Legion Saturday afternoon to plunge into an icy Lake Winnebago for the Special Olympics Wisconsin annual fundraising event. And more than 1,500 spectators stopped by to watch. Jumpers huddled in groups, dancing and jumping either to the lively music on the loud system or to keep warm in 26-degree weather. Don Goen, of Appleton, donned Elvis Presley digs goggles, plastic hair and a white suit for his first date with the chilly lake. "I'm 49 years old, and it's something I've been meaning to do," he said. Waiting in line among a rambunctious crowd, he didn't harbor any second thoughts.
Basking at Baden-Baden
Winter was getting old. True, the weather in Germany has been unseasonably mild, but certainly not balmy. And then theres the rain. I began daydreaming of warm beaches, but neither my girlfriend nor I had the vacation time or cash for that. Then I remembered there was an easier escape nearby: the elegant spa town of Baden-Baden. Since Roman times, people have gone to Baden-Baden to soak in the thermal water gushing from springs beneath the surrounding hills. Emperor Caracalla eased his rheumatism there in private baths, and soldiers enjoyed the spas public baths, the remains of which you can still see, at the renowned Roman-Irish Friedrichsbad. When the Friedrichsbad opened in 1877, it was Europes most modern and stylish bathhouse. Thats according to its brochure, at least, which had me sold with its quote from Mark Twain: Here at the Friedrichsbad, you lose track of time within 10 minutes and track of the world within 20.
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