Ups & Down

Ups & Down

UP: To Pacific Bell, for putting a classic spin on a modern service. A brochure touting the telephone company’s new internet access asks the question, "Is your business geared up for the future?", then explains the benefits of the World Wide Web. Illustrating the flyer-and lending a touch of down-home realism to the heady subject-is a photo of a vintage Indian sidecar, accompanied by a caption encouraging newbies to log on to antiques@pacbell.net.

DOWN: To Tennessee Senator Carl Koella, for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident in which a motorcyclist was killed. According to witnesses, Koella was northbound on Route 321 south of Knoxville when he turned left into the path of an oncoming motorcycle. Hearing a sound, the senator stopped briefly to inspect his mini-van, but got back in and drove away after failing to notice the fatally injured rider! Koella subsequently was arraigned on charges of leaving the scene of a fatal accident-a misdemeanor-and now faces a $15 million wrongful-death lawsuit from the victim’s family.

UP: To AutoWeek, for its uplifting feature on handicapped racers. Included among the life-after-paralysis stories were those of motorcycle racers Wayne Rainey, David Bailey, Bruce Hammer and Shawn McDonald, plus Pro Circuit owner Mitch Payton. McDonald’s comments best sum up their collective outlook: “If a racer’s out there, and something happens to their car or motorcycle, they don’t just pull off the course. They always try to finish. It’s really the same with people in wheelchairs. Your situation has changed, but you’ve still got to finish with what you have underneath you.”