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Pastimes : Clown-Free Zone... sorry, no clowns allowed -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Terry Maloney who wrote (302768)	2/26/2005 10:31:29 AM
From: maceng2	Respond to of 436258

No need to travel in those dangerous unarmoured H2 Hummers anymore.. guardian.co.uk The anti-missile armour comes as standard, sir Nick Paton Walsh in Moscow Saturday February 26, 2005 The Guardian It's not a car for nipping around town. But it might take more than an anti-tank missile to run you off the road. The Russian-made Kombat car has become a favourite of the country's nouveau riche elite - and Britons with a taste for heavy metal chic will soon have a chance to buy one. The St Petersburg manufacturers plan to market 100 of the luxury armoured cars in the UK to compete with the American Hummer. Compared to the US vehicle - a civilian version of the military Humvee - the Russian Kombat is bigger, faster, heavier and thirstier. The basic Kombat costs £82,000 but that soars to £180,000, depending on the thickness of armour plating required. Dmitri Parfenov, the designer, said the cheaper models offer defence "against AK47 and sniper rounds, while the most expensive protects passengers from 12.7mm heavy machine gun or anti-tank rounds". While weathering the attack, the driver can make use of the mini-bar, DVD player and TV screens. There is a navigation system to plot the appropriate escape route. The armour, thought to be considerably stronger than the latest standard military Humvee protection, is clearly designed for a particular type of client. Mr Parfenov said most of his customers were rich people. "You know the life of the rich [in Russia] is not very secure and many want a well-armoured car." He recalled an assassination in Moscow last year in which a bomb was placed on the roof of an advertising executive's car - the only weak spot in its armour - and killing all those inside. That could not happen with the Kombat, which has a double-lined armoured floor and windows 50-70mm thick. Since the first model was hand assembled in St Petersburg in March of last year, only nine custom-built vehicles have been sold to customers, ranging from a Russian shipbuilding millionaire to an aviation magnate. The Kombat is also about 50km per hour faster than its American competitor, and, because of its lower centre of gravity, is said to handle the road better. However, the Russians are not crowing. It seems that only the car's design is home-grown; it has an American engine, Finnish glass and Swedish armour. Mr Parfenov is visiting the UK next week to discuss an offer with a firm based near London, and said a Kombat could be assembled in the UK within months. Kombat Cost in Russia: £82,600 Weight: 3,150kg (light armour) 4,250kg (heavy armour) Top speed: 110mph Fuel consumption: 13 mpg Luxuries: TV and DVD player Hummer H2 Cost in Russia: £44,400 Weight: 2,132kg (no armour) Top speed: 80mph (old model) Fuel consumption: 13 mpg Luxuries: 6 CD player

To: Terry Maloney who wrote (302768)	2/26/2005 1:03:41 PM
From: patron_anejo_por_favor	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 436258

yahoo.reuters.com Computer tapes containing credit card records of U.S. Senators and more than a million U.S. government employees are missing, Bank of America said on Friday, putting the customers at increased risk of identity theft. Hmm, maybe Clowngress will get off their arses and do something to punish banks when credit security breaches occur, eh? We need a "privacy act" for banks and financial institutions...why let doctors have all the "fun"?