Even Bond can't save Aston Martin

I was excited to see the (awfully titled) new Bond film, "Quantum of Solace". It kept the pace started by "Casino Royale", but the storyline got a bit fragmented. And, although we all love Aston Martins, the opening car chase scene couldn't compete with the acrobatic wow-factor of the parkour stunts in "Casino Royale!" Respect to the French...



0-60 in 4.1 seconds The thing that I remember most about the "Quantum of Solace" was the news the day after my cinema jaunt...Aston Martin announced it laid off 600 workers in Warwickshire, UK. That's 1/3 of its workforce! Even the rich are postponing their luxury toys?! Wow.

Roll on...November - it's 007 time

Not a world exclusive, but definitely a sneaky peek. "Quantum of Solace" is a daft name, but Craig is the new Bond we're lovin'!

Eco-friendly transport

If the gas (petrol) prices are getting you down, check out parkour. It might just be the alternative mode of transport you've been looking for!

I don't remember the first time I saw parkour, but the majority of Britons were introduced to it through a BBC1 TV ident featuring one of its creators, David Belle. Parkour is now considered a sport with its system of leaps, vaults, rolls, and landings that are combined to help an (athletic) person get around town.

"David Belle moved to Lisses, a suburb of Paris, at the age of fourteen. Inspired by his father, an acrobat and fireman, and by the French sports theorist Georges Hébert, he began performing stunts on a nearby climbing wall. Through online videos, his sport, whose name he coined, caught on internationally."

Mais oui Since Belle lives in Paris as does parkour's co-founder, Sebastian Foucan, it's no surprise the most inspiring films are from zee French who've embraced it! (Don't front...our own 007 featured Foucan too in the last Bond film.)

These films will give you vertigo! Seriously. Hold onto your armchairs!