Latest news with #HannibalLecter
Auto Express
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Has BMW built the ultimate estate car?
Normally we'd think that the idea of a hardcore version of a practical estate car would be a little daft, but the small number of improvements to the CS model not only make it faster and more exciting than the standard M3 Touring, but better to live with every day, too. A more supple ride combined with even more devastating pace on track – plus the bonus of maintaining room for five and a 500-litre boot – means that this is about as close as things get to a car that can do it all. Advertisement - Article continues below This is the BMW M3 CS Touring: a car which shows that M division isn't shy in sparing its more practically minded customers the chance to access the CS experience. And if the past CS models are anything to go by, they're in for a treat. From the previous generations of the M2 and M5, plus the current M3 saloon and M4 coupé, those two letters have come to represent the sweet spot in their respective M car ranges; more performance, more ability, but not really at the expense of comfort. Not that the styling would have you believe that – the CS takes an already intimidating looking M3 and turns up the menace to a level that makes Hannibal Lecter look a bit meek. That huge front grille has been opened up further with fewer elements inside, and is bordered with a narrow red pinstripe. The same goes for the intakes either side, which are flanked by an enlarged front splitter, which, like the deeply sculpted bonnet, is made from carbon fibre. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below View M3 View M3 View M3 View M3 Staggered alloy wheels (19 inches in diameter at the front, 20 inches at the back) save 1kg per corner over a standard M3's rims and are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. At the back, the changes are rounded off by a carbon fibre diffuser, CS badging plus a subtle red stripe on the trailing edge of the boot spoiler. Advertisement - Article continues below Configure your perfect BMW M3 through our Find A Car service now. Alternatively, check out the best deals out there on a new BMW M3 from stock or top prices on used BMW M3 models... Inside, there are more changes to trim weight. The centre console is all new; the carbon fibre unit loses a little storage compared to the standard car's, while the carbon fibre bucket seats – usually an option on other M3 cars – are standard on the CS. Those seats are still something of a bone of contention. They certainly look dramatic, but a hump in the seat base between the thighs can get in the way, especially for those who left-foot brake – something that isn't beyond the imagination of the driver of a car that, as we'll soon see, is more than capable of holding its own on a track. Combined with a high dashboard line relative to the seating position, plus an Alcantara-trimmed steering wheel that some drivers will find doesn't quite adjust low enough, and the driving position feeling a little compromised. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below The criticisms of the CS pretty much end there, though, because when it comes to the mechanical changes, BMW has judged things brilliantly. Advertisement - Article continues below M division hasn't done anything wild here, but a series of subtle upgrades all start to add up. Those weight-reduction measures, for example, save just 15kg – pretty much impossible to notice in the context of a 1,925kg car – but they're a step in the right direction nonetheless. Likewise, individual chassis upgrades are very subtle. The suspension gains springs that are slightly stiffer than those of the M3 Competition, the dampers are tuned to complement them, while the antiroll bar droplinks are rose jointed. Strut braces help to add just a touch more body rigidity at the front, stiffer engine mounts aim to improve body control, while the software for the braking system has been adjusted. Our test car was equipped with carbon ceramic discs – a hefty £8,800 option. The M3 has never been short of power, but some minor changes to the 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight six, including engine management tweaks and a titanium exhaust back box, have liberated an extra 20bhp, taking the total to 542bhp. Torque stands at 650Nm, with drive, much like the Competition, going to all four wheels. We had the opportunity to drive the CS on the road and then track, with BMW providing us with a M3 Competition Touring on-road for a back-to-back comparison. While the changes between the two are minor, almost all of the differences swing in favour of the CS. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Some of those changes are unexpected, too. The first thing you notice is that the standard Competition fidgets a little over low-speed bumps, but this is much more suppressed in the CS. Over larger bumps, there's a touch less side-to-side movement, too. So while people might not expect to turn to a more hardcore model for more comfort, the CS is slightly more compliant than the standard car. Appreciating the difference of those extra 20 horses and 15 fewer kilos isn't something that'll present itself during on-road driving every day, but the extra grip of the more sticky tyres also weighs in, and the result is a car that delivers staggering point-to-point pace on dry roads. The grip is one thing, but the CS also has the poise, balance and composure to make the most of it. Point it into a corner and it simply sticks. Jump on the accelerator pedal, and all 542bhp slingshots you out of the corner and onto the next straight with phenomenal traction. Officially, 0-62mph takes 3.5 seconds, and we don't have the slightest reason to dispute that. The noise of that titanium exhaust lends the M3 some extra rasp that adds a touch more excitement to an already angry yet tuneful engine note. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below This is a car, then, that's so quick over almost any ground that you'll need a track to make the most of it. Thruxton, where we drove it, proves to be a huge challenge for any road car; it's hugely fast, yet there's hardly a straight bit of tarmac anywhere. This makes braking tricky; getting slowed down for the first complex starts as the car is loaded up in the previous left-hander, requiring a deft feeling on the left pedal – plus body control that isn't going to cause any nasty surprises. It's in these situations that you'd never believe that you're pushing an estate car around so quickly, until you glance over your shoulder and see the spacious cabin behind. While there's a lot of mass at play, the response from the brakes, allied to a chassis that feels neatly balanced front to rear, means that you can trust the car implicitly. That stability enables the brakes to be eased off through the turn – one way of trying to mitigate a touch of understeer that appears as you really lean hard on the front axle. We'd like a little more feedback through the wheel to really feel when that limit is arriving, though. Of course, the other way to deal with overloaded front tyres is to use that huge power to push the car around from the rear. The engine has so much effortless grunt from low down that there's always power to play with, and the torque arrives so progressively that the throttle can be metered out really precisely. Coming from the right of Campbell into the left at Cobb, the direction change is superb, with a pointy front end helping the CS switch like a car that feels much lighter. Emerging onto the faster sections of track, it delivers incredible grip, and while that steering still lacks a little information, it loads up nicely as the speed builds. Tackle the staggeringly fast Church corner and the M3's poise once again comes to the fore, with the speed building towards the final chicane, while the carbon brakes deliver relentless stopping power and show no signs of fade. And all of this in an estate car. At £120,600, it may not be cheap, but it would be a very fun way to embarrass some much more exotic machinery at a track day. Above all else, it's still got a boot large enough to bring a set of spare wheels and tyres for the journey home, too. Model: BMW M3 CS Touring Price from: £120,600 Powertrain: 3.0-litre twin-turbo 6cyl Power/torque: 542bhp/650Nm Transmission: Eight-speed auto, four-wheel drive 0-62mph: 3.5 seconds Top speed: 186mph Economy: 26.9mpg CO2: 240g/km Size (L/W/H): 4,796/1,447/1,918/mm On sale: Now Share this on Twitter Share this on Facebook Email Hyundai reduces prices across its entire EV range Hyundai reduces prices across its entire EV range Korean brand acts swiftly to cut prices on all its electric cars, amid confusion over Government's grant scheme Congestion Charge EV exemption removal to generate over £75million per year Congestion Charge EV exemption removal to generate over £75million per year TfL is planning to raise the Congestion Charge to £18, and EV drivers will have to pay too Dacia's baby EV due in 12 months with a tiny £15k price tag Dacia's baby EV due in 12 months with a tiny £15k price tag Dacia's new model will be developed in double-quick time, and it'll be built in Europe to avoid China tariffs
Scotsman
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
I'm not warming to the new 'taps aff' look, thanks chaps
Roy Scheider in a scene from "Jaws." (Peacock/Universal Pictures via AP) Looks like we're heading for a scorchio weekend in the city, so you can bet the beaches of Porty are going to look like some barbeque for Hannibal Lecter. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... This is a relatively recent phenomenon. There was a time when a gentleman barely revealed an ankle below a rolled up trouser leg for a paddle on the shore. Now it's a full-on naked torso display of rolling blubber for a waddle to the shops. Please, boys, put it away or leave it for the beach. The water quality might be dodgy, but that doesn't stop Scots frollicking in the waves. But climate change might. Our waters are getting warmer, they say, although there are those who would dispute that. We swim with wooly hats on. That tells you something. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As the waters warm, new visitors have been spotted off our coasts. Tuna, sunfish and even a short-spined sea scorpion. No idea what that is, but willing to bet there's a chippy somewhere willing to batter and deep-fry it. Beware running into the sea, you never know what you'll find. Or what will find you. Any adult over the age of 45 still lives in fear of standing chest deep in water and feeling something brush against their leg. Guarantee you they hear that two note drone in their heads because they were traumatised by the opening of the greatest (possibly only) shark film ever. It's exactly 50 years since the release of the film 'Jaws', but the shock has never worn off. I'm telling you, climate changed warming seas might lure one of those big beasties up in the Forth. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Just sayin', 'taps aff' lads. You'd look like a buffet to a mildly lost and slightly baffled Great White. Doubtless there are those who will don the swimming cossie and take the plunge. I may even pull on the trusty old one-piece myself. I don't do bikinis. I am a considerate swimmer. No-one needs to see what lies beneath the sweatshirt. Would that others were so thoughtful on sunny days, and yes, chaps, I am looking at you and your habit of 'taps aff'.
Washington Post
02-07-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Thank you for your attention to this column!
Have you been tracking matters for which the president requests your attention? Take my quiz to find out. President Donald Trump's political approach doesn't leave much to the imagination. There are few nuances and essentially no subtleties. To the extent that there are quiet discussions and behind-the-scenes polling, those discussions and polls aren't quiet or behind-the-scenes for long, given Trump's predilection for loudly announcing whatever is on his mind. Instead, Trump's approach to politics mirrors his approach to business. He develops marketing pitches and tests them out on an audience (people at a rally, people on social media, people at a Cabinet meeting). Things that work become part of his standard patter. He keeps his eye on the end goal — promoting himself and his agenda — and customizes everything around it. Sign up for the How to Read This Chart newsletter Subscribe to How to Read This Chart, a weekly dive into the data behind the news. Each Saturday, Opinions columnist Philip Bump makes and breaks down charts explaining the latest in economics, pop culture, politics and more. Previous Next Sometimes, strange little artifacts work their way into his rhetoric, often for no other reason than that they unexpectedly attracted attention. His odd references to Hannibal Lecter, for example, continued well into the 2024 campaign in part because so many people were wondering why on earth he kept talking about Hannibal Lecter. More recently, Trump has begun including a similarly weird coda in his social media posts. Here, for example, is something he wrote in March: ''I just finished speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney, of Canada. It was an extremely productive call, we agree on many things, and will be meeting immediately after Canada's upcoming Election to work on elements of Politics, Business, and all other factors, that will end up being great for both the United States of America and Canada. Thank you for your attention to this matter!'' At the end of an otherwise uninteresting (and characteristically dubious) message about a conversation with a foreign leader, Trump tacked on that odd little addendum: 'Thank you for your attention to this matter!' Thank … whom? Carney? Whatever random user on Truth Social is reading it? And … why? It's as though Trump has come to believe that these posts are equivalent to the past-due notices he must occasionally send to delinquent Mar-a-Lago members. He's used this formulation sporadically over the years but has really ramped it up in recent months. Last month, for example, he used it on 17 occasions, up from 14 in May and 14 over the three months before that. In other words, the rate at which we are meant to be giving different matters our attention is increasing. Given that, and given that you no doubt wish to accede to the president's wishes, I put together a brief interactive quiz to measure if you were in fact paying attention to the matters to which Trump directed your attention. Below, you'll be presented with 10 subjects from Trump Truth Social posts over the past few months and asked to select which ones received your attention. I've included some that Trump didn't identify as matters to which you should be attentive; can you suss out the red herrings? I will note that the summaries shown are my distillations of Trump's claims and, as with anything Trump claims, should not be taken as literal or true. They're just Matters Trump Was Talking About, and in some cases Matters For Which Your Attention Was Sought. They are not necessarily Matters That Exist In Reality. Which of these matters identified by Trump were you paying attention to? Select all that apply, then click the button below. It may have been illegal for popular musicians to support Kamala Harris. Congress should pass the "No Tax Dollars for Riots" legislation. Thanks to the Emir of Qatar for his work seeking peace. Cost-cutting Republican lawmakers should remember that they need to get reelected. Trump is extending a pause on tariffs applied to the European Union. China can buy oil from Iran. Saying that Trump wants to give Iran money is a hoax. Trump is recommending a 50 percent tariff on the European Union. India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire. The New York Times and CNN were caught cheating. That's all I was paying attention to The number of points you can score varies depending on the 10 'matters' randomly included on the list. And, as you may have noticed, you can get a negative score — if you failed to offer your attention to matters toward which the president gratefully directed you. This whole enterprise does raise a question that I can't quite dislodge no matter how hard I try: Would Trump himself get a perfect score on the quiz? Would he remember which things he'd felt were deserving of the phrase? Or is it, like his habit of occasionally signing his name to his posts, simply something that became A Thing That Sometimes Concludes Messages and which has seeped into his presidential missives? If you for some reason happen to have the opportunity to present this quiz to him, please let me know how he scores. Thank you for your attention to this subject.
Irish Independent
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Was a cluster of serial killers in the north-east US partly caused by industrial toxins, a new book asks
Non-fiction A recent rewatch of Se7en, David Lynch's 1995 thriller, was a reminder of a strange time in western culture: when serial killers were all the rage. From the mid-1980s to mid-1990s, these monsters and their 'Grand Guignol' crimes were everywhere. Every second movie had a serial killer villain, as did TV phenomenon Twin Peaks; American Psycho and Hannibal Lecter were literary sensations. Even bands got in the act: Antrim rockers Therapy? with Trigger Inside, off the Troublegum album, U2 with Exit from The Joshua Tree.
Scotsman
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Brian Cox one man show ticket presales and prices: Here's how to get tickets to see the Succession actor talk about his life and career in 'It's All About Me!'
Brian Cox is embarking on a UK tour. | Contributed One of Scotland's most beloved actors will be telling stories from his long and successful career. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... From playing Dr. Hannibal Lecter to winning a Golden Globe for his performance as Logan Roy in Succession, Dundoneon actor Brian Cox has done it all - and is now heading out on the road armed with a killer set of anecdotes. Born in Dundee in 1946, Cox was educated at St Mary's Forebank Primary School and St Michael's Junior Secondary School, but left full time education at the age of 15. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He worked at Dundee's Repertory Theatre for a couple of years, before training as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. His acting career started at the Dundee Rep at the age of 14 and was later a founder member of Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre , performing in its debut show, The Servant O' Twa Maisters, in 1965. He continued to excel in the theatre, with seasons at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre – where he played King Lear to great critical acclaim. Film success followed, notably when he became the first actor to play Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter, and supporting roles in Rob Roy (1995) and Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning Braveheart . Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Other major movie roles include The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Boxer, Rushmore, The Bourne Identity, The Ring, Troy, The Bourne Supremacy , Red Eye, Zodiac, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Coriolanus, Churchill and Remember Me. Television roles include Bob Servant, Deadwood and a guest appearance on Frasier that earned him an Emmy nomination – while his role as Hermann Göring in Nuremberg won him the Primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series. Other accolades include two Olivier Awards, a Golden Globe Award, as BAFTA nomination, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Empire Icon Award, the BAFTA Scotland Outstanding Achievement Award, and a CBE. In recent years he's become best known for playing sweary patriarch billionaire Logan Roy in four series of Succession. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And this summer he's appearing at the Edinburgh International Festival in Make it Happen, where he'll be playing the ghost of Scottish economist Adam Smith. He'll then follow this up by touring his first ever one-man show, It's All About Me!, in the autumn and there's good news for Scottish fans - with dates in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Here's everything you need to know to bag a ticket. When is Brian Cox playing Edinburgh and Dundee? Brian Cox will bring his show to Edinburgh's Playhouse on Sunday, June 5, then Dundee's Caird Hall on Wednesday, June 8. What is the show about? Entitled It's All About Me!, 'Brian will take audiences on a journey through his life and incredible career - from the backstreets of Dundee to the glittering lights of Hollywood - a journey that is full of laughter and pathos. Expect candour, searing honesty, and hilarious stories. In act two, Brian will be joined on stage by producer Clive Tulloh, who will put questions from the audience to him.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad When do tickets for Brian Cox go on general sale? Tickets for both the Edinburgh and Dundee shows go on sale here at 10am on Wednesday, June 25. Are there any presales for Brian Cox's Scottish shows? There are no presales for the shows - everybody will have the same chance of getting tickets when they go on general sale. How much are tickets to see Brian Cox? Tickets for his Liverpool show are priced at £53/£47/£42/£37 depending on the seats. Expect Edinburgh and Dundee to be priced similarly. What other dates is Brian Cox playing on his UK tour? Here's the full tour schedule: 1 October: Northampton, Royal & Derngate Theatre 2 October: Bristol Hippodrome 3 October: Ipswich, Regent Theatre 5 October: Edinburgh Playhouse 6 October: Dublin, National Concert Hall 7 October: Belfast, Waterfront Hall 8 October: Dundee, Caird Hall 12 October: Brighton Dome 14 October: Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall 15 October: Oxford, New Theatre 17 October: Plymouth, Pavilions 20 October: Southend, Cliffs Pavilion 22 October: Bournemouth, BIC 24 October: Newcastle, Tyne Theatre 26 October: Liverpool Philharmonic 27 October: Manchester, Bridgewater Hall 28 October: York, Barbican Theatre 4 November: London, Adelphi Theatre What has Brian Cox said about the tour?
