Names and faces

— The self-proclaimed “America’s Toughest Sheriff ” joined forces this weekend with action movie star Steven Seagal to train volunteer armed posse members to defend Phoenix-area schools against gunmen. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio announced the plan in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting that left 27 people dead, including the gunman and 20 first-graders. The exercise took place Saturday at a closed school site in suburban Fountain Hills, outside Phoenix, where sheriff’s special weapons and tactics team members acted as shooters and teenagers played the part of students during mock scenarios involving up to three gunmen. Seagal, best known for his roles in movies such as Above the Law and Under Siege, led training on hand to-hand defense tactics, among other techniques, drawing from his expertise in martial arts, according to a sheriff’s office news release.Arpaio’s office didn’t respond to requests for comment Friday and Saturday, and Seagal representatives also did not return telephone messages from The Associated Press.

It took more than a year - and more than $1.4 million - to get Mr. Bean actor Rowan Atkinson’s rare McLaren F1 up and running after a 2011 crash that left him with a badly damaged shoulder. The high-performance car needed specialist care - it took weeks just to get a proper insurance estimate. Ben Stagg, specialty insurer with RK Harrison, said the quality components used to make an F1 are one reason the repair costs were so high. “All modern supercars are predominantly carbon fiber - most Lamborghinis, most Ferraris - and the smallest ding in carbon fiber is a big repair job,” he said. “And part of the engine bay is gold, that’s the best heat conductor.” He said many owners baby their expensive cars, driving them only a few times a year in perfect weather conditions, but Atkinson actually drives his McLaren extensively. The unusual repair job, thought to involve one of the largest car-insurance settlements in British history, is extensively documented in Classic & Sports Car magazine, with a picture of the burgundy McLaren on the cover. Atkinson, last seen by many playing piano as Mr. Bean during the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, told the magazine he believes supercars should be used, not sequestered in garages. “It depresses me when great cars are hidden away,” he said. “It’s a crime not to use it.”

Front Section, Pages 2 on 02/11/2013

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