Taurus

Before Ford Motor picked a date to unveil its redesigned Taurus and Mercury Sable for 1996, it called in somebody who may not know a carburetor, but who says she knows mucho about celestial drift. Joyce Jillson of Sherman Oaks, Calif., a newspaper astrologer and seer for celebs, recommended any debut date close to the summer solstice, "when the light of the whole universe is most clear. " Ford picked June 19 - two days before the ancient Druid sun-fete - for the great unrolling. Ford says it paid Jillson $500 to scan the charts.

Another year, another NASCAR controversy. NASCAR is beginning its 50th anniversary celebration in a familiar fast lane, or, if you're a Ford driver, a slower lane. In previous years, Chevrolet teams have complained about Fords having an unfair advantage. Now, Ford teams are bickering among themselves. Last year, Ford officials announced they were discontinuing production of the Thunderbird because the T-Bird wasn't selling sufficiently to warrant continued production.

The Taurus SHO is the first sedan to combine top-rank, Autobahn-ready performance with great handling, everyday family utility and a price within the reach of mere mortals. Those qualities make this dazzling car the most important automotive breakthrough in years. - Car and Driver. The purpose of the SHO . . . is to enhance Ford's image as a world-class car builder, and I really think it will achieve that. - Bill Pochiluk, chief analyst, Autofacts Inc. The Ford Taurus, that distinctive, affordable family car that popularized the rounded "aero" look so prevalent today, is not unaccustomed to attention.

Good-bye, Thunderbird. Hello, Taurus. Yesterday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Ford Motorsports executives brought an end to one of the worst-kept secrets in automotive history by introducing the Taurus as its entry in stock-car racing's premier series in 1998. Earlier this year, Ford cited sluggish sales as the reason it would discontinue production - at the end of the 1997 model year - of the Thunderbird coupe, which debuted on the Winston Cup circuit in 1978. It doesn't necessarily mean the Thunderbird will disappear entirely, however, since NASCAR rules permit the use of the Thunderbird body through the 1999 season.

ITCHING TO DRINK. Having a nice, cool drink at poolside is one of summer's pleasures. But watch out as you spritz lime juice into your drink or take a bite from the juicy celery stalk in your bloody Mary. If the lime or celery juice gets on your sun-exposed skin, a phototoxic reaction could cause a nasty rash, says Alexander Fisher, clinical professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center. The same thing can happen if you splash perfume onto your skin before going out in the sun. ALZHEIMER'S I. Early results from a study of a treatment for memory loss caused by Alzheimer's disease are promising enough to keep the study going, But researchers would not say whether the drug THA actually was found to help restore Alzheimer's patients' memories.

The Taurus .45 caliber pistol used to kill Philadelphia Police Officer Patrick McDonald sat on a table in U.S. District Court yesterday as the man charged with illegally transporting it from South Carolina went on trial. The case may go to the jury today. Stephen Lashley, 32, is charged buying the weapon in South Carolina in mid-2007, then bringing it to Philadelphia. On Sept. 23, 2008, the weapon was used by another man, Daneel Giddings, 27, to kill McDonald after the officer pulled him over for a traffic stop.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). It's all about you now. The sun and Mercury in your sign are rooting for you to express yourself and actualize your potential. Family and friends echo the cosmic support. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). A seductive character enters your world. There is something terribly engaging about this person, and even though you're not sure you want to get involved, you'll be magnetically drawn in. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You offered advice that wasn't taken. No one wants to hear "I told you so," especially when it happens to be true.

NASCAR is moving into its 50th anniversary season with one foot jamming the accelerator to the floorboard and one hand furiously waving the lush green marketing flag. Sunday's attention-getting Daytona 500 signals the annual start of the motor racing season. As the biggest race of the year, it should be run late in the season. Since 1959, however, the Daytona 500 is the traditional season-launcher for NASCAR. Making this Daytona 500 interesting is the number of drivers with an excellent chance to win. There's defending Winston Cup series champion Jeff Gordon; the Labonte brothers, Terry and Bobby, starting on the front row; Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin, Ken Schrader and a handful of others.

By the time Ralph Sullivan called American Dog Training in Cherry Hill, he was ready to sell Taurus, his 8-month-old pit bull. "She was horrible," Sullivan said, "just horrible. " Sullivan's wife, Christina, shook her head in agreement. Shifting her 14- month-old son, Steven, to her left hip, she gestured out of the kitchen window of the couple's house in Fairview. "Look at that yard," she said, "just look at that trash she scattered all over. And if that's not bad enough, I'll show you the hole she made in the sofa.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). While hosting, you might be going for fun and fabulous, but what really comes through is your sweet warmth. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You don't practice what you preach, because you don't preach! You've made it a policy to let your actions speak for themselves. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Everyone needs to feel a sense of belonging. You home in on the exact way to do this: You participate. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You wish and dream. That's a start.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). It's all about you now. The sun and Mercury in your sign are rooting for you to express yourself and actualize your potential. Family and friends echo the cosmic support. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). A seductive character enters your world. There is something terribly engaging about this person, and even though you're not sure you want to get involved, you'll be magnetically drawn in. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You offered advice that wasn't taken. No one wants to hear "I told you so," especially when it happens to be true.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You will send a silent blessing on the wind. The person you send it to will be favorably changed by this intention, though he or she will probably never know it came from you. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Your imagination has healing power. Here's a way to bring it out: Instead of dreaming of the future, dream of an alternate past. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Put some fun on the day's agenda. If there's nothing exciting about your plans for the day, you won't be inspired to complete even the easiest task.

When Alan Mulally came over from Boeing to run Ford five years ago, he promptly began administering the Heimlich maneuver to a corporate patient with severe pulmonary problems. He borrowed the money needed to avoid bankruptcy. He dealt with a corporate culture in love with infighting and back-biting by telling those managers who couldn't work with others to clean out their desks. He unloaded unprofitable brands such as Jaguar, Land Rover, and Volvo. He exhumed the Taurus model name - and the recognition factor and equity that had been interred with it. More recently, Mulally has presided over healthy profit margins at a company that had become accustomed to losing big gobs of gelt.