Author: Serkadis

General Motors hasn’t yet launched the standard Volt and people have already started talking about other versions of the car, such as an all-electric flavor that would be driven on electricity alone. Bob Lutz, now serving as GM vice chairman, said in a statement at the 2010 North American International Auto Show than an all-electric Volt is just a thing that has to be done as "you just leave some parts out," as autocar.co.uk noted.

Chevrolet Volt will officially go on sale in the Un… (read more)

During the Television Critics Associated Conference in Pasadena this week, the Bravo Network unveiled plans to feature Real Housewives of New York City socialite Bethenny Frankel in her own spinoff reality series, Bethenny Getting Married? The unscripted docu-soap is expected to chronicle the pregnant foodie as she plans her upcoming nups to financier fiance Jason Hoppy — and Bethenny hopes to finance her dream wedding on someone else’s dime.

Pulling a page from the Book of Star Jones, Bethenny is said to be on the hunt for sponsors to fork over cash and products for her big day. The celebutante is hoping her wedding will be the biggest “sponsored” bash to hit the Big Apple since Star married Al Reynolds in 2004.

“Bethenny has been talking to vendors all over New York about getting them to ’sponsor’ her wedding,” says a snitch. “She wants everything and anything, and she isn’t shy….”

So far, no one’s biting.

Fernando Alonso admitted that there can be only target for him in the 2010 season of the Formula One championship, and that is to become world champion once again. The Spaniard admitted that this is the one goal he is thinking of for the upcoming campaign of F1, but insisted that reaching it will not be easy at all.

The goal can be only one, winning the world championship, said the new Ferrarista in his first interview at the Wrooom event at the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort in northern Ita… (read more)

Web apps are becoming increasingly important and powerful. And thanks to great support from the likes of Google, a lot faster too. Things like Google Docs, Gmail and especially more advanced tools like web photo editors can be a welcome alternative for desktop apps but, at the end of the day, we’re still stuck with our desktop OS, at least … (read more)

The always outspoken and oversexed John Mayer is raising eyebrows once again after he allegedly told screaming fans at a concert on Monday that he wanted to get one of them pregnant after the show.

“I’m getting someone pregnant tonight,” the Grammy winner joked to an audience of ladies in London this week the British Mirror claims. “I’m going to do a cover by another artist who has a hard time making it happen in the UK. I’m not saying I have a hard time making it happen – I could make it happen with any of you ladies tonight. Someone’s getting preggers. Someone’s going to have my baby tonight.”

The singer – who has a reputation womanizing — has dated Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Simpson, and Jennifer Love Hewitt

Article Tags: Advert, Hans Schreuder

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Scientific research now confirms what every guy already secretly knew: women are worse at parking a car than men.

Researchers in Germany asked 65 people to park an Audi A6 sedan in a standard parking spot in three ways: head-on, reverse, and parallel. The subjects were timed and rated for how far they kept the car from the edges of the parking spot.

The scientists from Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany found that women were not only slower than men in parking – by an average of 20 seconds longer than men – but also were less accurate.

The study confirmed earlier findings that men have better coordination and spatial awareness than women.

photo credit: Michael248

Related posts:

1. Study: Half of Women Prefer Drunk Sex
2. Science Confirms the Obvious: Women Like Guys in Hot Cars
3. Scientists Say Women Are Getting More Beautiful

Back in April 2009, an interesting piece of information hit the web: German carmaker BMW is planning a triturbo diesel engine for the X5 SUV. Now, less than a year from that moment, the rumors grow in intensity, as some info even points to the models on which the new engine will be fitted: BMW X5 xDrive45d and X6 xDrive45d.

The likely moment of the unveiling for the new technology is, according to BMWblog, the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, a million years from now…The two new models will thus j… (read more)

Article Tags: ClimateGate, Financial, Headline Story

A major trade group for the insurance industry is warning that it is “exceedingly risky” for companies to blindly accept scientific conclusions around climate change, given the “serious questions” around the extent to which humans cause atmospheric warming.

The assertion was made in a letter (pdf) to insurance regulators, who will administer the nation’s first mandatory climate requirements on corporations in May. Large insurers will have to answer about a dozen questions related to the preparations they are taking to safeguard themselves from climatic hazards.

The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies believes that the new regulation leaves little room for companies to cast doubt on widely accepted assumptions about global warming. Insurers are hamstrung to provide answers that dovetail with the perception of key regulators who believe climate change threatens the industry’s financial strength, said Robert Detlefsen, the group’s vice president of policy.

Click source to read FULL report by Evan Lehmann

Source: nytimes.com

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Simon Cowell wants Posh Spice on his US adaptation of Britain’ hit talent show The X Factor, tattles marvel. Former girl bander Victoria Beckham is being courted to join the judges’ panel of the US X Factor, it has emerged.

The former Spice Girl appeared alongside Cowell on American Idol this week and it’s thought he might want her for his new show. According to a new scoop, the cranky music mogul is willing to pay mega bucks to get the fashionista onboard for his new venture — which will also reportedly feature ex-Idol judge Paula Abdul.

“Simon was trying to get hold of Victoria for a few days, keen to suggest a few X Factor dates,” The Mirror cites a source as spilling. “When they did finally speak, she was incredibly flattered, not to mention surprised. Money was not discussed but as American TV judges go, the minimum she would be on in a four-show deal is $4 million. However, if she was to become a permanent fixture, she could earn tens of millions.”

However, Posh has not said yes as yet. And she may not — Victoria doesn’t seem to be very popular in the country. American TV reviewers ripped the singer-turned-designer’s Idol debut this week, merciless calling her judging style — and outfit — a disaster.

“Victoria told Simon she needs time to think about it as she is so busy with her fashion work right now. Looking at her hectic schedule, some of the dates mooted could be problematic as David is away, so she wants to work from home and look after the kids,” the insider added. “Simon is incredibly charming so who know. They did have a long conversation and although Victoria thinks she will be too manic to commit, she loved her time on the Idol panel,” the snitch says.

American fuel additive brand STP will challenge the 2010 Avon Tyres British GT Championship title, supporting a Chad Racing Ferrari 430 Scuderia GT3 for Daniel Brown and Chris Hyman. Joining STP in supporting the team is car styling accessory brand, Brown & Geeson, and MOMO, who have both been backing up Daniel Brown since he entered motorsport at the age of 14, in the T-Car series.

Brown had three race wins in the MOMO Mosler last year, at just 17 years of age, that earned him the title of B… (read more)

Fernando Alonso did his first interview as an official Ferrari driver during the Wrooom event at the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort, and obviously the Spaniard was asked plenty of questions about his new teammate and new challenge for the 2010 season. However, the thing that interested the media the most was how he sees Michael Schumacher’s return to the sport next season.

Alonso admitted that Schu’s return to the series in a great thing for the sport, especially after a so-and-so season in … (read more)

Investors are starting to return to the commercial real estate market in force. A lot of substantial deals have been done in recent weeks as highlighted by the Financial Times.

Either previous commercial real estate crisis fears were overdone or these new investors are about to get creamed. Success will probably all come down to the particular property in question. At least that must be the logic.

FT: A public sign of such activity came on Friday when Colony Capital won a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation auction for $1bn of commercial property loans formerly held by failed banks in states hit hard by the real estate downturn.

…

Earlier last week, SL Green, a real estate investment trust, said it had refinanced a Times Square tower it owns with Canada’s Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec in a $475m deal ed by Bank of China.

In December, JPMorgan Chase raised $625m for Inland Western, a real estate investment trust, of which $500m was in the form of securities backed by commercial real estate assets.

The deal was particularly notable because it was done without help from the term asset-backed securities loan facility, or Talf, which was set up to provide financing for investors in such deals.

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See Also:

• Jamie Dimon: The Commercial Real Estate Trainwreck Is A Thing Of The Past
• Commercial Real Estate Delinquencies Are Up 5x Already And They Still Won’t Peak Until 2012
• Bludgeoned Commercial Real Estate Has Begun To Entice Chinese Bottom Feeders

Big kisses to the boys–and they are all boys–over at Endgadget, who finally helped BoomTown, via the magic of Photoshop, to finally come up with the right nickname for All Things Digital blogger-reporter Peter Kafka.

Super Mario, of course, a moniker that somehow seems perfect for the fast-moving, quick-talking and speed-scooping MediaMemo writer.

Here’s the lovely picture they ginned up–in honor of a deal struck with Nintendo Wii–from the ATD event in Las Vegas last week at the Consumer Electronics Show, where Peter interviewed Netflix (NFLX) CEO Reed Hastings.

Oddly, the Super Mario video game head on his body works unusually well:

And here is the video of Peter’s actual interview with Hastings in its entirety:

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Glee is making a splash over the pond.

FOX’s smash television musical premiered in the UK’s E4 on Monday night to phenomenal ratings. The Golden Globe-nominated Glee attracted approximately 1.3 million viewers this week – making the show the highest-rated imported series since the network’s August 2005 premiere of Lost.

Unfortunately for all those involved in the auto industry, the economic environment continues to remain extremely unstable and every single drop in demand leads to significant measures in this particular sector. SEAT is the latest major name that turned to job cuts to counteract a decrease in demand, with the Spanish manufacturer eliminating 330 non-production jobs in its domestic factories.

According to just-auto.com, such a measure translates into laying off around 6 percent of its entire w… (read more)

Article Tags: Roy Spencer

I’m always searching for better and simpler ways to explain the reason why I believe climate researchers have overestimated the sensitivity of our climate system to increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere.

What follows is a somewhat different take than I’ve used in the past. In the following cartoon, I’ve illustrated 2 different ways to interpret a hypothetical (but realistic) set of satellite observations that indicate (1) warming of 1 degree C in global average temperature, accompanied by (2) an increase of 1 Watt per sq. meter of extra radiant energy lost by the Earth to space.

Source: drroyspencer.com

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