Category: News

Filed under: Europe, Videos, Subaru

Somewhere in the snow that’s falling all over the northern hemisphere, a tractor-trailer got stuck on some slushy ice and snow, blocking a city street. That helpless semi was then strapped to a Subaru WRX STI, and the little engine — and AWD — that could, extricated the truck from its predicament.

That’s cool enough on its own. Yet, what we really want to know is the backstory – did someone say “Don’t worry about a wrecker. If you see a blue sedan with gold wheels and a giant wing, and it growls, that’s all we need…”? Follow the jump to see it all unfold on video. Thanks for the tip, Roy!

[Source: Tastes Like Pizza]

Continue reading Behold, the Power of Subaru: WRX STI tows semi out of snow

Behold, the Power of Subaru: WRX STI tows semi out of snow originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are you sure this is official?
Reads like the Yes Men strike again.
Or is the US administration really this incompetent?

Great comic strip…I miss it. Came across this months ago and saved it for this time of year…

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Filed under: GM, Saab, Spyker

Spyker’s motto, written on all of its cars in Latin, is “Nulla tenaci invia est via.” Translation: “For the tenacious, no road is impassable.” And so here the Dutch company is, tenaciously chasing Saab, announcing in a press release that they have submitted a renewed offer to General Motors that addresses what are said to be eleven sticking points that scuttled an earlier agreement.

To be clear, we don’t know what each of those eleven issues are. According to a report in a Swedish paper (translated), GM’s man-in-Europe, Nick Reilly, called off the sale Friday morning, citing intellectual property fears regarding Spyker’s Russian backer, and the desire for GM’s board to be decisive on the matter of what would become of Saab. Spyker’s statement mentions the need to receive approval for a European Investment Bank loan by the end of the year, but says it has found a solution to that need. One wonders how it could possibly address its Russian support, from Vladimir Antonov’s Conven Group, in a way that might make GM happy. Either way, we should know soon whether the new proposal works, as Spyker has set a deadline of 5pm Eastern on Monday as its drop-dead date.

On a side note, Norway’s Bard Eker has begun to share his take on what prevented Koenigsegg’s attempt to purchase Saab (translated). Two of his points were that GM had made Saab too difficult to extract from the parent company and that Koenigsegg couldn’t get GM to set prices for Saab parts. As the deal looked increasingly likely to go through, Eker says that GM wanted more money. This, however, happened before Whitacre, Jr. took the helm and apparently before indecisiveness became so frowned up by The General’s leaders.

In the meantime, the Swedish government is reportedly conferring with GM reps to see what else might be done to prevent Saab from flat-lining for good. Is this an attempt by Spyker and/or the Swedish government to save face, or does this proposal truly eviscerate previous sticking points and clear the way for a reborn Saab? We’re not sure, but while you (re)buckle your seatbelts, be sure to read Spyker’s complete statement after the jump. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Source: Spyker]

Continue reading Spyker Tries Again: Submits 11th-hour, 11-point bid for Saab

Spyker Tries Again: Submits 11th-hour, 11-point bid for Saab originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New commitments on climate finance at Copenhagen have broken the negotiating deadlock and opened the way for real negotiations, and Australia must now step up and commit to a 25 per cent emissions reduction target.

"Australia must make the last day of climate change talks one of ambition and action," said WWF-Australia’s Climate Change Policy Manager Kellie Caught.

"We are seeing progress in key areas like financing and mitigation targets but Australia must make one last big push if an effective deal is going to be delivered."

The announcement by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton that the United States would contribute to US$100 billion in finance for developing countries has breathed new life into the Copenhagen climate negotiations. Australia must now step up, commit to contributing its fair share and push the ambition higher.

WWF has estimated that developing countries will need US$160 billion of new public funded assistance per year between 2013 and 2017. If Australia committed to its fair share, which is US$3.5 billion, it could encourage other countries to commit more funding.

"If the renewed finance discussion also leads to willingness for more ambition on emissions reductions targets, there could still be a Copenhagen climate deal with some substance," Ms Caught said.

Current emission reduction offers on the table in Copenhagen would result in global temperatures rising on average by 3C, which could result in massive and unacceptable species loss.

The European Union is in talks to raise its emissions reduction target from 20 per cent to 30 per cent, a move that could trigger a chain reaction of other countries boosting their targets.

"While the Australian delegation, including Prime Minister Rudd, has been working hard behind the scenes, Australia now needs to step up one more level and inject some ambition into their action in order to be part of the progress being made," said Ms Caught.

"The best way to do this is by raising Australia’s emissions reduction target to the top of its range. Anything less than 25 per cent will not be enough.

"It is not too late to seal a deal that gives the world a climate-safe future and renewed ambition from Australia could pave the way."

More information

Jonathon Larkin, WWF Media Officer, WWF-Australia,
Mobile: 0410 221 410
Email: [email protected]

Copenhagen – Denmark: Kim Carstensen, the leader of WWF Global Climate Initiative

“They tell us it’s over but it’s not. Copenhagen produced a snapshot of what leaders already promised before they arrived here.

“The biggest challenge, turning the political will into a legally binding agreement has moved to Mexico.

“After years of negotiations we now have a declaration of will which does not bind anyone and therefore fails to guarantee a safer future for next generations.

“What was good about Copenhagen was the level of national pledges for climate action in most countries.

“Politically, we live in a world that agrees to stay below the danger zone of two degrees but practically what we have on the table adds up to 3 degrees or more.

“Such a gap between the rhetoric and reality could cost millions of lives, hundreds of billions of dollars and a wealth of lost opportunities.

“We are disappointed but remain hopeful. Civil society will continue watching every step of further negotiations. The leaders have to get back to work tomorrow.

“Getting a strong outcome of the follow-up process will take a lot of rbidge- building between rich and poor countries. We expect that the Mexican hosts will be ideally placed to play that role.”

More information

Jonathon Larkin, WWF Media Officer, WWF-Australia,
Mobile: 0410 221 410
Email: [email protected]

Natalia Reiter, [email protected], + 41 798 738 099

The UN climate talks in Copenhagen have ended with a weak Accord being accepted by most parties, but the present ambition is far too low to tackle dangerous climate change, WWF said today.

"Copenhagen was at the brink of failure due to poor leadership combined with an unconvincing level of ambition", said Kim Carstensen, Leader of WWF’s Global Climate Initiative.

WWF analysed the conference outcome against 10 performance criteria, finding that none of the objectives needed to fulfil the aim of keeping average global warming below the 2 degree C high risk level had been met, although some had
been partly fulfilled.

"Well meant but half-hearted pledges to protect our planet from dangerous climate change are simply not sufficient to address a crisis that calls for completely new ways of collaboration across rich and poor countries," said Mr Carstensen.

"Millions of lives, hundreds of billions of dollars and a wealth of lost opportunities lie in the difference between rhetoric and reality on climate change action."

Politicians around the world seem to be in agreement that we must stay below the 2 degree C threshold of unacceptable risks of climate change – in theory. However, practically what leaders have put on the table adds up to 3 degrees C of warming or more, according to WWF estimates.

Attention will now shift to follow up negotiations which need to fill out many details in the often vague accord – and, on a more positive note, to a host of initiatives by countries, cities, companies and communities that are starting to build low carbon economies from the base up.

The draft Copenhagen Accord is a long way from developing into a legally binding framework for decisive action on climate change.

"We needed a treaty now and at best, we will be working on one in half a year’s time," said Carstensen.

"What we have after two years of negotiation is a half-baked text of unclear substance. None of the political obstacles to effective climate action have been solved with the possible exception of the beginnings of financial flows.

The lack of clarity is illustrated by a call for a global peak in emissions "as soon as possible", in contrast to the 2007 call of the IPCC for emissions to peak in 2017.

Emissions reductions pledges remain far lower than what is required, with a leaked analysis by the UNFCCC secretariat showing a shortfall that would lead to 3 degrees C of warming even without considering extensive loopholes.

"We are disappointed but the story continues," said Carstensen. "Civil society was excluded from these final negotiations to an extraordinary degree, and that was felt during the concluding days in Copenhagen."

"We can assure the world, however, that WWF and other elements of civil society will continue engaging in every step of further negotiations."

More information

Christian Teriete, Email: [email protected], Phone: +852-9310-6805

Kim Carstensen, Email: [email protected], Phone: +45-40-343635

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When Jeff Reed(notes) drilled the extra point that gave Pittsburgh a 37-36 victory over Green Bay on Sunday, it felt as if the Steelers had just won the WAC championship, or your dorm floor’s Tecmo Bowl title. NFL games aren’t supposed to be anything like that. 

Ben Roethlisberger(notes) passed for an absurd 503 yards and three touchdowns, yet he wasn’t even the top fantasy quarterback in the game. Aaron Rodgers(notes) ran for one TD and threw for three others, finishing with 22 yards on the ground and 383 through the air. The Steelers and Packers combined for 973 total net yards. Nine different players had at least 70 receiving yards.

Rodgers was so thoroughly unstoppable that when Pittsburgh attempted an onside kick late in the fourth quarter ahead by two, the decision almost made sense. If the onside gamble failed (which it did, due to a penalty), Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was willing to concede a score (which came quickly, from Rodgers to James Jones(notes)).

Tomlin just wanted his offense to possess the ball at the end of the game. These were his postgame comments:

"First of all, I felt like with the element of surprise we had a chance to get it. But if we didn’t get it and they would have scored, then we would have the necessary time on the clock to go down the field and match their score. … We had 30 minutes of evidence there to show that we could drive the ball on them. We also conversely had 30 minutes of evidence to show that they could drive the ball on us. That’s why we took that risk when we did."

It was certainly a bold call, one that demonstrated (appropriately) no confidence whatsoever in the Steelers defense. If you’re a fantasy owner who started either Roethlisberger or Rodgers in the playoff semis, then you’re not about to argue with Tomlin’s play-for-the-shootout strategy.

Fourth Quarter

• You’ll get a full helping of Jerome Harrison(notes) propaganda below. The Cleveland back posted the third-highest single-game rushing total in NFL history (286), just one week after being decisively outperformed by Chris Jennings(notes). If you saw it coming, we offer you our congratulations (not our jobs). Touché, Mangenius. Harrison gets the Raiders next. That should go well. Credit the Kansas City defense with an assist on Harrison’s insane day; Cedric Benson(notes) gets to face the Chiefs in Week 16. 

• One more Packers-Steelers detail, just for the record: Mike Wallace’s(notes) 19-yard game-winning reception was as impressive as any catch you’ll see all year. Highlight here.

• Justin Fargas(notes) reportedly tweaked a knee early in Oakland’s win over Denver, which led to Michael Bush’s(notes) unexpected workload (18 carries, 133 yards, TD). Darren McFadden(notes) ran well, too, but he lost a fumble in the third quarter and was later stuffed on fourth-and-goal. The game was briefly delayed while stadium security searched for a fan who was distracting players with a laser pointer. It seems so wrong that Ron Jaworski wasn’t broadcasting a contest that featured an actual laser.

• Vincent Jackson(notes) returned to dominance against a Cincinnati defense that’s defended elite wideouts well all year. V-Jax finished with five catches for 108 yards and two scores. Malcom Floyd(notes) added four catches for 63, as quarterback Philip Rivers(notes) connected with nine different receivers.

• Matt Hasselbeck(notes) was notably awful on Sunday, turning the ball over five times against the Bucs. Tampa Bay entered the week allowing 27.4 points and 361.5 total yards per game. 

• Rams running back Steven Jackson is dealing with more ailments than just about anyone in the NFL, and his team’s short-term situation is hopeless. But he’s earning all kinds of fantasy cred by playing out the year and continuing to deliver useful numbers. Jackson gained 123 total yards against the Texans on Sunday, leading his team in both rushing and receiving (and attempts to destroy Bernard Pollard(notes)). That’s the 11th time S-Jax has reached triple-digit yardage this season. He’s averaging 119.6 yards from scrimmage for a team that only gains 298.9. He’s clearly not the fantasy MVP, but he deserves some sort of imaginary hardware for his efforts on our behalf. 

• We leave you with a quote from CBS’ Gus Johnson. This declaration followed JaMarcus Russell’s(notes) late TD pass to Chaz Schilens(notes):

"JaMARCUS RUSSELL OFF THE BENCH LIKE JOHNNY U!!!!!"

Yup, that’s what he said. There are not enough exclamation points or capital letters to do it justice. The man is excitement itself. 

Posted at 10:30 pm ET

—

Third Quarter

As you might have heard, the East Coast was hit by an epic, record-breaking storm this weekend. Baltimore reportedly received 21 inches of snow. Philadelphia was buried by 23 inches. (That appears to be Alexis Bledel digging out Lincoln Financial. Fell on tough times after Gilmore Girls. Very sad).

But so far, weather is one of Sunday’s least valuable players. It hasn’t been an overwhelming factor in any game, unless Alex Smith intends to blame his atrocious half on the wintry conditions in Philly (7-for-17, three INTs).

Donovan McNabb(notes) has passed for 179 yards and one TD against the Niners, and he ran for another score. Michael Vick(notes) suffered a thigh injury in the first half, so McNabb may not lose red zone opportunities this week. DeSean Jackson(notes) broke the plane from 19, which is roughly 40 yards shorter than his usual score.

• San Francisco head coach Mike Singletary had a few thoughts for Vernon Davis(notes) after the tight end failed to make a play on this ball, conceding the interception. Davis has an outstanding matchup against a Philly defense that allows almost unlimited fantasy points to TEs, but he caught just one pass in the first half. 

• If you’re a fan of turnovers and missed field goals, we urge you to get yourself in front of the Bucs-Seahawks game immediately. It has much to offer. We have no idea what Matt Hasselbeck was attempting to do on this play. That was no ordinary fumble. Whatever it was, it deserves its own stat.

• Greg Jennings(notes) has been a significant disappointment through 14 weeks, considering his average draft position. But he’s on his way to a season-best performance at Pittsburgh, thanks to an 83-yard first quarter TD reception.

• You’re not surprised that Baltimore is destroying Chicago, right? Good. The Bears were a very quotable team all week, discussing players who are no longer on the roster and coaches who shouldn’t be on the payroll…but no one ever mentioned the Ravens. It was perfectly clear that Chicago wasn’t prepared to play a live opponent. Jay Cutler(notes) threw a pair of first half interceptions, his 23rd and 24th of the year.

• Michael Bush and Darren McFadden are splitting the rushing workload for the stubbornly competitive Raiders. Bush has the only TD for Oakland. He went 23 yards, untouched through a massive running lane.

Posted at 6:15 pm ET 

—

Second Quarter

Two weeks ago, Jerome Harrison was the Cleveland running back to own. Last week, it was Chris Jennings. This week, it’s Harrison again – and he delivered a historic fantasy line, not merely a good one.

Harrison carried 34 times for an obscene 286 yards and three touchdowns against the Chiefs. That yardage total is actually the third highest in NFL history. Harrison scored from long-distance and he scored from short-range. Cleveland’s run-blocking was obviously spectacular. Browns fullback Lawrence Vickers(notes) blocked with Charles Jefferson-style aggression. He was a beast.

But the day clearly belonged to Harrison. When you manage to bump Jim Brown’s name from the Cleveland record book, you’ve done something right. Harrison is only owned in 24 percent of standard Yahoo! leagues and he’s at home against Oakland next week.

You know what to do. 

• Beanie Wells(notes) rushed for 110 yards and one score on 17 carries against the Lions. Delightfully, he didn’t fumble in Arizona’s 31-24 win. The widely available Maurice Morris(notes) gained 161 total yards for Detroit, leading his team in both rushing (126) and receiving (5-for-35). Those of you in the deepest two-quarterback leagues will note that Daunte Culpepper(notes) was benched in favor of Drew Stanton(notes).

• Welcome back to the end zone, Kevin Walter(notes). He caught an easy 3-yard score in the third quarter at St. Louis. Joel Dreesen was open on the play as well. Matt Schaub(notes) finished with 367 passing yards in a shockingly narrow win over the Rams. Andre Johnson(notes) again dominated a grossly overmatched secondary, catching nine balls for 196 yards. Arian Foster(notes) wasn’t heard from again following the early fumble. 

• Chad Henne(notes) threw for 349 yards on Sunday, but he made a few spectacularly bad throws. Chris Hope(notes) picked off a pass in the end zone that was a mile short of its intended target. Henne lucked into a late 57-yard completion after Michael Griffin(notes) had the interception in his hands, but couldn’t hold on. Griffin made amends, however, intercepting a pass in overtime to setup Rob Bironas’(notes) game-winning field goal. 

• Arizona’s Bryan Robinson(notes) drew two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties within approximately 30 seconds during a third quarter mini-implosion by the Cards at Detroit. Those flags, plus a nifty gain by Aaron Brown on an end-around, setup a Jason Hanson(notes) field goal that tied the game at 17. 

• The head official in New York had to ask Jets fans to please stop whistling in the stands. It should never come to that. Fans need to police that situation themselves. Whistlers must be silenced. 

• New England wisely involved Randy Moss(notes) early and often, keeping No. 81 alert and engaged throughout the win over the Bills. Moss finished with five receptions for 70 yards and a TD. 

• Lee Evans(notes) ran a beautiful route on his late 11-yard score against the Pats, making a terrific play on the back-shoulder throw. The Bills recovered an onside kick following the TD, but they were flagged for going offsides. 

Posted at 4:45 pm ET

—

First Quarter

It’s been another lost year for the Cleveland Browns, but you can’t assign any blame to Joshua Cribbs(notes).
His 100-yard kickoff return touchdown in the first quarter at Kansas City established a new all-time NFL record. And just to prove that the first seven career TDs weren’t flukes, Cribbs added a 103-yard return in the second quarter. 

The first touchdown had a slightly higher degree of difficulty, as Cribbs broke multiple arm tackles, then outran the Chiefs’ coverage team to the end zone. Here’s the clip via NFL.com. Incredibly, Cribbs has at least one kickoff return TD in each of his five seasons. 

• Jamaal Charles(notes) is having the excellent game you should have expected for KC. He’s rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, and he’s added a pair of catches for 16 yards. He’s making a strong late-season charge into the first round of 2010 drafts. Charles has now found the end zone in six straight games.

• This year, Houston running backs are fumbling as if it’s a scripted play. Unreal. Arian Foster brought a premature end to the Texans’ opening drive by putting the ball on the turf at the end of a 13-yard gain. Lowlight here. Gary Kubiak does not need another fumbler, Arian. His cupboard’s full. Ryan Moats(notes) took over on the next series for Houston. He’s picked up 28 yards on six carries. Foster didn’t receive another look in the first half after the turnover.

• Dwayne Bowe(notes) returned from his four-game suspension and he’s back in mid-season form, dropping passes. Bowe failed to hold onto a TD pass over the middle in the end zone. He’s fine to start in fantasy, but he’s torture to watch. 

• Tom Brady(notes) was held without a passing yard in the first quarter against Buffalo, a team with one of the NFL’s stingiest pass defenses. But Randy Moss finally surfaced on the Pats’ first drive of the second quarter, drawing a long interference penalty, then catching a 13-yard score. New England had a short first-and-goal following the PI call, but they went with play-action instead of running. Because the Patriots hate you, Laurence Maroney(notes) owner. (OK, so Maroney had a TD late in the half. But some of us could use another). 

• Larry Fitzgerald(notes) owners spent the week panicking about the condition of their No. 1 receiver’s knee. But Fitz rewarded those who kept the faith, catching an early 1-yard score. The ball was up for grabs, but Larry generally wins those battles. Video here. Annoyingly enough, Tim Hightower(notes) later poached a short-yardage score from Beanie Wells. However, the rookie is dominating the rushing workload, as has been the case in recent weeks.

• Fred Jackson(notes) had a first quarter touchdown negated by a false start penalty. Too bad, because he certainly earned the points. Jackson gained 39 yards on seven touches during the drive.

• So far the hit of the day belongs to Vince Young(notes), who simply demolished Vontae Davis(notes). Unfortunately for VY owners, the tackle ended an interception return. Chris Johnson is on pace for his ninth straight 100-yard rushing effort to no one’s surprise. He’s picked up 71 first half yards on 14 carries. But oddly enough, Justin Gage(notes) has both of the Titans’ TDs.

• The Falcons-Jets tilt is hardly a thing of beauty, although Braylon Edwards(notes) hauled in a 65-yard score. Mark Sanchez(notes) has thrown two more picks, Matt Ryan(notes) is 5-for-17 at half, and Michael Turner(notes) checked out after one carry after aggravating his ankle injury.

Posted at 2:45 pm ET

—

Early injury updates: Steven Jackson (flu, back, Ramness) participated in a walk-through on Saturday, so there’s hope for him. Early signs also point to "yes" for Michael Turner (ankle), Matt Ryan (toe), Larry Fitzgerald (knee), Sidney Rice(notes) (flu), Vince Young (hamstring) and Calvin Johnson(notes) (knee).

Posted at 10:20 am ET

—

Pregame

Welcome to Week 15, fantasy owner. If you’ve made it this far, congratulations. But this is a messy weekend full of injuries, illnesses and meteorological events. Please join us over at Fantasy Football Live at noon ET for last-minute updates and analysis (and our favorite holiday recipes!)

There’s swine flu goin’ around, Snowman, so please cover your mouth and carrot when you sneeze.

—

Photos via Getty Images (Jackson, Browns, Santas) and US Presswire (snow girl).