Just to prove the iPhone does not have a monopoly over games in bad taste, here is a app which perverts the control scheme of blowing into the mike of your phone, made popular with the Ocarina game for the iPhone, by blowing up the skirts of cute Japanese girls.
If such NSFW antics is to your taste, see the video after the break.
Find download links at 1800pocketpc.com here.
Not only is Hasbro honoring tradition by letting users provide content for its Nerf brand, they’re honoring tradition by acting like they were the first people to think of it. Nerf Battle of the Ads gives Nerf fans a chance to "show off their creativity, athleticism and teamwork" by making their own ads and uploading them to the contest’s special website. In their breathless enthusiasm, they stop just short of calling their fan base lifelong virgins by noting that "Nerf fans are not only very passionate, but incredibly creative when it comes to showing off their growing collections, product reviews and battle styles." An unintentional slight, of course, but the Internet has attached red flags to phrases like "very passionate." Also, "battle styles." Still, Hasbro’s contest looks fun—they supply background music, special effects and official Nerf logos to participants—and the winner gets $10,000 whether the ad airs on TV or not. And most important, it’s not nearly as degrading as writing songs about a cheeseburger.
—Posted by David Kiefaber
Michael Giberson
Texas did it again, it achieved it’s target for new renewable power generation capacity years ahead of schedule. And so, of course, as it becomes increasingly obvious that the Texas Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is essentially irrelevant to growth in wind power, the Texas RPS is increasingly held up as a success and model for other states and the federal government.
The State of Texas exceeded its 2025 renewable energy target 15 years early last year.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said on Friday that there was a record increase in voluntary participation in the state’s renewable energy certificate program in 2009.
Nearly 15 million renewable energy credits [RECs] were retired last year, with just 6.79 million needed by retail electricity providers to satisfy the state’s renewable portfolio standard for the year.
A further 8.14 million RECs were voluntarily retired, surpassing 2008’s record of 6.77 million.
The figures came as ERCOT submitted its annual report on the scheme to the Texas Public Utility Commission.
With more than 10,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity on the Texas grid – mostly wind power – the state has reached its 2025 target 15 years early, and has doubled the target set for 2015.
The original mandate for 2009 was just 2,000MW, which was achieved three years early.
“Successful”
ERCOT interim CEO Trip Doggett said: “The Texas program was the first of its kind in the nation when it began in 2001, and it is now recognized as one of the most effective and successful in the nation.
“It’s also one of the biggest influences on the rapid growth of wind energy in Texas,” added Mr Doggett.
Other than the popular but faulty post hoc ergo propter hoc logic, what is the evidence?
Sort of like the 45 mph minimum speed limits on some Texas highways, the constraints are so far from binding that it is hard to see how they are relevant.
I think a better explanation of the growth of wind power in Texas (and about 95% of the Texas REC-qualifying renewable power capacity is wind power) is the combination of federal Production Tax Credit subsidies + reasonably good quality wind resources near transmission lines. The CREZ transmission expansion plan is likely the next most important factor. REC monies along with other state and local tax exemptions are far smaller considerations, perhaps tipping the balance in favor of development for a few projects.
What is my evidence? Oh, actually, what I have is more of an inference and interpretation drawn from a number of mostly anecdotal sources. Nothing really reliable to show. But given the lobbying for a national RPS, it makes a difference whether or not the Texas law is the model it is held out to be.
I’m sure someone has put together the story somewhere. Anyone know of anything?
Lindsay Lohan is currently in Cannes promoting the new film that will see her swinging from chandeliers as adult film star Linda Lovelace. Sadly for Inferno producers, the klutzy repeat rehabber will have to pick herself up off the floor of this yacht and head back Stateside — stat. Lindsay’s presence is required back in Cali for a probation hearing this Thursday, at which point the star will need to remain right-side-up in her stilettos long enough for her lawyer to keep her out of the slammer.
Lindsay’s attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, has been informed by Judge Marsha Revel that if her client is not present in court on Thursday, a warrant will be issued for her arrest. Lohan has also been issued a stern warning about completing the alcohol education classes she was ordered to attend as part of a plea agreement in 2007 arrest for DUI.
BMW Concept 5-Series ActiveHybrid:
Speaking to shareholders and employees at the company’s 90th Annual General Meeting, BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer confirmed that the BMW Concept 5-Series ActiveHybrid will go into production in 2011 and that the automaker is also considering offering a hybrid version of the 3-Series sedan.
“As early as next year, the new BMW 5-Series will also be available as a full hybrid,” Reithofer said. “And we are anticipating the hybridization of further models series, such as the BMW 3-Series. We also work with modules in this field, choosing the most suitable hybrid solution for the respective model.”
Click here to get prices on the 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 6.
The Concept 5-Series ActiveHybrid is powered by a 300-hp straight-6 gasoline with TwinPower Turbo technology mated to a 40 kW electric-motor and an 8-speed automatic transmission. BMW says that when compared to the 5-Series with the “conventional” combustion engine, the Concept 5-Series ActiveHybrid reduces fuel-economy and emissions by more than 10 percent.
“We want to reduce our global fleet’s carbon emissions by at least another 25 percent between 2008 and 2020,” Reithofer said “Our new models and drive technologies will support these efforts.”
– By: Omar Rana
I really wanted to like the Ploom. It’s a slick little portable vaporizer, something that’s easy to toss in a bag and carry around with you. Unfortunately, having used it, I have no interest in ever using it again. More »
Video Games – Games – Platform – Super Mario Sunshine – Mario Games
Passport to Africa is a journey through the sights, sounds and tastes that define Africa. A Washington DC-based festival that is growing in stature every year (2008 and 2009 were lots of fun), it has managed to put together a tremendous selection that is sure to satisfy even the most discerning tastes in it’s fourth year.
Passport to Africa brunch 2008
This year’s lineup is exceptional. The journey begins on May 23rd with an African-Fusion Brunch from 12 – 3 p.m. at Kendejah Restaurant and Lounge in Washington DC. There will be a buffet of signature African dishes made by local food enthusiasts, and a treat of live entertainment by Vera Oye’ Yaa-Anna of the Palaver Hut, A West African Culinary Theater.
On May 24th, local high-school children will learn about the Africa that the media doesn’t share. The discussion, dubbed “Beyond the Jungle – A Discussion about Parts of Africa You Never See In the Media!”, will introduce them to modern Africa, and invite lively discussion.
May 25th will be an introduction to Ghanian cuisine at Ghana Cafe, located at 1336 14th Street, NW. This is an opportunity to try some great food in a wonderful atmosphere. Run by a Ghanian couple, Tony and Abigail Opare, the cafe will transport you through a wonderful smorgasbord of taste and sounds.
For those interested in African fashion AND African wine, May 26 should prove to be a delight. There will be samples of Moroccan wine at Marrakesh Palace with a parade of beautiful African outfits and a beauty bar. The event is co-sponsored by Diaspora African Women’s Network (DAWN), Bluffa Jo Cosmetics and African Vibes “I Wear African” Campaign.
African art is stuff of legend, but we always see the traditional art. Passport to Africa brings a modern perspective to African art with a trip to the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art to view the exhibition, Transitions by South African artist, Paul Emmanuel. If you would like to learn about “The African presence in Mexico: From Yanga to Present”, visit the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum. For those who would like to decorate their homes, Zawadi offers a host of unique home furnishings and accessories.
A network and happy hour event is scheduled for May 28th at 6:30 p.m. It will be at the famed Kora restaurant in Arlington, Virginia with Chef Morou (an Ivorian chef who has been featured on the Iron Chef America, and Good Morning America).
May 29th will have you treated to fantastic performances by Bsheba and Meklit Hadero at The Warehouse Loft. These Ethiopian ladies offer some of the best in afro-hiphop and afro-fusion jazz. This event also celebrates the 4th anniversary of Bernos t-shirts, a company that has celebrated African pride iwith quality t-shirt designs.
The week culminates with DC’s largest afro-international part at Zanzibar. Please remember your whites, or you will be left out in the cold. There will be 2 levels of entertainment with 5 of the hottest African DJ’s. Make sure you have cute but comfortable dancing shoes on. You will be on the dance floor all night. Visit the Ultra White Party website for more information.
Each event shares an aspect of a different part of Africa with you. Take in all the perspectives and leave with a greater understanding of what Africa really is. Passport to Africa is produced by I Dream Of AFrica (IDOA) Entertainment, a company determined to re-brand Africa through innovative events, panel discussions, and cultural festivals.
Everyone’s trying to figure out how much oil is in the Gulf. Using the most conservative leak estimate of 5,000 barrels per day, the volume of petroleum in the area is an astronomical 125,000 barrels.
We’ve calculated some incredible things that could have been done with all that oil.
(Remember, the leak volume could be five times higher and may keep leaking for months.)
Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.
Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18; which yields 725 billion Btu or 765,000 billion joules. Bringing the Great Lakes volume (22,684 km3) to a boil (+95.6 C @ 4.8 specific heat) takes 10.4 billion joules.
Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.
Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18; which equals 5,250,000 gallons of crude. A new Honda Civic can get up to 34 mpg. The leaked oil (not counting crude-to-fuel conversions) would fuel nearly 180 million miles of driving. At its nadir, the sun is around 90 million miles away.
Image: http://www.blogto.com/upload/2008/04
Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.
Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18. According to Reuters, China refines 37 million barrels of crude to make 1,095 billion plastic bags. Therefore it takes 101,370 bbl to make 3 billion bags; and 125,000 bbl to make 3.7 billion.
Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.
Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18. North Korea imports 10.5 barrels per day.
Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.
Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18; which equals 5,250,000 gallons or 672 million fluid ounces.
Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.
Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18; which yields 765,000 million kilojoules. Walking for one mile takes 205 kilojoules (of food energy). If equivalent energy, the oil would power 3,732,000,000 miles of walking. Uranus is 1.78 billion miles away on average.
Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonov/367544491/
Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.
Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18; which equals 5,250,000 gallons of gas. An 8-cylinder engine idling 5-minutes-per-day burns 20 gallons in a year; which means one day of idling burns 15.789 gallons.
Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/randysonofrobert/275680468/
Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.
Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18; which equals 5,250,000 gallons. 400 gallons of oil are used to feed one American for a year, based on estimates of agriculture, transportation, etc.
Image: julieabrown1
Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.
Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18; which — at 7.3 bbl per ton — equals 17,123 tons. 1.5 tons of oil makes 1 ton of fertilizer.
Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.
Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18. Current prices are $70 a barrel, which amounts to $8.75 million. BP is paying around $33 million a day in clean-up costs.
Join the conversation about this story »
Google and General Motors plan to connect the automaker’s in-vehicle communications system, OnStar, with phones running on Google’s Android operating system, GM announced early Tuesday. It all starts with a beefed-up mobile app for the Chevy Volt, an extended-range electric vehicle scheduled to roll out later this year.
Back in January, GM announced that the Volt would roll out equipped for remote control of certain vehicle functions via BlackBerry Storm, iPhone or Droid smartphones. According to the automaker’s release Tuesday, a 2.0 version version of the app for Android phones will incorporate new location-based services using Google technology.
Word of this new partnership between GM and Google comes on the heels of Ford and Microsoft announcing plans to put their longstanding alliance (Microsoft developed Ford’s Sync communication system) to work on smart charging for electric vehicles. Ford plans to use Microsoft’s Hohm tool to minimize energy costs for drivers of upcoming electric Ford models, and to help limit strain on the power grid for utilities.
More details about how GM aims to deploy Google’s technology will come out this week in a demo at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco. But the automaker says it has added a new navigation tool to the existing Volt mobile app built for Android phones. The tool will use Google’s voice search, provide vehicle tracking and access to Google Maps, and allow Volt owners to send destination info from their Android phone to their car’s OnStar navigation system for turn-by-turn directions.
OnStar President Chris Preuss commented in a statement today that the Volt app is only a first step in a larger effort to expand OnStar beyond safety and security services. The relationship with Google, he said, “is an example of how we’re evolving our leadership position in connected vehicle technology,” adding, “What we’re talking about today is only the beginning.”
When the Volt launches, version 1.0 of the mobile app will include functions specific to needs anticipated for new electric vehicle drivers. Through their phones, early adopters of the Volt will be able to schedule battery charge times, view whether or not the vehicle is plugged in, check voltage at a charger, get text notifications of interruption or completion of a battery charge and view miles per gallon, electric miles and miles driven — cumulatively and for the last trip (the Volt has a small gas engine that kicks in when the battery charge drops below a set threshold).
For GM, the so-called OnStar Mobile Application could be a key part of marketing the vehicle to gadget-minded consumers. The automaker has said that with this app, the Volt “showcases technology beyond the battery,” something GM needs to do to go beyond niche markets for a $40,000 plug-in sedan. As Andrew Farah, vehicle chief engineer for the Chevy Volt, has put it, “Our whole goal here is to put together a great vehicle for customers, not just a battery on wheels.”
Could the Google/Android link lead to a connection between Google’s energy management tool PowerMeter and GM’s Chevy Volt? At our Green:Net conference, when we asked Google’s Ed Lu if Google had plans to connect PowerMeter with electric vehicle charging (see video around minute 12), he said Google has “a lot of plans in a lot of areas” that he couldn’t yet talk about.
Photo courtesy of General Motors
Related research on GigaOM Pro (subscription required):
Why Microsoft’s Electric Vehicle Deal With Ford Matters
Location-Based Services: From Mobile to Mobility
What happened to Robert Pattinson’s hair?!
Many of you might be shocked that Pattinson shaved his head. Yes, you read it right, He shaved his head! Hollywood life has spotted Pattinson in LA on May 16, in base ball cap. According to them, even though he was hiding his hair under a baseball cap, it really does look like he buzzed his whole head! What will Kristen Stewart run her fingers through now?! Robert Pattinson was known for having a “messy hair” but despite that he still looks hot.
Also an information that can be found on Popsugar.com states that Robert Pattinson stepped out in LA yesterday with a brand-new haircut and his “Courier Scum” t-shirt. He also toted around a script as he gears up for production to start on Water for Elephants with Reese Witherspoon and a wise animal costar. Robert just rang in his 24th year last week. His prebirthday trip to Chicago for Oprah with his Eclipse costars Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner also included another revealing interview where the cast discussed their relationship, Rob’s love scenes in Bel Ami, and more.
Well, Robert might be hot with his messy hair, but he might be hotter with his new look! We all know that he is good looking and still he is, under that baseball cap. Let us just wait and see his upcoming movie with Kristen Stewart, Twilight: Eclipse.
However, it is not really known whether he really cut his hair or that the British actor has at least shaved the sides of his hair into a close crop. It’s a mysterious thing to know what lies beneath that baseball cap.
No related posts.
Oxfam climate change campaigner Charlie Powell explains what’s needed to ensure a positive outcome from the ongoing international climate negotiations, especially for women who are hit hardest by the effects of climate change.
The Copenhagen summit was a major disappointment – there’s no denying it. A historic opportunity to build a better future for us all, especially for poor communities, was shamefully missed.
Lots of people were left wondering “where next?”. In this video, we attempt to answer that question. Oxfam’s Charlie Powell reviews the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit, and what Oxfam is pushing for on emissions cuts and climate adaptation finance. Charlie outlines how we’re continuing to pile the pressure on throughout 2010 – and how you can get involved.
Get involved: Oxfam’s climate change campaign
WASHINGTON–While the White House press operation is trying to downplay the glamour aspect of the Wednesday State Dinner honoring Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his wife, Margarita Zavala and limit coverage, guest chef Rick Bayless, the Chicago cooking superstar, is so big the White House cannot muzzle him and force him into the background.
Bayless is going around the White House communications team and twittering from the White House kitchen. This is his latest, filed Tuesday morning: “Thanks 2 the 100s of well wishers! Ready 4 day 2 n rather small White House kitchen. Chef was challenged by some ingred,but last arrive 2day”
Bayless has so much clout, that the White House came to his Frontera Grill in Chicago for the sample dinner a few weeks ago–new Social Secretary Julianna Smoot, deputy Joe Reinstein, from Highland Park, and White House Chef Cristeta Comerford.
The White House does not want any emphasis on the glitz associated with a State Dinner. In these hard economic times, I guess the thinking is that’s not the story and picture the p.r. folks prefer. Last year, when the Obamas entertained the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, the guest chef, Marcus Samuelsson a big name in the cooking world, was neither seen nor heard from and asked not to give interviews about the dinner in advance. He was not allowed to appear at the press preview of the dinner.
Bayless has given interviews about his upcoming stint, has more booked after the dinner and is Twittering. He flew to Washington on Monday from Chicago and when he arrived, he Twittered, “Just arrived in DC. Headed to the White House kitchens. I have to say: I’m a little nervous.”
After he checked out the White House kitchen–which is fairly small– Bayless Twittered, “The White House staff could not be nicer&more professional! Most worried about ingredients, but all will b here 4 big day!”
At many White House meetings, participants are ordered to surrender Blackberries and cell phones before entering the room; the rule has not trickled down to the kitchen.
The White House is keen on limiting reporting opportunities from the State Dinner. First Lady Michelle Obama and Mrs. Zavala–she does not use the title “First Lady” preferring attorney or wife of the president–will be visiting an elementary school in the Maryland suburbs of Washington with students from Central and South America on Wednesday morning and that is the picture of the day the East Wing wants.
In a further crack down on reporting, the White House this time is not planning any advance event to preview the dinner. Last year on the afternoon of the India dinner, Mrs. Obama’s East Wing set up sample table settings; the first lady arranged for a briefing on the history of state dinners for the group of girls she is mentoring. I’m told reporters will be able to see a place setting only just before the dinner.
As with the India dinner, so far the White House is not allowing any advance look at the pavilion being built on the South Lawn for the party. To call it a tent is an understatement. The pavilion built for the India dinner was lit by chandeliers.
The main Calderon dinner is in the East Room; desert and entertainment will be on the South Lawn in order for more people to be invited. The East Room only holds about 200.
Mrs. Obama visited Mrs. Zavala last month in Mexico City. Calderon and Zavala hosted a dinner for Mrs. Obama at Los Pinos, their official residence. Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Zavala visited a museum together and Mrs. Obama went on her own to a Mexico City grammar school.
The New Hampshire Estates Elementary School in Silver, Spring, Md. has programs dealing with healthy eating and physical education that have gotten notice as well as a program with a sister school in Mexico where students track annual migrations of the Monarch Butterfly.
TV-Guide UK. Fast and easy TV listings for the UK market. Quickly get an overview of what’s on right now – the shows, the movies and the sports events. The TV-Guide team is constantly adding more features and channels – keep sending us your feedback and suggestions.
Price: Free, $1.99
Pros
Cons
The TV-Guide UK app seeks to compete with a number of other apps out there doing exactly the same thing. The only way that they are obviously differentiating themselves from the competition seems to be by charging for an ad free version. Tempting!
On start up you choose the channels you are interested in from what seems like a pretty impressive list ranging from the channels you will very obviously want (BBC) and those that might charitably be considered to cater to the niche market (Bomerang – Whatever that is). There is even programme information for the Adult Channel. The idea of a regular watcher of the Adult Channel needing to plan his (or her’s) viewing of that channel really is very creepy indeed.
Once you have chosen your favoured channels you will be directed back to the app home screen which by default displays all your channels in a list format with their currently showing programme highlighted, in addition to the subsequent two programmes. From the same page you can filter these channels with the tabs along the top to show only your sports or movies channels. This is a nice feature but does not allow for user defined filtering which would have been awesome.
A click on a channel brings up a drab, vertically scrolling page of that channel’s schedule for the day. Not even a thumbnail of the channel’s logo is used to punctuate the vast swathes of boring text assaulting the eye. From here you can set notifications by long pressing on a programme and choosing from the predefined reminder intervals.
This app works pretty well as far as it goes. The scrolling is smooth and everything works intuitively. You will not need any instructions or to visit any forums to get the best out of this little guide. Unfortunately, there is no channel info for any day other than today. This has been a pretty critical factor in my evaluation of its usefulness. Also, what is the purpose of setting a reminder 6 hours in advance of a programme airing? Do people really start a 6 hour long build up to a new episode of Doctor Who? Very strange.
The app took a little while to bed down on my HTC Hero with lots of crashing and incredibly long load times at the beginning. Once the app was set up and I began using it however I found it to be incredibly easy to quickly navigate around the app.
I really like to know what’s going to be on TV so I expected to use this app a lot. Unfortunately the lack of channel information for the week to come meant that I used it pretty infrequently, preferring to use competitor’s apps.
The interface, on the whole, is really nice with clean white backgrounds and fast scrolling text. Unfortunately it is let down here and there by a few issues already mentioned. Just gimme a thumbnail or something on the channel schedule page, come on.
(3.1 out of 5)
Should you Download TV-Guide UK? Hmmmm. Meh. Whatever. It is what it is, and what that is, is ‘Meh’.
by Agence France-Presse
UNITED NATIONS – U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has named Costa Rica’s Christiana Figueres to be the organization’s top official on climate change, his spokesman announced Monday.
U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said the 53-year-old Costa Rican, currently San Jose’s climate-change negotiator, would succeed Yvo de Boer of the Netherlands as the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).
“Ms. Figueres is an international leader on strategies to address global climate change and brings to this position a passion for the issue, deep knowledge of the stakeholders, and valuable hands-on experience from the nonprofit sector and the private sector,” the spokesman said.
De Boer tendered his resignation after last year’s Copenhagen climate change talks, which ended in widespread disappointment with only vague promises by nations to cut emissions.
Figueres is to assume her post on July 1, five months before the next round of scheduled climate change talks in the Mexican resort city of Cancun.
She has been a negotiator of the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol since 1995 and has played a role in designing key climate-change instruments.
Chief U.S. climate negotiator Todd Stern welcomed Figueres’ appointment, calling her “well-qualified with a deep background in U.N. climate-change negotiations.”
“The United States looks forward to working with Ms. Figueres and partners around the world to build on the progress made in Copenhagen to meet the climate-change challenge,” Stern said in a statement.
Environmental group Greenpeace noted that Costa Rica has set an ambitious goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2021, “the type of attitude we need on the global stage.”
“We hope she can really engage all countries in a fast-moving dialogue to get agreement on a global deal that will save the world from dangerous climate change,” said Wendel Trio, Greenpeace’s climate policy coordinator.
Figueres’s family has a long history of work in government and international affairs. Her father Jose Figueres Ferrer was a three-time president of Costa Rica who abolished Costa Rica’s military in 1948. Her mother, Karen Olsen Beck, was born in the United States to Danish immigrants and later adopted Costa Rican nationality. Figueres’s older brother, Jose Maria Figueres Olsen, was elected president of Costa Rica for four years at the age of 39, the nation’s youngest president in the 20th century.
Figueres completed her university studies at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and at the London School of Economics and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
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Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Chevrolet, GM
We don’t need to tell you why a leaky fuel tank can be a big hazard. Something about flammable liquid seeping out from underneath a car raises a huge red flag, and now the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 33,000 2004 model year Chevrolet Corvettes over this very issue. According to The Detroit News, NHTSA has received 30 complaints from owners claiming that either liquid fuel or fuel vapor has been leaking from a tank.
Alan Adler, a spokesperson for GM, says that the automaker isn’t aware of any injuries or accidents resulting from this problem. Furthermore, GM plans to fully cooperate with NHTSA on this investigation in order to promptly resolve the problem. In 12 of the 30 complaints filed with NHTSA, a fuel tank was replaced or identified as the source of the leak, and we assume that a quick recall will be in order to prevent further instances.
[Source: The Detroit News]
NHTSA reportedly investigating C5 Corvette over leaky fuel tanks originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 May 2010 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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You may or may not have seen the totally ridiculous, totally NSFW, 8-bit brilliance that is the film-clip for Flairs’ Trucker’s Delight (note: if 8-bit boobs, poop or misogynistic truckers offend, don’t click that link. Editors Note: Heads up – you’ll need to check your maturity at the door.).
Have you watched it yet? To me, the logical progression from creating a film-clip based on an imaginary game is to make an actual game based on a film-clip based on an imaginary game.
And so I present to you, the first episode of Truckers Delight for iPhone and iPod Touch.
For the merest of $2.99 at the App Store, you can chase after blondes (and their well-groomed poodles), take down rival bikies, and steer 16-wheels of pain with flagrant disregard for all those “road rules” that The Man keeps sticking us truckies* with.
Just take a look at the video, below. You even get to pull the air-horn. Sweet!
*I’m not a real truckie. In fact, I didn’t even get my full drivers license until I was 24.
[Via Nowhere Else (French link)]
O conglomerado indiano Tata está expandindo seus negócios em todo o mundo com o Nano, sua principal atração. Tal conquista está sendo comemorada por todos que estão lá, menos Rajiv Dube, o atual ex-presidente da companhia, que pediu demissão antenotem (16).
Não se sabe a razão da demissão de Dube, mas a companhia escolheu seu sucessor, que será S. Krishnam. Anteriormente, Krishnam foi vice presidente das vendas e atendimento ao cliente.
Dube já possuia um bom tempo de casa na Tata desde 1983, e foi um dos principais nomes responsáveis pelo sucesso da empresa com alguns carros como o Indica em 1998, um hatchback, e o mais recente Nano que ganhou a atenção do mundo em 2009.
Via | Left Lane
Chris says he meant to pay $1,700 from a State Farm Bank account but instead was stuck with a $20,000 charge. The scary thing is he is just one of thousands to make an accidental $20K donation to a black hole of despair, according to WFTV in Orlando:
An internal memo from a State Farm employee revealed the company incorrectly debited more than $20,000 from some customers who have State Farm Visa cards attached to their bank accounts.
Nearly 13,000 customers are affected.
Chris hasn’t been able to find some effective Executive Email Carpet Bomb info, so if you know whom to hassle about this problem, please leave your advice in the comments.
Credit Card Holders Have $20K Deducted From Accounts [WFTV Orlando]
On May 6 I wrote, “the dispersant-laced oil spill may soon be entrained in the Loop Current, which is part of the Gulf Stream, sweeping it toward the Florida Keys, home to America’s biggest coral reef” (see “Out of Sight: BP’s dispersants are toxic — but not as toxic as dispersed oil“).
Now that worst-case scenario has played out. And as meteorologist Jeff Masters explains:
The latest surface current forecasts from NOAA’s HYCOM model show that oil could continue pouring into the Loop Current for most of the rest of the week. It is highly uncertain how diluted the oil might get on its voyage to northwestern Cuba and the Florida Keys this week, but the possibility for a major ecological disaster in the fragile Keys ecosystem cannot be ruled out.
For my earlier post, I spoke to toxicologist Carys Mitchelmore, a professor at the University of Maryland’s Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, an expert on the impact of dispersants and dispersed oil on marine life.
She is particularly concerned about corals because they are “under siege from multiple sources, including human sewage, metal pollution, and of course they are dealing with issues from global climate change including warming and ocean acidification.” See for instance, “Nature Geoscience study: Oceans are acidifying 10 times faster today than 55 million years ago when a mass extinction of marine species occurred.”
“We could be getting to the point that puts coral over the edge,” in terms of its long-term survival, she warned.
Brad Johnson has more:
Jeff Hoffmeyer, a marine scientist with the University of Southern Mississippi Center for Fisheries Research and Development, told the Wonk Room two weeks ago of the frightening consequences of the slick getting caught in the Loop Current:
“If it gets entrained into the Loop [Current], it’s up into the Atlantic. And who knows where it’s going to go from there. As it moves around Florida, the next or another critical area would be the Florida Keys and the coral reefs we have down there. I don’t even want to think about that area being covered in oil. Once it works its way up the East Coast and potentially crossing the Atlantic, it could be far-reaching.”
Over 625,000 gallons of toxic dispersants have been sprayed on the oil slick, including 45,000 gallons of dispersants injected directly at the wellhead — creating an invisible toxic cloud of unknown size a mile below the sea surface.
Update: Tar balls have washed up on Key West beaches. If they are from the leading edge of the oil gusher, that would mean that some oil already has been entrained in the Loop Current for several days.
Imagine you ignored everything you read here and proposed to your girlfriend. She accepted. Would you have second thoughts if you saw her Facebook page the next day and she had changed her profile photo to this? (hat tip: Lance Armstrong’s Molester Mustache):
The poor bastard who married this girl is in for a world of hurt. He will
NEVER
STOP
Filed under: Marriage Is For Chumps, Status Is King 
