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Saturday, 31 May 2014
Reverse Pregnant Guppy: The Four-Place DeltaWing Looks Insane
We won’t lie, the Reverse Pregnant Guppy sounds like a euphemism for something better left unexamined on these pages. But upon our first glimpse of this rendering a four-seat variant of the DeltaWing, we were reminded of a backward version of Aero Spacelines’ ungainly rocket-parts transport plane. See? It’s all very innocent.
While the racing variants of the DeltaWing (and the Nissan-built Hatfields to the Real McCoy, the ZEOD RC and BladeGlider), have a certain X-plane middle-finger salute vibe, this multi-passenger version just looks ungainly and ill-conceived. At least from an aesthetic standpoint.
But Don Panoz has never been a guy to fear a new idea, and he’s pushing the benefits of the design, selling it as a means to help automakers meet the looming 54.5-mpg CAFE requirement. The narrow front track helps the car slice through the air. The lightweight construction means smaller, more efficient engines are adequate for moving the thing around. DeltaWing Technologies claims that a DeltaWing with an 85-to-110-hp engine could hit 60 in around six seconds, touch 130 mph, and return 70 mpg.
1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible
The early 1970s was a grand time for American muscle cars with plenty of iconic iron rolling off the Big Three’s assembly lines. But few cars have reached the level of rarity as the Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda. Production numbers of these legendary street machines were rather low compared to other muscle cars of the era. In the case of this particular ‘Cuda and its combination of options, the number is one.
Yes, out of the total 16,159 Barracudas sold in 1971, only 11 were fitted with the sportiest ‘Cuda option powered by the 426 Hemi and ordered as convertibles. Of those 11 cars, only three came with the four-speed manual transmission. Over 40 years later, one — yes o-n-e — B5-coded “Bright Blue” ‘Cuda is the only numbers-matching, 426 Hemi-powered, four-speed, convertible in existence. Talk about rare.
Yes, out of the total 16,159 Barracudas sold in 1971, only 11 were fitted with the sportiest ‘Cuda option powered by the 426 Hemi and ordered as convertibles. Of those 11 cars, only three came with the four-speed manual transmission. Over 40 years later, one — yes o-n-e — B5-coded “Bright Blue” ‘Cuda is the only numbers-matching, 426 Hemi-powered, four-speed, convertible in existence. Talk about rare.
Porn 'can be productive’: Scarlett
Though she recently starred in "Don Jon," a movie about a porn-obsessed man, Scarlett Johansson doesn't spend much time thinking about porn, reports New York Daily News.
"I'm sure I should have some very well-developed view on (porn's) effect on society, the ethics behind it and how it affects the kind of relationship between men and women, and how it objectifies women," Johansson told Marie Claire UK "But I don't really think about it."
"I think porn, like anything else, can be enjoyed," she continued. "It can be productive for both men and women."
But the 28-year-old actress has some boundaries. She would not, for example, be excited if she found out that her sweetie consumed as many skin flicks as Jon in "Don Jon."
"If I found out my boyfriend watched that much porn, I would be totally flabbergasted, for sure," she said.
She also opened up about her relationship with journalist Romain Dauriac. The two announced their engagement in September.
"It takes a lot of growth and searching to understand that it is the differences in relationship that enrich and strengthen the relationship, that help us evolve as people and partners," she said
Rihanna strips again
Rihanna stripped down to her skimpy black bra on Friday to twerk for the cameras to T-Pain's Up Down (Do This All Day) while backstage in New Orleans, reports Daily Mail.
It was the last stop on her gruelling eight-month-long Diamonds tour so the session could have been a much-deserved victory dance.
On Sunday the 25-year-old made jaws drop even more when she exited New York City's SL Lounge in a legless catsuit, over-the-knee boots and a bob haircut that's her most conservative 'do in years.
She took the new style up a notch on Monday as she left a New York City hotel in a black leather coat over a black turtleneck.
Rihanna had her short, shiny black hair down and looked smouldering in the all-black ensemble.
The singer added a pop of colour with bright red lipstick.
Money alert: Erudio Student Loans and the Ombudsman
Former students being aggressively chased for debts are being advised to turn to the Financial Ombudsman Service if they are unhappy with the way they've been treated.he Ombudsman said: "If you feel you've not been treated fairly by a debt collector, or that they are not taking your circumstances into account, get in touch – we are here to get things sorted."
Students from the 1990s are being targeted by Erudio Student Loans, which bought the debts from the Government last autumn. Those concerned have repayments deferred because their wages have stayed below an earnings threshold. Yet many have had money wrongly snatched from their accounts by Erudio, owned by Arrow Global.
When the wrong payments have been pointed out to the firm, Erudio has apologised and repaid the money, or the fed-up former students have reclaimed it under the direct debit scheme after confirming money was taken in error.
But if they don't get satisfaction they can turn to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Details at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/
Students from the 1990s are being targeted by Erudio Student Loans, which bought the debts from the Government last autumn. Those concerned have repayments deferred because their wages have stayed below an earnings threshold. Yet many have had money wrongly snatched from their accounts by Erudio, owned by Arrow Global.
When the wrong payments have been pointed out to the firm, Erudio has apologised and repaid the money, or the fed-up former students have reclaimed it under the direct debit scheme after confirming money was taken in error.
But if they don't get satisfaction they can turn to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Details at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/
One in five loan ads fail watchdog scrutiny
One in five adverts from consumer credit firms, such as payday lenders, fail the City watchdog's marketing rulesThe Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said yesterday that 108 of 554 ads it examined last month fell short.
In some examples, consumers were encouraged to hit the "apply" button before they had a chance to look up important information about a loan – a tactic that breaks consumer credit rules.
The FCA slammed other ads that targeted young audiences – by, for example, distributing branded colouring-in sheets with pamphlets for high-cost, short-term loans.
Other rule-breaking actions included a claim that a product would help repair credit ratings, and another that said a product would clear a customer's debt, when it just substitutes one debt for another.
Clive Adamson, director of supervision at the FCA, said: "It is particularly important in this sector that advertisements for financial products enable customers to make informed decisions. We think that more can be done to ensure that advertisements are fair, clear and not misleading."
Of the rogue adverts, 38 were produced by payday lenders, many of which failed to give enough prominence to risk warnings. The FCA said that 75 firms have so far responded by amending or withdrawing their promotions..
World’s Most Expensive Golf Course
Dutch Docklands, a player in the world of floating technologies, (or making land where there was no land), has announced plans to build a $500 million floating golf course off the Maldives coast. While there are plenty of golf courses that claim to be “on” the water, this one would quite literally be atop the Indian Ocean.
The concept is a series of man-made islands with one or more holes on each, linked by transparent undersea tunnels. Golfers walk or ride through these submerged pathways, taking in the seafloor sights while pondering which iron to use next. And the clubhouse? You’ll have to take an elevator to the sea bottom to get to it. At half a billion dollars, it will be by far the most expensive golf course ever built.
More pictures below.
The floating golf mecca, which is scheduled to be open for play in 2013, will be run by industry leader Troon Golf, the gold standard of international high-end golf course and club management. The yet-to-be-named project is part of a larger government-approved development which will include 200 villas and about 45 private islands off the Maldives coast.
In historic terms, our understanding of golf excess first shifted in 1990, when the Las Vegas wunderkind Steve Wynn built mega-course Shadow Creek. To say no expense was spared in construction is a gross understatement. It is said Wynn gave architect Tom Fazio a blank check and a blank desert canvas. Serious earth moving on the 320-acre site boosted the elevation from less than six feet to more than 213 feet. Nearly 21,000 fully mature trees, mostly pines and cottonwoods, were transplanted. While no numbers were released, the best guess in the business is that Shadow Creek cost about $40 million to build, then the most expensive course in history. That’s about $70 million today or less than one-seventh of the proposed Maldives course cost.
These days the title of most expensive golf course on earth belongs to one of two New Jersey neighbors (private clubs do not have to release cost reports). The number $250 million has been tossed around for valuations of Liberty National, the pet project of Reebok founder Paul Fireman. The ultra-exclusive course is known for its granite walking bridges and $500,000 joining free. Nearby Bayonne Golf Club has merely been rumored to have cost in the $150 million-plus range, mainly due to a huge undersea dredging project required as part of the permitting. If the new Dutch Docklands project comes to fruition – even on budget – these bragging rights will have to move halfway around the world.
Source: Forbes & Yahoo News
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