April Fools Day recap

I think April Fools Day should be re-named April Rules Day. This infographic I think makes my point.

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Uh-oh: LA 2009: Subaru Impreza WRX STI Special Edition is sportier, less expensive

LA 2009: Subaru Impreza WRX STI Special Edition is sportier, less expensive: "

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Performance, Hatchback, Subaru

2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Special Edition - Click above for high-res image gallery

So often, the tag of 'Special Edition' comes with a not-so-special price increase. Fortunately for Subaru fans, the newly-introduced Impreza WRX STI Special Edition is actually less costly. At $32,995 it's actually $2,000 cheaper than the base price of the standard STI.



Of course, buyers of the Special Edition will have to go without certain features, namely HID headlights, premium audio, and automatic climate control. It's not just a de-contented package, though, as the car also comes with the suspension from the spec C model in Japan that includes a thicker rear stabilizer bar, stiffer bushings and stiffer springs.



Initially, each car will be painted in Aspen white with the charcoal-colored 14-spoke wheels also cribbed from the spec C. Just 125 examples will be built in the first quarter of 2010, although Subaru says that more will be available later in the year in additional colors. High-res gallery below, pricing press release available after the jump.

Gallery: LA 2009: 2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Special Edition

Photos copyright (C)2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading LA 2009: Subaru Impreza WRX STI Special Edition is sportier, less expensive

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Sell No: Why You Don’t Need A New Car [New Cars]

Sell No: Why You Don’t Need A New Car [New Cars]: "

According to recent reports, new-car sales in this country are slowly climbing out of the toilet. We love you, Driving America, so we have some advice: Stop it.

We know what you're thinking: The American economy is barely alive. Detroit is busily attempting to reverse decades of bad choices. Speed has never been cheaper, interest rates are still in the gutter, and everyone and their brother — hello, Black Friday — wants you to buy, buy, buy. It looks like an easy call.

We're here to tell you to hold off. If you can stomach it, we suggest you do something radical: If it has wheels, don't buy it new. Period. Sound like sacrilege? Maybe, but there's more to it than you might think.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Argument One: Cost

As obvious as it seems, the money bit can't be overlooked. Sure, you lose a hefty chunk of change the moment you drive your new snazzmobile off the lot, but that old saw rarely stops people. And yeah, interest rates are low, and the guy in the nice tweed suit is going to talk to his boss and almost lose his job so you can save a few bucks. It's tempting. But it's also a game for suckers.

Look at it this way: Yes, there's never been a better time to buy a new car. But by the same token, there's also never been a better time to save your money and buy something older and a heck of a lot cheaper. The same economy that made that brand-new Porsche 911 seem affordable also trashcanned the values of every used car on the planet. Never has so much fun been available for so little, and the tradeoffs are relatively benign. (In the case of the 911, a good used 996 Carrera will be almost as fast, half as expensive, and just as much fun to fling into a fencepost ass-first.) And if you're worried about repair costs, don't — unless you buy in the rain, at night, and while drunk, a year's worth of fix-it bills will rarely outweigh the heft of twelve car payments.

Take the cash you saved and go on vacation. Invest it. Hell, for that matter, just use it to — wait for it — buy a second car. (What can we say? Jalopnik wants you to roll.) The possibilities are endless.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Argument Two: The Environment

It doesn't matter what you buy, how old it is, or how much it says "hybrid" on the trunk — if you're buying a new car, you're consuming resources. Great strides have been made in the field of automotive recycling, and for the most part, large-scale manufacturing is cleaner than it's ever been. But you can't negate the laws of physics: If it already exists, then you don't have to make it. Creating things takes work, and work, by definition, makes something happen by using up something else.

A few years ago, a company called CNW Market Research created a 'dust to dust' study that examined the net environmental impact of a host of new cars. The study received a lot of press, largely because it claimed that a Jeep Wrangler used less energy from cradle to grave than a Toyota Prius. The firm's methods have since been the subject of a great deal of controversy, but the argument they make is valid: Things aren't always what they seem, and planetary harm has a lot more to do with sustainable design than with tailpipe emissions.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Argument Three: Safety

This is the bit that comes with a caveat: No matter what you drive, the newer it is, the less likely it is to kill you in an accident. Vehicle safety standards are like the laundry — they never rest, and the only thing you can do is try to keep up. That said, thanks to Ralph Nader (I can't believe I just typed that), the curve isn't linear.

By and large, things are much better than they were fifty years ago. Your dad's '61 Cadillac may have killed him if he so much as looked at it funny, but anything built since the first Bush administration is going to be safe enough that you shouldn't feel terrorized by traffic. When in doubt, err on the side of newer, more airbags, and more crush space. Just because it's older doesn't mean that it wants you dead.

Argument Four: Fun

If you regularly read car magazines, the following may come as a shock: New cars aren't always more fun. Here at Los Jalops Con Carne, we've driven everything on the market, and most of what's out there simply isn't that special. Thanks to ever-increasing safety, emissions, and comfort standards, the average new car is a lumpy pile of bloated meh. There are exceptions — a lot of them, thankfully — but they aren't available for beer money, and most of them are either wildly impractical or more expensive than a small house. Buy older, and you get access to the once-costly fun stuff at cut-rate prices; you also get lighter curb weights, better steering feel, and more seat-of-the-pants Kickass.

The Caveat: Sometimes…

OK, we give — none of this is set in stone. There are obviously exceptions to each and every one of these arguments, and sometimes a new car is simply the best answer. We feel your pain. But if you remember nothing else, remember this:

Save the old cars. Please. Don't let your children grow up thinking that 4000-pound sport sedans with foot-thick doors are the way of the future. Help us, before it's too late. This is Jalopnik, signing off from the future. You have been warned.

"

Really!?!

Debris Kills Boy in Stands at Monster Truck Show

"TACOMA, Wash. – Debris flew into the grandstands at a monster truck show in Washington state, killing a 6-year-old boy and injuring another spectator, witnesses and fire officials said Saturday. A red truck came apart while doing doughnuts during the freestyle competition of Friday night's Monster Jam show, the witnesses said. "I can't help but think of how much my 4 year old son LOVES cars/trucks. He would love to be at an event like this. I imagine what this boy was like during the show; happy, exuberant, excited to see the loud monster trucks doing their thing. I can only imagine how I would be in this situation if this were to happen to my son.

read more | digg story

Annoyed...LBP, where are you?

LittleBigPlanet - The Human Body Level

When I placed my pre-order for LPB a month ago, I used trusty Amazon.com. (Even though they had recently eliminated their 30 day price protection policy, I figured that game wouldn't drop in price for quite a while.) I haven't pre-ordered anything for probably 5 years, so I wasn't sure I would get it on the day of release. At the time, I didn't care. "What's a few days?" I thought. "I am saving $4 in sales tax." Little did I know...

During the last month, I have been amazed at all the things surrounding this game; from the plethora of pre-order goodies, to the reviews from all those using the beta. Screenshots, in-game videos, costumes, user-created levels, all get my hands twitching with excitement.

LittleBigPlanet TGS 2007 Trailer

Today I receive an email stating if I want to receive the game on the release day, I have to pay $5.98. Screw that! Even with the pre-order incentives, I'm way too cheap to pay $6 to ship something I can go up to the store, cheaper. But at the same time, I can't wait 5-9 days for shipping! I've decided to go up to GameCrazy and place my pre-order there. That way, I can pick up the game on the way home from work. (Not to mention, they have a cool carrying case.) I'll pay the $4 tax to have it on that day.

Now, I'm sure that all 2 of you who read my blog wonder why I would make such a big deal about having this game at launch. Just search LBP on google or youtube, and you'll see; or go to the LBP website. This game is going to be awesome for the whole family...

...and look at this cute costume for those who get the game at launch:

Technorati Tags: LittleBigPlanet, Amazon, video games,

Economist: Why Bankruptcy is Better than Wall Street Bailout

This is an excellent explanation of the bailout

.Congress has balked at the Bush administration's proposed $700 billion bailout of Wall Street. Under this plan, the Treasury would have bought the "troubled assets" of financial institutions in an attempt to avoid economic meltdown. This bailout was a terrible idea. Here's why.

read more | digg story

Michigan Voters To Decide Medical Marijuana Issue

On November 4, the citizens of Michigan will decide whether to legalize the medical use of marijuana in their state. Polls are showing the measure with 67% support.

read more | digg story

Top 10 80’s Cartoons

Okay, so the title isn't entirely accurate. It's close enough for me. Make sure you click on the digg link, because the thread is awesome (as always) with links to other shows & videos!Oh the 80’s. The decade that gave us the Wonder Years, Who’s the Boss, great video games and a flippant hairstyle as high as a skyriser. What else could the 80’s be known for? What about all the great cartoons that came out in the 80’s? In this list, we will go through what we think are the top 10 cartoons from the 80’s.

read more | digg story

Arrr....

Avast! Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!


Ye should be visiten' http://www.talklikeapirateday.com/
for more info, savvy?

Can 365 Nights Of Sex Bolster A Marriage?

When Their Marriages Fell Into The Doldrums, Two Long-Married Couples Took Action. Hit the read link for more.

read more | digg story

Amazon.com to stop post-order price guarantee

As of September 1, 2008 Amazon.com will stop giving refunds if the item you purchased drops in price within 30 days. I used this 'feature' all the time. I will no longer consider Amazon like I used to. That sucks...for them.

read more | digg story

ABC Reporter Arrested in Denver Tracing the Money Trail

It's not even about the story that he was trying to report. It's about the fact that he was arrested for being on public property (the sidewalk). Watch the video to see the officer push the reporter into the street, then later another officer grabs him by the throat. ...gets my blood boiling.

read more | digg story

Basic Rights Denied At J.F.K. Airport

Although I'm not surprised, I am still bothered by stories like this. You must read it.I was recently stopped by Homeland Security as I was returning from a trip to Syria. What I saw in the hours that followed shocked and disturbed me.

read more | digg story

Pandora Nears Its 'Last Stand'

The burgeoning company may be on the verge of collapse, according to its founder, and so may be others like it. "We're approaching a pull-the-plug kind of decision," said Tim Westergren, who founded Pandora. "This is like a last stand for webcasting."

read more | digg story

Is "No Child Left Behind" still the right choice?

Schools, Facing Tight Budgets, Leave Gifted Programs Behind - New York Times

Bridget Williams, the principal of Mountain Grove Middle School, maintains that very bright children do not deserve specially tailored classes, especially when the district is focusing on bringing all children up to a minimum standard of competence.
Ms. Williams said it was not so much the education, but merely status, that gifted children lost when their program was cut in September. ''They lost the title,'' she said.

She is not, obviously, gifted nor talented. That statement above can only be made out of ignorance. I'm not about to say that I am gifted either, but I managed to skate through 12 years of public school without having to do any real "work". I received A's & B's my entire school career; that is, until college. I had supposedly been taking "college prep" in high school, but when I arrived in college, it was a rude awakening. All-of-a-sudden, I didn't know how to study. I actually had to work to achieve a decent grade. It only took me a semester of college to realize I was "short-changed" by my public school. There are numerous cases where highly intelligent children have severe side-effects when not challenged.

Others contend that cutting programs for such students threatens the nation's future by stunting the intellectual growth of the next generation of innovators. Not only do gifted children learn faster, but often they learn in a different way, experts say.

This is exactly my thought. So, couple the continued reduction in programs geared toward the intelligent with stricter home-school laws, making it increasingly more difficult to teach your (own) children, and what do you get? You get a country that is bleeding all its intelligence away. I fear the innovative-less future of our nation.



Here's another incident. I've always thought it was pretty stupid to deprive a child of learning as a punishment; especially for something like this where intent is clear.

Technorati Tags: news, school, homeschool, parenting, laws

Oh, the agony!

I am so exhausted today. I stayed up way too late watching game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals. 3rd overtime finished up at about 12:45am. It was an intense game, with some good play, & some bad calls. This would have been a freakin' fantastic night had the Red Wings won the cup. Oh well, on to game 6.

(BTW, hockey in HD is AWESOME!!)

Technorati Tags: TV, Red Wings, HDTV, Stanley Cup, hockey

photo by KCJACOBY

I think my kids are at a slight advantage...

By reading this article, I get the feeling that my kids could (almost) fall out of bed and do better...

Some DISD students not ready for college

As a rather new homeschool family, we are often nervous about the learning status of our children. Again, thanks to the internet, we can be reassured that we need not stress out.

Technorati Tags: homeschool, school, news, parenting

God bless the internet

There have been countless occasions where Laura & I have gone to the internet to answer our most dire questions. For me specifically, the internet has come to me with answers to problems I didn't even know I had.

I read a several blogs every day (Lifehacker.com, TWIP, etc), but Dumblittleman ranks up there with my favs. They've always got some great tips to better your quality of life, of which I am always on the lookout. Today, I came across this:

7 Ways to Eliminate Emotional Clutter

Make sure to take a gander. You might find a solution for your 'ism's.


Technorati Tags: emotions, reflection, family,

Would you die for the cause?

I don't think about it all the time, but every once in a while I think it would be an honor to die for the cause. This guy died by quickly reacting to a situation, and ended up saving the life of his 4 year old daughter, at the sacrifice of his own.

Dad died saving his little girl :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

The real question for me is, am I willing to die for the glory of God? I don't know. I would easily die for my kids, but for a stranger? I have no idea. I guess you never really know until you're in the situation. Hmmm...




Netherlands American Cemetery - by Time Freeze
Technorati Tags: Reflection, Christ, Jesus, Sacrifice