Skittles Vodka Tutorial

Infusing vodka with Skittles is a very popular trend right now. There are a couple of different ways to do it. My way involves separating all the Skittles into their separate flavors and making five different bottles of Skittles vodka.

For this project, you’ll need:

• One 1.75 liter bottle of vodka (I used Stoli - you don’t need the most expensive vodka, but do avoid the cheap ones)
• Five 8.5 ounce flasks or bottles
• One 1 pound bag of Skittles
• Five empty plastic water bottles
• A funnel
• Bowls for separating the Skittles into flavors
• A measuring cup (not pictured)
• Coffee filters or paper towels

You’ll also want to cover your workspace with newspaper or

freezer paper - this infusion can get messy. If you’re making a different sized batch, here’s the formula you need to know: I used 60 Skittles to 6 ounces of vodka, which yields about 8 ounces of infused vodka. If you want to make 1.5 times that, or 3 times that, just multiply your amounts.

Step 1: Separate Skittles into Flavors

Start by simply separating the Skittles into flavors. You want 60 of each.

Step 2: Setting up your Infusion Bottles

Fill your water bottles with 6 ounces of vodka each. It doesn’t need to be exact - you can always even it out later by pouring in a bit more vodka to the ones that come out with less.

Step 4: Add the Skittles

Pour the Skittles of one flavor into one infusion bottle, then pour the next flavor of Skittles into the next infusion bottle, and so on until all five bottles have a pile of Skittles soaking in the vodka.

You could certainly be more sophisticated than I was here, and use a funnel to pour the Skittles of each flavor into one of the bottles. The reason I did it this way was that I felt it would be easier to wash each flavor of Skittles off my hands before moving onto the next one than it than to get that flavor out of the funnel each time - that plastic tends to hold onto the flavors, skin doesn’t.

Step 5: Shake ‘em, shake ‘em, shake ‘em

Now your infusion bottles all have Skittles in the bottom. Give each bottle a good shake - the more, the better. In my picture here, you can see that the colored candy coating has already rubbed off into the vodka, but the white insides of the Skittles still have a lot of dissolving to do. After shaking them, set them aside for a few hours. It’s a good idea to shake them again then, especially if you’re making a bigger batch. My Skittles all dissolved overnight.

Once they’re all dissolved, you’ll notice a lot of white muck floating at the top. We’ll take care of this in Step 6.

Step 6: Strain

There are a number of ways to strain this stuff and get all the white gunk out. Some people prefer paper towels, but I used coffee filters and found they worked just as well. I put a funnel inside a measuring cup.

Then I put four coffee filters in the funnel. It’s hard to say exactly how many you’ll need, since not all coffee filters are exactly the same. I’ll tell you one thing I did learn, though: orange and green needed more filtration than the others. I discovered this when I thought I was finished, and found a little bit of white stuff still floating in those two flavors. No problem, though: I just strained them again through one more coffee filter, and that took care of it. So if you find you haven’t strained it thoroughly enough, the good news is: you can always fix that later.

Then I poured one of the infusions into my strainer setup. I had to pour about a quarter of my infusion in, then wait for some of it to soak through, then pour another quarter in, until I was done. In the end, you’ll have about 8 ounces of Skittle infused vodka. Then I dumped the funnel and coffee filters into one of the bowls I’d used earlier for counting out Skittles, to catch drips as I carried it over to the sink. I washed everything out for re-using (except the coffee filters, of course - those I just rinsed before disposing of, so the sugar wouldn’t attract ants).

Then I took the liquid from the measuring cup and poured it into a flask, via the now-clean funnel. You can see here that the green is a little thick, and it shouldn’t have been - that’s why I ended up having to re-filter it. Then I rinsed the funnel out again.

Repeat this process for each flavor.

Here you can see about how much gunk the filtration takes out:

Step 7: Chill and Serve

Now you’ve got 5 flasks or bottles of Skittles infused vodka:

Stick them in the freezer for several hours - overnight is fabulous…

…and they’re ready to serve:

Now, these are pretty strong on their own - nearly pure vodka. They are also very sweet. You can drink them straight, served up in a chilled martini glass, or you can use them in a cocktail:

• Mix them with ginger ale, 7-up or Sprite to taste
• Mix them with cola to taste (diet cola cuts the sweetness a little)
• Serve them on the rocks to water it down a little
• Some people mix them with fruit juice. I didn’t try this, because to me the Skittles were plenty of sweetness for my taste buds.
• Everyone’s taste varies - there are so many directions you can take this drink in, you really should try anything that sounds good to you!

Cheers!

G8 Production Cut by 97%

With the state of the economy right now and viability plans due to Congress by February 17, General Motors has cut G8 production by 97 percent in the upcoming months. GM’s original production intent for the Pontiac G8 was to produce around 10,000 units between February 2009 and June 2009. That figure has now been reduced to around 1000 units. This is the second GM model that has undergone incredible production cuts, the first was the Saturn Astra that was cut altogether for 2009. For those interested in purchasing a G8, things look better for the second half of the year when GM is only planning a 79 percent production cut on the G8. Earlier this year the planned G8 ST was killed. With news like this coming out of GM, it is likely that the G8 may be gone before long. Source: The GM Source

Japanese Economy seen Shrinking at 10% in Q4

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's economy likely contracted at an annual pace of more than 10 percent in the fourth quarter, analysts predict, reflecting the collapse in global demand that is battering the world's second-biggest economy.

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The Cabinet Office is expected to reveal Monday that gross domestic product in the October-December period plunged an annualized 11.7 percent, according to a consensus of market forecasts. That would mark the steepest drop for Japan since the oil shock of 1974 and far outpaces declines of 3.8 percent in the U.S. and an estimated 1.2 percent in the euro-zone.

With recovery nowhere in sight, Japan is now in the midst of its worst downturn since World War II, analysts say.

"Since October economic indicators have deteriorated at a pace that defies any rule of thumb," Tetsufumi Yamakawa, chief Japan economist at Goldman Sachs, said in a recent report. "There has been an unprecedented large decline in exports and production-related indicators in particular, not only in Japan but throughout Asia."

Goldman Sachs predicts GDP, the total value of the goods and services produced in a country, will tumble an annualized 8.8 percent in the fourth quarter -- and fall 3.8 percent for all of 2009. That would be worse than the 2 percent contraction in 1998 during Japan's last financial crisis.

JP Morgan predicts GDP will decline at a 9 percent pace in the fourth quarter and expects the figure to worsen to 12 percent this quarter.

"Adding to the dismal forecast, we remain cautious about unexpected events in financial markets -- including a sudden further appreciation of the yen and another plunge in equity prices -- toward the end of the fiscal year in March," said Masamichi Adachi, senior economist at JP Morgan in Tokyo, in a note to clients Friday.

Japan's exports plummeted a record 23 percent in the fourth quarter, as the deepening global slowdown choked off demand for the country's cars and gadgets. Even demand from emerging markets, which earlier had partly offset declines in North America and Europe, dropped sharply.

The figures underscore the vulnerability of Asia's export-driven economies during global downturns and point toward more cuts in jobs, production and profits in the coming months.

Japanese electronics company Pioneer Corp. said Thursday it will cut 10,000 jobs globally, joining a growing list of the country's corporate giants scrambling to slash their payrolls. Sony Corp. is shedding 8,000 workers, while Nissan Motor Co. and NEC Corp. are each cutting 20,000.

In the July-September period, GDP shrank at an annual pace of 1.8 percent.

The data confirmed that Japan slipped into recession in the third quarter after GDP contracted an annualized 3.7 percent in the April-June period. A recession is commonly defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth, though many economists using other parameters say that the current downturn actually began in late 2007.

Willy Wonka-style golden ticket contest for marijuana

Posted by Mark Frauenfelder

As part of a promotion for the DVD release of The Wackness, the film company has hidden a golden ticket in one of the first 1,000 DVDs. The winner gets a trip to Amsterdam and a free bag of pot.

WIN A TRIP TO AMSTERDAM
AND A BAG OF MARIJUANA!

Yes, you heard us correctly! We’re offering the chance for you to win a fabulous weekend break for 2 to the city of smoke itself, the beautiful Amsterdam. But that’s not all… the lucky winner will also be able to pick up a complimentary bag of skunk from legendary Amsterdam café, Hill Street Blues.

Hidden within one of the first 1,000 DVDs of The Wackness is a Golden Ticket. Find the Golden Ticket and you win!* It’s that simple.

Uncle Sam Goes Green

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The economic stimulus bill aims to create millions of jobs around "shovel-ready" projects.

That's where Paul Prouty says he can help: He has 500 projects ready to go.

Prouty heads the U.S. General Services Administration, an under-the-radar government agency that owns or leases more than 352 million square feet of space in 8,600 federal buildings in 2,200 cities and towns.

Among other responsibilities, the agency is tasked with cutting costs and emissions in the buildings it controls. The stimulus bill provides GSA with $4.5 billion for energy efficiency.

"By investing in our backlog of well-planned, worthy and needed infrastructure projects, we can help stimulate jobs ... while stimulating long-term growth in energy efficient technologies, alternative energy solutions and green buildings," Prouty said in testimony Wednesday before a House committee.

The effort has long been at the top of President Obama's to-do list, dating back to his presidential campaign. It later became one of the key elements of his stimulus plan, as he promised to make 75% of federal buildings more energy efficient.

At a press conference last Monday night, Obama defended the measure from critics, saying it's money well-spent.

"We're creating jobs immediately by retrofitting these buildings. And we are saving taxpayers," Obama said. "Why wouldn't we want to make that kind of investment?"

Experts say the investment could create up to 130,000 jobs, save the government more than $1 billion in annual energy costs and improve worker productivity.

That could help trim the enormous $6.5 billion in energy costs the government spent on its buildings in 2007. And it would cut back on pollution - federal buildings account for nearly 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to the Department of Energy.

To lower those costs and emissions, Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act in 2007 to reduce federal buildings' energy consumption by 30% by 2015.

Experts say the stimulus plan could help the government make major strides toward that goal.

"We won't go beyond the 30% goal with this plan, but this stimulus will certainly help them go further to achieve it," said Harry Gordon, chairman of architecture firm Burt Hill. "We achieved it in the past, and this will help to considerably reduce our carbon footprint."

Ready-to-go, ready to work

GSA said many retrofits will be cheap and fast, as energy efficiency improvements can be as simple as placing thicker insulation, installing LED lights, replacing windows and installing water-saving toilets.

The agency also said it is identifying a number of bigger projects that can be quickly deployed in federal buildings, including installation of solar panels on roofs, installing high-tech energy meters and smart lighting systems that adjust to daylight.

"The government is going to go for projects that have a greater impact, which provide a very rapid return on taxpayers' investment," Gordon said. "It will result in substantial energy use reductions, which will benefit taxpayers and reduce climate impact. Improving energy efficiency in buildings is truly the 'low-hanging fruit'."

One example of the 500 ready-to-go projects is the Internal Revenue Service building in Andover, Mass. The building has a structure and location that make it a good candidate for solar roof panels, which GSA said will reduce heating and cooling loads and provide electricity for the building.

Experts say the plan is timely and necessary due to high levels of construction unemployment and historically low levels of construction projects in companies' pipelines. Construction unemployment has risen to 18.2% in the country, with 1.7 million out-of-a-job construction workers waiting for work, according to the Labor Department.

"As soon as these contracts are awarded, contractors are going to beef up their labor force," said Ken Simonson chief economist at the Associated General Contractors of America. "GSA will begin to roll out those contracts within 90 days, and you'll start to see construction workers back to work."

More can be done

But some say the plan does not go far enough. Obama pledged to modernize more than 75% of federal buildings, but the $4.5 billion to update those buildings may be spread too thinly.

"You can certainly change light bulbs in 75% of buildings, but there is an opportunity to do much deeper retrofits in many buildings," said Andrew Goldberg, director of federal relations at the American Institute of Architects. "The question is how deep will those retrofits be."

The original House bill had proposed $7.7 billion for the projects, but the Senate compromise bill knocked it down. Experts say that will result in nearly 60,000 fewer jobs created.

"This decision, made behind closed doors without public consultation or review is short-sighted and contrary to the stated goals of the [stimulus bill], including the primary goal: job creation," said Gordon.

Still, experts say the plan is a good start, but much more needs to be done.

"Overall, agencies have identified far more projects that need funding to restore things to condition they were in, let alone add capacity," said Simonson, who estimates the need exceeds what's in this bill by multiple of five to 10.

"This is a good down payment, and will put several hundred thousand construction workers back to work, but it is not by any means enough to meet our long term goals."

Microsoft to Open Retail Stores

Microsoft is getting into the retail business. The company announced today that it's hired David Porter, a 25-year Wal-Mart vet, as vice president of retail stores. He will head up Microsoft's "efforts to create a better PC and Microsoft retail purchase experience" through its own stores.

This is a risky move. Microsoft (MSFT) will be competing with its vast retail channel, which ranges from Best Buy (BBY) to Costco (COST). And last we checked, the retail industry is in the garbage. Even Apple is suffering.

If done right, Microsoft might be able to show consumers the benefits (if any) of having a Windows computer, Xbox 360, Windows Mobile phone, and Zune, all in one place. At very least, they could do a better job than Best Buy at showing off PCs. (We're not sure how well the gurus Microsoft hired last fall to do that at other big-box stores worked out.)

Conceivably, they might convince more people to buy PCs -- or at least to buy newer PCs with Windows 7.

But Porter will have to work magic to get people into a Microsoft store -- the "big-ass table" Surface computer won't be enough. Even Sony's (SNE) retail chain, packed with PlayStations and whiz-bang digital gadgets, fizzled out. Nokia's (NOK) small chain of U.S. stores hasn't done much to improve its market share here. Palm (PALM) shuttered its retail stores last year. And don't get us started thinking about Gateway stores.

If anything, Porter will have to out-Apple Apple (AAPL), whose minimalist, fun retail stores have helped drive sales and market share -- at Microsoft's expense. His pedigree won't hurt -- a few years at DreamWorks after 25 years at Wal-Mart (WMT), where he was an entertainment merchandise manager.

Sweden Builds First Stealth Warships

The country that gave us Volvos, Saabs and ABBA has developed what it claims is the world's first fully operational stealth warship that is essentially invisible to radar.

The two Visby-class corvettes will enter service by the end of the year. They are made from composite materials and use Rolls-Royce water jets to make them electronically undetectable at more than eight miles in rough seas and more than 14 in calm waters. The ship's acoustic and optical signatures are lowered by its non-magnetic hull that, like the F-117 Nighthawk, features large, flat surfaces and sharp angles. The water jets are 10 to 15 decibels quieter than propellers.

"It's very hard for a submarine to detect a water jet vessel," Patric Hjorth, technical manager of the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration, told Naval-Technology.com. "It has a very different signature from a propeller-driven craft as it fades into the background."

Sweden has maintained military neutrality since the end of the Napoleonic Wars, but it saw foreign submarines make a spate of incursions into its territorial waters during the 1980s. That led the government to call for the development of a anti-submarine and mine-hunting vessel that could patrol coastal areas. The Swedish defense firm Kockums got the job and decided invisibility would be better than invincibility.

"A warship's survivability can be built on one of two premises: invincibility or invisibility,'" the company says in a statement (pdf). "For nations with deep pockets and imposing military budgets, invincibility is the chosen high-ticket objective. For countries with more limited material resources, the more affordable choice must be invisibility, to which stealth is the obvious path."

That's not to say the Visby corvettes lack muscle. Each is armed with eight anti-ship missiles, three torpedo tubes, multiple grenade launchers, depth charges, submarine homing torpedoes and a fully automatic 57mm "general purpose" gun.

They're nimble, too. The plastic and carbon fiber hull displaces 600 tons of water, about half that of conventional, steel-hulled ships of a similar size. "The need for agility and a high top speed meant that a light weight was an essential factor," Hjorth says. "You actually need waterjets for these vessels, as they're more efficient than propellers at high speeds."

The vessels are capable of speeds exceeding 35 knots. Propulsion comes from two diesel engines and four gas turbines that power a pair of water jets. Water jets are about 10 to 15 decibels quieter than props, and to further minimize noise the Visbys use impellers with seven blades instead of five. Some of the components are made of bronze instead of stainless steel to further reduce their magnetic signature.

The original plan called for six Visbys in two classes -- one for surface combat and the others for submarine hunting and mine detection -- but cutbacks in the early 1990s by the Swedish government cut the fleet to five vessels. The first was launched in 2000; the vessels are being readied for active duty. The first two will be formally commissioned into active duty later this year. The U.S. Navy reportedly has expressed interest in them as well.

UPDATE 9:30 p.m. Eastern - several readers have noted that Lockheed built the Sea Shadow for the U.S. Navy in 1985 to test stealth technology. The U.S. Navy says the ship was for research purposes only, "was never intended to be mission-capable" and did was not designated as a "USS" vessel. It is listed in the Navy's inventory as a "miscelaneous craft." We've corrected the headline.

Photos: Kockums.

High Tech Shocks Turn Bumps Into Power

Students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a shock absorber that harnesses energy as it smooths your ride, and they say it can improve fuel efficiency by as much as 10 percent.

The regenerative shock absorber uses the oscillations of a vehicle's suspension to generate electricity. Its inventors claim a heavy-duty truck using six of their GenShock shock absorbers can produce enough power to displace the alternator, thereby increasing engine efficiency and fuel economy. The students have attracted the attention of AM General, the company behind the military Humvee, and believe future iterations of GenShock could improve the fuel economy of passenger cars and extend the range of electric vehicles.

"I want this to be a standard feature on heavy vehicles and eventually hybrid consumer vehicles and electric vehicles," Shakeel Avadhany, who led the GenShock team, told Wired.com.

The power-producing shock is the latest example of the push to recapture energy from automobiles that is otherwise wasted. Turbochargers are the most obvious — and oldest — example, but more recent developments include the regenerative braking systems used in hybrids and electric cars. The quest to increase efficiency also has automakers increasingly replacing mechanical components like air conditioning and power-steering pumps with electric ones to ease the load on the engine and save fuel. These technologies will grow more common as automakers strive to increase fuel efficiency and extend battery range.

"You main losses are friction, braking and heat," says Spencer Quong, senior vehicles analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists. "Anything you can do to regain energy there will improve efficiency."

Avadhany, a senior studying materials engineering, started toying with the idea of a wasted energy in August 2007. He and classmate Paul Abel set out to identify where energy leaks from vehicles and figure out how to reclaim it.

It wasn't long before they focused on shock absorbers, which expand and compress countless times over their lifetimes. The kinetic energy is lost as heat. They figured there had to be some way of capturing that energy, which their tests show can be "a significant amount" — especially in heavy-duty vehicles.

"The amount of energy available in the suspension is on par with the energy coming out of the alternator," Avadhany said. "It's 6 to 10 kilowatts for a heavy truck and 3 to 4 kilowatts for a passenger car."

The students developed a shock absorber that forces hydraulic fluid through a turbine attached to a generator. It is controlled by an active electronic system that optimizes damping to provide a smoother ride while generating electricity to recharge the battery or operate electrical equipment. Should the electronics fail for any reason, GenShock works just like a regular shock absorber.

Avadhany says tests have shown a heavy-duty truck outfitted with six GenShocks can generate an average of 6 kilowatts of electricity on a typical road. That is enough to displace the alternator load, allowing the alternator to freewheel and eliminate parasitic drag on the engine.

Whether it is enough to significantly increase the fuel economy in passenger cars is another story. Simply put, heavier vehicles on rough terrain will generate more electricity than smaller cars on smoother roads, said Tom Turrentine, director of the Plug-In Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Research Center at University of California at Davis.

Still, any improvement is an improvement, and the students founded Levant Power Corp. about a year ago to develop and commercialize the technology.

They're being advised by Yet-Ming Chiang, an MIT professor and founder of batterymaker A123 Systems, and Avadhany says Levant is talking to outside investors and VC firms.

Perhaps more impressive, AM General is interested enough that it sent the students a military Humvee to use as a test mule. Company executives want the students to give them a full-scale demonstration in July.

Photos: MIT

The regenerative shock absorbers are made of steel and force hydraulic fluid through a turbine that is attached to a generator. Shock absorbers take a tremendous amount of abuse — especially those installed on heavy trucks and military vehicles — but Avadhany says that won't be an issue with GenShock, which they've tested on a military Humvee. "We beat the piss out of this thing and it did just fine," he said.

As the shock absorbers compress and expand, they push hydraulic fluid through a turbine attached to a generator. The system is controlled electronically to optimize damping, something Avadhany says provides a smoother ride than conventional shock absorbers. That increases safety, he says, because "if it's a smoother ride, you can go over the terrain faster."

Although heavy-duty trucks and military vehicles like the Humvee are the initial market for GenShock, Avadhany says the goal is to develop the technology for passenger cars and hybrids.

By Chuck Squatriglia

Casey Carlson from American Idol

1/18 - Quote from FHM member "American Idol's Sexiest EVER Contestant"!
1/15 - Quote from TMZ - "She's the hottest girl Idol has had EVER"!

To see her webpage click here: http://caseycarlson.net/

White Dwarf: Dead Star Shining

At the end of a star's lifetime, when it's burned all there is inside it to burn, it often collapses into what's called a white dwarf star. These dense globes have roughly the mass of the sun packed tight into a ball the size of the Earth. Since there is no fuel left for fusion in white dwarfs, they shine only faintly, by emitting stored heat. A white dwarf is thought to be the end stage awaiting most of the stars in our galactic neighborhood, including the sun — only about 3 percent of nearby stars have masses so huge that they collapse even further in supernova explosions. Here are some especially interesting white dwarfs:

One of the hottest white dwarfs known to scientists lies in the heart of this nebula, called NGC 2440, about 4,000 light-years from Earth. The star (the bright dot near the photo's center), has a surface temperature of roughly 360,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Since white dwarfs cool as they age, this one must be relatively young. The glowing purple aura around it is the left-over material cast off by the star when it became a white dwarf at the end of its life.

Image: NASA/R. Ciardullo (PSU)/H. Bond (STScI)

By Clara Moskowitz

Kid Rakes in 600,000 in a month for IShoot App

Apple's iPhone application store is as crowded as a Beyonce concert, with more than 20,000 apps available. But one independent developer still managed to rake in $600,000 in a single month with a single iPhone game.

Ethan Nicholas, developer of a tank artillery game called iShoot, told Wired.com he quit his job the day his app rose to No. 1 in the App Store, earning him $37,000 in a single day.

"I'm not going to be a millionaire in the next month, but I'd be shocked if it didn't happen at the end of the year," he said in a phone interview. "If it weren't for taxes I would be a millionaire right now."

Until recently, there has been no realistic way for individual programmers to make serious money on their own. Most of the software market is dominated by big companies, and the traditional distribution method for independent developers -- shareware -- isn't conducive to striking it rich. By contrast, Apple's iTunes App Store provides a platform for marketing, selling and distributing software; all a developer needs to provide is a good idea and some working code.

Nicholas' success story proves that there's still plenty of potential to strike it rich in Apple's seven-month-old App Store. In September, iPhone developer Steve Demeter said he made $250,000 in just two months with his puzzle game Trism. But as the App Store expanded rapidly, many developers thought the store would get too crowded with apps and business would inevitably slow down.

It wasn't easy for Nicholas, either. After getting off his shift as an engineer at Sun Microsystems, he worked on iShoot eight hours a day, cradling his 1-year-old son in one hand and coding with the other. He didn't have the money to buy books to learn how to write an iPhone app, so he taught himself by reading websites.

When iShoot launched in October, business was slow for a while. And then Nicholas found some spare time to code a free version of the app — iShoot Lite, which he released January. Here's how that helped: Inside iShoot Lite he advertised the $3, full version of iShoot. Users downloaded the free version 2.4 million times. And that led 320,000 satisfied iShoot Lite players to pay for iShoot.

The game soared to the No. 1 spot — and it stayed there for 26 days. It's only February, so Nicholas is still awaiting payment from Apple, and he couldn't provide documentation to substantiate his earnings. However, Media Bistro reporter Bryan Barletta confirmed that iShoot Lite was No. 1 for about three weeks. As of this writing, iShoot sits at No. 6 in the App Store's top 25 paid apps.

Rana Sobhany, vice president of iPhone app analytics company Medialets, said the math made sense and Nicholas' success is very believable.

Nicholas' story shows how a clever marketing strategy can pay off with money and recognition on the iPhone story -- and he didn't even have to hire a PR agent. He said the ingredients to his success were simply word of mouth, luck and a quality game.

What compelled him to code an iPhone game? Hard times for him and his family — and he was inspired by Trism, he said.

"I never expected to get anywhere near where I did," Nicholas said. "And of course I've more than doubled [what Trism accomplished] in one month."

Despite nearly becoming a millionaire, Nicholas said he and his family haven't made any lifestyle changes -- yet. The first item on his agenda is to hire a nanny.

iShoot Download Link [iTunes]

Get Your Vitamin D

New research uncovers unusual benefits of vitamin D

Soak it In: Matt McGee (CC Licensed)

The sunshine vitamin is looking brighter. This past week, scientists have found vitamin D can do more than form and maintain strong bones. According to new research, it may prevent diabetes, inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells and reduce the risk of children developing multiple sclerosis later in life. In addition, the vitamin has been linked to more muscle power in teen girls. With all these added benefits, looks like it’s time to load up on some D.

According to researchers from Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, getting the recommended dose of vitamin D may reduce the risk of developing diabetes and could prevent complications for those who are already diagnosed with the disease. In the study, the researches look at 3,000 people with type 1 diabetes and found a lower risk in disease of those who took D supplements.

In another study, a researcher from the New Jersey Medical School found D can stimulate a protein in the body, which in turn, can hinder the growth of breast cancer cells. And this is not the first study to link D with a reduced risk of breast cancer. Previous studies have linked vitamin D with a better diagnosis in patients with breast cancer.
Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Oxford and the University of British Columbia have linked vitamin D with a genetic variant that influences the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurological disease that results in the loss of myelin sheath that protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. The findings reveal D deficiency during pregnancy and childhood could increase the risk of developing MS down the road. While the causes of MS remain unknown, researchers believe a lack of vitamin D in early life may prevent the thymus from killing cells which eventually attack the body and eliminate the protective myelin sheath.
Finally, another set of research coming out of the UK adds to the list of D benefits. Scientists at the University of Manchester found that girls ages 12 to 14 with elevated vitamin D levels were able to jump higher and faster with more power and force. According to the researchers, with the added muscle advantage, D is looking like more of a super nutrient.

Unfortunately, getting the recommended amount of D is not so easy. “There are not a lot of natural food sources,” says Katherine Zeratsky, a dietician with Mayo Clinic. Fish such as salmon and tuna along with dairy products like cheese contain some of the vitamin, but mostly we receive it through fortified food like milk, cereal, orange juice, yogurt and margarine. “We are meant to get vitamin D from the sun,” says Zeratsky. But with limited amounts of food sources and the threat of cancer through prolonged UV radiation (sunscreens limit the amount of D the body can absorb), many people are not getting enough.

Exactly how much D should you be getting? According to Zeratsky, the dosing is controversial. The current Institute of Medicine recommendation is 200 International Units (IU) for adults and 400 IU for children, but some dieticians believe adults could benefit from more than the recommended 200 IUs.

Many people suffer from subclinical deficiency, meaning there are no obvious symptoms signaling an insufficient amount of the vitamin. So, to make sure you are getting enough D, Zeratsky recommends taking a multivitamin, especially people living in cloudy climates or those who religiously wear sunscreen. “We need more research to decide what the optimal level of vitamin D really is, but in general, a multivitamin is a good idea as a safety net in addition to dietary sources,” says Zeratsky. Overdosing on vitamin D is possible, but not likely. According to the Institute of Medicine, the upper limit for intake is 2000 IUs. Still, if deciding to take a supplement, it is always best to consult a doctor.

The bottom line: whichever way you do it, soak it in.

By Catherine Schwanke Posted 02.12.2009 at 1:26 pm 0 Comments

Final Stimulus Bill Provisions

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Key lawmakers in the Senate and House have reached a compromise on a final economic recovery package.

The new stated topline price tag: $789.5 billion. That's below both the $820 billion House-passed version and the $838 billion Senate-passed version.

The compromises that the House, Senate and White House made have changed the scope of a number of provisions, including those affecting individuals directly. In some cases, they either reduced or expanded a benefit relative to what appeared in the Senate or House versions of the bill.

Here's a look at some of the provisions that will have a direct affect on individuals in their paychecks, on their tax returns, and with regard to their unemployment benefits and health insurance if they've lost a job.

The information below is based on materials put out by the key committees in the House and Senate as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Making Work Pay Credit: The bill provides a $400 credit per worker and a $800 credit per dual-earner couple. The full credit would be paid to people making $75,000 or less ($150,000 per dual-earner couple). A partial credit would be paid to those making above those amounts but no more than $100,000 ($200,000 for couples).

The credit would also be refundable, which means that even very low-income families who don't make enough to owe income tax would be able to claim it.

For most working individuals, the credit will be paid over time at roughly $15 per period, assuming 26 pay periods in a year. Estimated cost: $116 billion.

One-time payments to those who don't work: For retirees, disabled individuals and others who don't work, the bill provides a one-time $250 payment. Estimated cost: $14.2 billion.

Break for higher income families: The bill includes a one-year provision to protect middle- and upper-middle-income families from having to pay the Alternative Minimum Tax. The AMT was intended primarily for high-income taxpayers but has in recent years threatened to engulf those lower down the income scale. Estimated cost: $470 billion.

Temporary deduction for car buyers: The bill would let those who buy a new car, light vehicle, recreational vehicle or motorcycle in 2009 deduct state and local sales taxes as well as any excise tax charged in the purchase. The deduction would be available to those earning less than $125,000 ($250,000 for joint filers). Estimated cost: $1.7 billion.

Temporary credit for home buyers: The bill increases the size of an existing temporary and refundable first-time home buyer credit to $8,000, up from $7,500. It also removes the requirement under current law that the credit be paid back if the buyer stays in the home for at least three years. And it would extend the credit's expiration date to Dec. 1, 2009, from July 1. Those eligible for this credit must have purchased a home after Jan. 1, 2009, and before Dec. 1, 2009.

The full credit is available to those making $75,000 or less ($150,000 for joint filers). Estimated cost: $6.6 billion.

New temporary college credit: The bill introduces the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which would be in effect for 2009 and 2010. It expands the existing Hope Scholarship tax credit and would be worth as much as $2,500 for higher education expenses, up from $1,800 currently.

The full credit would be available to those making less than $80,000 ($160,000 for joint filers). Those making between those amounts and $90,000 ($180,000 for joint filers) would get a partial credit. And the break would also be partially refundable, meaning lower income families with little or no tax liability could now claim some of the credit. Estimated cost: $13.9 billion.

Temporary Pell Grant increase: The bill increases the maximum Pell Grant by $500 to $5,350 in 2009 and $5,550 in 2010. Estimated cost: $15.6 billion.

Temporary expansion of child tax credit: The bill increases eligibility for the child tax credit by lowering the income threshold that must be met for the credit to be refundable. The threshold would be lowered to $3,000 for this year and next. That will allow lower income families to claim more of the credit than under current law. Estimated cost: $14.8 billion.

Temporary increase in earned income tax credit: The credit will be temporarily increased to 45% from 40% of qualifying earnings for low-income families with three or more children. It also includes a marriage penalty relief provision for couples who qualify for at least a portion of the credit. Estimated cost: $4.6 billion.

Direct lifeline benefits

Health insurance help for the jobless: The bill includes provisions to help eligible jobless workers pay for health insurance under Cobra. Cobra coverage allows newly unemployed workers to keep health insurance provided by their former employers for a period of time.

For workers who have been laid off between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009, the government will subsidize 65% of their premiums under Cobra for up to 9 months.

Those people laid off between Sept. 1, 2008, and the day the stimulus law goes into effect, and who did not sign up for Cobra, will get an additional 60 days to do so and receive the subsidy.

The subsidy will be limited to those whose income for the year is $125,000 or less ($250,000 for couples filing jointly). Estimated cost: $24.7 billion.

Another provision provides states funding to help pay for expanded Medicaid rolls for workers who've lost their jobs and can't afford health care on their own or can't get Cobra coverage because their former employer doesn't offer a health care plan. Estimated cost: $87 billion.

Unemployment benefits: The bill provides jobless workers with an additional 20 weeks in unemployment benefits, and 13 weeks on top of that if they live in what's deemed a high unemployment state, of which there are now about 30. Estimated cost: $27 billion.

In addition, the weekly unemployment benefit will temporarily increase by $25 on top of the roughly $300 jobless workers currently receive. Estimated cost: $8.8 billion.

Plus, the first $2,400 of benefits in 2009 would be exempt from federal income taxes. Estimated cost: $4.7 billion.

Food stamp payments: The bill includes a provision would increase food stamp payments by 13.6%, so a family of four would see an additional $80 on top of the $588 per month they receive currently. Estimated cost: $19.9 billion.

The bill also provides assistance to help local groups providing food and shelter, elderly nutrition services such as Meals on Wheels, and a program to help food banks re-stock their shelves. Estimated cost: $350 million.

Other help for needy families: The bill provides funding to states to create a contingency fund through 2010 for the welfare program called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which provides cash assistance to the needy. Estimated cost: $2.4 billion.

Thank God It's Van Damme Dancing Friday!

T.G.I.V.D.D.F.

More greatness under the seat!

Lawyers: Is sheriff too aggressive in Phelps case?

2 hours ago --
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Even if a South Carolina sheriff is successful in building a marijuana case against swimming superstar Michael Phelps, it might be hard to make the charges stick, defense attorneys say.

The case took a turn Thursday when lawyers for two people said their clients were among eight arrested last week and questioned at length about the November party near the University of South Carolina where Phelps was photographed smoking from a marijuana pipe. At the time, the men were renters at the house.

The effort to prosecute Phelps on what would be at most a minor drug charge seem extreme compared to similar cases, lawyers said, and have led some to question whether the sheriff is being overzealous because he's dealing with a celebrity.

``The efforts that are being made here are unlike anything I've ever seen before,'' said Jack Swerling, a defense attorney in South Carolina. ``I know Leon Lott, I know him to be an honorable guy. I've known him for 30 something years. But the efforts here are extraordinary on simple possession cases.''

After the photo was Phelps was published Feb. 1, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said his office would investigate and possibly charge Phelps, though officials have not specified what the offense might be. Since then, authorities have released little information, and the sheriff's department refused to talk again Thursday.

Lott has made fighting drug crimes a central plank of his career. He rose from patrol officer to captain of the narcotics division in the early 1990s and was well-known in the county for wearing stylish suits like the drug agents on ``Miami Vice'' and driving a Porsche seized from a drug dealer. He was elected sheriff in 1996.

Lawyers for the two men say they were questioned almost exclusively about Phelps and charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession.

Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian and fellow defense attorney Joseph MuCulloch said deputies searched at least two houses. The men told their lawyers the raids went down like a major drug bust, and 12 deputies burst into the home with guns drawn, pulling small amounts of marijuana from those arrested. Several computers and storage devices were also seized, Harpootlian said.

The lawyers did not release the names of their clients, but Harpootlian said that his client didn't even see Phelps smoke marijuana at the party. McCulloch said his client was out of town, and only lived at the home when the party happened. Both men have since moved.

``After they arrested him, they didn't ask him where did you get the marijuana or who sold it to you. Almost all the questions they asked him were about Michael Phelps,'' Harpootlian said. He added: ``It was like they were busting the biggest heroin distributor in the country.''

The investigators appear to be trying to build a case against Phelps from others - a tactic normally used to bring down drug dealers with a large amounts of cocaine or methamphetamine, not someone who smoked marijuana five months ago, said Chip Price, a Greenville attorney who has dealt with drug cases for 33 years.

``Never have I seen anything like this on a simple marijuana case,'' Price said.

McCulloch, who said his client was out of town at the time, doubted that anything his client told authorities would assist them in the case against Phelps.

``It seems to me that Richland County has a host of its own crime problems much more serious than a kid featured in a photograph with a bong in his hand,'' he said.

Investigators don't need to have the marijuana Phelps may have had that night to make a case against him, although the lack of physical evidence makes things a lot tougher. They will need several witnesses saying they were at the party, smoked marijuana in that pipe and saw Phelps smoke it too, said Swerling.

There's one more problem with the case, too. Even if Phelps is charged, authorities may not be able to get him back to South Carolina to face a judge. State law only allows extradition for charges that carry more than a year in prison - and possession of one ounce or less of marijuana is a misdemeanor that carries 30 days in jail for first offenders.

Phelps lives and trains in Baltimore, and if Richland County authorities were serious about hauling him in on a misdemeanor drug charge, city police would be willing to help if they can, said Col. John Skinner, chief of patrol for the department.

But Baltimore police don't always extradite people wanted on misdemeanors, Skinner said, in part because prosecutors don't always want to pursue such charges.

``Is the charge serious enough in that primary jurisdiction for them to spend the time and resources to go and bring that person into custody? That's not a decision I could make on their part,'' Skinner said.

---

Associated Press Writer Ben Nuckols in Baltimore contributed to this report.

Joaquin Phoenix Rapping at Lavo

Here you go Joaquin Phoenix Rapping

Mortgage Rates Slide on Uncertainty

Mortgage rates fell during the past week, pushed lower from the uncertainty stemming from the bank bailout plan unveiled Tuesday.

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 5.34% from 5.70% for the week ended Feb. 11, according to Bankrate.com.

The average 15-year fixed rate mortgage sank to 5.03% from 5.31%, and the average jumbo 30-year fixed rate slipped to 6.98% from 7.12%.

Adjustable rate mortgages also dropped over the past week, with the average 1-year ARM falling to 5.67% from 5.73% and the 5/1 ARM sinking to 5.37% from 5.5%.

Mortgage rates edged off the six-week high set the week of Feb. 4, helped by investor skepticism of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's plan to attack the financial meltdown. Jittery investors sold stocks and bought Treasurys, lowering the yields and pulling down mortgage rates, according to Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com.

"We're going to continue to see volatility in mortgage rates between 5% and 6%. There's a tug of war between the Fed and the Treasury trying to push rates lower, and the volume of government debt issuances that pushes rates higher," McBride said.

Bankrate.com's national weekly mortgage survey is conducted each Wednesday from data provided by the top 10 banks and thrifts in the top 10 markets.

Woman gave girth to Octuplets:

CHECK OUT THESES PICTURES OF THE WOMAN WHO GAVE BIRTH TO 8 CHILDREN, EIGHT DAYS BEFORE SHE GAVE BIRTH:

Charter Communications to file Chapter 11

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Charter Communications, a provider of cable TV, Internet and other broadband services, said on Thursday that it will file for bankruptcy, as part of a "financial restructuring."

The St. Louis-based company said it planned to reduce its debt by $8 billion as a result of a Chapter 11 filing. The company added it intended to file on or before April 1.

"The purpose of Charter's financial restructuring is to strengthen its balance sheet in order to fully support the company's operations and service its debt," said the company, in a press release.

Chief Executive Neil Smit said in the same release that the company "will be even better positioned to deliver the products and services our customers demand now and in the future" as a result of the filing.

The company described its operations as "strong," and said it had $800 million in cash to help meet its needs to continue operating. The company said in its press release that service should "continue as usual."

One analyst said the news was not a surprise and that it could be beneficial for the company.

"This is expected, and this is a fairly traditional style of bankruptcy," said Chris Roberts, analyst for Tejas Securities Group. "By cutting interest expense, they'll generate more cash flow to help invest in the business."

Charter's largest shareholder is its chairman, Paul Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500).

Charter, which has about 5.5 million customers across the country, is the nation's third largest publicly traded cable company, behind Comcast (CMCSA, Fortune 500) and Time Warner Cable (TWC). (Time Warner Cable is a subsidiary of Time Warner, which also owns CNNMoney.com. Time Warner (TWX, Fortune 500) plans to spin off Time Warner Cable later this year.)

Charter's (CHTR, Fortune 500) stock plummeted nearly 50% on the news, to about 3 cents a share. Because of its low stock price, it is vulnerable to large fluctuations.

Home Prices in Record Decline- STILL!

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Home prices fell 12.4% during the fourth quarter of 2008, the largest year-over-year decline since the National Association of Realtors began keeping comprehensive records in 1979.

The median price for a U.S. home sold during the fourth quarter of 2008 fell to $180,100, down from $205,700 during the last quarter of 2007.

Prices fell by a record 9.5% in 2008, to $197,100, compared to $217,900 in 2007. In comparison, median home prices dipped a mere 1.6% between 2006 and 2007.

Distressed properties, the foreclosures and short sales that have flooded the market, accounted for 45% of all deals. That has driven sales volume up in Nevada, California and other states hit hard by foreclosures, but these heavily discounted homes have also pushed median prices down.

"People are responding to discounted prices and are slowly absorbing the excess inventory," said NAR President Charles McMillan. "Buyers clearly see value in today's pricing."
Pain is widespread

The vast majority of metropolitan areas, 134 out of 153, recorded price declines compared with the last quarter of 2007.

"Home markets are weak just about everywhere," said Pat Newport, an analyst with HIS Global Insight, "but in a few states, distressed sales are driving transactions."

In Cape Coral-Ft. Myers, Fla., which has the third highest rate of foreclosure filings in the nation, prices fell a devastating 50.8% for the year, to $110,900 from $225,300. That was the most precipitous plunge for any metro area.

In Saginaw, Mich., prices fell 41.4%; Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif., prices dropped 40.8%; and San Jose, Calif., prices declined 37.7%.

The Beaumont-Port Arthur area of Texas bucked the national trend. Its median home price jumped 16.7% to $132,600 - the highest increase in the nation. Other winners included Bloomington, Ill., up 9.6%; Dover, Del., up 6.5%; and Bismarck, M.D., up 6%.

The high number of distressed sales pushed prices down for several reasons, according to Lawrence Yun, chief economist for NAR. For one thing, many sales were in low- and moderate-income housing developments where buyers during the boom years financed their purchases using subprime mortgages. In higher-end areas, fewer exotic mortgages were used.

"Take Orange County, Calif.," said Yun. "It's the lower priced areas there where homes are selling. The high priced areas along the coast are not." As a result, the median home sales price for the area skews lower.

And the high number of foreclosures means banks are willing to slash prices deeply to move inventory. Many of the properties they've obtained through repossessions now sit vacant, soaking up lender money for maintenance, heating, property taxes and insurance. The banks willingly take lower prices to end those cash outlays, which brings down prices even for normal sellers.

Then there's also what Yun calls a "frozen" jumbo-mortgage lending market, which has also slowed sales of higher priced homes and reduced median prices.

The good news is that bargain prices are bringing many new buyers into the market. "Many are first-time homebuyers who were priced out of the market during the boom," Yun said.
Stimulus help

NAR is hoping a piece of the stimulus bill before Congress will build on that momentum and provide an extra incentive for buyers.

"Assuming housing provisions in the economic stimulus package are quickly enacted and provide enough encouragement for homebuyers, we could see a quick lift in home sales for the critical spring home-buying season," said Yun.

On Thursday, it appeared that the final iteration of the homebuyer's tax credit, which had very different provisions in the House and Senate versions of the stimulus package, was shaping up to be closer to the House bill, according to Yun.

That means a credit of $7,500, perhaps $8,000, or 10% of home price for first-time homebuyers. This windfall will not have to be repaid by homebuyers and can be taken off 2008 taxes. NAR estimates that could draw in an additional half million buyers this year.

"It could help reduce the high inventory of homes for sale," said Yun, "and get housing markets moving again. It's hard to get the economy back to growth until that happened." To top of page

Nissan GT-R Reprogrammed- Gets Faster

Bottom line, the GT-R with the revised software will be quicker with the VDC on, but not as quick as it was before with the VDC turned off. Only a trip to the track will reveal exactly how performance will be affected.

This is what we wrote a couple of weeks ago in our investigative piece Nissan Reprograms the GT-R. This reporting was based on interviews with many members of the GT-R team at Nissan's headquarters in Nashville, TN. It was also wrong. Turns out the GT-R gets quicker with the VDC on and off.

How do we know?

Well, we had our long-term GT-R reprogrammed and then we took it to the track. Here are the results:

VDC on

0-30 mph-----1.6 sec.

0-45 mph-----2.5 sec.

0-60 mph-----3.6 sec. (3.4 sec. with one foot of rollout like on a dragstrip)

0-75 mph-----5.1 sec.

1/4 Mile-------11.7 sec. @ 118.5 mph

VDC off

0-30 mph-----1.6 sec.

0-45 mph-----2.5 sec.

0-60 mph-----3.6 sec. (3.3 sec. with one foot of rollout like on a dragstrip)

0-75 mph-----5.0 sec.

1/4 Mile-------11.6 sec. @ 118.9 mph

Test Driver Comments: "Best run with VDC off...but only by a few hundredths. Made a significant effort to warm tires to run w/ vdc off. Result is very little wheelspin. Technique is essentially the same w/vdc on or off: wood brake, wood throttle, achieve 3k rpm and lift brake. All runs in "A" Wheelspin will kill time (bog) w/vdc on."

That means the car is now quicker with the VDC on then it was with it off. We've tested our GT-R several times. The most recent was for a comparison test with the new Corvette ZR1 back in October. That day it ran these numbers with the VDC off:

0-30 mph-----1.6 sec.

0-45 mph-----2.6 sec.

0-60 mph-----3.8 sec. (3.5 sec. with one foot of rollout like on a dragstrip)

0-75 mph-----5.3 sec.

1/4 Mile-------11.8 sec. @ 118.6 mph

We also once tested our car with the VDC on for kicks. It was much slower than it is now:

0-30 mph-----2.3 sec.

0-45 mph-----3.2 sec.

0-60 mph-----4.3 sec. (4.0 sec. with one foot of rollout like on a dragstrip)

0-75 mph-----5.8 sec.

1/4 Mile-------12.3 sec. @ 118.5 mph

And so the answer is clear. If you have a GT-R, get it reprogrammed. It's free speed.

Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 16,595 miles

Acura TSX V6 bridges Gap between TSX and TL

In what Acura describes as the first in a series of enhancements the company will make to its lineup this year, a V-6-powered 2010 TSX sedan makes its debut at the Chicago auto show. Positioned to fill the gap between the new 2009 TSX four-cylinder and the similarly fresh TL mid-size sedan, the more powerful, front-wheel-drive TSX will go on sale this summer.

Powering the new TSX, which is sold as the Honda Accord in Europe, will be the same 280-hp 3.5-liter V-6 found in the standard TL; all-wheel-drive TL SH-AWD models use a 300-hp 3.7-liter V-6, with a manual transmission option coming in 2010. The six-cylinder TSX, however, will only be available with a five-speed automatic featuring steering-wheel paddle shifters and shift-hold control. While the added grunt of the V-6 surely will benefit straight-line speed compared with the 201-hp TSX four-cylinder, we’re holding judgment until we experience how the TSX’s lively handling is impacted by the bigger, heavier engine.

To go along with the 79-hp boost, V-6 TSXs also will be equipped with sportier suspension tuning and unique 18-inch wheels fitted with Michelin Pilot all-season rubber. Other than the new wheels, aesthetic changes are limited to a revised front fascia and a V-6 badge on the trunk. As with lesser TSXs, the V-6 version will come with a host of standard features, including leather seating, a power sunroof, a seven-speaker audio system with XM satellite radio, and Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity. Options will include a technology package with GPS navigation and a rear-view camera, as well as an Acura/ELS premium audio system upgrade.

Although the less powerful four-cylinder TSX is rated at 20 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway, don’t expect the V-6 to affect fuel economy too much, as the larger TL with the same powertrain gets 18 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway. Acura says pricing and additional details will be available closer to the car’s launch, so stay tuned for updates and initial drive reviews.

Audi R8 V10 Tested

What's the difference in the V-10 engines that power the top Audi and Lamborghini's crown prince? As it turns out, not much. Both share the same basic components and architecture: a 90-degree V-angle, DOHC 4-valves per cylinder top end, mostly aluminum construction. The forged-steel crankshaft and connecting rods and forged aluminum pistons providing a 12.5:1 compression ratio are also shared by both sports cars.

According to Volkswagen AG's powertrain head Wolfgang Hatz and Audi's V-8 and V-10 chief Jurgen Jablonski, the differences are subtle and restricted to intake and exhaust details. Engine mapping-combinations of ignition timing, fuel delivery, valve timing, and operation of the muffler bypass valves-differs to give the Lamborghini engine a more urgent and aggressive personality versus the Audi's slightly steadier, more sedate characteristics. Minor differences in the shape of the intake ports and the configuration of the twin intake plenums topping each engine are also present. While exhaust headers are basically the same, the layout of the mufflers differs significantly according to the space available under each car and the auditory flavor desired by each brand.

Lamborghini chose an untamed in-your-face howl that starts early and lasts until the revs run out at 8700 rpm. Audi R8 engineers selected a deeper, less frenetic voice. Stand on the gas in the Gallardo and the V-10 overwhelms the cockpit with an Italian serenade. In the Audi, triggering the throttle hurtles you expeditiously away from a wake roiling with dust and commotion.

The stats tell the rest of the story. The Lamborghini engine tops at with 552 versus the R8's 525 horsepower at 8000 rpm. The more expensive Gallardo also tops Audi's torque with 398 lb-ft versus the R8's 391 lb-ft at 6500 rpm. While both cars are quick, R8 drivers will enjoy a clear view of a rapidly shrinking Gallardo when the green flag drops.

2011 Audi R8 5.2 FSI Specifications and Test Data

Power: 525 hp @ 8000 rpm
Torque: 391 lb-ft @ 6500 rpm

Weight: 3583 lbs
Weight distribution (percent, front/rear): 45/55

0-60 mph: 3.8 sec
0-100 mph: 8.5 sec
0-110 mph: 10.3 sec
0-120 mph: 12.1 sec
0-130 mph: 14.9 sec
0-140 mph: 17.0 sec
0-150 mph: 20.0 sec

1/4 mile pass: 12.1 sec @ 120 mph

Peak acceleration g: 0.87

30-70 mph "passing:" 4.0 sec

70-0 mph braking: 151 ft
Peak deceleration g: 1.19

Power: 525 hp @ 8000 rpm
391 lb-ft @ 6500 rpm

Speed in Gears:

-1st: 48 mph
-2nd: 78 mph
-3rd: 109 mph
-4th: 140 mph
-5th: 169 mph
-6th: 196 mph

Details and Interior of Porsche Panamera Revealed

Porsche revealed its Panamera GT after teasing us with lightly camouflaged models and only showing the nose of the car to prove “how Porsche-like” the car is. The wait for further information on the 2009 Porsche Panamera’s full-specifications is over as Porsche has revealed interior photos and initial powertrain details. The Panamera brings Porsche farther away from its sports car roots, but will certainly take its passengers there in style. The car features luxury amenities such as four-zone automatic climate control, natural leather, seven interior finish options, and a Burmester audio system. Adding to the car’s personal luxury feel is the center console that runs the full length of the car. Extending the center console rearward gives each rear seat passenger their own personal space in the car. To keep its sports car roots present, the Panamera comes standard with comfort-sports seats that can be wrapped in thirteen different leather colors including four two-tone options. Eight-way adjustable power driver and passenger seats are standard in the Panamera S and 4S models. The Turbo model features a Comfort Memory Package that adds electrically adjustable lumbar support, seat bottom extension, and steering column in addition to power seats. The Panamera Turbo also gives the customer the option of fully-adjustable adaptive sport seats or comfort seats at the rear. Powering the Panamera is a pair of V-8’s in turbocharged and normally aspirated forms. Both engines can be had with Porsche’s new seven-speed PDK, a six-speed manual is standard on the Panamera S. The S and 4S variants are powered by a 4.8 liter V-8 making 400 hp. The S model will do 0-to-62 mph in 5.4 seconds and will go on to a top speed of 176 mph. Opting for the all-wheel-drive version of the Panamera S, the 4S, knocks almost a half-second off the 0-to-62 time. The Panamera 4S will do 0-to-62 in 5.0 seconds and will go on to a top speed of 175 mph. The Panamera Turbo receives a 500-hp twin-turbo V-8 capable of propelling the car from 0-to-62 in 4.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 188 mph. At a time when fuel economy matters almost as much as performance (at least with these types of cars), the Panamera puts up some impressive figures. The Panamera S gets 31 mpg on the European combined cycle (EU5 standards) and the 4S gets 30 mpg. Adding the turbochargers only yields a 2-mpg drop in fuel economy to 28 mpg. Helping the Panamera achieve these results is Porsche’s new Auto Start Stop function that automatically turns the engine off when the car comes to a stop and when the driver presses the brake pedal. When the Panamera goes on sale later this year, the Panamera S will start at €79,500 (excluding all European taxes) which is roughly $100,000. When the car makes its way to the states it will likely start around $90,000. Adding all-wheel-drive adds about $4,000 and ordering the Turbo brings the price tag to $135,000.