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05 Mar 2012 20:34

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Tech: Chevy halts production of its prize-winning hybrid, the Volt

  • 60K number of Volts Chevrolet expected to sell in 2012
  • 1,626 number of Volts the company has actually sold so far source
  • » But hey, it’s still a winner! Really. The Volt received some bad press since its debut, so it hasn’t sold as many cars as it could have sold. If only sold as many cars as it won awards; it just won the 2012 European Car of the Year — but the car also won the 2011 North American Car of the Year, the World Green Car of the Year and was named Motor Trend’s Car of the Year. Now Chevy just needs to sell more cars, and the Volt can earn its recognition on the roads.

05 Mar 2012 19:48

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Politics: Three conversation-starting moments from HBO’s “Game Change”

  • oneAides realize early on that Sarah Palin, John McCain’s running mate, will have to learn a lot about history and current events to keep up in the public spotlight. When asked if she needed to take a break, she declined, saying “this is flippin’ awesome!”
  • two “I am not your puppet! You have ruined my reputation! I am ruined in Alaska,” Palin said in a meltdown over the phone due to when Nicole Wallace, a campaign press guru, pushed a series of talking points on the vice-presidential candidate.
  • three Near the end of the campaign, when Palin was a “loose cannon” and had a “swelling ego,” she told McCain: “We have to win this thing — I so don’t wanna go back to Alaska!” Despite this, Palin returned to her job for nearly a year after the election. source
  • » Sure to stir presidential emotions: The made-for-TV movie regarding the “rise of Sarah Palin” airs March 10. Though HBO claimed the movie is a “balanced portrayal” of events, Palin’s Super PAC has already labeled the movie “fact change.” Which may be true. “Game Change” may have taken some dramatic liberties from the book, but you’ll be the judge of that.

02 Mar 2012 00:07

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Politics: Jeb Bush: Not running for president, but not for lack of fanbois

  • Maybe more supporters than Santorum? Andrew Card, the former chief of staff for George W. Bush, said this earlier this week: “I have the perfect candidate — Jeb Bush. But he’s not running.” Even Democrats believe that Bush could be a threat if he uses his sway with middle-class and Latino voters. Could the former Florida governor with an impressively presidential bloodline be the Republican Party’s ace in the hole? Or will he wait until 2016? source

01 Mar 2012 23:57

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Culture: Celebrate March 1 celebrity birthdays with these spirited quotes

  • one Heavy partier Ke$ha Sebert: “I’ll be the one in the corner with my laser gloves having a dance party.”
  • two Justin Bieber (he’s 18, everyone, and still dreamy): “dear cougars. i see the jokes. im legal. hahaha”
  • three“Supernatural” star Jensen Ackles: “You can’t eat too many because then you get Gummi tummy.”
  • four’90s star Mark-Paul Gosselaar: “I don’t want to be known as somebody that everybody knows about.” (Deep.)

01 Mar 2012 22:40

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Tech: Three things you need to know about Google’s privacy policy changes

  • one Google consolidated its privacy policies from over 70+ to one; the change took effect today, covering services like Gmail, Google+, Google Docs and Picasa. It will also combine information from across all accounts.
  • two “We can provide reminders that you’re going to be late for a meeting based on your location, your calendar and an understanding of what the traffic is like that day,” said Google’s blog. Creepy or not?
  • threeYou can remove your Google search history, but the company could still be “gathering and storing this information and using it for internal purposes.” It often gives users’ personal info to the government. source
  • » An advertising play: “We can provide more relevant ads too,” Google points out. “For example, it’s January, but maybe you’re not a gym person, so fitness ads aren’t that useful to you.” More relevant for users, possibly, but more relevant for advertisers, too? It’ll be interesting to see what happens a few months down the line with this policy.

24 Feb 2012 11:20

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Culture: Ryan Braun happy, officials aren’t over MLB suspension reversal

  • It is the first step in restoring my good name and reputation. We were able to get through this because I am innocent and the truth is on our side. We provided complete cooperation throughout, despite the highly unusual circumstances.
  • Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers • On the reversal of his 50-game suspension. Braun, the most recent NL MVP, challenged a recent drug-related penalty and was successful in overturning it. Because his urine sample was not sent to the testing facility on the same day it was collected, the MLB Players Association announced the decision’s reversal. Not everyone agrees with this decision; Travis Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, claimed this reversal to be “a real gut-kick to clean athletes.” source

24 Feb 2012 08:54

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U.S.: Marines killed in helicopter training at California’s Camp Pendleton

  • what Two military helicopters collided in midair Wednesday night. The collision, which happened during a routine training session along the Arizona-California border, killed seven U.S. Marines.
  • why The investigation is still on-going, so officials have not announced the cause of the collision. The crash occurred at night with a lot of dust in the air from the aircraft, limiting visibility. source
 

23 Feb 2012 22:54

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Politics: Buddy Roemer: More entertaining than the last GOP debate

  • A long shot who’s quick with a tweet: Buddy Roemer is out of the running for the Republican presidential nomination, but even though he didn’t get a chance to take part in any of the debates, he’s used Twitter as a way to stay in the conversation. Roemer, now running as an independent, is still hoping to one-line your way to a vote in the 2012 election. A couple samples from last night:
  • one On Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a former GOP candidate: “Perry is in the audience. (The clown car needed a driver.)”
  • two On Rick Santorum, the current frontrunner in the race: “Don’t anger the sweater vest. It doesn’t like to be challenged.”
  • three Overall: “BREAKING: The CNN debate has been replaced with a 4-way earmark cage match.” Boom. source

21 Feb 2012 01:13

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Politics: “Outed” Arizona sheriff won’t quit Congressional race after scandal

  • I’ve never defined myself by anything other than my service, and my duty, and what we should all be judged on in life. We’ve all had relationships, as is clear as day now — now this is national news — that I have had one where he wanted to harm me. And now this is rolled out, and the timing is more than a coincidence.
  • Pinal County, Ariz. Sheriff Paul Babeu • On having to “out” himself in light of a personal scandal. The sheriff, currently running for a Republican Congressional seat in Arizona, had been dogged by rumors that he threatened to deport an ex-lover to Mexico if their relationship a secret wasn’t kept. In order to deny those rumors, Babeu held a press conference and, in turn, announced his sexuality. Babeu, a hard-line conservative who had been a rising GOP star prior to the scandal, recently spoke at CPAC, where he called his primary opponent, Rep. Paul Gosar “most liberal Republican member of Congress.” Babeu thinks political rivals were behind the recent scandal. “I’ve got a record of service. people know me. I want to be judged, as every American should be, on results,” Babeu said. Does Babeu stand a shot at getting elected in the wake of this news? source

21 Feb 2012 00:58

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World: Massive Mexican prison riot: Not exactly what it seems?

  • whatIn a Mexican prison, 44 prisoners died in an early-morning riot Sunday. The riot, wich lasted around two hours, stemmed from a conflict between two cell blocks of around 750 prisoners each, many of whom were held without convictions. It was one of the deadliest prison riots since the Drug War gained steam.
  • why? Some rioters may have belonged to rival gang factions. Those rivals were normally separated within the prison, however, leading some to suspect that the guards used the fight as a cover to allow for a prison escape. The guards on duty at the time have been detained, along with their supervisors and the director of the prison. source