All The Cars That Died In 2017
Volkswagen Scirocco
Much to our eternal chagrin, Volkswagen Scirocco never went on sale in the U.S., but it died a sad death nonetheless. The sporty little hatchback was based on the Mark V Golf that ran from the mid to late 2000s, which put it behind the current Golf and GTI in terms of technology.
But now the Scirocco is no longer behind, it is dead. In a couple of decades, it’ll be new to us in America, if the robots or any other unforeseen forces haven’t wiped us out yet.
We look forward to importing one in 25 years.
Subaru WRX STI In Europe
This one was confusing. First, why kill the Subaru WRX STI? What did it do to hurt anybody, other than being a road car with the soul of a rally car? How is that so wrong?
Second, the saga of its demise in Europe was confusing in general. Reports were that the “Subaru WRX STI is dead,” when the outlets actually meant that the car was dead in the U.K. market. The importer that handled the WRX STI decided it was done importing the car, and Subaru backed up the decision by saying the “timing has felt right to open a new chapter for Subaru and allow WRX STI’s heritage to inform future developments rather than being continued.”
Then, Subaru Europe’s sales and marketing general manager told a website the car would be “temporarily dead” in Europe due to that aging engine under its hood. We’ll see what that means for the future.
Lexus CT200h
The Lexus CT200h was a hybrid hatchback that didn’t get much love, with Lexus selling less than 9,000 of them in 2016. Lexus is phasing the car out of the American market while keeping it alive elsewhere.
The CT200h started at around $31,000, and was a great Prius for people who didn’t want to drive a Prius. In the future, it’ll just be a great used Prius for people who don’t want to drive a Prius.
Dodge Viper
The Dodge Viper—which never got enough love, much like other discontinued cars on this list—died after the 2017 model year as well. The Viper just never sells unless it’s dying, and it’s dead after this year. Dodge said goodbye to the Viper with a final, extreme version it called the ACR—a race car made by racers, as described by a race-car driver.
So long, Viper. We’re sorry more people didn’t buy you, but surely they will in the future when they all realize their mistakes.
Complete list (Jalopnik.com)
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Logical Burn
An interesting conversation . . . . .
. . . . . and an example of male logic.
Woman: Do you drink beer?
Man: Yes
Woman: How many beers a day?
Man: Usually about three
Woman: How much do you pay per beer?
Man: $5.00 which includes a tip (this is where it gets scary!)
Woman: And how long have you been drinking?
Man: About 20 years, I suppose
Woman: So a beer costs $5 and you have three beers a day which puts your spending each month at $450. In one year, it would be approximately $5400 correct?
Man: Correct
Woman: If in 1 year you spend $5400, not accounting for inflation, the past 20 years puts your spending at $108,000 correct?
Man: Correct
Woman: Do you know that if you didn’t drink so much beer, that money could have been put in a step-up interest savings account and after accounting for compound interest for the past 20 years, you could have now bought an airplane?
Man: Do you drink beer?
Woman: No.
Man: Where is your airplane?
(Bits&Pieces.us)
. . . . . and an example of male logic.
Woman: Do you drink beer?
Man: Yes
Woman: How many beers a day?
Man: Usually about three
Woman: How much do you pay per beer?
Man: $5.00 which includes a tip (this is where it gets scary!)
Woman: And how long have you been drinking?
Man: About 20 years, I suppose
Woman: So a beer costs $5 and you have three beers a day which puts your spending each month at $450. In one year, it would be approximately $5400 correct?
Man: Correct
Woman: If in 1 year you spend $5400, not accounting for inflation, the past 20 years puts your spending at $108,000 correct?
Man: Correct
Woman: Do you know that if you didn’t drink so much beer, that money could have been put in a step-up interest savings account and after accounting for compound interest for the past 20 years, you could have now bought an airplane?
Man: Do you drink beer?
Woman: No.
Man: Where is your airplane?
(Bits&Pieces.us)
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
You Can't Be Both, Here's Why
Why You Can’t Get Lean While Getting Big and Strong
Increasing muscle density and size is what makes you big and strong. So to get big and strong, you need to pack on more muscle.
But here’s the rub. Muscle is calorically expensive. It requires a lot of energy to create. To create that new muscle, you need to consume more calories than you’re expending. How much more? More than you probably think.
The biggest mistake most men make when they set down the path of gainz is that they eat the same amount of food they were eating before they were training. Intense weight training puts a lot of stress on the body. To fully recover, you need to provide your body the fuel to do so. That means you need a sufficient amount of calories that come from protein, carbs, and fat.
If you train and provide your body with enough calories, muscle mass and strength will increase.
But you’re also going to put on some body fat.
I’m sorry to say so, but sadly it’s true.
There’s no escaping that fact. Some of those excess calories you’re consuming for the production of muscle will be stored as fat. That’s just how your body operates.
Why You Can’t Get Big and Strong While Getting Lean
To get ripped, lean, shredded, etc. you need to shed body fat.
Shedding body fat requires you to consume fewer calories than you’re expending so that your body uses your fat stores for energy.
But here’s the rub: just as you can’t put on muscle mass without putting on some body fat, you can’t reduce body fat without reducing some muscle mass.
When you’re in a caloric deficit, your body not only uses fat for energy, it also breaks down muscle tissue for the nutrients it needs to keep your physiological systems running. As muscle tissue cannibalizes, muscle mass and strength go down.
This is why you can’t get big and strong while you’re trying to get lean. Getting big and strong requires excess calories, while getting lean requires a caloric deficit.
You’ve got to pick a goal at the exclusion of the other.
(ArtOfManliness.com)
The Irwindale Speedway Saga Continues
California's Irwindale Speedway Is Staying Open
After being scheduled to close next month to be bulldozed and turned into a mall, California’s Irwindale Speedway isn’t done for after all. Posts on social media said the speedway announced it Thursday night, and a spokesperson from the track confirmed to Jalopnik on Friday that Irwindale will stay open.
The track announced in August that its final date in operation would be Jan. 31, and that the land would become a 700,000-square-foot mall—something that’s been rumored for years.
But plans changed somewhere along the way, and while the spokesperson couldn’t give Jalopnik the details what did change, even vague news about a race track staying open is all we can really ask for. After all, who needs more shopping malls? Order it online.
The track spokesperson said there is no announced timeline in regards to the deal, and that the announcement from the other night was something along the lines of, “Literally 30 minutes ago, a deal was made to keep Irwindale Speedway and drag strip open. More details in the following days.” That was all, he said.
Update, Dec. 30 at 7:40 p.m. Irwindale sent out an announcement that appears to confirm the deal to keep it a race track will be for multiple years, but did not specify how many. From the announcement:
(Jalopnik.com)
After being scheduled to close next month to be bulldozed and turned into a mall, California’s Irwindale Speedway isn’t done for after all. Posts on social media said the speedway announced it Thursday night, and a spokesperson from the track confirmed to Jalopnik on Friday that Irwindale will stay open.
The track announced in August that its final date in operation would be Jan. 31, and that the land would become a 700,000-square-foot mall—something that’s been rumored for years.
But plans changed somewhere along the way, and while the spokesperson couldn’t give Jalopnik the details what did change, even vague news about a race track staying open is all we can really ask for. After all, who needs more shopping malls? Order it online.
The track spokesperson said there is no announced timeline in regards to the deal, and that the announcement from the other night was something along the lines of, “Literally 30 minutes ago, a deal was made to keep Irwindale Speedway and drag strip open. More details in the following days.” That was all, he said.
Update, Dec. 30 at 7:40 p.m. Irwindale sent out an announcement that appears to confirm the deal to keep it a race track will be for multiple years, but did not specify how many. From the announcement:
It was announced on Thursday evening that Irwindale Event Center, the home of Irwindale Speedway and Irwindale Drag Strip, will remain open and in full operation under a new multi-year agreement with a group of motorsports enthusiasts led by Tim Huddleston and Justice Brothers and the property owners.The announcement ended by saying more details will be available soon.
(Jalopnik.com)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)