Nissan GTR SpecV vs Switzer GTR

Fantasy 'Stock vs Aftermarket' Shootout: Nissan GTR SpecV vs Switzer GTR "Track Animal" 

The Nissan GTR has become an icon. It's hard to think of a car that has been followed with more anticipation. When it was announced that the newest Skyline would be offered in the U.S., people smashed open piggy banks to call "dibs." The tests confirmed what the press had predicted; it was incredible. The aftermarket pounced. COBB was so eager and sure of the GTR's future, they shipped a GTR over from Japan to get the jump on cracking the ECU. Since then, a new 10-second, high-powered GTR pops up almost weekly. But it wasn't just guys with laptops in their garage working to unleash the essence of Godzilla, Nissan was busy too. In early 2008, only 1 year after the GTR went into production, the rumor mill started about development of a hard-core GTR Spec V.

We met the specs of the upcoming V with a cynical wrinkle of the eyebrows, "Sooo it's twice as expensive, has the same horsepower, and no back seat? Tell me again why this is exciting?" As fun as that sounds, I'd rather buy a normal one, modify it, and still have $60k left to enroll Nissan's execs in Econ 101: Cost vs Return. Basically, with the aftermarket developing insane performance from the GTR with a simple ECU program, why would anyone buy a Spec V? Our attitude was simply that the tuner world could provide a better car for less money. Instead of spending valuable time praying for a head-to-head comparison to grace the pages of our favorite 'zine, we decided to create our own. In one corner we have the lighter, nimbler, factory-forged Nissan GTR SpecV. In the other we have an old friend of ours; the Switzer Performance GTR P800 "Track Animal." Nissan gave us the supercar at a bargain, let's see if Switzer beats them at their own game.

Nissan GTR Spec V

It didn't come as a suprise to anyone that Nissan was building a special version of its new R35 GTR. Previous generations have been offered with special edition trim, called "V Spec." In the R34 Skyline, this meant stiffer suspension, an active LSD, a carbon hood and extra aero bits. A similar formula is used for the R35. Re-named the "Spec V" the goal was to harness the essence of the GTR and improve upon it. As much as we all love horsepower, what has made the GTR such an incredible performer is its handling. Its prodigious grip and brainy differentials can turn your mom into Michael Shumacher.

Nissan could have given the GTR the Porsche GT2 treatment: bigger turbos and more boost. Instead looked for ways to turn the grip dial up a notch. Chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno said the goal was not for more power, but to take handling to the next level. So it will handle better than a stock GTR, how can I even describe that? Is "land-magent" a word? They went about it using the old formula of less weight, sticky tires, better supsension, stronger brakes. Simple right? Hardly.

Let's start with the easy parts. New run-flat Bridgestone RE070s were wrapped around super-light RAY'S wheels, reducing rotational weight and increasing grip. Carbon fiber was used for the hood, body panels, rear wing and front diffuser and the rear seats were taken out. All told Nissan cut 132lbs from the GTR, for a curb weight of 3,704lbs. It's not a Lotus Elise, but with a starting weight of 3,800lbs the Spec V is like Alec Bladwin losing 15lbs; he won't have a 6-pack but I'm sure his heart is grateful.


Speaking of the heart, let's take a brief moment to talk about the Spec V's. I say brief because the increase in power from a normal GTR is...0. Yes, the $167,000 2010 Nissan GTR SpecV makes 480hp. Quite a marketing idea, "Same power, now twice the price!" Imagine that at McDonald's, "Our dollar menu offers you those same dishes you love, for just $2!" With the reduced weight it reaches 60mph in 3.4 seconds and crosses the 1320 foot mark in 11.5 seconds, no slouch, but nothing new. You do get 14 more torques...for 80 seconds.

Let me explain: The Spec V comes with an over-boost function, similar to the KERS systems in F1 or the Porsche system. When you're in 3rd gear (or higher) you can hit a switch on the dash and send 14 more lb-ft. to the wheels. This broadens the torque-band between 3500 and 5200rpm. The problem is that to arm the system the computer has to agree that the engine and tranny temps are just right. Once "Goldilocks" decides it's ok to activate the system, it gives you an 80 second window to use that boost.

Now, the annoying part is after those 80 seconds are up - whether you use the boost or not - it makes you wait 80 seconds to arm it again. SO, if you're entering a corner and arm the system to use on the straightaway, you better make that pass. Otherwise you will have to wait almost 1 1/2 minutes before you can even ask the system for extra boost. I understand the idea of over-boost, but this sounds like it would just be a big, frustrating headache. I don't know why they wouldn't simply turn the boost up, like COBB's Stage 1 system. More power, no new parts, done and done. Nissan's system would have me contemplating kamikaze into the wall...if the computer says it's ok.



So far it doesn't look good for the Spec V. Where has Nissan spent your extra $80,000? On the brakes? Actually, yes. The brakes are special 6-piston carbon-ceramics by Brembo. While that's nothing special, this is; these brakes resist fade, dissipate heat, and stop better than the brakes on the Ferrari FXX. That seems like overkill for a car with less power than a Corvette Z06, but late-braking is just as valuable on a racetrack as horsepower (to a point). Just make sure you take good care of them, because a set will cost you $50,000. At least we know where the money went...

The 2010 Nissan GTR SpecV is not a sledge-hammer, because that's not what Nissan wanted. The changes Nissan has made seem small, but the result is a car that is more balanced, tossable and agile. You don't get a 700hp car built to chase GT2s and ZR1's...or do you? Mizuno was quoted saying the ZR1's 'Ring time of 7:26 is "not hard to beat." An official time has yet to be laid down, but Nissan doesn't go around making bold claims it can't back up.

So the Nissan GTR Spec V weighs less, turns and stops better, and is marginally faster than the regular GTR. But are those changes really worth the price of 2 stock GTRs? It doesn't even have more power! Surely the aftermarket can build something better for less...

Switzer Performance Nissan GTR "Track Animal"

We brought you the story about this incredible GTR, dubbed The Switzer GTR "Track Animal" and built by our friends at Switzer Performance, back in April. The goal was simple: The customer wanted a car he could drive the 3 hour commute to his local track, destroy all the GTR records at said track, and then drive home in a comfortable air-conditioned breeze. He wanted what we all want, a car that can perform the double-duty of comfortable cruiser and track-ready bruiser.

However, the question today is not whether or not someone besides Nissan can build a race-ready GTR, it's whether or not they can do it cheaper than Nissan. We now know the 2010 GTR SPec V will cost you $167,000, and comes fitted with the same engine as a base GTR. Now we'll find out if Switzer was able to build an equal-or better-car for less.

Let's start with what was done to this this car. If you are building a car that is track-oriented, the first thing on your mind will be suspension. Improving the handling of your car means higher cornering speeds, quicker directional changes and more grip, all translating to faster lap times. Tym decided a set of fully-adjustable coilovers from JRZ would perfectly suit his client's needs. Next were the brakes, from AP racing. They aren't the made of unicorn like the Spec V's, but they're still carbon-ceramic and thus shaved both unsprung and rotational weight from the GTR.

Speaking of weight, did I mention Tym is being cast as the next coach for Biggest Loser? Not really, but he should be, because he found a way for this GTR to drop 200 pounds. Along with the brakes, light-weight CFRP Bride seats, a carbon hood, carbon wing and titanium exhaust all replaced the units from Nissan. The final weight for this car is 3,600 lbs. That's a full hundred pounds lighter than the super-duper Spec V. The Nissan engineers are nothing short of automotive masterminds, but I have to wonder why they couldn't get the Spec V lighter, especially since Tym didn't even have to chuck the back seat.



And then there's the final ingredient for this Ohio-enhanced Godzilla, a healthy scoop of Switzer P800. Think of it as a GTR accidentally drinking Barry Bonds' "milkshake" and you'll know what I'm referring to: power. The P800 kit from Switzer uses bigger turbos and intercoolers and new ECU programming to extract a hyper-drive-capable 720AWHP (800 at the crank) from the GTR. And because all of Switzer's parts weigh the same as the stock parts, unlike Barry there's no unwanted weight gain. The result is hyper-car thrust with back seats and air conditioning.

So if you take your car to Switzer you get car that weighs less than the Spec V, has seats in the back and enough power at your right foot to test the absorption power of your passengers' undies. But how much does it all cost? We did some investigating and here's how it broke down:

* The P800 Kit= $19,000.
*AP Brakes= $15,000.
*JRZ Suspension= $25-40,000 (Street/track spec or race spec).
*Seats= $4,000.
*Aeromotions Wing= $3,000.
*Carbon Fiber Hood= $2,000.



All told you're looking at between $59,000-$84,000 for all the goodies on this car. That means that even if you get your GTR for the MSRP of $80,000, and you order the "cheaper" JRZ suspension, you'll be spending $140,000 without tax and installation. Never mind the hours and money you'll spend at a track dialing in those fancy shocks. When it's all said and done, the prices of the Spec V and the Switzer GTR are practically identical. But as we've seen, the cars are as identical as Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito were in Twins.



With the 2010 Nissan GTR Spec V you get the name, the exclusivity and brakes that will make Ferrari throw a fit. But most importantly you get a GTR that has been honed by the very people that created the GTR. No one knows this car better, and Mizuno and his team have proven they know how to make a car great. The standard GTR was faster than opponents boasting more power and less weight. This was achieved using F1-inspired chassis balancing and weight distribution, and giving this monster a CPU that would make Bill Gates blush. But outside a race track or car meet, few people will be able to separate the Spec V from a crowd of base GTRs, and it's questionable whether this will be able to perform that double-duty of commuter/race the GTR does so well.

And let us not forget the absence of extra power. As much as we love a balanced car, nothing makes us smile as easily as that feeling of getting hit in the back by a charging rhino. You may not notice a Spec V's 2g's of stopping power on the way to work, but big power can be felt at the first on-ramp.

With the Switzer Nissan GTR "Track Animal" you get that power, and then some. 720AWHP is a lot, some may even say it's too much. But if you look at the cars in the unlimited time-attack classes, you will see that harnessing giant power can provide phenomenal reward. It's lighter than the Spec V and the brakes won't require you to sell your own heart to replace them. What you don't get is that pre-approval from Mizuno himself. We've driven both hand-built and factory-built cars, and there's a sense of trust that comes from having only Nissan's name on the car. With aftermarket projects there's always a tiny question mark. Did we forget anything? Is the suspension set right? Will it explode? Switzer is a fantastic builder, but it's like having a different contractor build each room of your house, all coordinated by one manager. With the Spec V there is peace of mind that everything is balanced and perfect.

At the end of it all it's about personal preference. The SpecV is a special-edition Nissan R35 GTR, and that is something very special indeed. It may not win a drag race against a Koenigsegg, but it will take you around the 'Ring not only faster than anything else with 480hp, but faster than cars 200hp more. It will be a perfectly balanced track star and because the engine is still stock, it will be making hot laps for years. It just lacks that "wow" factor that comes with 800hp. Me? I'd take the Switzer.

 

 

Nissan GTR SpecV vs Switzer GTR

Pakistan Raises Oil Prices, Fueling Anger

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan hiked oil prices by 9.9 percent Tuesday, a move that threatens the stability of the fragile, U.S.-allied civilian government at a time of economic turmoil in the impoverished country.

Spikes in international oil market prices — spurred by uprisings in Libya and other parts of North Africa and the Middle East — forced the raise in Pakistani prices, said Jawad Nasim, a spokesman for the country's oil regulator. The price of a liter (0.26 gallon) of petrol went from 72.96 rupees (85 cents) to 80.19 rupees (94 cents).

Opposition parties and even some members of Pakistan's governing coalition immediately denounced the raise, while a group representing public transportation workers in the country's largest city threatened to go on strike.

Haider Abbas Rizvi, a senior member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, said the price increase was unacceptable because it would further burden Pakistan citizens, who are already struggling to deal with double-digit inflation and chronic power shortages.

The MQM briefly left the governing coalition in January when the government tried to raise fuel prices, and Rizvi hinted that the party may once again defect to the opposition unless the ruling Pakistan People's Party reverses its decision in three days.

The ruling party backed off on that earlier increase to keep the MQM onboard and save its majority in parliament, upsetting the United States and international lenders whose billions are keeping Pakistan's economy afloat. The U.S. in particular has an interest in seeing Pakistan stay economically and politically stable because it relies on the country's cooperation to further its war aims in Afghanistan.

It was not immediately clear if the People's Party could afford to avoid another price hike this time.
Mohammad Sohail, an economic analyst, estimated the government had lost out on 17 billion rupees ($200 million) by failing to increase gasoline prices since November. Even the 9.9. percent increase on gasoline and other petroleum products wasn't enough to cover losses, he said.

Karachi Transport Union, an association of bus owners, truckers, taxi drivers and others involved in the city's public transport said its members would go on strike on Thursday over the price hike.
Syed Mahmood Afridi, secretary-general of the group, said the strike would last until the government reversed decision.

Karachi is the country's most populous city, with over 16 million people, and its main economic hub. A lengthy public strike there could further hobble the Pakistani industry.
Pakistan has a population of more than 180 million. Average income per capita is less than $3,000, so a rise in petroleum prices can make a big dent in a citizen's pocketbook.

The International Monetary Fund has provided Pakistan with more than $7 billion in loans to salvage its economy, but it has demanded the government take at times difficult steps to reform its economy.
But the economic reforms, notably a revised general sales tax, are unpopular. The ruling party has tried to pursue a policy of "reconciliation" in hopes of getting all parties onboard for economic changes, but it has had little luck so far, and its political opponents seem to sense its weakness.

Last week, the Pakistan Muslim League-N pushed the People's Party out of its coalition in Punjab, the country's most populous and wealthiest province. The PML-N is in charge of the government in the province but in the opposition on the federal level.

Officials with the People's Party could not immediately be reached Tuesday.
Also Tuesday, the bullet-riddled bodies of four tribesmen slain by suspected Taliban fighters for allegedly acting as U.S. spies were found in a northwest Pakistani tribal region, Pakistani intelligence officials and a resident said.

The bodies were found along a road near the Hamzani area of North Waziristan, a tribal region largely under the control of militant groups engaged in fighting U.S. and NATO forces across the border in Afghanistan. A note attached to the bodies accused them of acting as U.S. spies.

Local tribesman Syed Khan said he'd seen the bodies early Tuesday along a road near his home. Two intelligence officials confirmed the account on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters on the record.

Taliban fighters have slain numerous tribesmen in North Waziristan whom they suspected of spying for the U.S., including passing along information that helps American missile strikes against militant targets.

Pakistan Raises Oil Prices, Fueling Anger

Oatmeal Smackdown : The Healthiest Fast-Food Oatmeals

Yes, Mark Bittman’s smackdown on McDonald’s oatmeal in his recent New York Times Opinionator column, “How to Make Oatmeal…Wrong,” introduced some valid points when he criticized McDonald's for taking a healthy food (oatmeal) and turning it into another sugar-laden menu offering. Making your own oatmeal at home can be—and often is—healthier.  And although McDonald's  name for it—Fruit & Maple Oatmeal—implies it contains maple syrup, it doesn’t—it has “natural flavor” and caramel coloring instead.

But as a registered dietitian and nutrition editor for EatingWell Magazine, I was disappointed by Bittman’s nutrition analysis. He only looked at the calories in McDonald’s oatmeal (290) when he compared it to the Egg McMuffin. Sure, the Fruit & Maple Oatmeal doesn’t look so healthy when you call out the fact that it’s only 10 calories less than an Egg McMuffin (300).

But the oatmeal looks like a much healthier choice when you see that it delivers less than half the total fat and saturated fat at 4.5 and 1.5 grams, respectively, compared to 12 and 5 in the McMuffin. In fact, the oatmeal contains the least amount of fat of any other item on the McDonald’s breakfast menu. You also get 3 more grams of fiber and 660 milligrams less sodium from the oatmeal.

And beyond all of that, Bittman made no mention that oats are healthy whole grains—something that most Americans don’t eat often enough. Or that oatmeal is fiber-rich and contains protein—two key nutrients that will help keep you feeling full and satisfied until lunch. And no matter what type you choose, quick-cooking, steel-cut, and rolled oats are equally healthy nutrition-wise—and can take mere minutes to cook.

McDonald’s Fruit & Maple Oatmeal has those healthy whole grains, but, to Bittman’s point, the evil is in the toppings and mix-ins (sweetened dried fruit, brown sugar, and cream). For comparison, a plain 1-cup serving (cooked with water) DIY version at home delivers about 166 calories, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 9 mg sodium, 4 g fiber, 6 g protein.

Though I do prefer to cook my own oatmeal—and it can be healthier—the reality is that not everyone is so willing and motivated. If you’re going to a fast-food restaurant for breakfast, oatmeal is likely to be among the healthiest picks.

Here’s a look at just how healthy—or unhealthy—the oatmeal is at some common fast-food restaurants and four of the healthiest choices to order. The good news? These chain restaurants’ oatmeal choices clock in at under 500 calories (some even well under), which (depending on how many calories you are, or should be, consuming) can fit into a healthy diet.

McDonald’s Fruit & Maple Oatmeal (9.2 ounces) delivers 290 calories, 4.5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 160 mg sodium, 5 g fiber, 5 g protein. It’s made with a combination of instant and slower-cooked oats. Make it a little healthier and skip the brown sugar—you’ll save 30 calories and 45 mg of sodium.











Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal (about 8 ounces) has 140 calories (plain), 2.5 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 105 mg sodium, 4 g fiber, 5 g protein. It’s made with quick-cooking oats.

Don’t want the plain variety? Add the 100-calorie Nut Medley topping—although it bumps the calories up to 240 (more than just adding the brown sugar (190) and the same as adding the dried fruit) and the total and saturated fat to 11.5 g and 1.5 g, respectively (also more than the other toppings). The walnuts, pecans, and almonds deliver good-for-you fats and 2 extra grams of protein, but no unhealthy added sugars as the brown sugar and sweetened dried fruit do.

You can buy one or more of the three toppings offerings at Starbucks to add to the plain oats. If you sprinkle in all of the toppings, nuts, dried fruit, and brown sugar, the calorie tally reaches 390.

Au Bon Pain Oatmeal (8 ounces) delivers 170 calories (plain), 3 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 5 mg sodium, 4 g fiber, 6 g protein. It’s available in three different sizes—a small is 8 ounces, a medium 12-ounce and a large 16-ounce. Although the large delivers more calories (340) than any other chain-restaurant choice, 340 calories surely won’t break the calorie bank and can still easily fit into a healthy diet.

The Apple Cinnamon variety in the same 8-ounce size has an extra 20 calories, but all other nutrient amounts are the same.


 

Jamba Juice Plain Oatmeal with Brown Sugar (12 ounces) contains 220 calories, 3.5 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 20 mg sodium, 5 fiber, 8 g protein. The oatmeal serving is on the larger size (unless you order the medium at Au Bon Pain) compared to the others. Interestingly, the oatmeal is made with steel-cut oats and is the only one I found to be slow-cooked.

The Fresh Banana Oatmeal is the flavor that adds the least amount of extra calories (12 ounces, 280 calories, 4 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 20 mg sodium, 6 g fiber, 9 g protein).

Apple Cinnamon, Berry Cherry Pecan and Blueberry & Blackberry bump the calorie total to 290, 340 and 290, respectively—and increase sodium by a little bit in each.

Oatmeal Smackdown : The Healthiest Fast-Food Oatmeals

The Worst Cities For Finding Work In 2011

If you've exhausted all other options, relocating can be a smart move for improving your job prospects--but be sure to check where people are hiring, and in what industries before you pack your bags and go.

The scrumptious Cajun cuisine and sweet jazz of New Orleans may make that city seem the perfect place for a fresh start--but the Big Easy is right now the toughest city in the U.S. for finding employment, according to the online job aggregator Indeed.com.

"New Orleans never fully recovered from the Katrina disaster, and tourism hasn't bounced back," says Paul Forster, Indeed.com's chief executive officer and cofounder. "But I think we'll see some improvement over the next year."

Indeed.com compiled a list of America's easiest and hardest cities for finding a job using data collected from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ranking was determined by calculating the number of job postings per thousand people in each major U.S. metropolitan area. The data covers job listings in the fourth quarter of 2010 with salary estimates of $50,000 or more.

The picture this offers does not reflect a precise number of available jobs. An opening can be listed in more than one place and can remain online for a time after it's filled. Nevertheless, the numbers do present a strong, broad gauge of which cities are the easiest and hardest for finding a job.

Historically, the easiest cities for finding a job thrive on industries that benefit from shifts in the economy or trends, says Forster. And the hardest cities rely on industries that suffer most during economic downturns. The rankings of the easiest and hardest cities for finding jobs confirm his view.

The results show that life is not a beach for job seekers in Miami. The cruise capital may have good air quality, clean drinking water and vast green spaces, but it doesn't have many openings. According to Indeed.com, Miami had 14 listings for high-paying jobs, per 1,000 residents, over the whole fourth quarter of 2010.

Your chances of finding a job in a colder place like Buffalo or Rochester, N.Y., are just as dim. There were merely 11 job postings for every 1,000 people in those metro areas, which tied for the second hardest place for finding a job.

Don't lose all hope, though. There are plenty of cities with thousands of high-paying jobs. San Jose, San Francisco and Seattle are three of the top five easiest cities for finding a job.
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose ranks No. 1--but tech geeks are the ones most likely to find employment there with ease.

The area around the city that has dubbed itself "the capital of Silicon Valley" is home to the headquarters of major corporations such as Adobe Systems, Cisco Systems and eBay, as well as esteemed universities like Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley, which are notorious for pumping thousands of computer science and engineering graduates into the local job market each year.

"The established tech companies and emerging tech companies are both aggressively searching for talent," Forster says. "They look for experienced professionals as well as recent college graduates."
There were approximately 126 listings for high-paying jobs per 1,000 residents in the San Jose metro area for the three months that ended Dec. 31, 2010--but don't give up if your job search has been fruitless even in the easiest city for finding a job. In the No. 2 and No. 3 spots on the list, Washington and Baltimore also saw heavy recruiting throughout the last quarter of 2010.

The federal government remains a top hiring source in D.C., where there were 116 high-paying job postings per 1,000 people last quarter. Baltimore, which is home to major research institutions and defense-related contractors, has particularly many job opportunities for health care and information technology professionals.
Forster says that after a significant decline in online job postings in 2009, and a sizable increase last year, he expects to see growth again in 2011.

America's Five Hardest Cities to Find Jobs

No. 5 (tie): Riverside, Ca.
16 job postings per 1,000 population between October and December 2010.

No. 5 (tie): Riverside, Ca. Photo: David Liu/iStockphoto

No. 5 (tie): Louisville, Ky.
16 job postings per 1,000 population between October and December 2010.

No. 5 Louisville, Ky. Photo: Thinkstock

No. 4: Miami, Fla.
14 job postings per 1,000 population between October and December 2010.

No. 4 Miami, Fla. Photo: Thinkstock

No. 2 (tie): Rochester, N.Y.
11 job postings per 1,000 population between October and December 2010.

No. 2 (tie) Rochester, N.Y. Photo: Dean Lyettefi/iStockphoto

No. 2 (tie): Buffalo, N.Y.
11 job postings per 1,000 population between October and December 2010.

No. 2 (tie) Buffalo, N.Y. Photo: Denis Tangney Jr./iStockphoto

No. 1: New Orleans, La.
10 job postings per 1,000 population between October and December 2010.

No. 1 New Orleans, La.

The Worst Cities For Finding Work In 2011

Iran Threatens London Boycott Over 'Racist' Olympic Logo

Iran is threatening to boycott of the 2012 London Olympics because it claims the official logo for the games resembles the word "Zion," which is a biblical term for Jerusalem.

Bahram Afsharzadeh, the secretary-general of Iran's National Olympic Committee, says he sent a letter to IOC president Jacques Rogge in which he condemns the logo as "racist" and calls upon other Muslim countries to join in protest.

The logo was unveiled four years ago to mass criticism, almost all of which had to do with the awkward, bulky design and not pro-Zionist conspiracy:

If you're reading vertically rather than horizontally and think an irregular pentagon resembles the letter "I" then you can sort of make out "zion" in the logo. Although if you read counterclockwise from the bottom left it also looks like "Izzo," which may draw copyright complaints from Jay-Z and cries of protest from Ohio State fans.




"There is no doubt that negligence of the issue from your side may affect the presence of some countries in the games, especially Iran, which abides by commitment to the values and principles," Afsharzadeh said in the letter to Rogge.


Iran lecturing the IOC on commitment to sporting values and principles is laughable. This is the same nation that's refused to send athletes to compete against Israelis for the past three decades. Complain about the logo all you want but stop with the false piety. 
The IOC rejected the complaint. 

Iran Threatens London Boycott Over 'Racist' Olympic Logo

Gaddafi’s Media Strategy Backfires

 

Libya has never been a friendly place for foreign journalists. A media ban kept reporters away as the uprising against strongman Muammar Gaddafi began on Feb. 17, and officials of the Gaddafi regime blasted journalists entering opposition-controlled areas last week as "outlaws" and al-Qaeda sympathizers.

Such hardball tactics, along with rambling speeches aired on Libyan state television, haven't helped Gaddafi in the court of public opinion. So the regime is now trying to make its case though the western media, claiming the government hasn't brutally cracked down on protesters (which it has) and that Gaddafi is firmly in control of the North African country (which he isn't).

On Monday, Gaddafi made such arguments to ABC News' Christine Amanpour--no stranger to dealing with authoritarian leaders--and journalists from the Times of London and BBC. "All my people love me," Gadhafi insisted. "They would die to protect me." You can watch Amanpour's special report below:

Despite the government's attempt to get in front of the story, journalists arriving in Tripoli since Saturday aren't reporting back a story that matches Gaddafi's rhetoric.

New York Times reporter David Kirkpatrick, in the lead article in Sunday's paper, described how Gaddafi's media ploy backfired as "foreign journalists he invited to the capital discovered blocks of the city in open defiance of his authority." The government tried to sanitize the appearance of destabilizing unrest, and even picked the drivers who shuttled around the media. But that didn't work.

"In some ways, the mixed results of Colonel Gaddafi's theatrical gamble—opening the curtains to the world with great fanfare, even though the stage is in near-chaotic disarray—are an apt metaphor for the increasingly untenable situation in the country," Kirkpatrick noted.

NBC's Jim Maceda had a similar take. On Monday's "Today" show, Maceda noted the "irony" in finally allowing western journalists in the country only to have them see the opposition taking control just 30 miles outside Tripoli.

"That strategy completely backfired," Maceda said, adding that the images now being broadcast to the world make "Gadhafi look even weaker and more cornered" than before. You can watch Maceda's report from Tripoli below:

Gaddafi’s Media Strategy Backfires

Famed Magnetic Boy Is Probably Just Very Sticky

A 7-year-old Serbian boy named Bogdan is attracting media attention for his apparent ability to attract other things, such as silverware, remote controls, plates and even a large frying pan. The objects seem to miraculously stick to the boy's skin. Bogdan's family claims he's magnetic, and an MSNBC reporter who filmed him in action says it's true.

This isn't the first time a person has claimed to possess magnetic powers. In fact, YouTube is strewn with demonstrations of bodily magnetism. But are they real?
No. According to Benjamin Radford, renowned skeptic and managing editor of the magazine Skeptical Inquirer, there are several clues in the videos as to what's really going on.

"A lot of times when you see these videos, the people are leaning back slightly," Radford told Life's Little Mysteries. "If there really is some magnetic attraction, the person should be able to lean over. If a magnetic force is overcoming gravity, we should see that. That's one strong clue that what we're seeing is not any sort of magnetism."

Second, glass plates and a non-metallic remote control, as well as metal objects, are shown sticking to Bogdan's chest. "Glass is not magnetic. If a smooth piece of glass is sticking to him and a smooth piece of metal, what do those have in common? A very smooth surface. Not magnetism."

That shows that quite a different physical effect is at play. "These people aren't magnetic, it's just that things that have smooth surfaces stick to skin," said Radford, adding, "Often these magnetic people have smooth skin and hairless chests."
Bogdan, shirtless in the MSNBC video, is quite devoid of chest hair.

According to Radford, scientists and paranormal skeptics have often tested alleged attractors to see whether they are generating magnetic fields, and they aren't. For example, Radford said, when a compass is hung around their necks, it doesn't point toward them, as it would if they were magnetic enough to attract spoons. Instead, it points due north to the Earth's magnetic pole.

The real question, then, is why smooth objects like spoons and dishes stick to some people's skin.
Sadie Crabtree of the James Randi Education Foundation (JREF), an organization that funds the scientific investigation of paranormal claims, said the effect is actually quite simple. "Skin is naturally slightly sticky, and some types of skin are probably stickier than others," Crabtree told Life's Little Mysteries. "But this is really no different than the trick where someone hangs a spoon from the end of their nose. It's just sticking through friction."

The Science of Stickiness

To find out what's happening on the scale of atoms, Life's Little Mysteries turned to Gabor Somorjai, a leading surface scientist and chemistry professor at University of California, Berkeley. Though three physicists contacted previously had no idea what was happening, Somorjai described the effect as "very simple."
"Your skin is covered with grease and oils," he told us. "You can clean them off with soap, but within less than a minute it will again be covered with oils."

The grease on your skin has a very low surface energy, due to the fact that it is a liquid. "Its atoms are only connected with weak bonds," he said.
By contrast, metals, with their strong, hard-to-break atomic bonds, have very high surface energies. "Things that have high surface energies want to go into a lower energy state. And so they want to be covered with a low surface-energy material," he said.
And that means things like spoons stick to grease.

Furthermore, the smoother the spoon (or other object), and the larger its surface area, the more contact it will make with the skin, and so the more it will stick.

According to Elmar Kroner, a German materials scientist who has studied gecko feet, the elasticity of skin also affects its stickiness, and sweat makes it less elastic. "The sweat has a crucial function: With increasing wetness of the skin, its mechanical properties change. The skin becomes softer, and this reduces the elastically-stored energy of the skin and again leads to higher adhesion," Kroner told Life's Little Mysteries. So, sweaty skin is stickier.

James Randi, the famous skeptic who founded the JREF, has in the past demonstrated that "magnetic" people's miraculous powers disperse when they are doused in talcum powder, a product that cuts grease.
The science suggests that Bogdan is not magnetic, but rather just an exceptionally smooth, particularly sticky boy.

Famed Magnetic Boy Is Probably Just Very Sticky