Bentley 2012 Continental GTC
While Bentley prepares to unveil their 2012 Bentley Continental GTC at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the one-time rotary aero-engine manufacturer would do well to give thanks to professional athletes and mainstream rappers that helped make the Continental the recent success it has enjoyed.
Not looking to rest on its growth, the long-time luxury automobile manufacturer is aiming to appeal to more mainstream markets of the US, Europe and China. And what better way to achieve that than introduce a convertible counterpart to the standard Continental coupe, which is exactly what Bentley has done.
The GTC features a power retracting soft-top, a 6.0 liter W12 engine which pumps out a solid 567 horsepower, is capable of 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, and an impressive top speed of 195 mph.
Pricing has yet to be finalized but more information should be available once car debuts at the Frankfurt Auto Show this month.
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Kunene’s R20m pop flop
Sushi king Kenny Kunene spent at least R20 million on his disastrous three-city ZarFest tour last week.
He brought out superstars Timbaland, Ciara, Lil’ Kim, Phat Joe and DJ Scratch on his own account, but they only performed at one of his three planned concerts.
Sushi king Kenny Kunene spent at least R20 million on his disastrous three-city ZarFest tour last week.
But Kunene is unperturbed, saying he’s learnt his lesson and hasn’t been put off promoting artists – and he’s vowed to continue to bring top acts to the country.
The Joburg businessman’s first foray as a promoter was a flop – the Durban and Cape Town concerts had to be cancelled because of poor ticket sales despite the big-name line-up of stars making their first trip to South Africa.
“I paid a lot of money to bring these artists here, and I lost a lot of money because of the two shows that were cancelled, that’s just business,” said Kunene.
Although Kunene did not want to be specific on how much he paid to bring the five international artists to South Africa, the Saturday Star understands he spent over R20m.
“Just one artist cost me R3.5m for a single show, so you can do the math,” said Kunene.
According to American Talent Agency (ATA), hiring out international stars such as Lil’ Kim and Timbaland could cost anywhere between $100 000 ($674 000) to $600 000 per show.
Kunene said besides paying for performances, he had paid for flights and ground travel.
“We picked up the stars in a Maybach Phantom, a Lamborghini, a Porsche, a Range Rover and a few BMWs, which also cost a lot,” said Kunene.
“We put them up at five-star hotels such as the Hilton and the Radisson and they stayed in the presidential and executive suites.”
“Next time round I will be much more prepared than I was for ZarFest. I did a fair bit of research on ticket sales, but things did not work out as I had planned,” said Kunene.
“However, I was extremely happy that everything went off well. The most important thing for a promoter is production, security, and delivering the artists, and I did all three.”
Kunene added that he even hired a private jet so that the artists, their crew and he could fly around the country.
“They had such a blast in South Africa – they said they would definitely be coming back to perform again,” said Kunene.
“When they were in Joburg we took them to the Lion Park which they really liked and we also did a fair bit of partying,” he added.
Asked what could have led to such poor ticket sales in Durban and Cape Town, Kunene said he believed it was down to the fact that many South Africans were sceptical of a “black promoter”.
“When I did my research I found that the majority of black people prefer buying tickets on the day of the concert so that’s why we released the tickets so late,” he said.
“However, many people are also sceptical that a black promoter won’t deliver the artists, so I think that’s the reason tickets did not sell,” added Kunene.
“The reason for me including the Zimbabwe leg so early was to make sure that all the artists were here and so that South Africans would know that all the artists were in the country and ready to perform,” he said.
Kunene added that he was jealous of the way white people appreciated international artists.
“When Big Concerts bring over Neil Diamond and Coldplay, the tickets get sold within two days of going on sale,” Kunene said.
“I tried to cater best for my black brothers and sisters because I know that they prefer buying tickets on the day of the concert,” he added.
Kunene said that South Africans could soon expect more international artists to perform in South Africa, and was already excited about promoting again.
“I will always bring well-known artists to South Africa, so the fans will get the very best. We want to cater for the blacks, whites, Indians and coloureds, so you can expect a number of different artists,” he added. – Saturday Star
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Meet Aston-Zagato’s new lovechild
Fifty years after their first affair, Aston Martin and Zagato have jumped back in the sack, the celebratory result being the V12 Zagato design study that you see here.
Its muscular body is handcrafted from aluminium and sits atop V12 Vantage mechanicals
Set to debut at the Villa D'Este Concours on 21 May, the concept is intended to “gauge customer interest” before they start building them in very limited numbers.
Not just for road use, the V12 Zagato is also headed for the track, the racing version set to strut its stuff at the Nürburgring 24 hour race on 25 and 26 June this year.
A modern take on classics like the DB4 GT Zagato, this latest instalment is based on the V12 Vantage and although it's unlikely to go down as the pair's most beautiful creation, Zagato's Italian flavour is evident in the more flamboyant lines.
In the words of design director Marek Reichman: “The V12 Zagato is an elegant yet brutal design that reflects the great balance between race performance and pure Aston Martin style.”
In order to achieve a muscular design of the kind not attainable using pre-formed panel techniques, every piece of its aluminium body is formed using an English wheel and traditionally crafted body bucks.
The car sits atop Aston Martin’s ‘dynamic bonded’ aluminium platform and is thrusted along by the firm’s 6-litre V12 engine that pushes 380kW and 570Nm through the back wheels.
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In Apple we trust?
London – CNN did an interesting thing the other day. They asked two technology lawyers to do something that millions of us have claimed to do but very few actually have. They asked them to read the iTunes Terms and Conditions – an electronic scroll of small print which pops up every time there’s an update on Apple’s software. The lawyers, incidentally, didn’t discover any real monsters in their hunt through the forest of fine print – unless, that is, you were planning to update a weapon of mass destruction with a selectable playlist of MOR rock classics. If so, I’m sorry to have to tell you that the End User License Agreement specifically bars the use of iTunes software in “the production of nuclear, missile, or chemical or biological weapons”.
Apple dominates the market for music downloads in the United States, but its iTunes online music store has about a 5 percent share in Japan, where most fans download songs onto mobile phones and many people prefer not to buy music online with credit cards
It’s hardly surprising that so few of us bother to read these contracts before digitally signing our names to them. They’re densely legalistic and preposterously inclusive. But there is something intriguing about the blitheness with which we click on the “I Agree” button – not knowing precisely what it is that we’re agreeing to. The more paranoid consumer would, I assume, take this as an instance of contemporary folly – and they would be able to bolster their case by citing the unwitting concessions on privacy and data collection that we make. But most of us, I think, would regard this as a moment when trust comes into play. We understand that Apple wants our money. But our working assumption is that they aren’t actively seeking to cheat us.
Contemporary life would be exhausting if we thought anything else – not to mention a great deal bleaker. Every transaction would be conducted in an atmosphere of suspicion, every commercial exchange hedged by caution and mistrust. And though our confidence rests partly on legislation – on the knowledge that protections exist which inhabit the rapacity of entrepreneurs – it’s also connected to the way in which we expect to deal with each other as human beings. Which is why the banks’ knowing mis-selling of Payment Protection Insurance – an activity which they now seem to have decided is literally indefensible – is so shabby. It’s not just that they gave their customers a bad deal (they do that quite often). They cynically exploited the trust that often exists between non-specialist consumers and specialist suppliers, and in doing so corroded it.
One imagines that a vanishingly small number of those who took out PPI deals read all the paperwork that came with them. And even if they had they probably wouldn’t have understood every detail. So they relied instead on the human assumption that the person you’re dealing with will be essentially decent. In this case, sadly, it turned out that they weren’t. The banks weren’t interested in fairness, or good service, or customer satisfaction. They just wanted the profit. What they did presumably wasn’t legally dishonest, or else someone (surely) would be going to jail. But it was morally dishonest – and yet another contribution to a world in which every motive is suspect. I imagine they’ll probably find a way to give themselves a bonus for it. – The Independent
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Rise and rise of the Twitternaut
The fact that Jemima Khan should be smeared via Twitter – and also defend herself using it – shows how immensely powerful it has become.
Jemima Khan
More powerful, in fact, than any High Court judge who imposes a super-injunction to keep a scandal out of the public eye.
Even as the judiciary constructs an increasingly substantial body of privacy law, that law is powerless in the face of Twitter and Facebook, where millions read the false allegations made about Miss Khan and Jeremy Clarkson.
While the press is bound by super-injunctions, the Press Complaints Commission and libel law, Twitter’s 200million users can say whatever they want. And they do. A controversial “tweet” on Sunday claimed to list all current super-injunctions, but also contained lies that will hurt those wrongly accused of being involved.
So how did Twitter come to play such a disturbing role in the debate over injunctions?
The “micro-blogging” site lets anyone open a free account and send out “tweets” – short messages of up to 140 characters – which anyone else on Twitter can “follow”, or read.
As a former libel barrister I would say that while in theory victims could sue those who have spread lies about them on Twitter, it would hardly be worth their while. All you need to set up a Twitter account is a mobile phone with internet access; and there’s no point in suing penniless scandalmongers, even if you manage to track them down in the first place.
The site’s scope for instant communication allows for myriad uses from the utterly banal to the internationally important.
Last week, the news that the Osama Bin Laden mission was under way came first via Twitter when Sohaib Athar, an IT consultant in Abbottabad, tweeted: “Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1am (is a rare event).”
While the Twitter company does remove illegal tweets, it acknowledges that it cannot vet every one before it goes online.
“On a practical level, we simply cannot review all tweets created and subsequently delivered every day,” says a spokesman. “There are tweets that we do remove, such as illegal tweets and spam.
“However, we make efforts to keep these exceptions narrow so they may serve to prove a broader and more important rule – we strive not to remove tweets on the basis of their content.”
Certainly, Twitter is the ideal forum for personal spats which are instantly broadcast across the world. Last Christmas, Alan Sugar used Twitter to attack Chris Evans for selling more copies of his memoirs than Sugar had. “U only got there as my readers could not get to the shops due to snow,” tweeted Lord Sugar. “Your readers work in the shops.”
The insults come so thick and fast that some obsessives – “twaddicts” – find it all too much. TV star Stephen Fry has given up tweeting several times, once to write a book, and once because, he tweeted, there was “too much aggression and unkindness around” on Twitter.
With all these ultra-flexible uses, it’s not surprising that Twitter has become one of the most used, and most valuable, websites on earth. The company started selling advertising only a year ago, but already it is making £27million a year and is valued at up to £4.7billion. At the latest count (and the number grows by the second), there are 200million Twitter users, sending out 155million tweets a day. Even the most energetic High Court judge on the planet would find it hard to police that volume of traffic.
The human appetite for gossip is natural and insatiable – and social network sites such as Twitter are perfectly adapted to satisfy that appetite. But it is a stream of gossip that is sometimes unregulated and uncensored, read by children and riddled with lies.
More super-injunctions would encourage unchecked speculation which would turn that tide into an ocean. – Daily Mail
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The new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster
The new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster is only set to make it’s world premier at the Frankfurt/Main International Motor Show in September, but pictures and information of the vehicle testing have already been released.
The gull-wing doors and the fixed roof have obviously been dropped which had lead to certain challenges and increased testing for the Merc designers. 
Being a soft-top one of the biggest challenges was bodyshell rigidity and the handling of the vehicle, as well as providing the same superior driving dynamics experienced in the coupe’ version. “Without bodyshell rigidity there are no handling dynamics, and neither can the close fit of the soft top be guaranteed” comments Tobias Moers, head of development.
Mercedes tackled this problem with the following 2 features that would ultimately increase the rigidity of the bodyshell: Firstly the cross-member carrying the dashboard has additional supporting struts at the windscreen frame and centre tunnel. Secondly, the strut mounting stay between the soft top and the fuel tank has improved the rigidity of the rear axle. This has led to a reduction in vibration, as well as allowing the top to be safely opened and closed while driving up to 50km/h.
Look for more information on the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster closer to its official release.
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A kiss on the palace balcony
London – Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton married at Westminster Abbey on Friday in a sumptuous show of British pageantry that attracted a huge world audience and injected new life into the monarchy.
Before a flawless exchange of vows, a veiled Middleton wearing a laced dress with a long train, the first “commoner” to marry a prince in close proximity to the throne in more than 350 years, walked slowly through the 1 900-strong congregation.
As they met at the altar William, second in line to the throne, whispered to her, prompting a smile. The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams declared the couple married with the words: “I pronounce that they be man and wife together”.
Tens of thousands of people thronging the streets outside cheered when they heard the words, and again as the newlyweds left the abbey in a 1902 open-topped state landau carriage bound for Buckingham Palace, the queen’s London residence.
Huge cheering crowds strained to catch a glimpse of the beaming couple as well as the military bands in black bearskin hats and cavalrymen in shining breastplates who escorted them to the palace where they were expected to kiss on the balcony.
Middleton’s dress, the subject of fevered speculation for months in the fashion press, was a traditional ivory silk and satin outfit with a lace applique and train.
It was designed by Sarah Burton of the Alexander McQueen label, named after the British designer who committed suicide.
The bride wore a tiara loaned by the queen and the diamond and sapphire engagement ring that belonged to William’s mother Princess Diana, who was divorced from Prince Charles in 1996, a year before her death in a car crash in Paris aged just 36.
Middleton, the 29-year-old whose mother’s family had coal mining roots, is a breath of fresh air for the monarchy, which has in the past been accused of being disconnected from ordinary Britons. She is seen as having the common touch.
The royals’ cool reaction to Diana’s 1997 death contrasted with an outpouring of public grief and marked a low point for the family. Some questioned whether the institution, a vestige of imperial glory, had outlived its unifying role in a modern state divided by partisan politics and regional separatism.
SEALED WITH A KISS
Thousands of people from around the globe were outside the abbey, many of them camping overnight for the best view of the future king and queen and fuelling the feel-good factor that has briefly lifted Britain from its economic gloom.
“People watching this at home must think we’re completely mad, but there’s just no comparison,” said 58-year-old Denise Mill from southern England. “I just had to be here”.
The crowd entered into the festive spirit on a day when threatened rain failed to materialise by wearing national flags and even fake wedding dresses and tiaras.
Hundreds of police officers, some armed, dotted the royal routes in a major security operation. Plain clothes officers mixed with the crowds who were packed behind rails.
A large gathering is expected outside Buckingham Palace to cheer on the couple as they appear on the balcony for the much-anticipated public kiss.
For some, however, the biggest royal wedding since Diana married Charles in 1981 was an event to forget, reflecting divided opinion about the monarchy.
In the economically depressed northern city of Bradford, for example, businessman Waheed Yunus said: “It’s two young people getting married. It’s as simple as that. It happens throughout the whole world every single day.
“There are much more pressing issues. There are much more important things going on in the world.”
“WAITY KATIE”
About 5 500 street parties will be held across Britain, in keeping with tradition, although they will be more common in the more affluent south of England than in the poorer north. Church bells rang out throughout the country in celebration.
The marriage between William and Middleton, dubbed “Waity Katie” for their long courtship, has cemented a recovery in the monarchy’s popularity.
A series of scandals involving senior royals, Britain’s economic problems and Diana’s death after her divorce from Prince Charles led many to question the future of the monarchy.
But Middleton’s background, William’s appeal, the ongoing adoration for his mother and a more media-savvy royal press team have helped to restore their standing with the wider public.
A Daily Mail survey showed 51 percent of people believed the wedding would strengthen the monarchy in Britain, compared with 65 percent who said the marriage between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005 would weaken it.
However, while the queen, 85, exercises limited power, and is largely a symbolic figurehead in Britain and its former colonies, critics question the privileges she and her family enjoy, particularly at a time when the economy is so weak.
The monarchy officially costs the British taxpayer around 40 million pounds ($67 million) a year, while anti-royalists put the figure at closer to 180 million pounds.
HISTORY AND POMP
Bells pealed loudly and trumpets blared as 1 900 guests earlier poured into the historic abbey, coronation site for the monarchy since William the Conqueror was crowned in 1066.
Queen Elizabeth, other royals, Prime Minister David Cameron, David and Victoria Beckham, the footballer-pop star couple, and singer Elton John were among famous guests at the abbey.
They joined 50 heads of state as well as charity workers and war veterans who know the prince from his military training.
Middleton has been given the title Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge after the queen made her grandson William the Duke of Cambridge to mark the marriage.
William could face a long wait for the throne. His grandmother Queen Elizabeth shows little sign of slowing down at 85 and his father Charles is a fit and active 62-year-old. – Reuters
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Tweets keep love at bay
London – The results of a recent study by online US dating site OkCupid found that people who use Twitter every day are more likely to have shorter relationships and to engage in self-gratification than those who don’t.
The data was taken from a sample of 833 987 users of the dating website and compared those who used Twitter every day with the generic category of “everybody else”.
The survey found that older daily Twitter users were likely to have the longest relationships – while, perhaps unsurprisingly, younger daily Twitter users had the shortest.
Daily Twitter users aged 18 to 24 averaged between nine and 12 months per relationship while the same age group in the category of “everyone else” averaged between slightly less than 10 months to about 13 months per relationship.
Those daily Twitter users aged between 40 and 50 averaged 15 months per relationship while the same age group in the category of “everyone else” had relationships lasting between 16 and 17 months.
The survey gave no reason as to why those who use Twitter on a daily basis would be likely to experience shorter romantic attachments.
A separate survey included in the dating company’s report found that the odds that daily Twitter users aged 18 to 24 masturbated, or reported that they were masturbating, on any day across all gender groups were 2:1, while the odds of “everyone else” across the same age group doing the same were significantly lower – about 1.6:1.
Online activities have long been thought by some to be a major cause of relationships breaking down, with numerous studies being conducted into the phenomenon of social networking sites and its effect on relationships.
Examples of two such cases include an April 20 report by technology news portal The Tech Journal that lawyers in the US have claimed social networking site Facebook is cited in nearly 20 percent of divorce cases, and a 2009 study by the CyberPsychology & Behavior Journal reporting findings that correlate time spent on Facebook with jealously in relationships. – The Independent
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10 habits of highly sexual people
Pre-orgasmic. Someone who’s not yet had an orgasm. It’s astounding to think that Marilyn Monroe, that absolute icon of sexuality, fell into this category despite three husbands and a long line of highly accomplished lovers. Until her psychiatrist told her about masturbation, that is – after which she waxed lyrical about female orgasms to him.
Off-screen and on, Marilyn oozed sex in a way that few could ever hope to emulate. She used sex to boost her career and attain rich and powerful lovers – yet the ultimate sexual pleasure, sex for sex’s sake, eluded her until she neared the end of her 36 years.
While most could never dream of attaining her luminosity and sex icon status, all of us have at some stage or another come across people who similarly ooze sex appeal, whether or not they meet our personal criteria of sexiness.
Some people are simply highly sexual. They tap into a sexual energy that vitalises them – to the extent that you can spot them a mile away. And without being able to put your finger on why, you know they’d be superb in bed. What habits do highly sexual people have that set them apart from the milling crowd of sexual wannabes?
Marilyn Monroe plays a saloon entertainer in this scene from the 1954 film River Of No Return.
1. They think of sex frequently and surround themselves with stimuli that trigger desire. Dwelling on thoughts of sex arouses desire, which is communicated non-verbally and heightens their sex appeal.
2. They pursue – and usually attain – frequent sex. Sex is good for our health, both physically and psychologically, and the results show. It’s also self-reinforcing because the more sex we have, the more we want it.
3. They practise spontaneity, seeking sex whenever a good opportunity arises – and even when it doesn’t. This often involves some risk-taking, especially when it comes to sex outdoors or in semi-public places. The thrill of being caught in the act adds sexual tension and heightens sensation.
4. They are sexually adventurous and constantly seek new sexual paths, which keeps things fresh. Their openness to explore new techniques, new venues and new positions makes them an exciting partner.
5. They laugh frequently and use humour in the bedroom to dispel any tension or to defuse potentially embarrassing situations, which are inevitable with sex. People are drawn to laughter, and it bonds them as partners.
6. They’re not afraid to ask for what they want in bed, no matter how risqué or taboo the sexual activity may seem. They’re confident enough to be themselves and risk rejection. When faced with a negative response, are likely to think of another risqué request.
7. They look after their bodies in an effort to attract mates. They usually exercise and eat healthily. How they look is important – because if we look good, we tend feel good. They often dress to flatter their best assets and pay attention to personal grooming.
8. They are highly tactile people who squeeze, cuddle and kiss their partners frequently even when not initiating sex. This intimate contact out of the bedroom reinforces their prowess between the sheets because it conveys love and affection.
9. Instead of worrying about their physical shortcomings, they focus on giving and receiving sexual pleasure. Their self acceptance gives them confidence and sexual self-esteem, which increases their success between the sheets.
10. They relish pleasure in all forms, devouring food that delights their senses, pursuing relaxation activities with gusto, admiring and appreciating beauty for beauty’s sake. Their passion for life draws people to them, especially potential lovers, and further enhances their sex appeal.
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Royal wedding – Prince William and Kate Middleton
Once they are man and wife, Prince William and Kate Middleton may combine the two by honeymooning at the queen’s 50,000-acre Balmoral estate in Scotland, a family holding so vast that the couple could relax without worrying about their every movement being tracked by long-lensed paparazzi.
They would likely combine a stay in Scotland, a beautiful spot but with iffy weather, with a visit to a reliably sunny locale, royal experts believe.
“I think privacy will be the most important thing after all that they will have gone through,” said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine. “Maybe a week in the sun and a week in Scotland, which is a traditional royal honeymoon venue. They can do their own thing up there.”
William and Middleton are somewhat limited by the prince’s military commitments. He is a Royal Air Force helicopter search and rescue pilot with two weeks’ leave available, so he will have to be back at the base in Wales fairly quickly.
His parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, spent several months honeymooning, combining a two-week Mediterranean cruise on the Royal Yacht Britannia (since decommissioned) with an extended visit to Balmoral in Scotland.
Little said William and Middleton seem to enjoy the active, outdoor lifestyle available in Balmoral, one of the queen’s favourite estates.
He said photographers who might be tempted to come onto the estate to photograph the couple with a telephoto lens would likely be warned off in advance by the Press Complaints Commission, which would be expected to warn editors that intrusions on the couple’s privacy will not be tolerated.
Prince William’s press office has refused to provide any details about the honeymoon destination, although William has dropped several tantalising hints about possible destinations.
On a recent trip to Australia, the prince told cheering crowds that it was possible he and Middleton would return for a honeymoon in Cairns so they could scuba dive at the Great Barrier Reef.
Some believe the couple will return to the retreat in the mountains of Kenya where William proposed to Middleton last October, noting that when he signed the guestbook he said he hoped they would be able to come back soon.
Others find meaning in the wedding guest list, which includes several people – including a bartender and a yoga instructor – from the private Caribbean island of Mustique, a favoured royal hideaway where the late Princess Margaret kept a house for many years.
Other island retreats, including Mauritius and the Seychelles, are also seen as contenders, as is mega-businessman Richard Branson’s private island in the British Virgin Islands.
A final clue may have come from Middleton herself. She was photographed nine days before the wedding making some last minute clothing purchases on the chic King’s Road in central London.
The booty reportedly included two bikinis, indicating a “fun in the sun” destination might be in the offing.
But that does little to clarify matters, since she would probably need the bathing suits at all of the mentioned destinations – except for Scotland, where romance is made out of haze, mist and fog. – Sapa-AP
