Porsche is having a bang-up year. Last week it earned the highest rating of any carmaker in J.D. Power and Associates' Initial Quality Survey--and that's the fourth time they've done so in five years. Earlier this spring Porsche also won top honors in JD Power's prestigious vehicle dependability study.
It's no big surprise that Porsche is receiving accolades for its high quality. But it may be shocking to hear that in 2010 the world's most reliable cars don't come from Europe: They're straight out of Detroit, Mich. For the first time ever, domestic brands as a whole earned higher initial quality scores than imports in JD Power's 2010 vehicle dependability study.
J.D. Power compiled its 2010 Initial Quality Study by surveying 82,000 buyers and lessees of new, 2010 model-year vehicles, asking them what problems they've had with their cars. The study was conducted from February to May of this year, and cars were scored based on how many problems were reported per 100 vehicles. The industry average score this year is 109, up slightly from 108 last year
In our list of highest-quality cars we include only those cars that earned the very highest marks for quality: For a complete list, including winners in the truck and SUV segments, see the full JD Power study. Among American manufacturers, Ford performed particularly well in 2010: Twelve of the company's cars ranked within the top three in their segments, more than any other car company. And the $22,145 Mustang coupe, $25,170 Taurus sedan, and $16,290 Focus compact car all make our list of the year's highest-quality cars.
One reason for Ford's strong showing? Defect-free new launches. The redesigned Mustang and Taurus each won their respective segments in their first year out of the box. Other manufacturers also put out reliable new models: Lexus' $65,380 LS 460 and $54,070 GS both make our list, and the $51,970 Lexus GX 460 SUV won its segment. Even though Porsche's first-ever sedan, the $74,400 Panamera, didn't win its segment, it received notably high initial quality scores as well.
Former beauty queen Carrie Prejean and her NFL beau, Kyle Boller, wed on Friday night in San Diego. Read more on Prejean’s wedding below.
Carrie Prejean wed on Friday evening in a lavish ceremony in Sandiego.
Prejean tied the knot with Oakland Raiders quarterback Kyle Boller at Capella Church in California.
“It was beautiful,” an eyewitness revealed. “They had cocktails on the lawn right after. Everyone seemed really happy.”
Prejean walked down the aisle in a gorgeous one-shoulder mermaid-style gown while Boller sported a traditional black tuxedos.
Boller, 29, and Prejean, 23, became engaged in February, and have dated since last July.
Caroline Michelle "Carrie" Prejean is the beauty pageant winner who became nationally famous in 2009 as a scandal-plagued spokesperson for conservative Christian political frustrations. She grew up around San Diego and was Miss Greater San Diego Teen (2004) and Miss Greater San Diego (2007) before winning the Miss California U.S.A. pageant as Miss La Jolla in late 2008. As Miss California she competed in the 2009 Miss U.S.A. pageant on the 19th of April
Her quick rise as a darling of conservatives was followed by a cascade of scandalous stories in the blogs and tabloids. Her status as a principled moralist was soon tainted by reports of topless photos, unpaid loans -- from pageant officials -- for breast enhancement surgery and a pre-pageant pornographic video. Prejean was stripped of her Miss California crown and she sued, claiming religious discrimination. The pageant sued back and the lawsuits were settled under a confidential agreement, just as Prejean's book about her summer-long ordeal was hitting the stands in November
Birth Name
Caroline Michelle Prejean
Height
5' 11" (1.80 m)
Spouse
Kyle Boller
(2 July 2010 - present)
Trivia
Graduated in 2005 from Vista High School in Vista, CA. Measurements: 33C-25-35 (Otto Models). Miss California USA 2009. Placed first runner-up in the Miss USA 2009 pageant. Grew up in an evangelical Christian home in Vista, California. Has a sister in the military.
BMW, the German carmaker, created Project i in late 2007 with the goal of building a car for urban areas where more than half the world's people live. But, as with many corporate green projects, it was sometimes hard to tell whether the effort was sincere or just a way to generate sustainability credentials.
Daimler will beat BMW to showrooms with a mass-produced electric vehicle, due in 2012. But Daimler's e-car is a battery-powered version of its two-seat Smart car. "I don't know of any other manufacturer that has conceived of a car exclusively as an electric vehicle," Mr. Dudenhöffer said. "The rest are based on conventional cars." BMW says it also plans to put its own name at risk, creating a subbrand that will probably contain the initials BMW. Daimler has always kept a distance between its Smart line and the Mercedes brand.
BMW engineers are fond of saying that electric vehicles do not need to represent "a rolling vow of poverty." The company has not named a price for the new car, but it will be aimed at affluent drivers in urban areas who want to appear environmentally conscious. The car probably will cost more than a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle, though owners will recoup some of the extra investment in lower fuel and maintenance costs. Electric cars never need an oil chang
The speedy Span hit three triples, tying a modern major league record, and drove in five runs to help push the Minnesota Twins back into first place in the AL Central with an 11-4 victory against the Detroit Tigers.
Minnesota Twins Mike Redmond (L) and Denard Span celebrate at homeplate after they are driven home on a three run RBI single by Brendan Harrisin the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on June 26, 2009. St. Louis won the game 5-3. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)
Span's third triple, which came in the fifth inning, cleared the bases and just missed clearing the fence for a grand slam. It bounced hard off the fence — in the tradition of the old Metrodome turf, perhaps — and rolled away from outfielder
He shares the record with many players, but only Rafael Furcal(notes) (2002), Lance Johnson (1995), Herm Winningham ('90) and Shawon Dunston ('90) have hit that many triples in a game since 1982 (h/t Baseball-Reference.com). Ken Landreaux, 30 years ago, is the only other Twinkie to triple thrice in one game
D-Span3 said he was on the spot after Jim Thome(notes), his 39-year-old lumberjack of a teammate, hit an unlikely triple in the previous game. Span came into Tuesday with four triples this season and 21 for his career — along with 17 homers.
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (born April 24, 1973) is one of the most famous Indian cricketers of all time. He has been a member of the Indian cricket team since 1989. He made his international debut against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 16. He is widely regarded as one of the best batsmen of all time and by many as the greatest of his era. His cricketing and batting abilities are widely regarded as genius by many stalwarts of the game. In a famous instance, Sir Donald Bradman, who is himself universally regarded as the greatest ever batsman to play the game, said of Sachin: "He reminds me of myself". Tendulkar is affectionately known as 'The Little Master' by his adoring fans. As this epithet was previously applied to another great Indian batsman, Sunil Gavaskar, Gavaskar himself conferred the title "The Little Champion" on Tendulkar. Tendulkar received India's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in the year 1997-1998.
One of the greatest players to have ever played the game, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has been the greatest icon of world cricket for almost two decades now.He already holds the record for most runs in Tests and ODIs and most centuries in both forms of the game. He deliberately omits himself from Twenty20 Internationals and that may have been his biggest regret as a young Indian team won the inaugural World Twenty20. As age catches up with him, he picks and chooses series he wishes to participate in. His ultimate goal is to sign off with a World Cup victory, which millions of Indians are hoping will come in his home-town India, in 2011.
Mumbai: Sachin and Anjali Tendulkar were preparing to celebrate their daughter Sarah’s birthday last October when she bowled a googly to her dad. Today, he admits that it is one of his greatest lessons off-the-pitch.
“We were preparing to celebrate her (Sarah’s) birthday when she said that she doesn’t want a party at home. We were a little surprised. She wanted to have a party at (the slums of) Govandi and wanted to share the goodies with the (slum) children there. We felt really proud when my daughter said this,” says Sachin even as Anjali nods her head in approval. As usual Anjali had decided that it was only Sachin who will do the talking.
Recently after the Indian hockey team won their first match of the ongoing World Cup against Pakistan, a particular state government announced rewards only for the goal scorers. Sachin feels that though a couple of players only bring glory to the country on a given day, it is the team effort that wins the day.
Cristiano Ronaldo, finally broke his two-year (over 1,300 game minutes) international goal scoring drought from open play (i.e. not penalties) Monday by tallying the sixth of Portugal's seven goals against a helpless North Korea side. Ronaldo played well but you could tell he really wouldn't be satisfied until it was his turn to put the ball in the net. In fact, he looked downright confused when Liedson came off the bench to immediately rip one past the keeper while Ronaldo waited for a centering pass in the middle.
Portugal have long been capable of rhythmical, energetic, instinctive football like this. Since the Euro '96 tournament came to England, they have been producing some of Europe's most gifted player.
Too often, though, they have been let down by their capricious nature, by defensive frailty and by personality clashes. These problems may yet return later in the tournament to trouble a team who struggled to make it to South Africa at all.
Yesterday, though, Cape Town found them at their very best, and thank goodness for that. It was a World Cup afternoon to remember for all the right reasons.
This is a great day for Portuguese football,' said Queiroz afterwards. 'My players played beautiful football and scored beautiful goals. It is only three points but it was truly a great performance. 'To keep it going, we need to play in a competitive way and be serious. We must have the same spirit. We have to fight for each pass, for each goal, and win each duel. 'We must play with freedom and with courage and with our own unique style. Without that attitude it's not possible to win anything.
Amanda Bynes tweeted surprising career news on Saturday. "Being an actress isn't as fun as it may seem," she wrote. "If I don't love something anymore I stop doing it." "I don't love acting anymore so I've stopped doing it," she continued. "I know 24 is a young age to retire but you heard it here first, I've retired." As a teenager Bynes starred on her Nickelodeon variety series "The Amanda Show" and on the dramedy series "What I Like About You." Her big-screen credits include 'She's the Man' and 'Hairspray.'
Amanda Laura Bynes was born on April 3, 1986, in Thousand Oaks, California. The youngest of three children, she became interested in acting and performing from the age of three, when she would say her older sister Jillian's lines with her while she performed in plays. It was from then on that her family and friends knew that she would be a star someday.
Actress Amanda Bynes was the young star of the movie What a Girl Wants (2003) and the cable TV comedy series What I Like About You. Bynes was already a comedy veteran by the time she became a teenager, having performed for years on Nickelodeon's shows All That (1996-2000) and The Amanda Show (1999-2002), where her skill at broad comedy earned her comparisons to Lucille Ball. She made the leap to the big screen in 2002 as Frankie Muniz's co-star in Big Fat Liar, and starred in 2003's What a Girl Wants (co-starring Kelly Preston). In 2006 she played opposite Channing Tatum in She's the Man, a takeoff on Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night, and in 2007 she appeared in the movie version of the musical based on John Waters's Hairspray (2007, with Zac Efron).
Extra credit: Bynes was also a regular panelist on the Nickelodeon's Figure it Out game show.
