• Paul Walker’s “Fast and Furious 4″ Nissan GT-R for sale at $1.4 million

     

    There's a long tradition in the collector car business of cashing in on fame — using former celebrity ownership to make a rare vehicle seem that much more special. Over the past few years, any car related to baby-boomer hero Steve McQueen has drawn a hefty premium; last year, a camera car he used while filming "Le Mans" fetched $11 million.

    So it's entirely expected that following the death of beloved "Fast and Furious" star Paul Walker, a few collectors would attempt to test the market for cars he had a connection with. What may be surprising is just how fast one German seller has moved to sell this Nissan Skyline GT-R, and how his asking price for the hero vehicle of the fourth film — a car once impounded by the U.S. government and tagged for destruction — more than tripled to $1.4 million in the wake of Walker's fatal crash.

    One of the starring cars in the Fast and the Furious series, the 90s-vintage, Japan-only Nissan Skyline GT-Rs became sought-after rides in the United States — not just because of their 500-hp twin-turbo performance, but because they were also illegal to import under federal auto safety and emissions rules. To get around that prohibition for the filming of "Fast & Furious," importer Kaizo Industries bought eight chassis without engines in Japan, shipped them to the United States under rules for kit cars, and installed proper engines in this country. Only one — the "hero" Nissan GT-R R34 that Walker drove in non-violent scenes — survived filming without being wrecked or torn up, the builders told Import Tuner magazine in 2009.

    But in June 2009, the federal government cracked down on Kaizo and other GT-R importers, saying the kit-car sidestep was illegal. The blue GT-R was seized along with nearly 50 other cars, and the owners were given 60 days to either export the cars back overseas or see them crushed; a photo from September 2009 shows the car sitting in a federal impound lot covered in dust.

    That's where the trail goes cold until this August, when a German car magazine posted a drive review of the Walker "Fast & Furious 4" Nissan — where the German owner reveals that he now has the car for sale at the price of 300,000 euros, or $413,000. Within the past few days, a new listing for the hero car has come online in Germany, detailing its co-starring role with Walker, its list of modifications and a new price: 1 million euros, or $1.4 million. Given Walker's worldwide popularity, this Skyline sale might be the first of his auto memorabilia to hit the classifieds with a recently inflated asking price, but it won't be the last.

     


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    If Jennifer Lawrence Needs This Much Airbrushing, We're All Doomed


     

    photo: Flare magazine via CosmopolitanIt's hard to believe that Jennifer Lawrence needs help in the beauty department, but one magazine gave her some anyway.

    A controversial GIF of the actress revealing how fashion magazine Flare airbrushed her 2011 cover has found new life on the Internet after an author on the website Upworthy expressed outrage at what she says is a gratuitous hack job.

    It appears the magazine elongated Lawrence's body, slimming her waist, thighs, and arms; boosted her cleavage; chiseled her cheekbones; and overly bronzed her skin tone. The Internet instantly exploded with reaction. "I think the most ridiculous thing is they photoshopped her fingers. What in the world was wrong with them in the first place?" wrote one commenter. Another tweeted: "This is one GIF worth sharing. Insane how much retouching is done on a beautiful 23 year old."

    It's a curious move given how outspoken Lawrence has been about the pursuit of perfection in Hollywood. In November during a live interview at Yahoo headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, Lawrence responded to an audience question, asking how young girls can deal with the pressure to look perfect, by saying, "The world has a certain ideal – we see this airbrushed perfect model image … you just have to look past it. You look how you look and be comfortable. What are you gonna do, be hungry every single day to make other people happy? That's just dumb." That same month, during an interview with the BBC, Lawrence spoke of the pressure to be thin in Hollywood: "We have the ability to control this image that young girls are going to be seeing [in "The Hunger Games"] ... girls see enough of this body that they will never be able to obtain. It's an amazing opportunity to rid ourselves of that in this industry."

    More on Yahoo Shine: Is Special K's 'Fat Talk' Ad a Hit or Miss?

    And back in March, upon seeing the ads for Christian Dior's spring/summer 2013 collection for which Lawrence modeled, she told "Access Hollywood," "That doesn't look like me at all," adding, "People don't look like that."

    Detail of cover (photo: Flare magazine via Cosmopolitain) The debate over airbrushing is endless. Does retouching images of celebrities – who already have access to the best beauty products, personal trainers, and private chefs – further create unrealistic body image expectations for young, impressionable women? Either way, the exposure to these airbrushed images has a trickle-down effect on society. One poll conducted by Glamour magazine found that 60 percent of women say it's OK to retouch their personal photos and 41 percent of women ages 18 to 24 do so on social media.

    More on Yahoo: Jennifer Lawrence Embarrasses Dave Letterman

    The issue with Lawrence's cover isn't so much that it's airbrushed – it's that the areas Flare tackled were nearly flawless to begin with. Did Lawrence's already-tiny waist need to be further cinched? Were her cheekbones not high enough? The changes to the image may have technically been considered minor, but the result seems excessive.

    "Everyone knows that most images in the media have been retouched, but being able to intellectualize something doesn't override its potential damage to one's self-esteem," Jean Fain, M.S.W., a Harvard University-affiliated psychotherapist and author of "The Self-Compassion Diet," tells Yahoo Shine.
    Since retouched photos aren't going away any time soon, Fain suggests that women make a pact with themselves to banish fat talk. The key, she says, is to view one's body as functional, not ornamental. Don't love your muscular legs? Consider how they helped you train for a 10K. Wish your hair were straight? Relish the fact it's a unique family trait. Adds Fain, "Appreciating your body from head to toe is the antidote to low self-esteem."

    More on Yahoo Shine:
    Blogger's Awesome Photo Series Exposes Online Fat Shaming
    Is the Post-Baby Body Obsession Hurting Women


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  • Paul Walker’s Funeral: Friends and Family Say Their Final Goodbye

     

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    Paul Walker's funeral at Forest Lawn cemetery. (Hayk / Splash News)

    Two weeks after Paul Walker was tragically killed in a fiery car crash, the "Fast & Furious" actor was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles.

    Nearly 50 family members and friends gathered on Saturday to pay their respects to the late star during the non-denominational service. The 40-year-old's remains were cremated and his ashes were interred at the famous cemetery, which is the final resting place for many Hollywood stars.

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    Inside Paul Walker's funeral. ( INFphoto.com)

    Those in attendance included his father Paul Walker Sr., his mother Cheryl Walker, his brothers Caleb Walker and Cody Walker, as well as other family members and close friends, reports E! News.

    Several people spoke during the service, but many were too overcome with grief to speak, reports Us Weekly.

    Paul Walker and his brother Caleb in happier times at Caleb's wedding, six weeks before Paul's death. (Splash  …

    Following Walker's funeral, approximately 200 friends and family attended a memorial service at a soundstage on the Universal lot. "Steal My Kisses" singer Ben Harper played a song in Walker's memory, and Walker's dad, Paul Walker Sr., Vice Chairman of NBCUniversal, Ron Meyer, Paul's manager Matt Luber, Paul's siblings, and many more assembled to celebrate his life, reports E! News.

    Paul Walker Sr. drives to his sons' funeral and memorial service. (INFPhoto.com)

    Later Walker's "Fast & Furious" friends and co-stars, Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez and Ludacris, took to Instagram and Twitter to share their final thoughts and prayers for their beloved friend.

    "Today In a room full of your loved ones I wish today was your wedding instead.... God has a better plan even beyond ALL of our own understandings," Tyrese posted in a touching tribute on Instagram, along with a photo of Paul. "For selfish reasons we all wanted you to stay, another laugh, another take, another talk, another moment..... I guess you can't get all you ask for in life.... But our hearts are FULL from all the moments we DID have, 13 years of laughter and grace, humility and love..... Never did I take my access for granted.... Continue praying for his #Family, his daughter #Meadow, you are the WORLDS best friend that's why we're all feeling it... #RIHAW Rest In Heaven Angel Walker."

    Tyrese's tribute to Paul Walker. (Instagram)

    Ludacris posted a photo of Walker smiling broadly and captioned it, "Always in our hearts."

    Ludacris posts a photo of his friend, Paul. (Instagram)

    Rodriguez eloquently wrote on Twitter, "I said goodbye to a great man today, a man I never got to show just how much I love his spirit and his golden heart, "stay golden pony boy"... I hope you get my tweet in heaven, ps your right; 'stop talking just do it already';) Love you Paul, your departure is fuel to my fire, well meet again, enjoy that light."

    Walker's team is planning a global tribute to the actor on Dec. 15 and announced their plans on Twitter.

    Rest in peace, Paul Walker.

     

     


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  • A nyilvánosságra hozott videón jól látszik, hogy a Hold a Föld körül mozog. A felvételt a NASA tette közzé.

    Végre videó is készült arról, amit a tudósok már régóta sejtettek: a Hold a Föld körül kering. A Juno nevű, titánburkolattal és kilenc különböző műszerrek felszerelt űrszonda október 9-én 7,3 kilométeres másodpercenkénti sebességgel haladt el a Földünk mellett, kamerája ekkor rögzítette a következő videót:

     

    Megjelenés ideje: 2013.12.10. When NASA's Juno spacecraft flew past Earth on Oct. 9, 2013, it received a boost in speed of more than 8,800 mph (about 7.3 kilometer per second), which set it on course for a July 4, 2016, rendezvous with Jupiter. One of Juno's sensors, a special kind of camera optimized to track faint stars, also had a unique view of the Earth-moon system. The result was an intriguing, low-resolution glimpse of what our world would look like to a visitor from afar. The cameras that took the images for the movie are located near the pointed tip of one of the spacecraft's three solar-array arms. They are part of Juno's Magnetic Field Investigation (MAG) and are normally used to determine the orientation of the magnetic sensors. These cameras look away from the sunlit side of the solar array, so as the spacecraft approached, the system's four cameras pointed toward Earth. Earth and the moon came into view when Juno was about 600,000 miles (966,000 kilometers) away -- about three times the Earth-moon separation. During the flyby, timing was everything. Juno was traveling about twice as fast as a typical satellite, and the spacecraft itself was spinning at 2 rpm. To assemble a movie that wouldn't make viewers dizzy, the star tracker had to capture a frame each time the camera was facing Earth at exactly the right instant. The frames were sent to Earth, where they were processed into video format. The music accompaniment is an original score by Vangelis.


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