Blexfraptor

Only one unit was built, based on a sports car manufactured before World War II, and it was sold immediately. It is called La Voiture Noire, which in French means 'black car', and Bugatti turned it five years ago into one of the most exclusive and expensive cars in automotive history. Its acquisition price was 11 million euros, and the only piece produced was sold at the presentation of the project, in 2019. This model is a reinterpretation of the Type 57 SC Atlantic created by Jean Bugatti before the outbreak of World War II, which led to the disappearance of the only four existing models. With this version, the hypercar changes its attitude and transforms into a grand tourer, ideal for traveling comfortably on long trips. La Voiture Noire, more than a reinterpretation “Each component has been handcrafted and the carbon fiber body has an intense black gloss only interrupted by the ultra-fine fiber structure. This is a material that has been handled perfectly,” says Bugatti designer Etienne Salomé. “We worked long and hard on this design until we couldn't improve anything. For us, the coupe represents the perfect shape with a perfect finish.” The 16-cylinder, 8-liter engine develops 1,500 HP and 1,600 Nm. At the rear, it has six exhaust outlets. For 11 million euros (before taxes), this unique car has already been sold to a Bugatti enthusiast. It was, at that time, 2019, the most expensive new car sold until then. The car enthusiast was fascinated by the Atlantic; For this reason, he acquired the Bugatti La Voiture Noire. some history The Atlantic GT model based on the Type 57 was a grand tourer that could reach a top speed of more than 220 km/h. The data is surprising, because this was more than 80 years ago. Jean Bugatti designed the Type 57 for various body and engine configurations, including the Galibier (four-door saloon), Stelvio (convertible), Ventoux (two-door saloon) and Atalante (coupe), as well as the Atlantic. Jean Bugatti, the eldest son of the company's founder, Ettore Bugatti, was also a talented automobile designer. In the late 1920s, he influenced the development of the company with his own ideas and designs, before assuming management responsibility in 1936, at the age of 27. With his pioneering designs for bodies, engines and chassis, he created some extraordinary vehicles until his tragic death in an accident in 1939, cementing his place in automotive history. His most beautiful and famous design was the Type 57 SC Atlantic. Today it is one of the most valuable classic cars in the world. Only four Atlantics were built between 1936 and 1938, each with detailed differences created individually for each customer. Three of these extraordinary coupes still exist. The second car built was used by Jean Bugatti himself, as well as by some of the Bugatti Grand Prix drivers among his friends. The world has been searching for this Atlantic for more than 80 years: it is one of the great mysteries in automotive history. The car probably disappeared before the German invasion of Alsace, when it was to be shipped to a safe region. Like the company itself, Jean would have turned 110 this year.

Jude Bellingham stole the show in the first round, but Vinícius and Rodrygo are prepared to share the responsibility of scoring the goals. MADRID -- The absence of a guaranteed scorer opened a debate in Real Madrid that Carlo Ancelotti himself nipped in the bud, finding Jude Bellingham as the answer to assume the offensive role after the departure of Karim Benzema. Critics blamed Florentino Pérez for the failed signing of Kylian Mbappé, while he gave Carletto a slingshot to crash into before moving to Brazil. Soccer goes around a thousand times and once again demonstrated that nothing is mathematical. In the case of the meringues, Ancelotti preferred to remain silent, work in silence and move away to invent a position that would implement the choral role of his forward. The staff itself, according to its sources revealed to ESPN, did not like the change in system. They thought that the new 4-4-2 in which Bellingham would play at the top of the diamond was going to take away Vinícius Júnior's prominence and would dampen the scoring level of the Brazilian and his friend Rodrygo. And there are the numbers of the Englishman who, surprising everyone, emerged in the first round as a great circumstantial scorer to alleviate the white drought. His emergence, fortunate for Real Madrid, coincided with Vinícius Jr's two injuries, which forced him to stop. The new system continued its course and encouraged the rest of the forwards to dare. Rodrygo Goes has seven goals, Joselu five, Vinícius four, Brahim Díaz three and Bellingham thirteen. It is the season in which the goal has been distributed more among so many attacking players. Making Benzema forget was key, and Ancelotti has achieved it. Because nobody remembers the Frenchman and few believe that the frustrated signing of Mbappé is essential. What's more, an important part of Real Madrid fans does not believe that French is essential. Many think that his behavior was horrible with the entity and that Florentino would not have to wait for him because with Vinicius, Bellingham, Rodrygo and company there is plenty, taking into account that Endrick arrives from Palmeiras in the summer. Even so, Madrid will continue trying for Mbappé because, as Florentino says, the Bernabéu club needs the best players in the world. Carlo Ancelotti was renewed for the great work he had done. And also for being a club man in every sense. He could have complained publicly to cover his back, alleging that he had no forwards, that Bellingham was too young and that the losses of Éder Militão and Thibaut Courtois were hampering the team. In January the team is leader in First Division and faces a Champions League with renewed hope. https://espndeportes.espn.com/futbol/espana/nota/_/id/13120861/real-madrid-protagonismo-bellingham-vinicius-rodrygo

The new generation strategists stir up the ghosts of 1933 because the Government coalition is losing electoral mass, but the current scenario has nothing to do with it Germany is in danger of falling into the hands of the far right and reliving its darkest past. The fear that traditional parties transmit these days to citizens asking for the ban of the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) has sent thousands of people to the streets in defense of democracy. There are 178 demonstrations in total. On Saturday, more than 80 events were held with the participation of up to 350,000 people. This Sunday Hannover, Munich, Stuttgart, Dresden, Frankfurt and Nuremberg will mobilize. "If there is something that can never again have a place in Germany, it is a National Socialist racial ideology," says Chancellor Olaf Schoz, who has called on all democrats to unite and to show that Germany "has learned from the past." Scholz, unlike other social democratic leaders, has not spoken out about the ban on the AfD, but with his statements he has branded the 16.5 million Germans who voted for the AfD in the last elections as anti-democrats and fascists, including thousands of former voters of his party, SPD, the Greens and even the liberals (FDP), the three formations in the government coalition. The German political scene has nothing to do with the 1930s, when the Nazi Party came to power, but when polls reveal political disaffection and the governing coalition has lost electoral mass due to failures, the strategists again generation always stir the ghosts of 1933. A few weeks ago, the co-president of the SPD, Saskia Esken, suggested the idea of banning the AfD, which in addition to consolidating at the federal level, leads all the polls in the three federal states that will go to the polls in September, Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia . At the federal level, the AfD reaches 22% in voting intention, only surpassed by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its partner Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU), with 31%. The Government parties are deflating. Scholz's SPD now only has the support of 13% of Germans, the lowest level in almost four years. The Liberals touch the threshold of 5% and the Greens 14%. In the three 'länder' called to the polls, the AfD would obtain more votes than the sum of the three parties of the federal tripartite. This pivotal formation may not even obtain the 5% of the votes required by law to access parliaments. The discussion opened by Esken subliminally proposing these regional elections as a referendum between democracy and fascism did not have much progress. "If we ban a party that we don't like, but that continues to lead the polls, it will provoke even greater solidarity with it, and not only among AfD voters. The collateral damage would be very high. The political dimension of the matter is crucial," warned the Government Commissioner for East Germany, Carsten Schneider. But the debate has resurfaced. Correctiv, a previously unknown non-profit research team, has just revealed that last November 30 people held a meeting at the Landhaus Adlon country hotel in Potsdam and discussed, among other things, of the mass expulsion of immigrants. Among the participants were Martin Sellner, former leader of Austria's far-right Identitarian Movement, businessmen, two CDU members and an adviser to AfD co-chair Alice Weidel. The title of Correctiv's report to that meeting of individuals without public office or parliamentary seat was 'Secret plan against Germany'. In the politics of hyperbole it is easy to draw parallels. The meeting took place a few kilometers from the place where the Wannsee conference was held in 1942 during which representatives of the SS, the NSDAP and various ministries of the Reich addressed the deportation and murder of Jews within the framework of the so-called 'solution final'. It would be interesting to know if what Scholz says in Brussels to his European colleagues about the stability of the German constitutional order is what he says to his fellow citizens, because here what he has done is pull the populist thread: "What will the more than 20 feel now? million citizens of migrant origin? I want to tell everyone: you are part of us. Our country needs you." Former German president Joachim Gauck has raised his voice: "If we act as if we had a main problem with the Nazis and treat the strange fantasies of expulsion of a minority as if that were the main problem, we would not be being precise in our political struggle." . And Gauck adds: "It is good that citizens take to the streets and express their adherence to democracy, but Germany is not at all on the brink of the Nazi abyss." For Gauck, and in this he agrees with the Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, "in democracy, if people go to a party like the AfD, what needs to be done is campaign to get them to return to democratic parties." What remains, then, is the impotence and failure of the traditional parties to act as a barricade to the extreme right with attractive programs and answers to their problems. "The AfD is being marginalized with German thoroughness, but there will be a price for that short-sighted firewall strategy and it will be paid for in the elections. Instead of taking advantage of the confidence of their democracy's impressive success story, the Germans are turning to the past to complicate matters for themselves. future and, in the process, the formation of effective governments," he writes in the Neuen Zürcher Zeitung. In a fragmented Bundestag, there are no longer majorities for homogeneous alliances like those once formed by Helmut Kohl, Gerhard Schröder or Angela Merkel. As long as the AfD remains demonized - and with it a quarter of the electorate - the alternative is a forced tripartite, like the current one, or the grand coalition. Both cases guarantee costly blockages and compromises at the expense of taxpayers. The AfD has been able to capitalize on citizen discontent with the Government, which has reached the midpoint of its mandate with constant internal disputes, an economy that contracted by 0.3% last year and an annual inflation rate of 5.9%. the second largest since reunification. The coalition is also facing social protests after having to undertake cuts in subsidies in several portfolios to plug a hole of 17 billion euros in the 2024 budget. Covering the 'mea culpa' under the blanket of the threat from the far right and the banning of the AfD as a party is a lack of political responsibility, according to CDU leader Friedrich Merz. "This debate only favors the AfD and leads to nothing, because after a hypothetical dissolution a new party would simply emerge," he maintains. The Greens believe that the AfD is not a political problem but rather one for Justice, that is, for the Constitutional Court. The request for a ban can be presented by the Lower House, the Upper House or the Government, but it could only be successful if it is demonstrated that the party is manifestly opposed to the principles and values of the fundamental liberal and democratic order enshrined in the Constitution, and wants to eliminate them. in an active and combative manner, and also has the ability to achieve its objectives. In the AfD there are very controversial figures, such as Björn Höcke, party leader in Thuringia, and regional groups declared by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution "possibly far-right", but there is nothing in its program as a party that attacks the established order. Until proven otherwise, the traditional parties in decline will make noise but gain little. https://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2024/01/21/65ad240f21efa0db158b457c.html

twenty one pilots: Stressed Out [OFFICIAL VIDEO] (youtube.com)

It is planned that, between July and December, that is, in the second half of 2024, there will be presidential elections in Venezuela, as agreed in October in Barbados by the delegations of the Government of Nicolás Maduro and the opposition. However, there is no exact date for these elections and no electoral schedule, which has become a demand from opposition groups that ask the National Electoral Council to clarify these points. The opposition leader of Voluntad Po[CENSORED]r, Juan Guaidó, through his social networks joined the voices that ask to define the schedule of the elections, placing as a reference six other countries in America that will have presidential elections this year and that already have a defined date. : El Salvador (February 4), Panama (May 5), Dominican Republic (May 19), Mexico (June 2), Uruguay (October 27) and the United States (November 5). The Primero Justicia party also spoke at a press conference this Tuesday on the issue. “There is an atmosphere of uncertainty among citizens due to the limited information provided by the competent entities,” said leader Angel Medina, representing the organization. CNN contacted the National Electoral Council for comment on the issue, but has not received a response so far. Eugenio Martínez, member of the Electoral Transparency Council of electoral experts and expert journalist with 26 years of work in the area, told CNN that “unfortunately, Venezuelan electoral legislation does not specifically establish the moment in which an election must be held.” Martínez gives as an example the 2018 presidential elections held in May, although the beginning of the constitutional period, that is, the inauguration, takes place on January 10 of the following year, as established in the Magna Carta. For the most part, elections in Venezuela have been held in December. But in addition to a schedule for the polls, the opposition demands improvements in electoral conditions with the support of calls from the United States and countries of the European Union. For Martínez, an early announcement of the date could make the possibility of complying with political and electoral guarantees more complex, including those agreed in Barbados under the mediation of Norway. In this sense, the director of the Votoscopio information portal also presents as an example the case of international observers who, despite the fact that the National Electoral Council met with representatives of the Carter Center in November 2023, have not yet been publicly informed if it has been formalized. the invitation of this entity as a supervisor. In response to CNN's query, the Carter Center assured that it has not received any communication from the CNE about a possible invitation for the presidential election in 2024. CNN contacted the CNE to find out if the process has advanced privately and has not obtained response so far. In the case of the European Union, the president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Jorge Rodríguez, warned in November that they will not allow a delegation to participate as an observer of the process while the bloc maintains sanctions on the Maduro government. In order for these organizations to observe an electoral process, according to their rules, they must begin their work well in advance of the election date. This implies in some cases, and depending on the scope, starting the mission up to six months before the date and this will depend on whether the observation is complete or only focused on one phase of the electoral process. The Barbados agreement establishes that the Carter Center and the European Union have to be observers of the process, Martínez recalled. Regarding the updating of the electoral registry, which is a demand of the opposition, it must close several months before the election, according to the expert. For example, Martínez explains, if the presidential election were called in July, the electoral registry would have to close in February, although he explains that there are no specific times for these deadlines in Venezuelan electoral legislation. According to the non-governmental organization Súmate, which ensures electoral transparency, around 3 million Venezuelans of voting age are not registered in the CNE and at least 2 million must update their information to be able to exercise their right to vote. Martínez estimates that, if the election date is too soon, expatriated Venezuelans will hardly be able to register to vote. All the dates of the Venezuelan electoral schedule are conditioned by the discretion with which they can be defined by the National Electoral Council, which ultimately responds to the interests of the Maduro Government. Electoral uncertainty also affects the candidates The main candidates are also not clear at the moment. President Maduro stated in an interview conducted on January 1 with the Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet that it is premature to talk about whether or not he will be the ruling party's candidate this year. “Let's wait for the electoral scenarios of the process that will take place this year to be defined and with God's favor we will make the best decision,” said the current Venezuelan president. Meanwhile, the opposition candidate María Corina Machado, elected in primary elections held on October 22 and winner with more than 99% of the votes, remains in a kind of legal and political limbo. A decision has not yet been made regarding the political disqualification that weighs on her as a sanction issued by the Comptroller General of Venezuela and that makes it impossible for her to run for and hold public office. A measure that the leader considers illegal. Machado personally went on December 15 to the Political-Administrative Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, to file a de facto complaint and a precautionary protection that the defense describes as an action against a measure that they claim impedes their rights. politicians and makes it impossible for her to participate as a candidate in the presidential elections. CNN contacted the Supreme Court of Justice for comment without receiving a response so far. The leader and founder of the Vente Venezuela political movement went to the Judiciary within a mechanism announced within the framework of the agreements on political and electoral rights signed in Barbados by the Government and the opposition, and which, as announced on November 30, The Judiciary would be the route between December 1 and 15, 2023 to address legal demands aimed at reviewing political disqualifications “in accordance with the principles of speed, efficiency and effectiveness included in the Constitution.” https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2024/01/12/elecciones-presidenciales-venezuela-sin-fecha-orix/

A new study shows that when male animals develop elaborate weapons, such as antlers and horns, females of the same species develop larger brains than expected. Is there any scene in nature more emblematic than that of a ram knocking down its rival with enormous, curved horns that can weigh up to 13 kilos each? Can you close your eyes and hear the rumble of deer tangling their antlers in a dark forest, or have you ever felt awe at the sight of the enormous six-foot antlers of an adult bull elk? Suffice it to say that humans have been fascinated by heavily armed animals since time immemorial: some of the oldest works of art ever found show the horns of an ancient water buffalo and the tusks of a wild boar, engraved on the walls of caves about 44,000 and 45,500 years ago, respectively. However, our obsession with the majesty of antlers, horns and tusks may be blinding us to the wonder of what happens in the opposite sex. In fact, a study published this month in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology provides the first evidence that, as male mammals evolve with larger weapons for combat and to signal their fitness, females of those species develop brains larger than expected. "I think females are a very important aspect of biology that is often overlooked," says Nicole López, a doctoral student at the University of Montana (United States) and lead author of the study; "because they usually seem bland, or boring, or are not as elaborate [as the males]." However, although attention has always focused on what happens on the heads of males, something just as extraordinary may be happening on the heads of females. And it may call into question what we thought about their decision-making capacity when choosing a partner. Brain vs brute force The good news for all male bodybuilders is that the study does not suggest that bigger guns necessarily translate into lower male intelligence. "It's not that as males invest more in their weapons they become dumber," clarifies Ted Stankowich, an evolutionary behavioral ecologist at California State University (United States) and lead author of the study. Rather, brain size in males appears to remain unchanged even though evolution appears to select for increasingly larger antlers. At the same time, females appear to invest resources in brain size, he says. And although it remains unclear whether these two traits are directly related (which would tell us a lot more), the study shows that they are correlated. To gather data on how these traits are related, Stankowich, López and co-author Jonathon Moore Tupas traveled to seven museums to measure the skulls, brain volume and weapon size of 413 specimens from 29 ungulate species. They ranged from deer, caribou and elk to goats, sheep and antelope. It took us years to get more than 400 specimens," says López. As for why females may be increasing their gray matter relative to males and their weapons, well, scientists are still trying to figure out. "What we think is happening is that males invest more in their weapons, which makes them more important signals to females, and perhaps social systems become more complex at that point as well," Stankowich says; "And perhaps females need bigger brains to know who to mate with and how to navigate their social system." Ummat Somjee, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Texas in the United States and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, points out several limitations of the study. For example, as the authors point out, brain size does not necessarily translate into intelligence. To reach that conclusion, data on the behavior of all the species involved would be needed, something much more difficult to obtain. Likewise, although she applauds the authors for examining as many specimens as they did, 29 species represent only a fraction of Earth's armed ungulates. Who knows if the pattern might change when other species with horns, antlers, or tusks are evaluated? Still, Somjee, who studies weapons in insects and was not involved in the study, called it "a super interesting idea with huge implications." You have to recognize it In some ways, it's not surprising that humans have taken notice of animal weapons. After all, many of these structures have evolved to attract attention, says Somjee. "They intrigue us. They force us. And they also deceive us," she says. For example, Somjee says we find it surprising that male cervids (such as deer, elk, and elk) suffer from temporary osteoporosis each year as they expel nutrients from their own skeletons to build antlers. The new study also shows that the brain versus brawn effect is even more pronounced in these horned animals than in those without, and the seasonal nature of their ornaments may have something to do with it. "It's an amazing natural phenomenon. It's really rare and strange," Somjee says of the rapid growth and loss of antlers; "But I think something that's been left out is that what happens in females is also pretty amazing." For example, females also siphon large amounts of calcium, phosphorus, and other nutrients from their own bodies to build entire offspring inside their wombs. And, of course, the females are the first to create the tissues that will give rise to antlers, horns or fangs. For his part, López points out that much of the scientific literature has focused on the battles between males to understand the sexual selection that occurs in these species. After all, the idea has long prevailed that the largest and best-armed males stay with the females. "But we may not be analyzing it in the right way to show that [females] have some kind of decision about which males they end up mating with," López says. Evolución animal: los machos mejoran sus armas y las hembras tienen cerebros más grandes | National Geographic

The development of the new Mercedes CLA has reached a new level. The star brand has been surprised during tests on one of the icy tracks in northern Sweden with the first prototype of the AMG sports variant. Some spy photos loaded with interesting details in this very high-performance electric vehicle that will arrive in 2026. For just a few days now, the star brand has been in northern Sweden testing prototypes of the new Mercedes CLA. A third installment of the po[CENSORED]r sports sedan that represents the firm among the Premium compacts and that will be added to the electric range next year, although it will also offer hybrid versions. The last look allowed us to take a look at a completely new and unprecedented interior at Mercedes, but these new spy photos are more than interesting. For the first time, the top-of-the-range variant of the Mercedes-AMG CLA has been hunted. A very high-level electric car that has been caught performing drifts and other high-speed maneuvers on frozen lakes converted into special tracks to calibrate the chassis settings. Spy photos Mercedes CLA AMG 2026 in winter testing A version that has given itself away for a couple of key features: The most notable is the new rear spoiler hidden under a dense layer of camouflage, a very peculiar way of hiding this aerodynamic element that draws powerful attention from a distance, but that may be an indication of an active spoiler that varies its position depending on driving modes or situations. On the other hand, the alloy wheels painted in black and with a typical AMG design that, until now, had not been seen on board any other prototype of the model. A closer look reveals large brake discs on both running gears that will most likely be perforated. What you can see in the photo gallery is that this unit has all-wheel drive and, therefore, two powerful electric motors. Developed by AMG, these units will have axial flow technology, which will allow them to offer high performance with very low energy consumption. 450 HP and almost 700 km of autonomy in the new Mercedes CLA AMG One more detail is also found on the front. The air intake under the grille shows a lattice with a honeycomb of diamonds, unlike the perforated grille of other units. The electric CLA AMG will hit the market in mid-2026, equipped with a battery that will have a higher net usable capacity of around 110 kWh, so the range will be around 700 kilometers on a single charge. A configuration that will make your hair stand on end thanks to a power close to 450 HP, and that will set the bar very high for rivals.

The Czech Macik has won his first Touareg with a total time of 54h34:48, ahead of Loprais by 1h54 and Van den Brink and Torrallardona by 4h29 The navigator from Castellfollit del Boix celebrates the third podium of his career in the Dakar, after overcoming many mechanical problems in a very tough rally Moi Torrallardona has managed to complete the route of the Dakar 2024 and secure his third podium in the rally, which, like in the 2017 edition, was third place. Without the Russian Kamaz, former dominators, the category of the 'giants' of the Dakar has been more open than ever and finally the victory was secured by the Czech Martín Macik, while Ales Loprais, winner of the last stage, finished second in general. The navigator from Castellfollit del Boix, together with the pilot, Mitchel van den Brink and the mechanic, Jarno van de Pol, has suffered until the end to repeat the podium in the Dakar. Throughout more than 5,000 kilometers of special stages and twelve very tough stages, Torrallardona and his team have had to overcome a multitude of mechanical problems. On Thursday, in the penultimate stage they had to stop the truck up to four times to secure the cabin and avoid punctures, but they finally achieved their goal and the advantage they maintained over the winner of the Dakar 2023, Janus van Kasteren, allowed them to defend the podium . In the general classification, the Czech Macik won his first Touareg with a total time of 54h34:48, 1h54 ahead of Loprais, while Van den Brink and Torrallardona ended up giving up 4h29 to be third. Torrallardona sube al podio de camiones en el Dakar (sport.es)