As high gas prices finally seem to be catching up to consumers, hybrid car sales nearly doubled in March, compared to February 2011 (or even the same time last year).

Read more on AltTransport.

Today the Daily Mail is delighting, as usual, in ripping apart a non-perfect female celebrity. (Do women not work for that paper?) This time it’s Emma Watson, who was caught on film recently without makeup, her skin looking a little stressed.

Of course, it’s just been announced that she signed a deal to become Lancome’s new face. The obvious question, which the Mail’s article raises, is: Should someone with bad skin be the face of a cosmetics brand? They never say this, of course, but it’s there.

Emma is 20 years old, which is barely out of the teen years, a time notoriously fraught with hormones and acne. Plus, she has a completely crazy schedule, probably doesn’t sleep enough, and is stressed out–all well-known acne triggers.

Read more on Fashionista.

Earlier this morning, legendary hedge fund manager Michael Steinhardt popped by the CNBC studios for a little chat with the Squawk Box crew. Things started off friendly enough, with some conversation about the petting-zoo Steinhardt keeps at his home in Westchester (which includes zebras, camels, albino wallabies and a llama named Angel Mike has been known to french kiss), his rare-plant collection that inspires envy in Martha Stewart, the economy and the Fed. Steinhardt noted that, compared to the rest of what’s going on in the world, “we live in an inland sea of calm waters while surrounding us are turbulent, horrible places,” to which everyone nodded soberly in agreement, unaware of what was coming next. “America seems almost as insular as it has in times past,” Mike continued. “Look at the rest of the world compared to America, look what’s happening all over and then here the biggest thing we have to worry about is how long it will take Buffett to come down to earth…how long until people like you begin to realize his reality and get off some…cloud.”

Oh, he went there.

Read more on Dealbreaker.

Yale law professor Amy Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, has received a great deal of criticism — and, to be fair, book royalties — since her controversial parenting memoir’s publication in January. Many observers criticized her harsh, so-called “Chinese” parenting style as excessive, even abusive.

You can criticize all you want, but you can’t argue with success. Above the Law has confirmed that Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld, the oldest daughter of Amy Chua and fellow YLS professor Jed Rubenfeld, received her Harvard acceptance earlier this week. Sophia has already made up her mind that Harvard is where she’ll attend college. (Can you blame her for wanting to trade New Haven for Cambridge?)

UPDATE: Please see the update added to the end of this post. Sophia hasn’t officially accepted her Harvard acceptance (as her Yale professor mom insisted to the Yale Daily News). She is also considering Yale.

Some readers of Amy Chua’s book wondered whether it was premature of her to “end a parenting story when one child is only 15,” in the words of Elizabeth Chang of the Washington Post. Well, now we know how the story ends — very, very happily. As I previously observed, speaking from my own personal experience, “to Asian parents, sending a child to a top college is the ultimate vindication.” And colleges don’t get more “top” than Harvard (which is #1 in the current U.S. News rankings; but even if it weren’t this year, it would still be #1 in the minds of many Asian parents). [FN1]

Of course, it shouldn’t be shocking that Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld, who’s now 18, got into Harvard….

Read more on AbovetheLaw.

David Lat is Managing Editor of Above the Law, a Breaking Media site.

Toyota announced today that it will raise prices on almost all 2011 models sold in the U.S. under the Toyota, Scion and Lexus brands.

Read more on AltTransport.

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Someone who can relate.

A London-based banker has written to the Financial Times with a problem related to her hotness. She says:

I know that you will think this problem is mad, but I fear I’m too good looking for corporate life. As a student I used my looks to make money modelling, but now that I’m in the City I feel they are holding me back. Female colleagues distrust me, while male colleagues are drawn to me, but don’t take me very seriously. My boss has told me that I need to network more. But I find networking events are ghastly, with all the eager men dribbling over me. What can I do, short of turning up to work in a bin liner?

Banker, female, 27

Read more on DealBreaker.

I feel like there should be a student protest reality show.

Too often, people act like post-graduation unemployment is a malady that affects only students at lower-ranked law schools. People act like only lazy students at third-tier institutions — or “rank not published” institutions, if you prefer — end up desperate for work after three years of legal education.

But we know better. We know that the threat of unemployment is very real to all law school students. Sure, the higher-ranked schools might do a better job of getting their students jobs, at least in percentage terms; but even top schools have students who want to work but cannot find jobs.

Students at one top-ten law school are sick of suffering in silence. They want everybody, especially admitted students, to know that going to an elite law school doesn’t guarantee you a good job.

Given the state of the legal economy and the cost of law school tuition, it’s a wonder that this kind of thing doesn’t happen more often….

Read more on AbovetheLaw.

Elie Mystal is Editor of Above the Law, a Breaking Media site.


Less than half a year after rejecting federal funds to build a high-speed rail connecting Milwaukee to Madison, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is now asking for at least $150 million from the feds to upgrade an existing Milwaukee-to-Chicago passenger line.

Read more on AltTransport.

A picture Irene Morales allegedly sent to Charney.

In the last month, five former American Apparel employees have come forward claiming sexual harassment against the company’s founder Dov Charney. 20-year-old Irene Morales filed suit in early March, seeking $260 million in damages. On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that a second sexual harassment suit was being brought against Charney on behalf of four former American Apparel employees: Kimbra Lo, Alyssa Ferguson, Marissa Wilson and Tesa Lubans-Dehaven. The same lawyer, Eric Baum, is representing all five girls in both suits.

Today we spoke to a source who knows Lo, as well as several of the other women. According the source, Lo worked for the company for seven months and left in May 2010. The source calls these group of women “estranged groupies” who are using this as a “way to get rich quick. They all know Dov, whether platonically, or not. Or in the case of Irene, she was practically stalking him.” When asked why these women might want to do such a thing, the source said. “It’s a way to get rich quick. Kimbra has a history of getting involved with high profile men, and this is her cash-out.”

Read more on Fashionista.