October 22, 2006, 9:44 PM CT

EXT Still The Stupid Of Trucks

The Detroit News reports: EXT still the Cadillac of trucks. We're well aware how dim we are, but isn't calling an item "The Cadillac of (whatever)" supposed to mean it's the best at what it is meant for? As in, "The new MacBook is the Cadillac of laptops" or "Google is the Cadillac of search engines" or "Alison Krauss is so smokin' hot we'd fake our own death, move to Tennessee, and change our name to be with her."

Anyway, are aren't trucks meant to carry stuff? You could say it's the most luxurious pick-up truck made. And you can't say "By saying Cadillac we meant luxurious" because you can't equate Cadillac with luxury anymore since it's been trumped by a number of.........

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source

October 22, 2006, 9:38 PM CT

Hitting the Road

I'm on the road this week, stopping in Phoenix for a media preview of our new fullsize pickups, the Chevy Silverado and the GMC Sierra. Obviously, these are hugely important vehicles in our product portfolio, and we believe they are the most refined, powerful, capable and efficient pickups on the market. We know exactly what it takes to win in this segment, and we intend to deliver.

But it's not going to stop there.

Our new cars and trucks continue to be the centerpiece of GM's turnaround plan, a turnaround that is really taking hold. Our newest models continue to sell nicely, including the new fullsize SUVs; we now have more than a 70 percent share of that segment. The large utility segment actually grew 6 percent in September, largely driven by sales of our Chevy Tahoe and Suburban and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL.

Other September highlights include a 45-percent growth spurt at Saab, driven by sales of the 9-3 and the 9-7X, and Cadillac sales that climbed by 22 percent. Hummer H3 sales were up 19 percent, helping the brand to enjoy a 10 percent retail hike versus a year ago.

And we will continue to be aggressive with our product assault, with frequent and wide-ranging launches. We'll be in the traditional segments..... we'll be in emerging segments..... high-volume, niche-market..... you name it - we'll be there.........

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source

October 22, 2006, 9:34 PM CT

2007 Hyundai Veracruz

Hyundai has announced that its 2007 version of Veracruz will make its North American debut at next years Detroit International Auto Show.

A 3.8-liter V6 engine with a six-speed automatic transmission powers the 2007 Veracruz. The customer can also opt for an all-wheel drive.

The safety features include an ESC i.e. Electronic Stability Control, Standard side Airbags and Side-Curtain Airbags for all three passenger rows.

The Veracruz is build as a direct competitor for the Honda Pilot, Nissan Murano and the Lexus RX350.

Courtsey : Top Speed........

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source

October 22, 2006, 9:31 PM CT

2006 Gumpert Apollo

It seldom happens that you drive a performance based car which gives you a soothing experience. this is the kind of balance all super car manufacturers try to strike , which is a tough ask in it self. Apollo has done it with flawless precision by developing a super car that not only flies but soothes.

The 2006 Gumpert Apollo is the new Sports car from Apollo that produces 650 horsepower with a Topspeed of 360 km/h. This car does 0 to 100 km in just 3 seconds. It has a bi-turbo engine that weighs only 195 kg thus perfectly complimenting this light weighted car.

The aerodynamics of this super sports car are just about perfect with the dimensions in the order l x w x h being 4.46 x 2 x 1.24 in meters. The taut yet flexible suspension of this car offers the driver an extraordinary high level of comfort despite being a total speed wagon.

As always, low weight is the top priority for cars of this segment and Apollo does not disappoint us. It has used carbon-fiber extensively for the interiors.

This car reminds me of the TS07 from Technical Studio, The color scheme is exactly the same.Image : Clabedan


Courtsey : Autopark........

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source

October 18, 2006, 10:36 PM CT

Visual Imagery Technique Boosts Voting

Registered voters who used a simple visual imagery technique the evening before the 2004 election were significantly more likely to vote the next day, a new study found.

It was all a matter of the visual perspective people took when they imagined themselves voting.

Scientists asked some Ohio college students to picture themselves voting the next day from a third-person perspective - as if they were observers viewing their own actions. Others were told to picture themselves voting in a first-person perspective, through their own eyes.

A full 90 percent of those who pictured themselves voting from a third-person visual perspective reported later that they did indeed vote, in comparison to only 72 percent who took the first-person viewpoint.

"When participants saw themselves as others would, they were more motivated to actually get out and vote," said Lisa Libby, co-author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University.

"They saw themselves as more likely to vote and that translated into action.

"The strength of the results were especially noteworthy given that the experiment was conducted in Ohio during the 2004 election, when there were unprecedented efforts to mobilize voter turnout in a crucial swing state," she said.........

Posted by: Tom      Permalink         Source

October 18, 2006, 8:49 PM CT

Anthropologist Challenges Ancient Child Skeleton

As per University of Pittsburgh anthropology professor Jeffrey Schwartz, author of the four-volume The Human Fossil Record (Wiley-Liss, 2002-05), "the discovery of any largely complete skeleton of an ancient human relative would be unique. The fact that it is a child makes it even more exciting because of what its bones and teeth might reveal that an adult's cannot".

However, Schwartz said, there are questions about the species this specimen represents. He explained that the problem is that "Lucy" and this child specimen from Dikika have been placed in Australopithecus afarensis, which is not from Ethiopia but from Laetoli, a site in Tanzania thousands of kilometers to the south. But while other specimens from Laetoli are similar to this specimen, defined as A. afarensis, a recent study of virtually all the fossils from Lucy's region of Hadar by Schwartz and Ian Tattersall, curator of anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, has revealed that none is similar in detail to the fossils from Laetoli.

"This means, of course, that no Hadar specimen is A. afarensis," said Schwartz, a fellow of the prestigious World Academy of Arts and Science.

Just as Donald Johanson, discoverer of the 3.2 million-year old Lucy, initially suggested, Schwartz and Tattersall found there is more than one kind of hominid represented in the Hadar material.........

Posted by: William      Permalink         Source

October 17, 2006, 9:27 PM CT

Childhood Cancer Survivors May Have Low Birth Weight Children

Female childhood cancer survivors may face pregnancy problems, including early deliveries and low birth weight children, according to a study in the October 19 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

New therapies for childhood cancer patients have increased survival, but many scientists are concerned about the long-term effects of the treatments, particularly for patients exposed to radiation and chemotherapy.

Lisa B. Signorello, Sc.D., of the International Epidemiology Institute in Rockville, Md., and colleagues assessed the records of 1,264 female participants in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study and their 2,201 children. They compared them with 601 cancer-free siblings of survivors and their 1,175 children. The authors assessed possible long-term effects from treatment, such as preterm births, low birth weight, and having babies who were small for their gestational age.

The authors found that survivors' children were more likely than those of siblings to be born early or underweight. The risk was highest when a survivor had their uterus exposed to pelvic radiation as a child.

"Radiotherapy to the pelvis may raise the risks of both preterm birth and restricted fetal growth," they write.

In an accompanying editorial, Leslie Schover, Ph.D., of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, discusses the study and the overall interest in preserving fertility for childhood cancer survivors. "Given the complex terrain our young survivors need to traverse, we should design patient and professional education materials that map out the paths to making informed decisions".........

Posted by: Sean      Permalink         Source

October 16, 2006, 9:56 PM CT

Asthma Linked To Soot From Diesel Trucks

Soot particles spewing from the exhaust of diesel trucks constitute a major contributor to the alarmingly high rates of asthma symptoms among school-aged children in the South Bronx, according to the results of a five-year study by researchers at New York University's School of Medicine and Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Over the course of the study, asthma symptoms, particularly wheezing, doubled among elementary school children on high traffic days, as large numbers attend schools in close proximity to busy truck routes because of past land-use decisions.

The South Bronx has among the highest incidences of asthma hospital admissions in New York City, and a recent city survey of asthma in the South Bronx's Hunts Point district found an asthma prevalence rate in elementary school of 21 percent to 23 percent. The South Bronx is surrounded by several major highways, including Interstates 95, 87, 278 and 895. At Hunts Point Market alone, some 12,000 trucks roll in and out daily.

The study is a collaboration of NYU School of Medicine, the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and four community groups The Point Community Development Corporation, Sports Foundation, Inc., We Stay/Nos Quedamos, Inc., and Youth Ministries for Peace & Justice Inc. Endorsed by Congressman Jose E. Serrano, the aim of the study was to examine the impact of industrial emissions on air quality and to direct policy initiatives. Serrano sponsored the press conference today where the findings were discussed.........

Posted by: Sean      Permalink         Source

October 16, 2006, 9:14 PM CT

Audi Q7 Gets a 5 Star Security Rating

The Audi Q7 has been tested as on of the safest car on road by the US National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration. Audi Q7 got a 5 Star Rating for driver and passenger protection frontal crash tests and it also received the same rating in the side impact tests done for the front and rear passenger protection.

Audi of America's Executive Vice President Johan de Nysschen commented that Audi has always demonstrated a strong commitment to passenger security and will continue doing the same.

Well done Audi Q7..............

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source

October 16, 2006, 9:00 PM CT

Fraudsters And Serial Killers Have Similar Profiles

Lack of empathy, impulsive behaviour, pathological lying - these unsavoury traits are shared by serial killers and perpetrators of fraud. "Fraud is a crime that does not involve physical violence, so the effects are less tangible than the effects of violent acts," explains criminologist Eve Paquette, who is currently writing a master's thesis on 40 fraudsters incarcerated in Quebec institutions. "But we've observed astonishing similarities between the personalities of serial murderers and those who commit economic crimes".

Psychopathic personalities, which account for about 1% of the population but 15 to 25% of inmates in Canadian prisons, can be identified through testing. In October, Paquette, who divides her time between studies in the School of Criminology and the strategic intervention team in the School of Educational Psychology, gave a presentation on evaluating psychopathic traits in the business world at an international conference on economic crime held in the Laurentians.

The term "psychopathic syndrome," coined by Hervey Cleckley in 1976, applies to a person who appears to be normal but makes others believe in his pseudo-intentions and pseudo-remorse; he gives real answers like a normal person, but is actually following a plan that only he understands. "His mask allows him to simulate a normal person, but his behaviours reflect an antisocial attitude that is dangerous to others," adds Paquette.........

Posted by: Tom      Permalink         Source