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Car lovers are losing junkyards like the ones shown to time, increased environmental regulation and the rising cost of scrap metal. As the amount of old untouched junkyards dwindle catching a glimpse of the ones that remain, like this collection of old trucks in Canada, becomes that much cooler.
During our weekly perusal of Flickr this past week we came across these excellent Canadian junkyard pictures shot by user runran. According to the user these pictures were taken outside the town of Lashburn in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan along Highway 16 west. Even with directions we didn't have the same luck as last week locating the yard on Google Street view (Anyone able to find it?).
Even if we couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the junkyard, these excellent pictures were more than enough to get an idea of the place. I can't say I've ever seen such an eclectic assortment of oddball vintage trucks and commercial vehicles in one place. It appears some of the more complete examples are for sale. From the appearance of the trucks they have been where they sit for some time and taking on one of these as a restoration project would not be for the faint of heart.
On a small scale trying to accurately identify each of these old trucks by year model and manufacture is an equally daunting task. These trucks include a lot of large commercial trucks that rarely get the restoration or attention they deserve. After doing a little research, we were left with few conclusions besides the fact it must have been amazing to see these on the road.
Living in a place where finding a junkyard filled with anything old or interesting is an increasingly rare occurrence really makes you appreciate a scene like this. It's nice to know there are still untouched rows of old iron out there somewhere.
Special thanks to runran for taking these great pictures and allowing them to be shared.


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World AIDS Day Film Screening
World AIDS Day Film Screening
ITHACA, NY — The Out of the Closet and Onto the Screen series at Ithaca College will host a free public showing of the documentary "The Chorus" on Wednesday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. in Textor 101. The screening is being held in recognition of World AIDS Day.
The film chronicles the members, both alive and gone, of the San Francisco...
Ithaca College Screens Film for World AIDS Day
Ithaca College Screens Film for World AIDS Day
ITHACA, NY — The Academy Award–winning film "Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt" will be shown at Ithaca College on Wednesday, Dec. 1, in observance of World AIDS Day. The screening will take place at 7 p.m. in Textor 103, and it is free and open to the public.
"Common Threads" tells the powerful story of the first decade of the AIDS epidemic as...

subset: commoncrawl


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Press Releases
Ooh La La! Hardee's French Maids Turn Customers On to New French Dip Thickburger
Jul 13, 2009
Flirty Street Team Will "French-ify" Hardee's Fans in 11 U.S. Cities
ST. LOUIS – July 13, 2009 – Summer gets saucy this year with Hardee's® introduction of the new French Dip Thickburger®. A perfect "pas de deux" of beef, the French Dip Thickburger is available at participating Hardee's beginning today and is a meaty combination of a 100% Black Angus Beef Thickburger patty topped with thinly sliced roast beef and melting Swiss cheese served with a cup of au jus for dipping.
To celebrate this delicious new meat-on-meat creation, Hardee's is sending four gorgeous French Maids (Sophie, Antoinette, Gabrielle and Isabelle) to cruise the country on segways. These beauties may not be the kind to make things perfectly clean, but they'll definitely cook up some appetites.
"What do maids, toast, kisses and burgers all have in common? They're all better when they're French," said Brad Haley, Hardee's Executive Vice President of Marketing. "Our loyal fans not only love Hardee's food, they enjoy the beautiful women who have starred in our commercials over the years. So, we decided to take it one step farther and send some French Maids across the country to help celebrate summer and the delicious French Dip Thickburger."
The Hardee's French Maid team will be feather dusting fans at a variety of concerts, sporting events and festivals in 11 markets in the South and Midwest including:
· July 13-14 – St Louis, Mo.
· July 17-19 – Greenville, S.C.
· July 21-22 – Knoxville, Tenn.
· July 24-26 – Indianapolis, Ind.
· July 30 - August 1 – Charlotte, N.C.
· August 3-6 – Myrtle Beach, S.C.
· August 7-10 – Jacksonville, Fla.
· August 13-16 – Nashville, Tenn.
· August 18-19 – Columbus, Ga.
· August 21-24 – Atlanta, Ga.
· August 26-27 – Birmingham, Ala.
· August 29 – St Louis, Mo.
"We Mesdemoiselles cannot wait to pull on our stockings and get a little dirty," said Isabelle, Hardee's French Maid Captain. "Zere are hungry messieurs all over zee country and we are going to French zem all with Hardee's new crème de la crème of burgers…the French Dip Thickburger!"
About the "French Me" Tour
At the regional events, fans can have their photos taken with the French Maid team and then access those photos by entering a code from their personally French-kissed napkin at www.hotchickseatingburgers.com/frenchdip.The site will also provide a complete schedule, more background on the saucy French Maid ambassadors and details of the girls' many adventures, from tailgating and firing up sports fans to hanging out with rock stars.
Can't make it to a "French Me" tour stop? Hardee's fans can also keep up and connect with the ladies via their personal Twitter handle and Facebook page, and follow their video exploits on the French Me tab at the Hardee's YouTube channel.
And, now Hardee's customers can do more than just eat French; they can actually speak French...and then use that accent to get a date with a new, creative mobile application developed by Los Angeles-based advertising agency 72andSunny. Via the Parisian Pick Up iPhone application, a user can select their favorite French mouth, pick a message (ranging from pick up lines and poetry to insults) and then deliver it with a swarthy French accent, or in perfect French with subtitles. The free application can also be used with the iTouch, will be available in the iTunes store the week of July 27th and will also feature a very unique French Dip Thickburger coupon that can be used in-store. Customers without an iPhone or iTouch can visit www.hardees.com to find the Parisian Pick Up pluggin so they can also share the funny French sayings with friends by email or Facebook.
The French Dip Thickburger is available at participating Hardee's restaurants for $3.99 and is also available in a small combo for $5.99 including Natural Cut Fries and a beverage. Prices may vary by location.
About Hardee's
Celebrating more than 45 years in the quick-service industry, Hardee's Food Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of CKE Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: CKR) of Carpinteria, Calif. As of the end of its fiscal 2010 first quarter, CKE Restaurants, Inc., through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,133 franchised, licensed or company-operated restaurants in 42 states and in 14 countries, including 1,205 Carl's Jr. restaurants and 1,915 Hardee's restaurants. For more information, or to find a Hardee's near you, go to www.ckr.com or www.hardees.com.


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4 Turning Religion into an Idol
The primary difference between the Pharisee and the Christian is to be found in the area of their motives, we have seen. The Pharisee, as with all depraved humanity, suffers from a terminal disease called covetousness, which could be defined as the primordial desire and drive of humanity to regain what was lost with the spiritual fall of their ancestors. This drive towards self-assertion is well captured by the Greek concept of Eros, and lies at the heart of all idolatry. The New Testament introduces Jesus Christ as the bread of life for a starving world, and as the pearl of great price that makes a person gladly leave all he has in order to gain Christ, with thanksgiving and contentment being the reward and outcome.
Religious Idolatry
In this chapter we shall ask the question: 'Where does that leave the Pharisee who rejects Christ?' The answer is not difficult to come by. The Pharisee, like all human beings, is an idolater. Idolatry, as we have seen, originates in the heart and manifests as desire. It is humanly impossible to overcome this inner force of desire through effort or will power, which is why no human being can effect his or her own salvation. To turn from the obvious idols of this world, such as money and sex, is to deal with a symptom and not a cause. A religious conversion is entirely useless if it does not address the state of the covetous heart within. The heart will remain idolatrous even if a man converts to religion. The only conversion in such a case will be the conversion of the idol, not of the individual. Carnal idols will be exchanged with religious ones, and this is where Pharisaism comes in.
The Pharisee's error is that of confusing the law of God with an end rather than a means. Being blind to its real purpose, the Pharisee does not go beyond the law, but tricks himself into a position where the law becomes his focal point, and so the object of his idolatry. He believes himself to have found the pearl of great price, and this explains why he has no interest in rumours about other pearls. The very religion that was intended as a schoolmaster for a mere season in his life, to guide him to Christ and to maturity and freedom, has ensnared him and made him its slave. The object of his covetousness, which provides him with his reason for being, is his religion.
In this sense the Pharisee is distinct from the sinner. He fornicates not with the world, but with religion. He uses it as an object of desire, to calm the restlessness of his soul and as a substitute for God. This he does in the name of God. The Pharisee loves the law, but he hates the lawgiver. As his greatest interest is that of self, as is the case with all depraved people, every religious deed he does is for the sake of self. His religion is nothing but sophisticated paganism, and the god he confesses a mere projection of his own thinking, suited to his own desires, and created in his own image.
It is significant that Paul, in Romans 2:1, after having discussed the birth of Paganism and idolatry (1:18-32), says to the religious Jews: '…you who pass judgment do the same things.' The statement is a strange one, especially if one considers how religious the Pharisees were. But the riddle is solved in chapter 7, where we see that even the most righteous Pharisee is a lawbreaker as a result of his inability to keep the tenth command. And so the damning statement of chapter 2:1 culminates in chapter 3:9-12: '…Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin…There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one…'
This explains why the Pharisee hates the message preached by Christ. Christ demands a denial of the self, even of the religious self.
The New Testament on Why the Pharisee is Attracted to Religion
The problem of Pharisaism might be described as that of religious Eros. It is a fascination with God, all for the wrong reason. It is the pursuit of spirituality motivated by covetousness. It is, to use Paul's term, 'godliness as a means to gain' (1 Tim. 6:5), and it was pointed out by Christ as the driving force behind Pharisaic religion: 'Everything they do is for men to see; …they love the place of honour…; they love to…have men call them "Rabbi".' (Matt. 23:5-8). The 'hypocrites' of Matt. 6 had the same problem: They gave to the needy to be 'honoured by men' (v. 2), they prayed to be 'seen by men' (v. 5), and they fasted to 'show men they are fasting' (v. 16). The point of Matt. 6, of course, is that we should not store up treasures on earth, but in heaven, for 'where your treasure is, there your heart will be also' (v. 19-21), and the hypocrites are provided as an example of religious people whose treasure was on earth, as they prefer their reward in the here and now (The words 'they have received their reward in full' are repeated in each of the above cases, and each time contrasted with 'your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.')
The New Testament authors were aware that it was possible to practice Christianity with ulterior motives. James, for instance, points out that it is quite possible to pray to God for the sake of self (Jas. 4:3), and Paul reminds us that it is equally possible to preach the gospel with impure motives (Phil. 1:15-18). Doing 'the right deed for the wrong reason' can therefore indeed be described as treason, as Blake reminds us, and nowhere is this more true than when those right deeds include religious acts.
If we take the above seriously, then we must admit that we are dealing here with two very different species of religious people, and, indeed, two very different religions. 'Godliness as gain' and 'godliness with contentment' (1 Tim. 6:6) are two bipolar opposites that have nothing in common, and never will have.
Extrinsic vs Intrinsic Religious Orientation
So great and obvious is the difference that it has been identified in the field of psychology of religion, with Gordon Allport's concepts of intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientations representing the backbone of the research. The difference between the two orientations are defined as follows by Allport and Ross (Cited in Kahoe 985:24 (4) 409):
'Extrinsic Orientation: Persons with this orientation are disposed to use religion for their own ends… It serves other, more ultimate interests. Extrinsic values are always instrumental and utilitarian. Persons with this orientation may find religion useful in a variety of ways, e.g., to provide security and solace, sociability and distraction, status and self-justification. The embraced creed is lightly held or else selectively shaped to fit more primary needs. In theological terms the extrinsic type turns to God, but without turning away from self.
Intrinsic Orientation: Persons with this orientation find their master motive in religion. Other needs, strong as they may be, are regarded as of less ultimate significance, and they are, insofar as possible, brought into harmony with the religious beliefs and prescriptions. Having embraced a creed, the individual endeavors to internalize it and follow it fully. It is in this sense that he lives his religion.
The well established Allport and Ross Scales have been used in numerous studies focusing on the correlation between religiousness and a variety of personality variables and prejudices. For instance, in a study of 850 volunteers, reported in the Journal of Psychology and Christianity (Watson, Morris, Hood & Biderman 1990, 9 (1): 40-46), it was found that 'Intrinsics' were lower than 'Extrinsics' in what is called a 'pathological form of narcissistic exploitativeness'. Extrinsic religious orientation was also shown to be correlated with ethnic prejudice in a 1967 article by Allport and Ross (1967, Vol 5, No 4, 432-443).
By pointing to the above, I am by no means implying that Allport has given us a psychological definition of the difference between Pharisaism and Christianity. His concepts involve much more than this, but they are helpful as a scientific confirmation of the fact that the locus of religious people can generally be defined in one of two ways, and, of course, one cannot help but to notice the resemblance between these definitions and the conclusions drawn thus far in these articles.
The Murder of God
Another helpful perspective from the arena of psychology comes from psychiatrist M. Scott Peck. Peck's interest in human evil is rather unorthodox for a psychiatrist, especially one as famous as Peck, and comes under scrutiny in his People of the Lie (1983). Peck converted to Christianity after he authored the bestseller The Road Less Travelled, and followed it up with this study on human evil. Peck has been somewhat of a controversial figure in Christian circles, but I quote him here primarily in his capacity as a scholar and student of human behavior.
Frustrated with the lack of a 'body of scientific knowledge about human evil deserving of being called a psychology' (43), Peck wrote People of the Lie, drawing, amongst others, from the works of Erich Fromm and Malachi Martin. Peck's definition of evil is helpful to us, as it touches on the very issues addressed above, albeit with a different focus: In The Road Less Travelled, he defines evil as 'the exercise of political power – that is, the imposition of one's will upon others by overt or covert coercion… – in order to avoid…spiritual growth' (298). In People of the Lie, he says: 'It would, I believe, be quite appropriate to classify evil people as constituting a specific variant of the narcissistic personality disorder.' (1983:145). According to Peck, evil is 'live spelled backward…Evil is in opposition to life. It is that which opposes the life force. It has, in short, to do with killing…I do not mean to restrict myself to corporeal murder. Evil is also that which kills spirit…' (1983:46).
Peck acknowledges his indebtedness to Fromm in this regard: 'Erich Fromm…broadened the definition of necrophilia to include the desire of certain people to control others – to make them controllable, to foster their dependency, to discourage their capacity to think for themselves, to diminish their unpredictability and originality, to keep them in line. Distinguishing it from a "biophilic" person, one who appreciates and fosters the variety of life forms and the uniqueness of the individual, he demonstrated a "necrophilic character type", whose aim it is to avoid the inconvenience of life by transforming others into obedient automatons, robbing them of their humanity.' (1983:47).
Reading the above, it becomes clear why Peck sees evil as a variant of narcissism. To use our terminology: It is a coveting of the other for the sake of the self. As such it could be described as love gone toxic, parasitical rather than life-giving, a black hole rather than a light. It is a desire for the life energy of another, a type of psychic vampirism, resulting in the murder of his or her spirit. The case studies discussed by Peck in People of the Lie clearly show how this toxic love is fostered by an underlying sick dependence on one or more other people, and even how narcissistic personalities could be attracted to one another with the sole purpose of having their desires gratified in and through such a sick relationship, or 'incestuous symbiosis' (1983:133), such as in the case of 'Hartley and Sarah' (1983:122).
Evil, therefore, can be described not only as the opposite of 'life', but also as the opposite of love, as Peck's definition of love includes the nurturing of another's spiritual growth (1978:85). Evil, according to the above definitions, could therefore be seen as an inversion of the second of the two greatest commandments. It is not love for the sake of the other, but love for the sake of self, and therefore the exact opposite of love.
The question that arises at this point is this: Is human evil a phenomenon that is only prevalent in human relationships, or can it also present itself in the relationship between a human and his god? To put it another way: If the inversion of the second commandment is such a real threat, why not also, and even more so, the inversion of the first and greatest commandment? If we can love others for the sake of our selves, why can we not also love God in this way?
What would one call an imposition of the will not only on others, but also on God, and, if I may adjust Peck's terminology slightly – a desire to make him controllable, to diminish his unpredictability and originality, to keep him in line, to foster his dependency, to discourage his capacity to think for himself? I believe the word is 'crucifixion'. What happened on Golgotha 2000 years ago is not only a timeless display of the love of God, but also a brilliant analysis of human evil as it boils over the brim of history. Nowhere exists a better and more graphic picture of humanity's attempt to put God in his place than that of a band of wicked men nailing Christ to a wooden cross.
The sad part of the story is that the murder of God took place in the name of God, as it always does. It is the religious who make it their business to determine the place and the purpose of God, not the sinners, and so it is the religious who get upset with the God that does not fit into their scheme. As Peck put it in What Return Can I Make?: ' They [the Pharisees] murdered Jesus. The poor in spirit do not commit evil. Evil is not committed by people who feel uncertain about their righteousness, who question their own motives, who worry about betraying themselves. The evil in this world is committed by the spiritual fat cats, by the Pharisees of our own day, the self-righteous who think they are without sin because they are unwilling to suffer the discomfort of significant self-examination.' (Cited in Peck 1983:80).
The Enchantment of Religion
It needs to be stated that the phenomenon of Pharisaism is a product of both people and context. We have thus far focused mainly on the human motivators behind Pharisaism, but we dare not ignore the motivators inherent in religion itself. As these articles are about the former and not the latter, a few brief remarks would have to suffice.
There is no place that offers better concealment and disguise for the person with narcissistic tendencies than the religious environment. Keeping in mind that 'the central defect of the evil is not the sin but the refusal to acknowledge it' (Peck 1983:77), a great many sick people find solace within the four walls of the church, oftentimes to hide not only from others, but also from themselves. No doubt some of these 'conversions' could be described as 'religiously-colored psychological conversion which brings some unity and harmony to a troubled person's life' (Conn 1986:9). Moreover, the church offers great social benefits for the lonely soul, and it is one of the few places in the world where people will politely listen to you if you have something to say, regardless of whether it be a testimony, a word of encouragement, a prophecy or a tongue. Indeed, it is the one place on earth that will still give you acceptance when all other institutions have ceased to do so. If we talk about a platform from where the self can be asserted, actualised and authenticated, then few places offer such an ideal one as the church.
When it comes to the ministry the lure is even stronger. The advantages, both temporary and eternal, of being a mouthpiece for God are great. With the package comes status and influence, and other benefits might range from mystical powers to material wealth, depending on the context of the ministry or denomination. Walter Conn, in his book Christian Conversion: A Developmental Interpretation of Autonomy and Surrender (1986), provides fascinating insight into the psychology of conversion, and shows how people convert to religion for different reasons. No doubt the same can be said about the call to the ministry, and a theological case might even be made out of the life of Judas Iscariot, who clearly had ulterior motives for joining the band of disciples. Perhaps it would be correct to say that the ministry is the one occupation that simultaneously appeals to the two greatest needs of humanity, namely the need for self-actualisation and the need for God. You can, in other words, get the world with heaven thrown into the package. You can eat your cake and still have it. You need both, or the equation won't work. As one of the world's top female televangelists said recently, 'If God's not going to work for you, then why serve him?'
The Enchantment of Theology
An area that requires a separate treatment, albeit a brief one, is that of theology. Is there any true theologian or student of Scripture that cannot identify with C. S. Lewis' comments on doctrinal books being often more helpful in devotion than devotional books? As he puts it: 'I believe that many who find that "nothing happens" when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand.' (1985:30). Fundamentalists might frown about the pipe, but the principle remains true. Theology has an inherent enchantment that is unlike that of any other discipline, and I can barely imagine a professional life more perfect than one spent studying the thoughts of the great Christian minds of history.
Yet this is exactly what the Dutch theologian G. C. Berkouwer warns against in his Faith and Justification: 'Theology is not a complex system constructed for their own entertainment by scholars in the quiet retreat of ivory towers. It must have significance for the unquiet times…' (Cited in Lane 1984:182). Karl Barth, who also had a reputation for clenching a pipe between his teeth, warns against 'scientific Eros', namely Eros, as defined in the previous chapter, in intellectual form: 'It is the soaring movement by which human knowledge lets itself be borne towards its object and hurries toward them in order to unite them with itself and itself with them, to bring them into its possession and power, and to enjoy them in this way…When scientific Eros evolves in the field of theology, it characteristically and continually confuses the object of theology with other objects. So far as Eros is the motive of theological work, God will not be loved and known for God's sake, nor man for man's sake. This situation can only explained by the nature of Eros: every attempt to love and know God and man is made in the quite conscious and deepest interests of the theologian himself, in the self-love of the one who produces this theology.' (1963:198-199)
In a chapter with the telling title The D-minization of the Ministry, David F. Wells makes the following comments: 'Insecure ministers who are stripped of importance hope to be elevated through professionalization to the same social standing as other professionals, such as physicians and lawyers. And the Doctor of Ministry degree (D. Min) is the principal tool that seminaries offer to achieve this parity.' (Guinnes & Seel 1992:175-176). He adds: '…among those who have graduated with the degree, 78 percent said that they expected to be more respected in the community and 73 percent expected to be paid more. (p 180).
It is clear, therefore, that the study of God can serve as a substitute for God himself, and so as an idol. It is also clear that the Pharisee, especially, is highly vulnerable to the power of this idol. 'You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life' (John 5:39, 40).
Theology as entertainment, theology as scholarship, theology as status, theology as a motivational tool, theology as a prosperity message; whatever the case may be, theology as anything but service and love unto God and others is toxic theology, and should be discarded like all waste.
The Bottom Line
This, then, is the heart of Pharisaism. It is the coveting of God and his things for the sake of self. It is religious utilitarianism, and it always includes the murder of the true God for the sake of setting up a counterfeit, fashioned to our image and likeness, behaving like we want him to. The basic problem of sin, as expressed in human covetousness, underlies the phenomenon of Pharisaism, and it gives rise to motives and intentions that are much discussed by psychologists but oftentimes ignored by theologians.
The irony of the Pharisee is that his effort to keep the law makes him blind to his impotence to do so. The tragedy of the Pharisee is that he exchanges the idols of the world for religious ones, without knowing it. And so, whilst appearing righteous on the outside, he is unrighteous within:
'Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness' (Matt.23:25-28).
'Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, "'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men …Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?" And he said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person." (Mark 7:6-8, 18-23)


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Colorado quarterback Jordan Webb and former Buffs lineman Alex Lewis were arrested over the weekend on suspicion of assault charges stemming from a Saturday incident. At the time, not much was known about what led to the arrest. That is slowly beginning to change.
And suffice to say, it's not good. Reportedly.
The Boulder Daily Camera reports that Webb and Lewis were in an altercation with a victim after Lewis and the man bumped into each other around 3 a.m. Saturday morning. That led to a verbal argument and eventually a shoving match between the two. That's when, according to witnesses in a Boulder police report, Lewis repeatedly shoved the victim's head into a brick wall and both players proceeded to push the man down to the ground, punching him. Witnesses also say they watched Lewis grab the victim "around the throat and throw him into a parking kiosk, knocking him unconscious."
The man was later transported to Boulder Community Hospital for his injuries.
The report goes on to state that a black SUV arrived at the scene and someone from inside the car called out to Webb and Lewis. However, that car left the scene once police arrived.
Lewis told police he and Webb had been in Denver celebrating a friend's graduation and were on their way home when they ran into the victim. According to Lewis, the man attempted to punch Lewis multiple times. Lewis also admitted to drinking heavily that night, including six glasses of wine, 10 beers and six shots of various alcohol. Friends of the victim said he had been drinking as well. Lewis said Webb was not involved in the shoving.
The assault charges both players face are felonies and carry a mandatory prison sentence. Additionally, Lewis is currently facing two counts of harassment. CU coach Mike MacIntyre said in a statement that Webb's involvement is still being investigated, so no action is currently being taken.
Webb started most of Colorado's 1-11 season last year. He tore his ACL in spring practice, but it was recently thought that he might be back at some point this season. Lewis started all 12 games for the Buffs last year, but announced he planned to transfer to Nebraska last week.


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Petal pusher: Burns' bouquets aren't like the rest
Utter the term "wedding flowers" and some brides will break out into hives, unable to differentiate between daffodils and orchids, while others will confidently reel off the six different types of blooms they have in their bouquet alone. But no matter which category you fall in, the task of choosing blossoms for your nuptials shouldn't be a daunting task. And while some couples choose to go the traditional route, choosing a large florist to arrange their wedding day buds, Wendy Burns of Woodmont Designs advises brides looking for a more intimate and innovative floral ambiance to push aside their floristry fears and become best buds with local florists.
Burns, who works out of her home (and apple orchard) across from King Family Vineyards, has practiced the more labor intensive European style of floristry for years ever since she began helping a close friend in her floral shop in Pennsylvania. Moving down to Charlottesville 11 years ago, Burns finally opened her own European-minded floral design studio in the early 2000s, with a speciality in intricate bouquets and unexpected floral pairings. From weekly arrangements at Prince Michel and Farmington to corporate events, charity fundraisers, and nuptials at venues across the region, Burns and Woodmont Designs have tapped into the local floral consciousness. For even the most bloom-bewildered bride, Burns rounds up the latest floral trends.
Green greens
Wait– aren't flowers inherently green because they kind of come from the environment? While all plant life is essentially green in nature, they aren't always the most earth-friendly, notes Burns. When brides order blooms from a large, faceless company, what they don't realize is that those brightly tinged blooms aren't usually available locally and must be shipped in from regions around the globe– often leaving quite a hefty carbon footprint. By using an environmentally conscious florist, Burns says, brides can find gorgeous greenery without having to settle for the few blooms that may be in season at the time of their ceremony.
"When flowers come from a place like Ecuador, where they're grown in such a way that they've devastated the soil and been forced to grow unusually big– that's not being very green," Burns says. "I'm trying to be very aware of where my flowers are coming from. As much as possible, I grow my own."
While Burns tries to utilize as much of her nearly 30 acre estate as possible to grow various floral species, she notes the practice of discarding barely-faded blooms the day after a ceremony still negatively impacts the floral industry. Most green florists and brides are trying to give another life to day-old wedding flowers and Burns advises brides to try and donate their centerpieces to nursing homes, hospitals, or encourage guests to take home any pieces that will otherwise be discarded.
Going au-natural
Another seeming oxymoron in the floral industry is the concept of going natural– aren't all flowers natural, brides ask? Instead of just looking for pretty flowers, the floral industry has returned back to the natural elements of wooded areas for inspiration: bark, felled trees, vines, leaves, berries are all showing up in whimsical and elegant centerpiece designs, according to Burns. In her own studio, Burns amasses various species of moss, piles of bark, and vines from King Family to inform her own designs– and has even been known to pocket interesting finds she stumbles upon during her frequent hikes in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
"I'm having a great deal of fun bringing natural materials in from the woods and finding ways to use them," she says.
From using tree trunks as centerpiece stands to covering containers with bark, Burns has begun to create custom designs for the bride looking for a return to more local elements. With the trend of vineyard-inspired weddings, brides are looking to bring in woodsy, rustic charm to their nuptials.
"You have two extremes– one bride just wants all white roses, while others just want a few wildflowers for 150 guests and eight bridesmaids," says Burns. "But to create a look like that is not just going to the side of the road to pick some wildflowers."
Local versus large
While going to a large floral vendor is not at all a bad thing– it's all about personal style and taste– Burns notes that her floral sensibilities lean towards the more labor-intesive, yet intricate European style of arranging. "Hand-tied," an industry buzzword, accurately describes the work she does– placing each bloom individually in a bouquet, then twisting the stems to create more of a fan-shaped bunch. It's a style, she says, that stems from the flowers sold in European street markets fresh from a florist's own garden.
"It's a more personalized style and highly labor intensive," she says. "But it's one of the things that gave me the confidence to start my own business."
Due to the intricacy of her designs, Burns only takes on a few weddings a year, spending months on planning and creating. She advises brides to find their florist as soon as they've settled on a venue. Her linear designs and whimsical aesthetics– one of her signature pieces is a centerpiece with small votives hanging off twisty branches– are elements that make her appeal to the bride looking for an intimate and often unrepeatable floral design.
"Everything I do is a custom design," she says. "Big shops can't do what I do."


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Spicy chicken fried rice
Nutrition and extra info
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal538
- fat7g
- saturates1g
- carbs77g
- sugars8g
- fibre6g
- protein48g
- salt1.91g
- 300g mixed basmati and wild rice
Rice is a grain, the seed of a type of grass, which is the most widely grown and the most…
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 4 skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
- 3 tsp ground cumin
An aromatic spice native to eastern Mediteranean countries and Upper Egypt. This warm,…
- good pinch chilli flakes
- handful coriander, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
Sunflower oil
Sunflower oil is made from pressing sunflower seeds and extracting the oil. It's usually…
- 2 red peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced
Also known as capsicums, bell peppers, sweet peppers or by their colours, for example red and…
- 400g can kidney bean, rinsed and drained
Kidney beanskid-nee beenz
Native to the Americas, kidney beans are so called because of their shape and come in very…
- bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
Spring onionsp-ring un-yun
Also known as scallions or green onions, spring onions are in fact very young onions, harvested…
Put the rice into a saucepan, cover with water, crumble in the stock cube, then bring to the boil. Stir the rice once, then simmer for about 20 mins until tender. Drain well.
Meanwhile, toss the chicken in the spices and coriander. Heat a pan, add the oil, tip in the peppers, then stir-fry for 3 mins until starting to soften. Add the chicken, then fry until golden, about 5 mins. Add the rice, beans and spring onions, then warm through.
Recipe Tip
TipMixed basmati and wild rice is available in most supermarkets. We used Tilda Basmati & Wild Rice.


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One very intriguing story from this preseason has been the coming-out-of-nowhereness, if you will, of WR Mike Williams – former first round pick out of USC who failed to catch on with the Lions, Titans and Raiders. He has landed in Seattle where former college coach Pete Carroll has probably given him an extra opportunity to make the team. In a recent report I read, he may not only make the team, but some say he may start opposite TJ Housh (unless Housh gets traded…there are rumors…).
Are you kidding me? That Mike Williams? Starting in the NFL? He was even out of football for a year or two I believe! Actually, the truth is, I'm not that surprised. I can't remember watching a guy in college with better hands. Mike Williams to this day, still has one of the most impressive catches I have ever seen (can't find the youtube video of it – but it was a one handed snag for a TD in massive traffic). The Lions were roundly criticized for taking another receiver when they picked Williams a few years ago – I was one of few who didn't think it was that bad of a pick. The guy is immensely talented and I'm not sure why he didn't make it before.
Perhaps it's a mental/emotional/maturity thing, not sure. But for those of you in fantasy circles – keep an eye on him, Pete Carroll could make him good again.


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Saturday, October 30, 2010, 20:14 - World History: Ancient, Medieval & ModernPeople often ask me about the source of the beautiful antique compass image that I use on this site. Well, today it will be revealed!
Posted by Administrator
Posted by Administrator
I have an old CD (practically antique in its own right) published in 1995, entitled "Extraordinary Cartographic Motifs". It has several compass images (some are possibly even more stunning than the one I used, but I like mine because of its black background). The images are in fairly good resolution. I might use them to make mugs or calendars one day :)
The closest thing I was able to find on Amazon is this:
Antique/Historical Clip Art Maps


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Newsbreaking patented SwedishRibbon speakers and drivers Designed for the most demanding music lovers
Transmission Audio now in the STS Digital recording studio
One of the finest recording companies in the World, (STS Digital) got so fond of Transmission Audio´s smallest M1i-speaker that they decided to use them as monitors for analyzing of micro-details in their recordings. This is remarkable if not sensational and an acknowledgement of our open, true ribbon systems.
In cooperation with Transmission Audio´s distributor for Be-Ne-Lux and Germany, Tingsha Audio, it was decided to release a special ultra-high quality-CD that fully describes the unique combination of sound quality and STS Digital's ability to catch the quality all the way.
The reference CD can be ordered by an email to: firstname.lastname@example.com
"Dear friends, we have now in our STS DIGITAL dvd/blue ray demo room the Transmissionaudio M1 i loudspeaker.
This loudspeaker is the hottest and most comprehensive speaker that gets five stars from the STS Golden ears club... Here we recognise a company, (TA), that takes the hi-fi industry in groundbreaking new directions... and they will go to higher grounds, we know!
STS DIGITAL love the speaker and gives it a recommendation you can trust... because we love music... we love to record it... and we love a well sounding play back."
STS Digital is a company, very well known in audiophile circles, - their recordings are world class and are made in collaboration with world renowned labels such as CBS, Mercury, Columbia and Philips. Older recordings are brought back to life. They are (sa)cd released after the tapes are refreshed.
My impressions thus far�.
For those too impatient to read the whole thing, "I LOVE THESE LITTLE MIRACLES!"
2 - That THIS can be reproduced by such a small speaker: big challenge for the bigger and more expensive systems.
3 - Magnificent loudspeaker! I mainly listen to choirs and human voices. Very precise and correct reproduction.
4 - I don�t record any sweet spots � what a musical stage and performance , never heard from such a speaker of these dimensions.
5 - I didn�t believe anything of what JP said, and you had to laugh because my mouth fell open of astonishment � I think you have a winner here!
6 - So much low notes out of that M1i...come on, switch of you subwoofer! Sorry, follow the cables do you see a connection to the sub ?!
7 - What a cute sexy speaker and that music...very nice and congratulations with your new acquisition.
8 - Amazingly small box � great sound despite the bad room acoustics � will surely sound even better in a better acoustic environment.
9 - Surprisingly good, lot of info and good music and nice reception.
10 - Very musical and good homogeneity. Continue like that.
11 - Good information � sound very spatial.
12 - Ribbon has a "fresh�experience in sound image � speakers have a very good broad stereo image. I am curious what the bigger brothers will do.
13 - Very dynamic and very realistic.
14 - Grandiose! Great!! Also available in red Bordeaux (claret) color?
15 - "10 on 10!"
This results in a more linear
response and protection from breakdowns caused by severe overload.
For more info about the
Signature Series advanced technology and
transparent design, send us an email.
Latest Industry
LDS Scandinavia, http://www.lds-co.se/Main/main.htm has
chosen Transmission Audio as one of their vendors of drivers for the professional audio market.
With a calculated sales start at the third quarter of 2009, Transmission Audio will release the continuation of the former M3 loudspeaker but in a new, improved and refreshed package - The M3MkII.The former M3 utilized conventional P-P cones which called for a long tall ribbon to take care of the higher frequencies. The brand new M3 MkII has a wide band woofer that extends the useful range up to 2 octaves above what is being considered "normal" for a woofer in this size.Continuing his work on advanced wideband woofers, Bo Bengtsson has developed the new 6,5" Alpha woofer with dual voice coils for increased control, resulting in a speaker that has shaken even the most skeptical music lovers in our "Golden Ear" test panel for its extreme overall presence and performance capabilities. The implementation of 2 woofers in an optimized reflex loaded cabinet gives not only impact and "slam" but a evenness that makes it possible to shrink the physical dimensions without any negative impact at all - in fact the new M3MkII outperform its older sibling by a factor of 2. To you this means more music for less money! The new M3MkII utilize the same super precision, high resolution dipole ribbon driver as in M1_i but with even higher power capability.
Sophisticated simplicity, the key to success
Our best kept secret
Introducing floating suspension technology
The Ribbon speaker - the Ultimate Art form
Introducing eXtreme - a professional dual-in-line ribbon for high SPL�s
Customer relations - our top priority
Press relations - support
Some earlier quotes and opinions
Mark Levinson with the forefather of current M 1i
The forefather of current M 1i at the N.Y. Steinway Hall
Its predecessor took the world by storm. Here is the new M1i!
Ultra Propulsion technology makes a Grand Piano sound like one
All our ribbon units are made in Sweden
Assembly line and quality inspection
The importance of staying connected
We are focused on producing not only "no-nonsense" affordable high quality ribbon-based dipole speakers, but also on reaching for the extraordinary, for those customers who want the absolute ultimate in sound reproduction.Our modularized technology makes it possible to offer speaker solutions of almost unlimited size (and price). Transmission Audio�s largest speaker system, the ULTIMATE, briefly described above, with its clusters of up to 25 x 2,2 meter high ribbons per channel, represents the most refined and exclusive speaker system on the planet. Period. It is made solely with the most discriminating audiophiles and the world's exclusive sound venues in mind. It is 100% customable to fit any demand and size. Pricing ranges from US $100,000 - US $2,000,000. The latter includes 12,000 watts from 12 of the world's most exclusive power amps. A speaker system for whom? For the world's finest opera and concert houses, as well as the most discerning music lovers' listening rooms, where only the best will be good enough.
Contrary to popular belief, the biggest problem with speakers is not the frequency response, but rather that they don�t release their energy fast enough. In the speaker world, the membrane must be able to stop as fast as it accelerates. If not (which is normally the case), energy is stored and delayed, something that causes ringing - a kind of time smear. Stored energy is what prevents you from hearing all the micro-details in the music, which is another way of saying time-related distortion. One method of dealing with this issue is to use ultra-thin ribbon membranes in an extremely strong magnetic field. Transmission Audios ribbon speakers are almost completely free from energy storage.
When Michael Jackson's producer for "Dangerous", Bruce Swedien (who is also Quincy Jones'engineer), heard Bo Bengtsson's ribbon speakers at an audio exhibiton, he got so excited he asked if he could sign it.(See picture).
When the late jazz musician Red Mitchell heard our Megatrends, he stated: "The best loudspeakers I've never heard! You only hear the music - not the speakers. A shaking experience. I can't live without them!" We think you will be equally excited...Tens of thousands of music lovers all over the world now own speakers designed by Bo Bengtsson. We think this fact speaks for itself. Our goal is to bring you closer to the original, musical, sound.
When music lovers around the world turned to us, asking if it was possible to create a loudspaker with big sound that would be suitable for smaller rooms, we decided to fine-tune our smallest speaker, the M1, for audio purists, . The result was M1i, an absolute no-compromise high-end compact loudspeaker, aimed at those who settle for only the best. Those of you who know about Transmission Audio are familiar with the fact that the original M1 was a total rework of a former US "legend", the Red Rose Music R3 that Bo Bengtsson designed for Mark Levinson at the century's turn, and which was a runner-up for the "Speaker of The Year 2001" in Stereophile.The M1i is a result of years of continuous tweaking of what we believe to be the world's smallest dipole speaker. The latest improvements include a brand new aluminum alloy woofer concept. One of the secrets behind the new level of transparency and increased detail is the new woofer's frequency response - it is "ruler flat" to above 10kHz, which making crossing it over to the QUADRA Ultra Propulsion ribbon unit a breeze. The woofer cone utilizes an exclusive aluminum-magnesium alloy which is virtually resonace-free over the major part of the audio band.
Courtesy of Swedish craftsman Janne Mood*, Transmission Audio now can offer a specially designed stand for the M1i speakers.Handmade in small quantities, this stand offers the correct listening height, and its design is made with minimum energy absorption in mind. One thing that differs it from the rest is that it has two different front faces; - turned one way it has a classic Asian-inspired "dragon-like" look and turned the opposite way, a more Western, streamlined approach. The stand is delivered in glossy black piano finish only, and is made to order. In deference to varying differences in tradition and listening habits, the stand can be ordered in any desired height.* All rights for these stands are the property of Janne Mood.
Ribbon Speakers for Theaters and Cinemas
A benefit of the Internet is the opportunity for audio communities to stay in contact and share their interest in music. The picture to the left shows some members of the Swedish "Sweet Spot" audio forum during their recent visit, whilst the other half had a coffee break in the kitchen area. Forum address: http://sweetspotforum.forum24.se/
Note: This Website, including but not limited to all text, pictures and diagrams, is the intellectual property of Transmission Audio and is Copyright (C) 2010. Reproduction or re-publication by any means whatsoever, whether electronic, mechanical or electro-mechanical, is strictly prohibited under International Copyright laws. "The "Neo Engine", "Ultra Propulsion" and "Dynamic Propulsion" are trademarks of Transmission Audio.


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2008 Audi Q7
The Audi Q7 offers strength and refinement in a large, luxurious SUV. It is a paragon of driving elegance and interior refinement.
The Q7 shares its solid architecture with the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne. The Audi rides on a longer wheelbase, however, and the Q7 has a more compliant ride than the Volkswagen and Porsche. The Q7 is the longest of the three, and thus is the only one to offer three-row seating. To make its cabin more luxurious and inviting, Audi has equipped the Q7 with features not found on the Touareg or Cayenne. And when the weather turns sour, the Q7 benefits from Audi's decades of experience with Quattro all-wheel drive.
With a base price of considerably less than $50,000, the Q7 is priced close to others in the luxury SUV segment, which also includes the Cadillac SRX, Lexus GX 470, and Mercedes-Benz M-Class. With all-wheel drive, a choice of powerful V6 and V8 engines and arguably the classiest interior in the segment, the Q7 deserves serious consideration when shopping for a luxury SUV.
For 2008, its second year, the Q7 gets only minor changes. The model lineup has been streamlined and the base model gets more standard equipment. New wheel designs are available, and optional equipment is shuffled. The Q7 was launched as a 2007 model.
Model Lineup
The 2008 Audi Q7 lineup features two engines and three trim levels. The base model is the 3.6 quattro and a 3.6 quattro Premium model is offered as well. The top of the line is the 4.2 quattro Premium. All Q7s come with six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmissions that can be shifted manually and quattro all-wheel drive with front, center and rear locking differentials.
The Q7 3.6 is powered by a 3.6-liter V6 that delivers 280 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. It comes standard with five-passenger seating, leather upholstery, automatic dual-zone climate control, 12-way power adjustable front seats, 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat, Audi MMI, aluminum interior trim, cruise control, AM/FM/CD stereo with eight speakers and six-disc CD changer, a leather-wrapped tilt/telescoping multi-function steering wheel, power windows and locks, heated power exterior mirrors with tilt-down back-up aid, remote keyless entry, alarm/engine immobilizer system, cooled glovebox, auto-dimming rearview mirror, rain-sensing wipers with heated nozzles, cargo cover, automatic headlights, front and rear fog lights, roof rails, and P255/55R18 tires on alloy wheels.
Options start with a Comfort Package ($2,900) with heated front seats, 50/50 split-folding third-row seat, Sirius satellite radio, an upgraded sound system, compass, and a power rear liftgate. Also offered as optional for all models are a panorama sunroof ($1,850), rear side airbags ($350), 6,600-pound towing package ($550), and running boards ($1,150).
The 3.6 quattro Premium model ($48,350) adds heated front seats, a 50/50-split folding third-row seat to boost passenger capacity to seven, wood interior trim, Sirius satellite radio, rearview camera, trip computer, compass and outside temperature indicator, universal garage door opener, and front and rear park assist.
Options for the 3.6 Premium include premium Cricket leather ($1000), a 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen 1000-watt sound system ($6,300); a Technology package ($4,300) with Audi Side Assist blind-spot warning system, Audi Advanced Key keyless entry and starting, voice control system, DVD-based navigation, and Audi Lane Assist lane-departure warning system; the S line Sport package ($2,950) with sport steering wheel with shift paddles and multicolor stitching, P275/45R20 tires, brushed aluminum interior trim, headlight washers, and unique interior and exterior trim; a Convenience package ($1,950) with Bose sound system, auto-dimming exterior mirrors, memory for the front driver's seat, and bi-xenon adaptive headlights; extended leather upholstery ($3,500); navigation system $(1,800); the 20-inch wheels and tires ($1,600); P265/50R19 tires ($800); six-passenger seating with second-row captain's chairs ($1,500); four-zone automatic climate control ($950); alcantara headliner ($1,500); heated steering wheel and heated rear seats ($850); and a wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel with a wood shift knob ($600).
The 4.2 quattro Premium ($58,600) is powered by a 4.2-liter V8 that produces 350 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. In addition to the standard equipment found on the 3.6 Premium, the 4.2 features a power tilt/telescoping steering wheel, four-zone automatic climate control, navigation system with voice recognition, memory for the driver's seat and exterior mirrors, keyless access and starting, remote engine starting, Bose sound system, power rear liftgate, steering-linked adaptive bi-xenon headlights and P275/45R20 tires.
Options exclusive to the 4.2 quattro Premium include adaptive cruise control ($2,100); adaptive air suspension ($2,600); and a version of the Technology package ($1,750) which includes Audi Side Assist, Audi Lane Assist, Audi's Advanced Key, a rear backup camera, and voice recognition.
Safety features on all Q7 models include anti-lock four-wheel disc brakes with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and brake assist, Hill Descent Control, traction control, and an
The styling of the Audi Q7 offers no surprises, just typical Audi class, as if the A6 wagon experienced an unexpected growth spurt. The Q7 is bigger than it looks. The blunt front end features Audi's signature bold grille flanked by menacing headlights at the leading edge of the sculpted hood. A heavily stylized front end helps mask the formidable mass of the Q7's nose. Fog lights are set into the lower moldings.
Crisp side-view styling with articulated fenders and an arching roofline also do much to lessen the generous dimensions of the Q7. The exterior mirrors are perhaps the largest we've ever seen on a vehicle in this class, which should come in handy when towing. Two stylish, full-length metal rails on the roof provide anchor points for accessory crossbars for securing cargo on the roof.
The Q7's rear view is dominated by high-mounted, horizontal taillights with LED illumination and fiber-optic/LED turn signals. The cut line for the tailgate sweeps outward around the taillights to become a styling element of its own.
Lower moldings are rendered in a durable, unpainted, chip-resistant material that is color-keyed to the paint above. With the available S-Line appearance package, they are replaced by more aggressively styled lower moldings that are painted to match the body.
Cold weather features include pull-type door handles that are easy to use with gloves and wide-sweeping windshield wipers that, when not in use, rest on an area heated by the interior vents in order to prevent freezing.
Interior Features
Audi designed the Q7 interior with flexibility in mind. All told, it reportedly offers 28 different passenger/cargo arrangements between three available seating configurations.
With the conventional 40/20/40 split second-row bench seat, the Q7 seats five; add the third-row seat and it'll seat seven. A six-passenger arrangement is available with second-row bucket seats separated by a center console, with the third-row bench behind it. All second-row seats slide for/aft four inches to maximize legroom, which Audi claims gives the Q7 the most stretch-out room in the class. We find second-row bucket seats more comfortable than bench seats, however, the bucket seats with center console diminish cargo capability and dog friendliness so consider this carefully before ordering second-row buckets.
The driver's seat is comfortable and most drivers should find the driving position nearly perfect. Getting in and out of the front seats or the second-row seats is easy thanks to large doors and a reasonably low floor. Accessing the third row is not as easy: The second-row seat slides and folds forward to grant access, but never quite enough for an adult to get back there smoothly. In Audi's defense, the seat was designed to accommodate people no taller than five feet, four inches. As with most, if not all, SUVs, the third row is best left to the kids.
Interior trim speaks of high quality, with padded surfaces everywhere one can touch and virtually no hard plastics. Three different kinds of wood are available, as is patterned aluminum trim. The mix of materials conveys a level of luxury that matches, if not exceeds, the Q7's price.
The gauges are clear and bright with an information display between the speedometer and tachometer which cycles through several menus via buttons on the steering wheel. Redundant navigation messages are also communicated through this display, even when the dashboard screen displays something else, a useful feature. The stalk-mounted cruise controls and the switches for the wipers and lights have a supple, expensive feel.
The Multi-Media Interface, or MMI, controls the stereo, navigation system, and other functions. Designed to reduce the amount of buttons on the dashboard while adding even more features, MMI adds layers of complexity that require considerable time and practice to operate smoothly. The system features a central control dial and some 15 buttons to control the climate, audio, phone, and navigation systems, as well as relevant vehicle system information. The controls are situated on the horizontal surface behind the shift knob. In addition to the added complexity, using the MMI often requires a longer look away from the road.
Stereo choices for the Q7 include an AM/FM/CD unit with eight speakers, an AM/FM/6CD unit with 14 Bose speakers, and a 1000-watt Bang & Olufsen system with 14 speakers. Sirius satellite radio is standard on all but the base model. We found the 14-speaker Bose system to be outstanding; sound remains clear at high volume and the system has a lot of power. While most of the audio adjustment functions are incorporated into MMI, the controls used most often, such as the volume and seek functions, are adjusted with clearly labeled buttons and knobs mounted sensibly and attractively on the center console, just in front of the armrest. The system also responds to voice commands.
The Rearview Camera and Parking System incorporates a camera in the liftgate to provide a view behind the vehicle when backing up. The image is clearly projected on the screen, with parking guide lines showing the path the vehicle would take given the steering wheel angle at the time. As the wheel turns, the guide lines change accordingly. We found this to be an extremely useful feature. It's especially valuable when backing up to a trailer, allowing the driver to position the receiver ball directly below the trailer hitch. It's also a great safety feature, whether back
Driving Impressions
On the road, the Q7 behaves like an Audi. The fully independent suspension delivers a comfortable ride and controlled handling. Road imperfections are managed without being transferred into unbecoming jolts or booming sounds in the cabin. Even at high speeds, interior noise level is low enough for conversation to be held without raising one's voice. Not as pillowy as the Lexus GX 470 nor as stiff as the BMW X5 or Infiniti FX, the Q7's ride hits the sweet spot many luxury SUV shoppers desire.
Power from the 280-hp 3.6-liter V6 is more than adequate for most drivers, with plenty on tap for quick, smooth acceleration in spite of its high curb weight of over 5000 pounds. The V6 emits a satisfying growl under full throttle but goes virtually silent when coasting or cruising. The throaty 350-hp 4.2-liter V8 offers more power than most drivers need and even more impressive acceleration numbers (0-60 in just 7.0 seconds, according to Audi).
The six-speed automatic transmission shifts so smoothly it's almost imperceptible except during full-throttle acceleration. The Sport mode provides faster shifts and automatically holds gears a bit longer for more responsive performance. If the driver wants to shift manually, the Tiptronic manual shift feature is selected by moving the shift lever to the right, then tapping it up or down as desired. The multi-information display in the instrument cluster clearly displays the selected gear.
Quattro all-wheel drive works full time and requires no driver input. Normally, power is delivered to the front and rear wheels in a 42/58 percent split to create a rear-wheel-drive sensation for confident dry-weather handling. When driving conditions become such that traction becomes compromised, the torque split is automatically adjusted between the parameters of 65/35 to 15/85 percent, front-to-rear.
Electronic stability control, or ESC, manages wheel slip by applying brakes at the slipping wheel without interrupting power deliver to the wheels with grip. The system helps maintain stability in corners by lightly applying the brakes to individual wheels when the vehicle's path doesn't match the driver's intentions. The Q7's electronic stability control system is enhanced with an off-road mode that can be switched on to allow some slip for smooth power delivery on gravel roads. For steep, slippery grades, Hill Descent Control automatically maintains a 12-mph speed by applying the brakes to individual wheels without driver input, allowing the driver to concentrate on steering.
Fuel economy with the 3.6-liter V6 is an EPA-estimated 14 miles per gallon City and 20 Highway. The 4.2-liter V8 is thirstier, rated at 12/17 mpg City/Highway.
Towing capacity starts at 5500 pounds for all models but rises to 6600 pounds with the optional towing package. The Adaptive Air Suspension features a trailer mode that helps manage the unique physics of towing. The Adaptive Air Suspension functions as a self-leveling suspension, so when towing you're not blinding other drivers with your low beams. The Q7 also has a Tow mode for the electronic stability control calibrated to counteract swaying motions that can become dangerous when pulling a trailer.
The power steering is speed-sensitive, reducing the amount of assistance at higher speeds to deliver more road feel. Steering isn't as heavy as that in the BMW X5, for example, but nor is it as light as that of the GMC Yukon. On-center feel is outstanding, with steering inputs met by quick response, and it's just 2.7 turns of the steering wheel from lock to lock.
Handling is superb for a vehicle of this size. The Q7 is only two inches shorter than a Cadillac Escalade and actually has a longer wheelbase. Nonetheless, it feels much smaller, reacting readily to quick changes of direction. Only in close quarter handling, like in parking lots or parallel parking does the Q7's size become evident.
The Adaptive Air Suspensio
The Audi Q7 represents a winning combination of comfort, style and space. It offers significant towing and hauling capability and serious off-road capability. It can seat up to seven and features a tall roof for lots of headroom and a high seating position for a commanding view of the road ahead. All of this is infused with Audi's luxurious accommodations and high-grade interior materials and design.
NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Kirk Bell reported from Chicago, with Mitch McCullough in Los Angeles; Steve Siler filed the initial report from Scottsdale, Arizona.
|Model Line Overview
|Model lineup:
|Audi Q7 3.6 quattro ($42,500); 3.6 quattro Premium ($48,350); 4.2 quattro Premium ($58,600)
|280-hp 3.6-liter V6; 350-hp 4.2-liter V8
|6-speed Tiptronic automatic
|Safety equipment (standard):
|anti-lock four-wheel disc brakes with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and electronic brake assist, traction control, electronic stability program (ESP) with rollover sensing and tow mode, Hill Descent Control; three-position seat belts with pretensioners and load-limiters, dual front air bags, front side seat-mounted torso air bags, three-row side curtain air bags, tire-pressure monitor
|Safety equipment (optional):
|rear-seat side torso air bags, front and rear park assist, rearview camera, Audi Side Assist blind spot warning system, Audi Lane Assist lane departure warning system
|Basic warranty:
|4 years/50,000 miles
|Assembled in:
|Bratislava, Slovakia
|Specifications As Tested
|Model tested (MSPR):
|Audi Q7 3.6 Premium ($48,350)
|Standard equipment:
|leather upholstery, automatic dual-zone climate control, 12-way power adjustable heated front seats, 40/20/40 split folding second-row seat, 50/50-split folding third-row seat, Audi MMI, wood interior trim, cruise control, AM/FM/CD stereo with eight speakers and 6-disc CD changer, Sirius satellite radio, rearview camera, trip computer, compass and outside temperature indicator, universal garage door opener, front and rear park assist, leather-wrapped tilt/telescoping multi-function steering wheel, power windows and locks, heated power exterior mirrors with tilt-down back-up aid, remote keyless entry, alarm/engine immobilizer system, cooled glovebox, auto-dimming rearview mirror, rain-sensing wipers with heated nozzles, cargo cover, automatic headlights, front and rear fog lights, roof rails, P255/55R18 tires on alloy wheels
|Options as tested (MSPR):
|Technology package ($3,400) with; 20-inch chrome alloy wheels with summer performance tires ($2,400); Convenience Package ($1,950) with ; panorama sunroof ($1,850); premium Cricket leather ($1000); four-zone automatic climate control ($950); towing package ($550)
|Destination charge:
|Gas guzzler tax:
|Price as tested (MSPR):
|all-wheel drive
|3.6-liter DOHC 24-valve V6
|Horsepower (lb.-ft @ rpm):
|280 @ 6200
|Torque (lb.-ft @ rpm):
|266 @ 2750
|6-speed Tiptronic automatic
|EPA fuel economy, city/hwy:
|14/20 mpg
|118.2 in.
|200.2/78.1/68.4 in.
|Track, f/r:
|65.0/66.0 in.
|Turning circle:
|39.4 ft.
|Seating Capacity:
|Head/hip/leg room, f:
|39.5/NA/41.3 in.
|Head/hip/leg room, m:
|39.0/NA/37.1 in.
|Head/hip/leg room, r:
|35.6/NA/29.2 in.
|Cargo volume:
|72.5 cu. ft.
|Towing capacity:
|6600 Lbs.
|Suspension, f:
|independent, double wishbone with stabilizer bar, air springs
|Suspension, r:
|independent, four-link with stabilizer bar, air springs
|Ground clearance:
|8.1 in.
|Curb weigth:
|5126 lbs.
|Brakes, f/r:
|disc/disc with ABS, EBD, Brake Assist
|Fuel capacity:
|25.4 gal.
|Unless otherwise indicated, specifications refer to test vehicle. All prices are manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSPR) effective as of July 1, 2008.Prices do not include manufacturer's destination and delivery charges. N/A: Information not available or not applicable. Manufacturer Info Sources: 800-822-2834 - www.audiusa.com
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This weekend Hero Complex in association with The Los Angeles Times hosted the third annual Hero Complex Film Festival. Highlights to which included a screening of Shaun of the Dead with Edgar Wright, Wall-E with director Andrew Stanton, A Clockwork Orange with Malcolm McDowell, and Robocop with Peter Weller.
Joss Whedon's cult-favorite Serenity closed out the festival Sunday night. Star Nathan Fillion was on hand to discuss the film and its short-lived television predecessor Firefly. (I still maintain that show's season/series finale "Objects in Space to be the finest piece of writing Whedon's ever done.) In the post screening Q&A, Fillion reflected on reuniting with the cast for the film, reciting Whedon's particular cadences and previews his role in another Whedon project/film: Much Ado About Nothing. For all this and more, hit the jump.
What follows is a recap of the post–Serenity Nathan Fillion Q&A:
Moderator Geoff Boucher introduces Nathan Fillion – first thing discussed Fillion's current show Castle. A lot of screaming and cheering at the Castle name-drop (in particular the women in the audience).
Boucher: "Castle's going on Season Five. A lot of shows don't even make it that far…"
Fillion: "…I know…"
Fillion discusses working on soap operas early in his career (Note: he appeared as Joey Buchanan on One Life To Live). "It's a lot of work. A lot of memorizing. They (the producers) sent me to an acting coach just to deal with the pace." Compared to prime time, soap operas aren't as "cinematic" but the shoot is much quicker. Fillion notes on Castle there's coverage from just about every single angle – "two shots, singles, dirty singles, cowboys, medium shots…" So there's a lot of "repetition".
On reuniting with his castmates from Firefly for Serenity, Fillion takes exception to the notion of a 'reunion' – as he had stayed in contact with the cast even when off air. "Usually on a show you pull one friend [after shooting wraps]. On Firefly – there were twenty to twenty-five people." But Fillion admits that when the cast dressed up for the first time three years after cancellation, he realized how much he missed not only the actors but their characters as well. Wash, Zoe, Inara, Jayne… So it became a reunion "for Mal and his crew."
Fillion states he knew Captain Mal Reynolds was going to be a "killer character right away." He cites the dialogue of the pilot as indicative of just how special the role was. "It was a very particular type of speech – 'Joss Speech' – and Joss just cast people who nailed it… He picked people who could hit those notes." Likening Joss Speech to Shakespeare, "You can't paraphrase Shakespeare. You have to stay true to the words."
The conversation then appropriately enough segues into Joss Whedon's upcoming low budget Much Ado About Nothing. For those unfamiliar: Whedon hosts a monthly brunch at his house, wherein he invites actor friends over for a bite to eat and afterwards they read and recite Shakespeare. Out of this ritual, Whedon decided to do an updated take on the Shakespearean comedy. Fillion stars as Dogberry in the production. "I had never done Shakespeare before." Fillion confides "I actually tried to chicken out of it… I had to work a lot of late nights for Castle and there was just so much dialogue, too much to memorize."
Fillion even called Whedon before shooting began, telling him about his difficulties, asking "Do you have anyone who could replace me?" According to Fillion, Whedon took a moment, then told him "Relax. It's just a lark. No big deal. Don't worry about it. Take Saturday off. We'll work around your schedule… And I don't have a replacement."
But Fillion quickly chimes that once he got the hang of the dialogue, it was a "pleasure to do". When pressed on who of the cast is the best Shakespearean actor, Fillion doesn't miss a beat, "Alexis Denisof – the guy will make you cry…"
With the formal moderated portion of the Q&A over, questions opened up to the audience – which turned into a rapid-fire discussion of past, future and hypothetical projects.
- Fillion on a hypothetical Dr. Horrible 2: "I don't know."
- On Serenity 2: "[If there was going to be one] would I keep that a secret?"
- On What Marvel Character he should theoretically play: Fillion takes a long pause, unsure of what answer to give. In the space, a couple member of the audience promptly shout 'Ant Man'. To which Fillion replies, "Did you ever love Ant Man?… Not me."
- On his favorite set experience: Fillion states that when he first moved out to LA, he would crash sets all the time. He reflects on being an extra in the band scene for Clueless and sneaking off onto the set of Deep Space Nine. "Now – I crash sets left and right. I mean who's going to stop me and if I got caught, what are they going to do?"
- And finally On Joss Whedon's current success: "It's very vindicating… We all know the man is a genius but now… EVERYONE knows."


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GREENSBORO – The ACC's 15 member institutions will fight for eight guaranteed bowl games plus one conditional game in the 2013 season, the conference announced Monday.
The highlight game for the conference is the Discover Orange Bowl, with which the conference earlier announced a 12-year partnership. If the ACC champion does not get a bid to the national championship game, it will do battle against a BCS opponent at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida at 8:00 p.m. Friday, January 3.
The bowls begin on Friday, December 27 with the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. The conditional game—the Kraft Fight hunger Bowl—is the same day. The ACC would pick up that game if the Pac-12 or BYU are not able to fulfill their commitment to it.
Eight of the nine games will be carried on ESPN; the Hyundai Sun Bowl will be carried by CBS on Christmas Eve.
2013 Atlantic Coast Conference Football Bowl Schedule
(Chronological Order, All Times Eastern)
Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman
Friday, Dec. 27, 2013 2:30 p.m. ESPN
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (conditional)
Friday, Dec. 27, 2013 9:30 p.m. ESPN
Russell Athletic Bowl
Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013 6:45 p.m. ESPN
Belk Bowl
Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013 3:20 p.m. ESPN
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Monday, Dec. 30, 2013 3:15 p.m. ESPN
AdvoCare V100 Bowl
Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013 12:30 p.m. ESPN
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013 2 p.m. CBS
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013 8 p.m. ESPN
Discover Orange Bowl
Friday, Jan. 3, 2014 8 p.m. ESPN
For more information, click here.


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The Enigma of Japanese Power: People and Politics in a Stateless Nation
Vintage Books, 1990 - Business & Economics - 504 pages
In this brilliantly authoritative book, Karel van Wolferen unravels the confusions and misperceptions the West has about Japan and can no longer afford to maintain.
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40 pages matching Meiji period in this book
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LibraryThing ReviewUser Review - antiquary - LibraryThing
While the author seems biased by his own negative experiences as a foreigner trying to work in Japanese media, his severe critique of the weakness of Japanese leadership has been confirmed by events to a considerable degree. Read full review
Review: The Enigma of Japanese Power: People and Politics in a Stateless NationUser Review - Arjen - Goodreads
If you want to understand Japan and the Japanese this book is a must read Read full review
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Trust: Human Nature and the Reconstitution of Social Order
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Contributed by Robin Robertson, author of Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker * (The Harvard Common Press, 2012). One of the things I like most about using a slow cooker is its versatility. While it is ideal for cooking beans, stews, soups, and chili, it can also be used to cook some things that may surprise you such as breads, cakes, and other desserts. It's also terrific for cooking casseroles and other recipes you normally associate with oven-baking.
A slow cooker can also be a great help when company's coming, allowing you to keep the soup or main dish warm while you entertain guests. Using a slow cooker also lets you free up other cooking surfaces. This can be especially handy for holiday meals. If you're serving a buffet meal, you can place the slow cooker right on the table. It will keep the food at the proper serving temperature for hours while you enjoy the party. Slow-cooked dishes are also great for potlucks. Just prepare your dish in the slow cooker, bring along the entire unit, and plug it in when you arrive at your destination to keep your dish warm for serving. One of my favorite "serve a crowd" recipes is this Lasagna Primavera. Slow-cooked lasagna may sound unconventional, but it tastes great and is convenient to make. Because it contains lots of fresh vegetables and protein-rich tofu, it makes a terrific one-dish meal.
Serves: 6
Slow Cooker Size: 5- to 6-quart (for best results, use a large oval slow cooker)
Cook Time: 4 hours on Low
Gluten-free Option
- 8 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles (about 8 noodles) (see Note)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil (optional)
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chopped broccoli florets or zucchini
- 1 medium-size carrot, shredded
- 8 ounces white mushrooms, chopped
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound soft or medium tofu, drained
- 1 pound firm tofu, drained
- 1⁄3 cup nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup vegan Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce or your favorite tomato sauce for pasta
- 1 cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese (optional)
Break the noodles in half and place them in a large baking dish. Pour on enough boiling water to cover and set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
For the best flavor, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, broccoli, carrot, and mushrooms and cook for 1 minute longer. Alternatively, omit the oil and sauté these ingredients in a few tablespoons of water or combine them in a microwave-safe bowl with a little water, cover, and microwave for 2 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid. Stir in the spinach and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Crumble all of the tofu into a large bowl. Add the nutritional yeast, parsley, basil, oregano, vegan Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, then taste to make sure the mixture has enough salt and plenty of pepper.
Lightly oil the insert of the slow cooker or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Drain the noodles. Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker. Arrange a layer of the noodle pieces over the sauce, overlapping slightly as needed. Top the noodles with about one-third of the tofu mixture, followed by one-third of the vegetable mixture, and another layer of noodles. Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce over the noodles and sprinkle with vegan Parmesan. Repeat the layering two more times, ending with a layer of marinara sauce. Sprinkle with vegan Parmesan. Cover and cook on Low for 3 1/2 hours.
Scatter the vegan mozzarella (if using) all over the top of the lasagna. Cover and cook for 30 minutes longer (whether or not you add the mozzarella).
Remove the lid, turn off the cooker, and let the lasagna stand for about 15 minutes before serving.
Note: To make gluten-free, use gluten-free lasagna noodles.
- See more of Robin Robertson's recipes on VegKitchen.
- Here are more vegan slow-cooker recipes.
- Explore more Vegan Dinner Recipes and Pasta Entrées.
Recipe © 2012 by Robin Robertson and used by permission of The Harvard Common Press.
*This post contains affiliate links. If the product is purchased by linking through this review, VegKitchen receives a modest commission, which helps maintain our site and helps it to continue growing!


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- Sickles named Player of the Week, Signore and Gannon named Rookie's of the Week -
New York, N.Y. - The Skyline Conference released the Fall weekly report #8 on Monday, October 21, including Player of the Week, Rookie of the Week, Honor Roll and Conference statistics for men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, women's tennis and women's volleyball.
Men's Golf Update
Farmingdale State captured their sixth straight conference championship after a school record two day team-total of 585 at the Bethpage State Park - Red Course. The Rams are now headed to the 2014 NCAA Division III Championships at Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C. on May 13-16.
Senior Adam Larkin (Bellmore, N.Y.) earned medalist honors after a two day total of 143 and sophomore Scott Sessions (Pleasantville, N.Y.) was runner-up finishing two strokes behind Larkin.
Women's Tennis Update (10-2, 5-0 Skyline) - Full Report
The Rams finished the regular season with a perfect 5-0 mark in Skyline Conference play and earned the #1 seed and home court advantage for the playoffs.
Junior Jessica Sickles (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) was named Skyline Conference Player of the Week. Sickles went 3-1 at #1 singles and posted a perfect 4-0 mark at #1 doubles as Farmingdale State tallied conference wins over Purchase (8-1), St. Joseph's (7-2) and Yeshiva (9-0). Sickles notched 6-0, 6-1 wins against both Purchase and Yeshiva and earned a 6-2, 6-1 victory versus St. Joseph's.
Freshman Priscilla Signore (Staten Island, N.Y.) earned Skyline Rookie of the Week honors. She compiled a 3-1 record at #2 singles and a 4-0 mark at #1 doubles to earn her fourth Rookie of the Week honor of the season. Signore notched a 6-0, 6-3 win versus Purchase as the Rams clinched the Skyline regular season crown. She also earned straight-set victories against Yeshiva and Brooklyn.
The women's tennis team will host the Skyline Conference Semifinals on Wednesday, October 23rd.
Women's Soccer Update (11-7, 7-0 Skyline) - Full Report
Farmingdale State earned three conference wins this week and improved to 7-0 in the Skyline.
Freshman forward Alena Gannon (North Babylon, N.Y.) was named Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week. Gannon tallied three goals on seven shots over two contests as she earns her second Rookie of the Week honor in 2013. She scored a pair of goals in a 10-0 win against NYU-Poly and added a goal in the Rams' 4-0 victory over Purchase. Gannon now has six goals on the season.
Sophomore forward Ashlee Thompson (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) was named to the Player of the Week Honor Roll. She scored four goals on 12 shots in a 3-0 week for the Rams.
The women's soccer team next will host NYU on Senior Day on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. and travel to Mount Saint Mary to close out the regular season on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
Men's Soccer Update (7-6-1, 3-2-1 Skyline) - Full Report
The men's soccer team finished in a 0-0 double overtime tie against Mount Saint Mary College in their lone game last week.
Senior goalkeeper Angelo Viteritti (Huntington, N..) was named to the Honor Roll after stopping nine shots against Mount Saint Mary.
This week the Rams will travel to St. Joe's on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. and host Sage on Senior Day this Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
Women's Volleyball Update (11-19, 6-0 Skyline) - Full Report
The Rams posted a 1-3 mark in four non-conference matches at the St. Joseph's Invitational this past week.
Freshman middle blocker Maia Cadle-Hinton (Huntington, N.Y.) was named to the Player of the Week Honor Roll. She compiled 12 service aces and eight blocks while averaging 1.21 digs over 14 sets.
This week Farmingdale State will host St. Joe's on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. and then host their Skyline Play Date on Saturday.
Cross Country Update - Full Report
The women finished seventh and the men finished ninth at the St. Joseph's Invitational held at Sunken Meadow State Park.
Senior Melissa Bonilla (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) and freshman Jacob Kashani (Roslyn, N.Y.) were each named to the Honor Roll. Bonilla placed 15th overall (22:30.3) and Kashani (30:59.1) was the top Farmingdale State finisher for the fourth consecutive race.
This week the Rams will travel to Van Cortlandt Park for the Skyline Championship on Sunday.


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chanda chisala, formerly a visiting fellow at both stanford and the hoover institution, and who is originally from zambia, has written a blogpost at unz.com that's generating a lot of interesting discussion: The IQ Gap Is No Longer a Black and White Issue.
much of the discussion surrounds whether or not africans that have recently migrated to the u.s. or the u.k. are representative of their populations, or if they're self-sorted elite groups (i'd guess the latter is probably correct — see dr. thompson's comment regarding this issue), and, more technically, how regression to the mean works (see here and here) which relates to the question of to what mean are the iqs of the children of african immigrants regressing — a general african mean or are different african groups regressing to different means (see here and here)?
i don't have the answer to ANY of those questions (doubt i ever will have much insight into them), nor do i think that anyone DOES have good answers to those questions. yet. Further Research is RequiredTM.
i do want to highlight and comment upon something chisala had to say in the comments, though:
"If there are African 'subpopulations' (by which I believe you mean nations or tribes/ethnicities etc) that have a genetic mean IQ that is higher than the genetic mean of whites (or black Americans), then the American black-white gap can not be due to the 'blackness', genetically, since that subpopulation is also black."
right. well, that brings us back to one of my "three laws of human biodiversity" and, not very coincidentally, the title of this post:
there's more to human biodiversity than just racial differences.
the western (or maybe modern) world has a weird focus on the differences between races — at least among those of us who notice differences between people at all — both because racial differences are highly visible (especially physical differences — unless you've got your head stuck
up your in the sand) and thanks to our unfortunate common history.
but — and i just had this convo with someone on twitter the other day — much of the variation between human populations is NOT found at the level of races, nor does it have anything to do with race.
WHY would it? such a scenario doesn't make any sense from an evolutionary point of view: not a single one of the races has inhabited in its entirety only one environment or had an evolutionary history that was fully shared by all of its members, so obviously there must be quite a lot of intra-racial variation. and don't forget, evolutionary histories include societal types ("every society selects for something") and recent human evolution, so there really is absolutely no reason that all of the variation we see between populations should be found on a racial level.
we all know this to be true already: ashkenazi jews have the highest average iq of any population, and that group is not a race, it is an ethnic group. it's northeast asians that have the next highest average iq, not all east asians (not indonesians, not filipinos). lactase persistence is found at different frequencies in white european populations, not equally across the wider racial population of which europeans are a part (i call them caucasians), let alone whites. protection against malaria isn't evenly spread among subsaharan africans, either. and i have been blogging endlessly on possible (probable, imho) differences in innate altruistic behavioral traits between european populations. etc., etc. as jayman said in his most recent post: "Differences between human groups are fined-grained because evolution acts locally."
who knows if some african subpopulations have higher genetic mean iqs than white or black americans (or other populations)? maybe. i look forward to researchers investigating the possibility. but i am in near complete agreement with chisala: the black-white iq gap is not due to blackness (or subsaharan african-ness), per se.
i say near complete agreement since i think that some of the variation in the average iqs of whites and blacks *might* quite possibly be due to evolutionary processes that affected very large populations (such as entire races+). MCPH1 haplogroup d, for instance, is known to be absent in subsaharan african groups. we have no idea if this gene (allele) is related to intelligence, but microcephalin is related to brain size, so it's not implausible. i only bring it up to illustrate that some selection in human populations — including stuff related to our brains — has happened on the large scale — but as i said above, much of it also has not.
so it's complicated.
but i do wish everyone would just ease off on focusing on racial differences all the time. the over-emphasis on race obscures an awful lot of fascinating (possible) biological variation between smaller sized populations, and the evolutionary processes themselves.
previously: hbd chick's three laws of human biodiversity
(note: comments do not require an email. still not feeling well.)


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Placenta previa
Vaginal bleeding - placenta previa; Pregnancy - placenta previa
Learn More
During pregnancy, the placenta moves as the womb stretches and grows. It is very common for the placenta to be low in the womb in early pregnancy. But as the pregnancy continues, the placenta moves to the top of the womb. By the third trimester, the placenta should be near the top of the womb, so the cervix is open for delivery.
Sometimes, the placenta partly or completely covers the cervix. This is called a previa.
There are different forms of placenta previa:
- Marginal: The placenta is next to the cervix but does not cover the opening.
- Partial: The placenta covers part of the cervical opening.
- Complete: The placenta covers all of the cervical opening.
Placenta previa occurs in 1 out of 200 pregnancies. It is more common in women who have:
- An abnormally shaped uterus
- Had many pregnancies in the past
- Had multiple pregnancies, such as twins or triplets
- Scarring on the lining of the uterus due to a history of surgery, C-section, or abortion
- In vitro fertilization
Women who smoke, use cocaine, or have their children at an older age may also have an increased risk.
Placenta previa is a problem of pregnancy in which the placenta grows in the lowest part of the womb (uterus) and covers all or part of the opening to the cervix.
The placenta grows during pregnancy and feeds the developing baby. The cervix is the opening to the birth canal.
Exams and Tests
Your health care provider can diagnose this condition with a pregnancy ultrasound.
Outlook (Prognosis)
The biggest risk is severe bleeding that can be life threatening to the mother and baby. If you have severe bleeding, your baby may need to be delivered early, before major organs, such as the lungs, have developed.
The main symptom of placenta previa is sudden bleeding from the vagina. Some women also have cramps. The bleeding often starts near the end of the second trimester or beginning of the third trimester.
Bleeding may be severe and life threatening. It may stop on its own but can start again days or weeks later.
Labor sometimes starts within several days of the heavy bleeding. Sometimes, bleeding may not occur until after labor starts.
Your provider will carefully consider the risk of bleeding against early delivery of your baby. After 36 weeks, delivery of the baby may be the best treatment.
Nearly all women with placenta previa need a C-section. If the placenta covers all or part of the cervix, a vaginal delivery can cause severe bleeding. This can be deadly to both the mother and baby.
If the placenta is near or covering part of the cervix, your provider may recommend:
- Reducing your activities
- Bed rest
- Pelvic rest, which means no sex, no tampons, and no douching
Nothing should be placed in the vagina.
You may need to stay in the hospital so your health care team can closely monitor you and your baby.
Other treatments you may receive:
- Blood transfusions
- Medicines to prevent early labor
- Medicines to help pregnancy continue to at least 36 weeks
- Shot of special medicine called Rhogam if your blood type is Rh-negative
- Steroid shots to help the baby's lungs mature
An emergency C-section may be done if the bleeding is heavy and cannot be controlled.
When to Contact a Medical Professional
Call your provider if you have vaginal bleeding during pregnancy. Placenta previa can be dangerous to both you and your baby.
Media items
Related articles
Francois KE, Foley MR. Antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage. In: Gabbe SG, Niebyl JR, Simpson JL, et al, eds. Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 18.
Hull AD, Resnik R. Placenta previa, placenta accreta, abruptio placentae, and vasa previa. In: Creasy RK, Resnik R, Iams JD, et al, eds. Creasy and Resnik's Maternal-Fetal Medicine: Principles and Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2014:chap 46.
Salhi BA, Nagrani S. Acute complications of pregnancy. In: Walls RM, Hockberger RS, Gausche-Hill M, eds. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 178.
Review Date: 4/19/2018
Reviewed By: John D. Jacobson, MD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda Center for Fertility, Loma Linda, CA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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