Monthly Archives: March 2012
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Long-Term Logbook, March 2012: Kia Optima
CG Observed Miles: 12,557 miles
CG Observed Fuel Economy: 25.3 mpg
Editors’ Comments:
Damon Bell: We’re most of the way through our yearlong test of the 2011 Kia Optima…I continue to enjoy its reasonably peppy acceleration and its generous list of features (especially that heated steering wheel). However, I remain less than thrilled with its relatively clunky, unrefined suspension. This Optima is simply not as composed over sharp bumps as its class rivals.
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Long-Term Tests Over the course of the year, our editors drive approximately 200 new cars and trucks. Most vehicles are evaluated over a two-week period; some are evaluated for six to 12 months. The vehicles we drive for this extended period of time are called Long-Term Testers.
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John Biel: The Optima EX looks like a quality product inside and out, and its price tag is a nice surprise. But the so-so level of chassis refinement clues you in to one of the areas that allowed Kia to come up with that attractive sticker price.
David Hall: This weekend, the Optima’s looks drew many compliments. Some of my car-enthusiast friends compared it to the Hyundai Sonata, saying the two share some styling elements. Independently, a friend who is not interested in cars commented on it too, so that’s saying something!
Consumer Guide Automotive New and Used Car Reviews and News RSS
F in Exams: The Very Best Totally Wrong Test Answers
“F” stands for “funny” in this perfect gift for students or anyone who has ever had to struggle through a test and needs a good laugh. Celebrating the creative side of failure in a way we can all relate to, F in Exams gathers the most hilarious and inventive test answers provided by students who, faced with a question they have no hope of getting right, decide to have a little fun instead. Whether in science (Q: What is the highest frequency noise that a human can register? A: Mariah Carey), the
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Future Car: 2015 Ford Mustang
The original ponycar is redesigned for its 50th birthday as a slightly smaller and lighter Mustang promising better fuel economy, performance, and handling. Fresh styling completes an updated Ford icon that will face off against a brand-new Chevrolet Camaro.What It Is
The 2015 Ford Mustang marks the 50th anniversary of the “original ponycar” with a substantial redesign–the model’s seventh, by our count. Though it’s unclear how extensive the makeover will be, the new generation is expected to premiere in a major media blitz at the April 2014 New York Auto Show, exactly half a century after the original’s debut at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Model offerings at launch should comprise the usual sloped-roof coupe and cloth-top convertible in V6 base and V8 GT trim, plus possible new turbocharged 4-cylinder versions. The recently introduced V8 Boss 302 coupe should return as well. All will maintain Mustang’s traditional long-hood/short-deck proportions and front-engine/rear-wheel-drive format, plus a good many under-skin components from today’s “S197” generation, say some sources. The super-performance supercharged-V8 Shelby GT500 models will reportedly take a year or two off, then return in updated form, perhaps for model-year 2016.
Mustang is not the high-volume seller it once was, but it remains a high-profile showroom lure whose sporty-performance image tends to rub off on other Blue Oval cars to the benefit of total brand sales. Mustang’s sensational early success prompted Detroit rivals to field their own ponycars. Chief among them was the Chevrolet Camaro, which was revived for 2010 after a seven-year absence. Camaro, too, is slated for a 2015-model redesign, thus setting up another grudge match in the century-long battle between the two traditional top sellers among domestic auto brands.
For more inside information on hundreds of new cars of today and tomorrow, check out:
The Official HIGH TIMES Cannabis Cookbook
The Official HIGH TIMES Cannabis Cookbook, the first-ever cookbook from HIGH TIMES magazine (the world’s most trusted name when it comes to getting stoned), is the deliciously definitive guide to cannabis-infused cooking.
Easy, accessible recipes and advice demystify the experience of cooking with grass and offer a cornucopia of tasty appetizers and entrees, stoner sweets, cannabis cocktails, and high-holiday feasts for any occasion. The 50 delectable recipes include Time Warp Tamales and Sativa Shrimp Spring Rolls, Pico de Ganja Nachos and Pineapple Express Upside-Down Cake.
Enticing color photos and recipes inspired by stoner celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, Cheech and Chong, and Willie Nelson will spark the interest of experienced cannabis cooks and “budding” chefs, whether they’re looking for the perfect midnight munchie or just to take dinner to a higher level.
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Women Have Longer Labors Now
Longer Labors Found in New Study Linked Mainly to Changes in Delivery Practices, Researchers Say
March 30, 2012 — Women giving birth can expect to have longer labors than women did 50 years ago, according to a new analysis by National Institutes of Health researchers.
For first-time mothers, the first stage of labor has increased by 2.6 hours, says Katherine Laughon, MD, a researcher at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Women who were having their second or later child took two hours longer in recent years than women in the 1960s, she also found.
Women giving birth in the ‘60s had a median labor time of just under four hours (half took more time, half less). Those in the recent group took 6.5 hours, Laughon says.
She discussed the findings at a news briefing today. The study is published online in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
“We don’t have a complete explanation,” Laughon says of the longer labors. However, changes in delivery practices appear to be the main contributing factor.
Longer Labor Study: More Findings
Laughon and her colleagues compared nearly 40,000 babies born from 1959 to 1966 with more than 98,000 born between 2002 and 2008.
Cesarean delivery was more common in the recent group. While 12% of the modern mothers had a C-section, 3% of the previous group did.
The mothers in the recent group were older; nearly 27 years old. The women in the previous group were on average 24. The recent mothers were also heavier, with a pre-pregnant body mass index or BMI of 24.6 compared to 22.6. (A BMI of 18.5-24.9 is considered normal weight.)
Babies of the women in the recent group weighed about 3.5 ounces more, on average.
Women in the 1960s group were less likely to have an epidural for pain relief. More than half of the modern mothers got the epidural injection, but just 4% of the mothers giving birth in the 1950s and ’60s did.
While epidural use is known to increase delivery times, Laughon says it can’t explain all of the increase.
The use of the hormone oxytocin, which speeds labor, was given in 31% of the recent deliveries but just in 12% of the earlier group. Laughon says that without this hormone, the modern labors may have been even longer.
Other practices common in the ‘60s, such as using forceps to help extract the baby, are much less common now, Laughon says.
Longer Labors: Perspective
The findings about longer labors are not at all surprising, says Michael Cabbad, MD, chairman and chief of maternal and fetal medicine at the Brooklyn Hospital Medical Center. He reviewed the findings for WebMD but was not involved in the study.
He agrees that delivery practices help explain the findings. “When patients arrive in active labor, they are placed on monitoring devices that people didn’t have in the ‘60s. They tend to be placed in a labor bed. They get IV fluid hydration, which tends to slow labor. Women are in bed with limited mobility, not walking.” That also tends to slow down the labor process, he says.
