One of my sweet friends is going through a very rough time right now. She is dealing with multiple problems and situations that threaten to undo her. Her faith is strong, but like Job, she doesn't understand why God hasn't intervened and solved the problems before now.
She knows her faith is being tested, and she is confident she'll come through the refiner's fire stronger, but that doesn't make it easy to endure.
She has dreams and hopes like each of us do, and it pains her deeply not to see those dreams and hopes materialized.
Her situation is complicated, and she knows only God can resolve the issues. She also knows while God is the One with the ultimate answer, she must do her part while she waits for his plan to unfold.
I believe each of us can relate to having dreams dashed and hopes destroyed. We each carry things inside we desire to accomplish. Good things. Things we believe are God's will. We shake our heads and wonder what happened when there is a disconnect between what we feel God has called us to, and the actuality of life without those things.
As Yul Brynner said in "The King and I", tis a puzzlement.
We quote scripture. We read the Bible stories. We say the right words. Still our hearts break at the unfulfilled dreams.
When the rough time comes, we know God is able. We know he can. We also know he might not. Though we might be crushed, we are never forsaken.
What do you do when your dreams and hopes come crashing down around you?
This entry was posted in Christian Living, Encouragement, Jesus, Music, Walk with God and tagged Even If, God is able, Job 41:1-2, Mercy Me, Sandy Kirby Quandt, When the Rough Time Comes, Woven and Spun by Sandy Quandt. Bookmark the permalink.
I listen to praise music or play it myself on my piano, I read Psalms, I make plans with friends, I walk extra far, I try to rest too because being tired makes everything worse. I cry if needed. And, I just refuse to listen to the devils lies.
Dana, thanks for the wonderful list. I think you've covered all the bases!


High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a noninvasive technique used in the treatment of early-stage breast cancer and benign tumors. To facilitate its translation to the clinic, there is a need for a simple, cost-effective device that can reliably monitor HIFU treatment. We have developed harmonic motion imaging (HMI), which can be used seamlessly in conjunction with HIFU for tumor ablation monitoring, namely harmonic motion imaging for focused ultrasound (HMIFU). The overall objective of this study was to develop an all ultrasound-based system for real-time imaging and ablation monitoring in the human breast in vivo.
HMI was performed in 36 specimens (19 normal, 15 invasive ductal carcinomas, and 2 fibroadenomas) immediately after surgical removal. The specimens were securely embedded in a tissue-mimicking agar gel matrix and submerged in degassed phosphate-buffered saline to mimic in vivo environment. The HMI setup consisted of a HIFU transducer confocally aligned with an imaging transducer to induce an oscillatory radiation force and estimate the resulting displacement.
3D HMI displacement maps were reconstructed to represent the relative tissue stiffness in 3D. The average peak-to-peak displacement was found to be significantly different (p = 0.003) between normal breast tissue and invasive ductal carcinoma. There were also significant differences before and after HMIFU ablation in both the normal (53.84 % decrease) and invasive ductal carcinoma (44.69 % decrease) specimens.
HMI can be used to map and differentiate relative stiffness in postsurgical normal and pathological breast tissues. HMIFU can also successfully monitor thermal ablations in normal and pathological human breast specimens. This HMI technique may lead to a new clinical tool for breast tumor imaging and HIFU treatment monitoring.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among women. In the United States in 2013, approximately 300,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and almost 40,000 died due to the disease . Image-guided minimally invasive treatment of localized breast tumors has become a subject of intensive research, and researchers in several studies have assessed the feasibility of minimally invasive breast tumor ablation techniques, such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA), cryoablation, and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation . Minimally invasive treatments apply extreme temperatures, either high or low, to induce irreversible cell injury, tumor apoptosis, and coagulative necrosis . Compared with conventional surgical procedures, the main advantages of minimally invasive ablation lie in the fact that they are less invasive, less scarring, and less painful, allowing for shorter recovery time .
HIFU is an entirely noninvasive technique, in which the ultrasound beam is focused on a small target volume to reach high focal power, resulting in temperature elevations causing coagulative necrosis in the target while surrounding structures are spared. Since the ultrasound wave penetrates through soft tissue without any surgical incision or needle insertion, there is no damage to the skin or underlying tissues. Acoustic energy can induce temperature elevations at the focal spot in a few seconds and can simultaneously induce cell death and vascular destruction in normal and tumor tissues . Because of the steep thermal gradients involved, the boundaries of the ultrasound-treated volumes can be closely spaced until the entire target is covered.
Clinically, fibroadenoma (FA) is the most common benign breast mass and may be accompanied by pain . FA does not require treatment; however, palpable FA may cause distress in some patients, who then may request removal. Compared with conventional surgical excision or other minimally invasive techniques, HIFU is completely noninvasive, which provides better cosmetic results and shorter recovery time. Recently, a multicenter study was conducted, in which HIFU was performed as an outpatient procedure in 42 women with 51 FAs . The researchers demonstrated that HIFU is effective in reducing the volume and other clinical symptoms of FA. HIFU has also been studied for ablation of early-stage malignant breast tumors in elderly patients who are not surgery candidates [8–10].
Currently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and sonography are being used for guidance and monitoring of HIFU therapy. Both magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) [11, 12] and ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (USgFUS) methods have their advantages and disadvantages. MRI has the advantage of providing temperature data within seconds after HIFU exposure. However, MRI guidance is expensive and lengthy. Ultrasonic guidance provides the benefit of imaging using the same form of energy that is being used for therapy. Therefore, if the target can be well-visualized with sonography, then the HIFU therapy may avoid potentially causing thermal injury to normal tissue. Worldwide, thousands of patients with uterine fibroids, liver cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, bone tumors, and renal cancer have been treated with USgFUS [13–15].
Ultrasound elasticity imaging is used in addition to traditional B-mode ultrasound as a tool for differential diagnosis between normal and tumor tissue in the human breast, based on tissue stiffness. Qualitative and quantitative tissue strain analyses using acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging technology has been developed for the diagnosis of breast masses [16–18]. The response of tissue to the acoustic radiation force is tracked as tissue displacement, which has been found to be correlated with local stiffness of the tissue. Vibro-acoustic tissue mammography is also a radiation force-based method that uses focused ultrasound to vibrate tissue (in kilohertz), and uses the resulting response to produce images that are related to the hardness of the tissue [19, 20]. Supersonic shear imaging uses a very fast (5000 frames/second) acquisition sequence to capture the propagation of shear waves  that provide information on the local viscoelastic properties [22, 23].
Over the past decade, ultrasound elasticity imaging has not been limited to the area of disease diagnosis but has also emerged in the application of therapy guidance and monitoring [24, 25]. Past studies include but are not limited to elastography for HIFU treatment [26–33]. Harmonic motion imaging (HMI) is an all-ultrasound-based elasticity imaging technique designed for both reliable diagnosis and HIFU treatment monitoring. It uses a HIFU transducer to emit an amplitude-modulated (AM) beam for thermal therapy while inducing a stable oscillatory tissue displacement at its focal zone. The oscillatory response, namely HMI displacement, is estimated using the radiofrequency (RF) signals recorded during the HIFU treatment through a confocally aligned imaging transducer [34, 35]. The localized tissue response is monitored continuously from the onset of HIFU treatment and is aimed at providing clinicians the change in local tissue stiffness to prevent any under- or overtreatment. Since HMI does not interrupt HIFU ablation, HIFU sonication was operated with a duty cycle of 100 %. Several studies have been published as feasibilities ex vivo [36, 37], and in vivo [38, 39] using 1D  and 2D  systems. The overall goal of this study was to develop and test an HMI system for real-time imaging and ablation monitoring in postsurgical breast specimens.
Collection and handling of postsurgical breast specimens were approved by the institutional review board of Columbia University, and informed consent was obtained from all enrolled patients. Thirty-eight tissue specimens were obtained from 24 patients who underwent lumpectomy or mastectomy, including 19 normal, 15 invasive ductal carcinomas (IDCs), and 2 FAs. The age range of the patients was 21–89 years (mean age 60 ± 18 years). All specimens were immediately immersed in PBS after surgery and transported in ice. The specimens used for the experiments were approximately 2 cm × 2 cm × 1 cm in size and were received from the Department of Pathology at Columbia University Medical Center. Specimens were embedded in agar gel matrix soaked in degassed PBS in a water tank, as shown in Fig. 1. The tank wall was lined with a layer of sound-absorbing material to reduce undesired echoes from below.
where F is a volumic force (N/m3), α is the tissue absorption coefficient (m−1), I is the temporal average acoustic intensity (W/m2), and c is the speed of sound [m/second]. When an AM waveform is used to drive the focused ultrasound (FUS) transducer, the radiation force is oscillating at the modulation frequency ω m , which is 25 Hz in this study. In HMI, an oscillatory response is induced at the HIFU focal zone due to the AM-HIFU excitation, namely the HMI displacement. This HMI displacement can be monitored throughout the entire HIFU treatment duration. The change of the peak-to-peak HMI displacement amplitude can be correlated with the relative change in local tissue stiffness as the thermal lesion develops.
A schematic illustration of the main components of the HMI system is shown in Fig. 1. HMI was performed using both 1D and 2D HMI systems in this study. The 1D HMI system was comprised of a single-element FUS transducer (outer diameter 80 mm, inner diameter 16.5 mm, center frequency 4.75 MHz, focal depth 90 mm; Riverside Research Institute, New York, NY, USA) coaligned with a single-element pulse-echo transducer (diameter 15 mm, center frequency 7.5 MHz, focal depth 60 mm; Olympus-NDT, Waltham, MA, USA) (Fig. 1). The FUS transducer was driven by an amplitude-modulated (AM frequency ω m 25 Hz) sinusoidal signal generated by a dual-channel arbitrary waveform generator (AT33522A; Agilent Technologies Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA) and amplified by a nominal 50-dB gain power amplifier (325LA; Electronics & Innovation [E&I], Rochester, NY, USA). The pulse-echo transducer was mounted through the center hole of the FUS transducer and confocally aligned with it. It was connected to a pulser-receiver (Olympus-NDT) operating at 1 kHz. The received RF signals from the pulser-receiver were band-pass filtered (Reactel Inc., Gaithersburg, MD, USA) with cutoff frequencies of fc1 = 5.84 MHz and fc2 = 8.66 MHz and then recorded with a digitizer (GaGe; DynamicSignals, Lockport, IL, USA) at a sampling frequency of 100 MHz. To generate a 3D HMI displacement map, point-by-point raster scan acquisition was used with a step size of 0.5 mm in transverse plane. At each spot, the FUS exposure was 0.6 seconds long (30-cycle oscillations at 50 Hz), during which 600 RF lines at 1-kHz pulse repetition frequency were acquired.
The 2D HMI system consisted of a 93-element FUS phased array transducer (individual element diameter 10 mm, overall outer diameter 110 mm, inner diameter 41 mm, center frequency 4.5 MHz, focal depth 70 mm, H-178; Sonic Concepts Inc., Bothell, WA, USA) and a 64-element phase array imaging probe (center frequency 2.5 MHz, P4-2; ATL Ultrasound, Bothell, WA, USA) (Fig. 1). In this feasibility study, the 93-element FUS transducer was driven in phase using the same function generator and power amplifier as the 1D system. The imaging probe was inserted through an opening in the center of the FUS transducer and confocally aligned with it. The imaging probe was operated with an ultrasound imaging research system (V-1; Verasonics, Kirkland, WA, USA). The FUS total output acoustic power was 11 W in the 1D system and 8.7 W in the 2D system from radiation force balance measurement .
Harmonic motion imaging for focused ultrasound (HMIFU) ablation monitoring was performed in 19 normal, 15 IDC, and 2 FA specimens using either a 1D or 2D HMI system, and each specimen was ablated at one or two different targeted locations, depending on the size of the specimen. Before HIFU ablation, a standard B-mode image of the targeted region was acquired using the imaging probe. Then HIFU was applied for a total duration of 120 seconds in a single location. Since HMIFU does not require interruption of HIFU ablation, HIFU sonication was operated with a duty cycle of 100 %. A customized plane wave imaging sequence was developed using the Verasonics Data Acquisition System platform. A GPU-based sparse-matrix algorithm was used for fast beamforming. During HMIFU exposure, 200 beamformed frames at a frame rate of 1 kHz were acquired and transferred to the host workstation every 3 seconds. An interpolation was performed to upsample the RF signals by a factor of 8 to achieve a sampling frequency of 80 MHz before storing the RF signals on the host workstation. After 120 seconds of continuous HIFU ablation, a total of 40 datasets were acquired. The main parameters of the two systems are summarized in Table 1.
The signal processing techniques were the same for the 1D and 2D HMI systems. Each set of continuously acquired RF lines using the 1D HMI system, or each set of the 200 continuously acquired RF frames using the 2D HMI system, was processed together. The interference of the FUS beam with the RF signals was removed by digital low-pass filtering (fcutoff = 4 MHz) during processing using the 2D system. In the 1D system, the interference of the FUS beam was removed by the analog band-pass filter as described previously. The incremental axial tissue displacements were estimated by performing a fast 1D normalized cross-correlation between sequentially acquired tracking lines . The RF window size was equal to 5 wavelengths of the imaging probe, and the window overlap was 95 %. A threshold (R 2 > 0.7) was applied to eliminate poor displacement estimation. The mean peak-to-peak HMI displacement amplitudes and standard deviation of the 10-cycle oscillations at 50 Hz were calculated based on the 200 RF lines or frames. The aforementioned processing was repeated at each raster scan point to obtain the 3D HMI displacement image for breast tumor detection.
For HMIFU ablation monitoring, the mean and standard deviation of the peak-to-peak amplitude of the estimated HMI displacements within the region of interest (ROI) were analyzed for the whole HMIFU ablation process. To compare different targeted locations, normalization of the HMI displacements by the displacement obtained at t = 2 seconds was performed. Changes in the HMI displacement amplitude were calculated by the percentage change in HMI displacement at the end of the thermal treatment over the displacement at t = 2 seconds.
A focal spot localization method  was used to define the ROI. A maximum peak-to-peak displacement value was estimated along the axial direction (1D) or the image (2D). On the basis of the maximum peak-to-peak displacement value, we calculated a −3 dB displacement focal zone over the axial direction (1D) or the image (2D). To quantitatively analyze the relative tissue stiffness change during heating, the resulting displacement around the focal region was then averaged within the −3 dB region.
3D data rendering (Fig. 2b, d, f) was achieved using Amira software (FEI, Hillsboro, OR, USA). MATLAB software (MathWorks, Natick, MA, USA) was used for the statistical analysis. The results were presented in mean ± standard deviation format. A paired Student's t test was used to determine a significant difference (p < 0.05) between before and after ablation.
The specimens were kept in 10 % phosphate-buffered formalin at low temperature (4 °C) for at least 24 h. The specimens were then processed and embedded in paraffin, cut into 4-μm-thick slices, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E).
In Fig. 2, 3D HMI images of a normal breast specimen, a breast tumor specimen, and an FA specimen before and after HMIFU ablation are shown in comparison with gross pathology images. In the 1D system, the HMI displacement amplitudes of the normal breast, IDC, and FA tissue averaged within the −3 dB regions were 40.10 ± 15.50 μm (n = 9), 24.90 ± 9.64 μm (n = 5), and 7.40 μm (n = 1), respectively (Fig. 3a). With the 2D system, the corresponding values were 24.73 ± 10.97 μm (n = 10), 12.77 ± 10.30 μm (n = 10), and 2.56 μm (n = 1) (Fig. 3b). In histological analysis, we found no tissue damage in the normal breast, IDC, or FA tissue on the basis of HMI imaging alone.
Figure 3 shows HMI displacement change before and after HIFU ablation using the 1D (Fig. 3a) and 2D (Fig. 3b) systems. Tissue motion during heating is visible through the periodic variation in displacement amplitude, which is denoted by alternating red (positive) and blue (negative) displacement in Fig. 3. Red denotes the highest motion towards the transducer, and blue represents the highest motion away from the transducer. Using the 1D HMI system, nine (100 %) out of nine normal breast lesions, five (100 %) out of five IDC lesions, and one (100 %) out of one FA lesions were found to have lower HMI displacement amplitude after HMIFU treatment, indicating protein denaturation and necrosis. Using the 2D HMI system, nine (90 %) out of ten normal breast lesions, eight (80 %) out of ten IDC lesions, and one (100 %) out of one FA lesions were found to have lower HMI displacement after HMIFU treatment. HMI displacement before and after HMIFU ablation were compared by performing a paired Student's t test. The mean HMI displacement before and after ablation is shown in Table 2.
The mean HMI displacement of the normal breast tissue decreased from 40.10 ± 15.50 μm to 17.49 ± 7.85 μm (n = 9, p = 0.0025) using the 1D system and from 24.73 ± 10.97 μm to 9.83 ± 6.46 μm (n = 10, p = 0.0048) using the 2D system. The mean HMI displacement of IDC decreased from 24.90 ± 9.64 μm to 12.28 ± 5.44 μm (n = 5, p = 0.0068) using the 1D system and from 12.77 ± 3.50 μm to 5.35 ± 2.74 μm (n = 10, p = 0.045) using the 2D system. The mean HMI displacement of FA decreased from 7.34 μm to 6.58 μm (n = 1) using the 1D system and from 2.56 μm to 2.06 μm (n = 1) using the 2D system. A similar decrease was also clearly observed in 2D, where the individual frameset consisted of peak negative displacement profiles (Fig. 4) as an example of a treated location.
The normalized HMI displacement change over the entire HMIFU ablation process in all specimens is shown in Table 3. Compared with the initial displacement at the beginning (t = 2 seconds), HMI displacement at the end (t = 118 seconds) of the HIFU ablation was observed. The HMI displacement amplitudes in normal breast and IDC tissue were 53.84 % and 44.69 % lower, respectively, at the end of the 2-minute HMIFU treatment compared with those at the beginning of HMIFU exposure, showing consistent stiffening after HMIFU ablation. The representative H&E staining results after HMIFU are shown in Fig. 5. Characteristic and similar histologic changes are seen in normal breast parenchyma, FA, or IDC (i.e., all tissues exposed to HIFU). The sections showed discrete hypereosinophilic areas reflecting changes occurring in the collagenous stroma as well as cautery-like "streaming" phenomena in the HIFU-ablated epithelial regions. The changes seen in the epithelium and/or nuclei were (nonneoplastic, benign, or malignant) reminiscent of what is seen in tissue exposed to electrocautery change. The surrounding tissues were histologically unchanged.
The clinical application of HIFU in tumor treatment is currently hampered by the lack of a simple, cost-effective device to reliably monitor HIFU treatment that can be used at the point of care. Experimental HMI images presented in this study demonstrate two important facts: (1) HMI is capable of detecting and imaging breast tumors in situ, and (2) HMIFU provides the capability of monitoring tissue stiffness changes while simultaneously probing and forming lesions within the breast tissue.
It was found that HMI displacement amplitudes in the IDC and FA were, on average, 43 % and 85 % lower, respectively, than that in the normal breast. Although the tissue elasticity cannot be directly measured, this displacement contrast ratio can be indexed for relative stiffness of different types of tissues in the breast, considering that a similar level of radiation force was applied. Histological analysis shows that, in the setting of low FUS exposure during tumor detection, no tissue damage is found, which demonstrates that HMI can be performed without causing tissue damage.
Besides tumor detection, HMI offers unique solutions for HIFU tumor ablation monitoring. In this study, for the thermal treatment of tumors ex vivo, an acoustic power of 11 W or 8.7 W and a duration of exposure of 120 seconds for each location were used. Significant reduction (53.84 % decrease in normal tissue and 44.69 % decrease in IDC tissue) in the HMI displacement amplitude in the tumor after HIFU ablation was observed. This indicates that the HIFU-induced lesions could be detected through the reduction in the harmonic motion amplitude. HMI monitors lesion formation based on the underlying tissue stiffness changes. Therefore, it can be more reliable than monitoring lesion formation by tracking the presence of cavitation or boiling bubbles, which are by definition stochastic phenomena currently used in the clinic for HIFU treatment monitoring . We demonstrated that HMI is feasible for monitoring HIFU ablation in human breast tissue without interrupting HIFU treatment.
Application of HMI for breast imaging and HIFU monitoring is both promising and challenging. The overall displacement acquired with the 1D system was higher than that acquired with the 2D system due to the acoustic output difference between the two systems. It may be due to the higher efficiency of the 1D system, which generated higher radiation force and therefore higher displacement in the focal region. The output acoustic power levels used in the two systems were 11 W and 8.7 W, respectively. Both systems, however, showed similar displacement contrast between normal breast, IDC, and FA tissues after normalization. Therefore, the power difference in this study does not influence the ability of HMI to differentiate abnormal from normal tissues. However, it should be noted that the very low acoustic power output could potentially reduce the signal-to-noise ratio with depth. Another limitation of this study lies in the raster scanning used in the experiment for 3D HMI. It involves a relatively lengthy process and thus is subject to motion artifacts induced by respiratory and cardiac motions when applied in patients. Electronic steering of the FUS beam is being used in ongoing studies to sweep the focal spot in order to facilitate the imaging process. Furthermore, although offline processing was used in this study, the 2D HMI system has the fundamental capability of online monitoring . Ongoing work explores the potential of using HMI to provide feedback control of the HMIFU ablation to control HMIFU therapy.
Last, 2D HMI clearly located the HMIFU focal region and monitored the stiffness change of the focal region over time. However, because of the difficulty involved in sectioning through the excised breast to coregister with the imaging plane of the HMI, precise quantitative comparisons of actual lesion size and HMI displacement images cannot be performed with high confidence. To assess the thermal lesion size on the basis of HMI images, additional studies are needed to correlate the HMI displacement map with histological measurements and to define a quantitative threshold in HMIFU displacement change that corresponds to lesion formation, allowing physicians to easily identify the onset of lesion formation. The correlation between tissue structures and HMI characteristics will also be considered in future studies to improve understanding of tissue mechanical responses during HMIFU ablation.
HIFU has been available in the United States to treat uterine fibroids and prostate tumors and to relieve pain due to bone metastases. Moreover, there is a growing number of clinical applications at various stages of research and development around the world, including breast cancer , pancreatic cancer , and brain tumors . MRgFUS has the advantage of high spatial resolution with thermometry capability. However, the intrinsic low frame rate of MRI prohibits real-time monitoring of the treatment. On the other hand, USgFUS allows for real-time imaging at a relatively low cost. Different from conventional B-mode monitoring, which relies on the appearance of hyperechoic spots resulting from boiling, HMIFU can provide relative tissue stiffness changes in real-time without interfering with the HIFU treatment. Future clinical HMIFU could thus be used in an outpatient setting. In addition to its relatively low associated costs, HMIFU will also be characterized by its noninvasive nature and reduced adverse effects.
The present study lays the foundation for future development of HMI as a clinical monitoring technique for breast HIFU with the added capability of detecting tumors for treatment planning, evaluation of tissue stiffness changes during HIFU ablation for treatment monitoring in real-time, and assessment of thermal lesion sizes after treatment evaluation.
In this paper, we present a noninvasive imaging method for imaging postsurgical breast tumor specimens and monitoring of HIFU ablation. The results of this study indicate that breast tumors confirmed with pathology can be detected by HMI. HMI has been shown experimentally to be capable of mapping and differentiating stiffness in normal and abnormal breast tissues. HMIFU can also successfully generate thermal lesions on normal and pathological breast tissues.
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grant R01 EB014496. The authors are grateful to Gary Hou for his help in experiments. The authors also thank Dr. Margaret Chen and Dr. Sheldon Feldman for their helpful insights.
YH performed experiments, analyzed data, performed statistical analyses, and drafted the manuscript. SW participated in experiments, data analysis, and manuscript revision. HH participated in the design of the study and made substantial contributions to data interpretation and manuscript revision. BT carried out surgeries, performed patient data collection, and helped to revise the manuscript. EK participated in data interpretation, scientific direction, and manuscript revision. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.


Here at Pest USA, located in Atlanta, GA, we are in the business of keeping pests away from your homes and businesses. But even though we don't want insects and animals in our homes, it doesn't mean that they aren't interesting creatures! There are many fun and intriguing facts about animals that might surprise you, so instead of exploring how to keep them away this week's blog will be taking a closer look.
House flies have taste buds on their feet, so when they land on a surface they can actually taste it.
When the only queen ant dies, so does the entire colony, because no new workers are born.
A flea can jump 130 times it's height.
An ant can lift 20 times its own body weight. If a 175 pound man had the strength of an ant, he could lift four tons.
Bed bug hatchlings are so small they can pass through a stitch-hole in a mattress.
Mosquitoes can detect carbon dioxide from 75 feet away.
Raccoons can vocalize more than 51 different sounds.
You can find more pest control facts, tips and news on our social media pages. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!


text:
Mangaluru : 1.5 kg gold seized in 3 separate cases at MIA
Mangaluru, Jan 09, 2020 : In three separate cases, Customs officials at the Mangaluru International Airport have seized 1.5 kg of gold which was being smuggled. The value of the seized gold is estimated at Rs 64 lakhs.
On January 6, the customs officials had seized 336.7 gram gold valued at Rs 13.43 lakhs from a passenger who arrived by the Air India flight from Dubai. On July 7, gold weighing 523 grams and valued at Rs 21.24 lakhs was seized from another passenger who arrived by another Air India flight from Dubai.
In the third case, 716 grams gold was seized from a passenger. The value of the seized gold is Rs 29.06 lakhs.
Strengthening the bond between Uttarakhand, State

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


What are the benefits of switching to non-mercury thermometers?
Mercury from broken thermometers presents a hazard for faculty, staff, and students in laboratory areas.
Mercury also presents a hazard to the local environment, if broken thermometers in sinks eventually end at the sanitary sewer plant.
Broken mercury thermometers create hazardous waste that is costly to clean up. It can cost thousands of dollars to clean up a broken thermometer.
Effective non-mercury thermometers are available.
Non-mercury thermometers can be used in incubators, water bath, or other applications where mercury thermometers have been traditionally used.
Most non-mercury thermometers are certified by the National Institute of Standard and Technology or the National Committee for Clinical laboratory Standards to meet accuracy requirements.


Premium quality pillow shaped PVC boxes with hang hole. Super clarity. Great for gift packaging and all kinds of retail products. Hang hole in one of flaps ensure easy display. It comes flat and can be easily assembled before use. It can be opened from both ends. Length and width are measured from biggest points. Depth is measured from smallest points. Lip with hang hole is not included in depth. You have the option to fold the lip with hang hole and use it as plain pillow box or leave it unfold as seen here.


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A couple of weeks ago, I traveled to Koumantou, Mali to visit with several solidarity group clients of Soro Yiriwaso. The women of the Groupe Kokatia graciously allowed me to film the financing of their loan. Solidarity loans are used broadly at Soro Yiriwaso, and among many of Kiva's field partner institutions. The strength of a community of women is indeed universal!
I hope that you will enjoy this short movie—the magnicent colors and smiles, in particular.


On February 1st, 2016, Teton County commissioners and Jackson town councilors voted to approve asking November 8th voters the question of whether or not there should be a sixth penny of general revenue sales tax. Since 1990 or so, Teton County voters have voted every two or four years for a sixth penny of sales tax for specific purposes (example here) such as multi-use pathways, public facility upgrades and workforce housing. This year the choice is whether the sixth penny should be in the form of general revenue. I voted in favor of putting the question on the ballot to let voters decide. However the final resolution describing how the funds would be spent left out conservation. Are we trying to sell the community a cherry pie without the cherries?
The additional revenue is meant to address community priorities outlined in the Teton County Comprehensive Plan, the community's guiding vision document. There are three community priorities discussed in the plan: to preserve and protect the areas ecosystem (conservation), to protect the community's character and vitality by housing 65 percent of the local workforce in Teton county, and to reduce per capita vehicle miles traveled to avoid widening roads traversing the county. Alas, the final resolution on how to direct the spending of the revenues included the latter two only, not even leaving a placeholder for conservation. I abstained from the vote.
The government should not force citizens to pay taxes unless the increase in public welfare through the provision of the goods and services the revenue enables is measurable and substantial. There are certain goods and services clearly best provided by government—public safety, an impartial judicial system, and defense, for example.
In Teton County protecting the environment, housing, and transportation exhibit credible market failures that decrease community welfare. Development that doesn't consider costs to wildlife and wildlife habitat threatens a sustainable tourist-based economy. A lack of transportation alternatives and key infrastructure threatens our ability to transit the county to receive medical attention, conduct commerce, or run errands. A lack of housing affordable to the middle class erodes a demographic structure sufficient to provide core services and support the needs of a thriving community.
To ensure measurable community benefit, projects funded by the revenue should follow the private sector's lead. The Housing Action Plan calls for the private sector to lead efforts to deliver housing. The Integrated Transportation Plan targets transit and efforts to reduce congestion to match where the private sector delivers housing. If the spending resolution had included conservation, a private sector task force comprised of conservation experts and federal and state wildlife officials could identify how best to synchronize with the private sector and optimize wildlife habitat and open space preservation.
In a nutshell, the role of the Community Priorities Fund is to mitigate fundamental threats to the overall community welfare where the private sector has consistently failed. While housing and transportation suffer from market failures, at least they have lobbyists. Wildlife don't. And most certainly the market will not fully account for them in the long run without help from the public sector. Indeed our Community Priority pie seems to be missing its cherries.


CHICAGO, Jan. 2 — A Yip pie‐made film about events at the 1968 Democratic National Convention was barred from evidence today at the Chicago conspiracy trial.
After the film was shown to the court without the presence of the jury, Judge Julius J. Hoff man upheld a Government ob jection to it as irrelevant.
"This is not a circus," Judge Hoffman said.
The 17‐minute film inter sperses shots of clashes between the police and demon strators at the convention with footage from silent films of the Keystone Cops, orgies and medieval battles.
It also includes a demonstra tion of what a policeman's nightstick will do to an egg, a tomato, a squash, a pumpkin and, finally, a human head.
The film was produced and shown on nationwide television in the fall of 1968 as the Yip pies' answer to a film produced by the city of Chicago about events during the conirention.
It was written, directed and edited by Abbie Hoffman, a leading Yippie who is one of the seven defendants charged with conspirady to incite a riot during the conventick.
Mr. Hoffman was on the witness stand this morning when the defense offered the film. Richard Schultz a United States Attorney, rose and said he did not think the defense could possibly be serious in offering the film is evidence.
Leonard I. Weinglass, a de fense attorney, insisted that he was perfectly serious. So the jury was ordered from the courtroom and the film shown.
Afterward, Mr. Weinglass argued that the film was crucial to his clients' defense.
"The Yippie myth has been on trial here since the begin ning," he said. "Nothing, I sub mit, shows the Yippie myth, the Yippie intent, better than this film.
But Judge Hoffman rethised to let the jury see the film.
Earlier, overdefense objec tions, the judge had permitted Mr. Hoffman to be questioned at length about statements he made in his book, "Revolution for the Hell of It," which also describes at some length the Yippie view of events, her dur hit the contention.
The judge had not permitted the defense to introduce the book into evidence, but he al lowed, Mr.. Schultz to new it in cross‐examining him.
He replied that he had al ways felt that Society would wreck itself.
"All we had to do is sit there and laugh—hah, hah—and the whole thing would come tum bling down becinse it was basically corrupt," he said.
Mr. Schultz also questioned Mr. Hoffman about two state ments he allegedly made more than a year after the Demo cratic Convention.
Defense attorneys objected arguing that the Government could not use speeches made so long after the convention and, in the latter case, after the trial began, as evidence of the defendant's intent when he cane to the convention.
But Judge Hoffniail overruled the objection and ordered Mr. Hoffman to answer the ques tions. He denied making these statements.


LONDON; Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. said that commercial head Shai Weiss will take over as Chief Executive Officer as billionaire founder Richard Branson prepares to cede majority control of the U.K. carrier.
Craig Kreeger will stand down as Chief at the end of this year, with Weiss taking the helm on Jan. 1, 2019, the Crawley, England-based Company said in a statement Thursday, 21 June.
The switch comes as Virgin's alliance with 49 percent owner Delta Air Lines Inc. is set to be extended to include Air France-KLM Group. The Paris-based carrier will in turn acquire a 31 percent holding from Branson, who built the business with cash from his record label, leaving him with a 20 percent stake.
Weiss, 50, is the "right leader to take Virgin Atlantic to the next level" and has a "relentless ability to challenge the status quo," Virgin Group Chairman Peter Norris said in the release. A graduate of New York's Columbia University, Weiss joined the carrier's board in 2012, became chief financial officer two years later and has worked as chief commercial officer since January last year.
Kreeger will retire before he turns 60 next year, having led Virgin Atlantic since 2013. He said in the release that it's time to "begin a new chapter," without saying what that will entail.
Virgin Atlantic posted a 28 million-pound ($37 million) pretax loss last year, compared with a profit in 2016, as the weak pound hurt demand for flights from the U.K. and made it tougher for the carrier to compete with long-haul discounters led by Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA. Kreeger said in March that macro-economic factors will continue to make conditions tough this year.


There's a certain I-think-I-can-ism that television seems to facilitate with regard to sports. Maybe it's the angles or the way long shots compress scenes or simply how the sideline reporters just walk up to coaches during a game to discuss strategy. Professional sports now appear so doable on TV that fans are making the leap to participation.
After a TV viewer was allowed to drop a dime on Tiger Woods at the Masters last week, you have to wonder what's next. I mean, can I directly text Lebron James at halftime the next time I notice that his elbow is splayed a little more than usual on his jump-shot release? Or can I Tweet manager Eric Wedge the next time the super-slo-mo on FOX reveals the grip on Felix Hernandez's cutter is slightly off?
Actually, I do know what's next. I watched the premiere of USA Network's "The Moment," a show that inflates the hopes and dreams of America's overlooked mediocrity. The fact that I never was tall enough or talented enough, and am now about 30 years too old, to play point guard in the NBA doesn't really matter anymore. As long as I have a friend, spouse, family member or even some random TV viewer who will nominate me for a reality show, my dreams maintain their shelf life.
You couldn't convince Tracie Marcum any differently. She's the native Alabaman mommy with a serious Jones for sports and photography, two things right up my alley. They also rank very high on the I-think-I-can scale. The smartphone, after all, has spawned a generation that believes it can take perfectly composed, tack-sharp photographs with just one arm extended.
Actually, I just wish I were Tracie Marcum. She gave up her photography business for parenting, operations management and writing a blog about SEC football – and still was positioned to earn a staff position at Sports Illustrated. Adding to the degree of difficulty – or not – was the 16 positions that SI slashed last summer and the fact that its parent company, Time Inc., recently Ginsu-ed another 500 jobs.
Good thing Marcum had a worthy role model in the show's host, Kurt Warner, who came back from the dead (aka, Arena Football) to become a Super Bowl-winning, two-time MVP quarterback in the NFL.
Behind Warner's cheerleading, Marcum not only overcame industry economic trends, she survived a virtual sports-photography gauntlet. She got all of a minute to shoot a bunch of gymnasts, including some harrowing moments on the vault. She had to walk around with four cameras around her neck during a pickup basketball game on Venice Beach, with her Mr. Miyagi, professional photog Lou Jones, screaming, "switch lens!" She had to overcome her fear of firearms to, er, shoot pictures at a gun club. And then Marcum had to cover an air show from, gulp, a helicopter.
All was executed with such aplomb that Marcum took to what I only could interpret as showboating. She used an overhand grip on her lenses, something most of us who have photographed sports could not do because we have to support the weight of our gear to take steady shots. I guess all those one-handed self-portraits must pay off. Also, Erin Andrews-like, Marcum waded onto the court … during … the … game … to get a better shot. The lot of us have "move closer" drilled into our shutters, but none of us in sports have the guts to actually do it. Not to that extent.
Marcum's version of a breakaway, 360 dunk was convincing a trio of Sports Illustrated editors that it was OK for a self-proclaimed portrait specialist to come away from the air-show assignment without any usable shots of the pilots. Remarkably, she also had a retort for each of their criticisms. It was an amazing performance under pressure. In an equally unbelievable exhibition of judgment, SI extended an offer of employment, based on the one-event portfolio that evoked pained expressions from those who reviewed it.
Of course, the apex of temerity was that, in spite of everything, Marcum accepted the offer and relocated to New York City. She was caught up in "The Moment," you might say.
I guess it's plain old-fashioneded to feel like I would have been happy just to get an interview with Sports Illustrated. Or receive two weeks of free tutoring from a seasoned pro like Jones. After living through two yes-we-can Obama campaigns, you'd think I'd know better.


There are no properties currently available in Pod 20c Pud Ll At The Reserve - Castle P.
Pod 20c Pud Ll At The Reserve - Castle P in Port Saint Lucie is really a wonderful location. The Port Saint Lucie location is amazing. But, if this isn't the community for you, you might like one of the other local communities like River Vista or Cascades or The Vineyards that are located here as well.


← What Will Happen On Maritime Front After The Shooting Of The Russian Fighter?
US Navy destroyer USS Ross making her northbound passage. Photo: Kerim Bozkurt. Used with permission.
USS Ross passing through Istanbul. Photo: Yörük Işık. Used with permission.
Russian landing ship Korolev on her way to the Mediterranean. Photo: Yörük Işık. Used with permission.
Russian landing ship Saratov making a southbound passage. Photo: Alper Böler. Used with permission.
Russian auxiliary cargo shio Yauza passing through Istanbul at night. Photo : Alper Böler. Used with permission.
On 3rd December 2015 the US Navy destroyer USS Ross returned to the Black Sea after 183 days. Her latest deployment to the region was in July.
One of the most discussed topics after the shooting down of a Russian Su-24 by Turkish F-16 was whether Turkey would allow Russian warships to pass through the Turkish Straits. The answer as evident from the photos is yes, Turkey did allow Russian warship to pass through the Straits.
We have observed Ropucha class landing ship Korolev and Alligator class landing ship Saratov going to south and Ropucha class landing ship Yamal going to north.


text:
Tanzania embarks on bid to boost cassava production
February 20, 2019 February 20, 2019 Food Business Africa
TANZANIA – Tanzania has unveiled plans of introducing a platform that will connect cassava farmers with processor both at the local and international levels as it seeks to improve productivity.
According to Mr Edwin Rutageruka, Director General Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade), the platform will work, is expected to work under TanTrade and will target processors from the world market especially in China, reports Daily News.
"The main goal of the association will be to improve production of cassava as well as value addition for stem tubers in order to penetrate the world market," he said.
The association will facilitate training for cassava farmers and processors on agronomic practices," he said.
The platform comes as a reinforcement to the stakeholders' call for a collaborative approach towards exploring the limits presented by the commodity and addressing the challenges facing cassava sector in the country.
Cassava has continued to be a major commodity in the Tanzania's food basket reflected by the increasing demand despite the country's annual production level remaining constant at 6.8 million tonnes.
In the recent past, the country has recorded remarkable efforts in beefing up investments in the cassava value chain as part of the economy diversification strategy.
Tanzania is also set to commission a Cassava Starch of Tanzania Corporation (CSTC) processing plant with a capacity to process 60 tonnes of cassava on a daily basis.
Additionally, increased demand for cassava in the world has also encouraged more investments in the East African country with a number of Chinese companies eying to setting up cassava processing plants in Tanzania.
Among them include, Epoch Agriculture, Foshang Guangji Co. Ltd and Dar Canton Co. Ltd. Regions.
Tanzania is the twelfth largest producer of cassava crop in the world and the sixth after Nigeria, DRC, Ghana, Angola and Mozambique in Africa.
Between 2006 and 2012, Tanzania exported a total of 59,447,754 tonnes of cassava was produced and sold abroad with the sub-sector currently employing more than 1.2 million small holder farmers across the country.
According to Cision, the global cassava processing market grew at compound annual growth rate of around 2.1% between 2010-2017 reaching production volumes of around 284.9 Million Tons in 2017.
Africa, Latin America and Asia were the major contributors to the ubsector.
Boost for Tanzania cassava as Chinese firm to invest $1 Billion
TANZANIA - Tanzania has signed a $1 billion partnership agreement with a Chinese firm to…
AfDB to invest US$120 million to boost cassava and rice production
NIGERIA - The African Development Bank Group has revealed plans to invest US$120 million over…
Tanzania set to commission cassava starch plant
TANZANIA – Tanzania is set to open its Cassava Starch of Tanzania Corporation (CSTC) processing…
Tanzania signs deal with Chinese firm to construct US$10m cassava processing factory
TANZANIA - Tanzania has signed an agreement with a Chinese firm, Kanton Investment Company to…
State calls for cassava commercialization
ZAMBIA – The government has called for the commercialization of cassava to enable the crop…
AFRICAN NEWS, Agribusiness & Food Security, Business & Investments, Grains, Milling, Baking & FeedAgribusiness & Food Security, agribusiness. exports, cassava, TanTrade, Tanzania
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This program was established following the passage of Proposition 47, the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act (SNSA).
Information on grant background, including program purpose and eligibility results.
Request for Applications (RFA), revisions, forms, and funding results.
A Webinar for prospective Cohort 3 applicants is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, January 9, 2019, at 9:30 a.m. Any LEA that has submitted a Notice of Intent for Cohort 3 may participate. The Webinar will provide information regarding the intent of the grant, the application and the application process. It will also address questions previously submitted and, as much as possible, those submitted during the webinar.
These Frequently Asked Questions will further help local educational agencies (LEAs) with the completion of their RFA aimed at supporting evidence-based, non-punitive programs and practices to keep the state's most vulnerable students in school.
Links to CDE and other relevant resources to improve school climate and enhance student achievement.
The LCSSP is authorized by California Education Code (EC) sections 33430–33436 for the coordination and administration of grants and assistance to LEAs in the implementation of the K–12 education portion of Proposition 47. Text for this education code and other pertinent legislation can be accessed at the links below.
Passed by California voters in 2014, Proposition 47 also is known as the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act.
This legislation is a co-joined bill that established the Learning Communities for School Success Program.


>substance was found to be dangerous, the government stopped using it.
"Since tests involve spraying simulants outdoors, it is important to understand how much risk they pose to humans who are exposed. Official statements have not always been dear on this matter. A July 1993 news release by the Dugway Public Affairs Office indicates that "no specific safety controls or protection are required for testing with simulants." The statement implies, erroneously, that the simulants are harmless."
>were told that they were safe.
>is a different matter from shooting them.
IAN: The chem-test ops are scientific operations run by dozens of people with PhD's who know or can easily know what the effects of the agents they chose to spray. I would be surprised if safety measures were not in effect for the handling by service men and woman of the agents that were sprayed, they probably knew you should avoid breathing it (that had to be the case is releases of lethal bacteria in the San Francisco bay), such that even those who delivered the so-called "safe" chemicals had to have a clue or the minds of children. I'm sure they knew they better not breath it in.
model public opinion to demonize targets.
IAN: Consider the context. A massive terrorist event has occurred, the nation wiped into terror and shock, the Govt then defines a brought group of "terrorists" and then the soldiers are not shooting at "civilians." David Koresh and his followers were not "civilians," they were cult members. They did not live in a community but a compound. They got a fair number of military and FBI people gunning down citizens in Waco Tx, and that is a fact, and so the worse case we're talking about, it's already happened.


text:
National, international racing schedule (July 30-Aug. 1)
Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times Central (U.S.)
Site: Long Pond, Pa., Pocono Raceway (triangle, 2.5 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (11 a.m., Speed), qualifying (2:30 p.m., Speed); Saturday, practice (8:30 a.m. and 10:20 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (noon, ESPN)
Race distance: 500 miles/200 laps
2009 winner: Denny Hamlin
Fast facts: Last Sunday, Jamie McMurray won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to join Jimmie Johnson (2006) and Dale Jarrett (1996) as the only drivers to win the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year. Kevin Harvick was second. ... Denny Hamlin also won the June 6 race at Pocono, his fourth victory in nine starts at the track. ... Harvick leads the season standings with 2,920 points with six races left before the 10-race Chase. Jeff Gordon is second with 2,736, followed by Hamlin (2,660) and four-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson (2,649). Hamlin and Johnson lead the series with five victories, with each victory worth 10 bonus points when the points are reset for the 12-driver Chase. Harvick has two victories.
www.nascar.com
NASCAR Nationwide
U.S. Cellular 250
Site: Newton, Iowa, Iowa Speedway (oval, 0.875 miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, race (6 p.m., ESPN2)
Race distance: 218.75 miles/250 laps
2009 winner: Brad Keselowski
Fast facts: Last week, Kyle Busch raced to his fifth victory in his last six Nationwide starts and eighth of the year, holding off Carl Edwards at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, Ind. ... Busch has 38 Nationwide victories, second behind Mark Martin (48) on the career list. Busch isn't running for the championship after taking the season title last year. ... Brad Keselowski has a 205-point lead over second-place Edwards. ... Michael Annett, driving the No. 15 Toyota for Germain Racing, is from Des Moines.
NASCAR Camping World Trucks
Pocono Mountains 125
TV schedule: Friday, practice (4:30 p.m., Speed); Saturday, qualifying (9 a.m., Speed), race (11:30 a.m., Speed)
Race distance: 125 miles/50 laps
2009 winner: Inaugural race.
Fast facts: Last week, Ron Hornaday Jr. raced to his first victory of the year and series-record 46th, leading 129 of 200 laps at O'Reilly Raceway Park. The four-time series champion snapped a 22-race winless streak with his fourth victory at the track. ... Sprint Cup drivers Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler are in Saturday's field. Hamlin, driving the No. 15 Toyota for Billy Ballew Motorsports, has four Sprint Cup victories at the track. ... Todd Bodine leads the season standings, 177 points ahead of Aric Almirola. ... Multi-truck qualifying will be used for the first time to determine the starting lineup. The trucks will be released in approximately 25-second increments for their two-lap runs. The qualifying order will be set by inverting the drivers' positions in the final practice.
Site: Budapest, Hungary, Hungaroring (road course, 2.72 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (7 a.m., Speed), Saturday, qualifying (7 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (6:30 a.m., Speed)
Race distance: 190.53 miles/70 laps
2009 winner: Lewis Hamilton
Fast facts: Last Sunday, Fernando Alonso won the German Grand Prix after Ferrari ordered Felipe Massa to give his teammate the lead. Ferrari was fined $100,000. ... Lewis Hamilton, the winner in Turkey and Canada, leads the season standings with 157. McLaren teammate Jenson Button (143) is second, followed by Red Bull's Mark Webber (136) and Sebastian Vettel (136) and Alonso (123).
www.formula1.com
Posted at 08:32 PM in Formula One, NASCAR | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
National/international race schedule (July 23-25)
Brickyard 400
Site: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (oval, 2.5 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (1 p.m., ESPN2; 2:30 p.m., Speed); Saturday, qualifying (9 a.m., ESPN2), practice (2:30 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday, race (noon, ESPN)
2009 winner: Jimmie Johnson
Fast facts: David Reutimann raced to his second career Sprint Cup victory, winning at Chicagoland Speedway on July 10. Carl Edwards was second. ... Kevin Harvick leads the season standings with 2,745 points, followed by Jeff Gordon (2,642) and four-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson (2,557). Johnson and fourth-place Denny Hamlin lead the series with five victories, with each victory worth 10 bonus points when the points are reset for the 12-driver Chase. Harvick has two victories. ... Tony Stewart, from Indiana, won the 2005 and 2007 races at Indy. ... Gordon has a series-high four victories at the track. ... Montoya (2000) and Sam Hornish (2006) are Indy 500 winners. ... Kyle Busch also is racing in the Nationwide and Trucks races at O'Reilly Raceway Park.
Kroger 200
Site: Clermont, Ind., O'Reilly Raceway Park (oval, 0.686 miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, practice (11:30 a.m., ESPN2), qualifying (4 p.m., ESPN2), race (6:30 p.m., ESPN)
Race distance: 137.2 miles/200 laps
2009 winner: Carl Edwards
Fast facts: Last week, Carl Edwards won for the third time at Gateway International Raceway, wrecking Brad Keselowski for the victory after Keselowski bumped Edwards earlier on the final lap. Edwards has two victories this year. ... Keselowski has a 168-point lead over Edwards in the season standings. ... Kyle Busch, the 2004 and 2008 winner at O'Reilly Raceway Park, has seven victories this year and 37 overall, second behind Mark Martin (48) for the Nationwide lead. Busch took last week off to visit the Bahamas with fiance Sam Sarcinella.
AAA Insurance 200
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (4 p.m., Speed), race (6:30 p.m., Speed)
2009 winner: Ron Hornaday Jr.
Fast facts: Last week, Sprint Cup star Kevin Harvick raced to his third Trucks victory of the year, leading 143 of 160 laps in the rain-delayed race at Gateway International. ... Todd Bodine, the 2006 series champion, has a 145-point lead over Aric Almirola in the season standings. Four-time champion Ron Hornaday Jr. is sixth, 305 points behind Bodine. Hornaday is winless in 11 races this year and 22 overall.
Honda Indy Edmonton
Site: Edmonton, Alberta, Edmonton City Centre Airport (temporary road course, 1.96 miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (5 p.m., Versus); Sunday, race (4 p.m., Versus)
Race distance: 186.2 miles/95 laps
2009 winner: Will Power
Fast facts: Will Power won the Honda Indy Toronto last weekend for his second straight victory and fourth of the season, passing Justin Wilson off a restart with 14 laps left and holding off Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti. ... All four of Power's victories have come on street or road courses. The series leader — he's 42 points ahead of Franchitti — won at Watkins Glen three weeks ago and swept the season-opening road races in Sao Paulo and St. Petersburg. ... Danica Patrick is coming off a sixth-place finish in Toronto, her best result in the first six street and road events of the year.
www.indycar.com
Site: Hockenheim, Germany, Hockenheimring (road course, 2.84 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (7 a.m., Speed); Saturday, qualifying (7 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (11 a.m., taped, Fox)
2009 winner: Mark Webber
Fast facts: Mark Webber won the British Grand Prix on July 11 for his third victory of the season, overtaking Sebastian Vettel on the first lap. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was second. ... Hamilton, the winner in Turkey and Montreal, leads the season standings with 145 points — 12 more than teammate Jenson Button. Webber is third with 128, followed by Vettel with 121. ... Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher is driving for Mercedes GP after a three-year retirement. There German star is ninth in the standings with 36 points.
Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals
Site: Morrison, Colo., Bandimere Speedway
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (5:30 p.m., taped, ESPN2); Sunday, final eliminations (6 p.m., taped, ESPN2)
2009 winners: Ron Capps (Funny Car), Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycles)
Fast facts: Last week, Ron Capps ended a one-year Funny Car winless streak, winning at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Michael Phillips (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won. ... John Force, a record 14-time season champion, has four Funny Car victories this season and a record 130 overall. The 61-year-old Force has a 43-point lead over teammate Robert Hight in the season standings. ... In Top Fuel, Larry Dixon has a 211-point advantage over Tony Schumacher. Dixon has eight victories this year.
www.nhra.com
Northeast Grand Prix
Site: Lakeville, Conn., Lime Rock Park (road course, 1.51 miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, race (1 p.m., Speed)
Race duration: 2 hours, 45 minutes
2009 winners: Gil de Ferran, Simon Pagenaud (overall, P1); Marino Franchitti, Butch Leitzinger (P2); Patrick Long, Jorg Bergmeister (GT2)
www.americanlemans.com
Posted at 09:24 PM in Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR, NHRA, Sports-car racing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
National, international racing schedule (July 9-11)
LifeLock.com 400
Site: Joliet, Ill., Chicagoland Speedway (tri-oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., Speed), qualifying (5 p.m., Speed); Saturday, race (6:30 p.m., TNT)
2009 winner: Mark Martin
Fast facts: Last week, points leader Kevin Harvick won at Daytona International Speedway, beating Kasey Kahne in a green-white-checker finish. ... Harvick, also the Talladega winner in April, has a 210-point lead over Jeff Gordon with eight races left before the start of the Chase. Four-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson is third, 225 points behind Harvick. Johnson and fifth-place Denny Hamlin lead the series with five victories, with each victory worth 10 bonus points when the points are reset for the 12-driver Chase. ... Harvick (2000-01) and Tony Stewart (2004 and 2007) are two-time winners at Chicagoland. Kyle Busch won in 2008 at the track. ... Gordon is making his 600th Cup start.
Dollar General 300
TV schedule: Friday, practice (10 a.m., Speed), qualifying (3 p.m., Speed), race (6:30 p.m., ESPN)
2009 winner: Joey Logano
Fast facts: Last Friday, Dale Earnhardt raced to his first Nationwide victory since 2006, winning at Daytona International Speedway in a No. 3 car honoring his late father. ... Brad Keselowski leads the season standings, 277 points ahead of Sprint Cup rival Carl Edwards. ... Kyle Busch has a series-high six victories. He isn't running for the championship this year after winning the title last season. ... Danica Patrick, from Roscoe, Ill., is making the fifth of her scheduled 13 starts in Earnhardt's No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet.
Lucas Oil 200
TV schedule: Sunday, race (12:30 p.m., Speed)
2009 winner: Mike Skinner
Fast facts: In the series' last race, Aric Almirola raced to his second victory of the year, holding off Todd Bodine and Kyle Busch on June 12 at Michigan International Speedway. ... Bodine, the 2006 series champion, has a 55-point lead over Almirola in the season standings. Timothy Peters is third, 165 points back, and four-time champion Ron Hornaday Jr. is fourth, 170 points behind Bodine. Hornaday is winless in nine races this year after winning six times last year. ... Ken Schrader is driving Kevin Harvick Inc.'s No. 2 Chevrolet, and Brian Ickler will be in Busch's No. 18 Toyota.
NHRA Northwest Nationals
Site: Kent, Wash., Pacific Raceways
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (9 p.m., taped, ESPN2); Sunday, final eliminations (10:30 p.m., taped, ESPN2)
2009 winners: Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock)
Fast facts: Greg Anderson raced to his first Pro Stock victory of the season June 27 in the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. Anderson also won the K&N Horsepower Challenge all-star event. Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Wilkerson (Funny Car) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) won their divisions. ... John Force, a record 14-time season champion, has four victories this season and a record 130 overall. He has a 73-point lead over teammate Robert Hight in the Funny Car standings. ... In Top Fuel, Dixon has a 176-point advantage over Tony Schumacher. Dixon has seven victories this year.
Site: Silverstone, England, Silverstone circuit (road course, 3.667 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (8 a.m., Speed); Saturday, practice, qualifying (7 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (1 p.m., taped, KDFW/Ch. 4)
2009 winner: Sebastian Vettel
Fast facts: Sebastian Vettel won the European Grand Prix on June 27 in Valencia, Spain, for his second victory of the year, dominating from the pole in a race marked by Mark Webber's spectacular crash. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was second. ... Hamilton, the winner of consecutive races in Turkey and Montreal, leads the season standings with 127 — six more than teammate Jenson Button. Vettel is third, 12 points behind Hamilton, and Webber is fourth, 24 points behind the leader. ... Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, driving for Mercedes GP after a three-year retirement, is ninth with 34 points.
Utah Grand Prix
Site: Tooele, Utah, Miller Motorsports Park (road course, 3.048 miles)
TV schedule: Sunday, race (3:30 p.m., Speed)
2009 winners: Gil de Ferran, Simon Pagenaud (overall, P1); Luis Diaz, Adrian Fernandez (P2); Jorg Bergmeister, Patrick Long (GT2);
Posted at 09:42 PM in Formula One, NASCAR, NHRA, Sports-car racing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
National, international racing schedule (June 11-13)
Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400
Site: Brooklyn, Mich., Michigan International Speedway (oval, 2 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (10:30 a.m., Speed), qualifying (2:30 p.m., Speed); Saturday, practice (11:30 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (noon, TNT)
Fast facts: Last week, Denny Hamlin raced to his fourth Pocono victory and series-leading fourth win of the year. Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch was second. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. is winless in 71 races since the June 2008 race at Michigan, his only victory in 86 starts for Hendrick Motorsports. He has 18 career Sprint Cup wins. ... Kevin Harvick leads the season standings with 2,063 points. Kyle Busch is second with 2,044, followed by Hamlin (1,927), Matt Kenseth (1,893), Kurt Busch (1,881) and four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson (1,849). ... Brian Vickers, sidelined by blood clots in his lungs and left leg, won the August race at the track.
Meijer 300
Site: Sparta, Ky., Kentucky Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice, (5:45 p.m., ESPN2); Saturday, qualifying (3 p.m., ESPN), race (7 p.m., ESPN)
Fast facts: Brad Keselowski raced to his third Nationwide victory of the year last Saturday and ninth overall, easily holding off rival Carl Edwards at Nashville Superspeedway. Keselowski led 97 of 225 laps in his Penske Dodge. ... Keselowski leads the standings with 2,141 points. Kyle Busch is second with 1,945, but isn't running for the championship after winning last year. Edwards is third with 1,864. ... Brad Coleman is taking Busch's spot in the No. 18 Toyota, and Mike Bliss is driving Kevin Harvick's No. 33 Chevrolet. ... Edwards won the 2005 race.
VFW 200
2009 winner: Colin Braun
Fast facts: Todd Bodine raced to his record sixth Texas Motor Speedway victory in the Trucks Series last Friday, holding off Johnny Sauter. Bodine has 18 career series wins. ... Bodine leads the standings with 1,263 points, followed by Aric Almirola (1,198), Timothy Peters (1,128) and four-time series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. (1,108). ... Kyle Busch won at Charlotte on May 21 in his last series start.
www.nascar.comusch
Site: Montreal, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (road course, 2.71 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (1 p.m., Speed); Saturday, practice, qualifying (3:30 p.m., Speed) Sunday, race (11 a.m., Fox)
2009 winner: No race
Fast facts: Lewis Hamilton led McLaren to a 1-2 finish on May 30 in the Turkish Grand Prix after a costly run-in between Red Bull teammates Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. Webber and Vettel touched as Vettel looked to pass for the lead, sending Vettel spinning out of the race. Webber recovered to finish third behind Jenson Button. ... The Canadian Grand Prix, a fixture at the track since 1978, was dropped from the 2009 calendar after negotiations with race organizers failed. ... In 2008, Robert Kubica raced to his first Formula One victory, teaming with Nick Heidfeld to give BMW Sauber a 1-2 finish. ... Webber, the winner last month in Spain and Monaco in consecutive weekends, leads the season standings with 93 points. Button, also a two-time winner in the first seven races, is second — five points back. Hamilton is third, nine points behind Webber. ... Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, driving for Ross Brawn-led Mercedes GP after a three-year retirement, is ninth with 34 points. He has a record 91 victories, winning at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 1994, '97, '98, 2000, '02, '03 and '04.
NHRA Supernationals
Site: Englishtown, N.J., Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (10 p.m., taped, ESPN2); Sunday, final eliminations (3 p.m., taped, ESPN2)
2009 winners: Tony Pedregon (Funny Car), Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Craig Treble (Pro Stock Motorcycle)
Fast facts: Last week, Larry Dixon won the Top Fuel division for the fifth time this season, beating champion Tony Schumacher in the Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Ill. Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won. ... In 2008 at the track, Scott Kalitta was killed after his Funny Car burst into flames and crashed at the end of the track during qualifying. As a safety measure following Kalitta's death, the NHRA cut the length of Top Fuel and Funny Car races from a quarter-mile to 1,000 feet — a reduction of 320 feet. ... John Force has three Funny Car victories this year. The 61-year-old star, trying to add to his record 14 season championships, is second in the standings — a point behind Robert Hight. ... In Top Fuel, Dixon has a 135-point advantage over Schumacher.
Automobile Club De L'ouest
Site: Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France
TV schedule: Saturday-Sunday (7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday, Speed; 5 p.m. Saturday-8:30 a.m. Sunday, Speed)
2009 winners: David Brabham, Mark Gene, Alex Wurz
www.lemans.org
Posted at 10:56 PM in Endurance racing, Formula One, NASCAR, NHRA | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
National, international racing schedule (March 27-31)
TV schedule: Friday, Carb Day, including Firestone Freedom 100 Indy Lights race (10 a.m., Versus); Sunday, race (noon, ABC)
2009 winner: Helio Castroneves
Fast facts: Scott Dixon won for the second straight year at Kansas Speedway, leading the final 150 laps in the May 1 race. Dario Franchitti was second. ... Helio Castroneves won his fourth Indy pole Saturday, averaging 227.970 mph in his four-lap run. The Brazilian star will be joined on the front row by Penske teammate Will Power and Target Chip Ganassi's Franchitti. Patrick will start 23rd, her worst career position at Indy. ... The drivers will be allowed to use the push-to-pass button 15 times. The extra horsepower boosts will last 18 seconds and take 10 seconds to reset. The button, introduced in August at Mid-Ohio, is being used for the first time at Indianapolis. ... Franchitti, the 2007 race winner, won the season title last year. ... Dixon won the 2008 race. ... Ray Harroun won the inaugural event in 1911.
Coca-Cola 600
Site: Concord, N.C., Charlotte Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Today, practice (2:30 p.m., Speed), qualifying (6 p.m., Speed); Saturday, practice (10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (4:45 p.m., Fox)
2009 winner: David Reutimann
Fast facts: Kurt Busch won the All-Star race Saturday at Charlotte for Penske Racing, sailing past feuding Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch to take the $1 million prize. Hamlin and Kyle Busch were racing for the lead in the final segment when Hamlin tried to block Kyle Busch's pass, sending him into the wall. ... Kevin Harvick leads the series standings with 1,768 points, followed by Kyle Busch (1,699), Matt Kenseth (1,642), four-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson (1,637) and Hamlin (1,618). ... Johnson, the Charlotte winner in October, won five times in a six-race stretch at the track — taking the 2003 Coca-Cola 600 and sweeping the spring and fall races in 2004 and 2005. He has three victories — worth 30 bonus points when the Chase begins — to share the series lead with Hamlin ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. is winless in 69 races and has only one victory in 84 starts for Hendrick Motorsports. He has 18 career Sprint Cup wins. ... Kyle Busch won the Trucks race last week at the track for his 70th victory in NASCAR's top three divisions. ... Jeff Gordon won the 1994 race for the first of his 80 Cup victories. He also won in 1997 and 1998, and has two Charlotte fall victories. ... Darrell Waltrip won the race a record five times.
Tech-Net Auto Service 300
TV schedule: Today, practice (1 p.m. and 4 p.m., Speed); Saturday, qualifying (8:30 a.m. Speed) and race (1 p.m., ABC)
2009 winner: Mike Bliss
Fast facts: Kyle Busch raced to his fourth Nationwide victory of the year, leading 191 of 205 laps May 15 at Dover. He won the Sprint Cup race the following day. ... Busch won the October race at Charlotte en route to the season title and took the Trucks race last week for his 70th victory in NASCAR's top three divisions. He has 34 Nationwide victories and has won 18 times in both Sprint Cup and Trucks competition. Not planning to run the full Nationwide schedule, Busch is second in the standings — 11 points behind fellow Sprint Cup driver Brad Keselowski. ... The race is the series' first afternoon start at the track since 2004.
Turkish Grand Prix
Site: Istanbul Speed Park (road course, 3.32 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (6 a.m., Speed); Saturday, practice, qualifying (6 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (6:30 a.m., Speed)
2009 winner: Jenson Button
Fast facts: Mark Webber won the Monaco Grand Prix on May 16 for his second straight victory. Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel was second. ... Webber and Vettel each have a series-high 78 points after six races. Webber leads the standings based on his two victories. ... Jenson Button, now racing for McLaren, also has two victories this year and is third in the standings with 70 points. ... F1 will return to the United States in 2012 in Austin, Texas, on a track built specifically for the event. F1, Austin and Texas state officials announced the deal Tuesday, saying Austin would host the U.S. Grand Prix until 2021. The race was dropped after an eight-year run in Indianapolis from 2000-07.
Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
Memorial Day Classic
Site: Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Conn. (road course, 1.53 miles)
TV schedule: Race, Monday (1 p.m., Speed)
2009 winners: Event not held
Fast facts: The Daytona Prototypes will make their debut at The Memorial Day Classic this year. The event was a GT-only race in 2008. ... The visit to Lime Rock Park will be a one-day event. Practice and qualifying are scheduled for Monday morning with the race set to begin around 1 p.m. (Central). ... The series heads to Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International for the Six Hours at The Glen on June 5.
www.grand-am.com
Posted at 11:11 PM in Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR, Sports-car racing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
National, international racing schedule (May 14-16)
Autism Speaks 400
Site: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (oval, mile)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (10:30 a.m., Speed), qualifying (2 p.m., Speed); Saturday, practice (11:30 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (11 a.m., Fox)
Fast facts: Denny Hamlin became the first driver in 17 years to sweep the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races at Darlington Raceway last weekend. The Joe Gibbs Racing star has three victories — two since knee surgery — in the last six races. ... Talladega winner Kevin Harvick tops the standings with 1,622 points, 110 more than Jimmie Johnson. ... Johnson, 38th at Darlington after a hard wreck, leads active drivers with five Dover victories. He's tied with Hamlin for the series victory lead with three. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. is winless in 68 races and has only one victory in 83 starts for Hendrick Motorsports. He has 18 career Sprint Cup wins.
Heluva Good! 200
TV schedule: Friday, practice (noon, ESPN2); Saturday, qualifying (9 a.m., ESPN2), race (1 p.m., ABC)
Fast facts: Brad Keselowski leads the season standings, 55 points ahead of defending champion Kyle Busch. Keselowski won consecutive races last month at Talladega and Richmond. Busch has a series-high three victories. ... Jason Keller is attempting to qualify for his record 500th start. Driving for startup team Tri-Star Motorsports, the 10-time series winner has failed to qualify for three of the first 10 races this season. ... Clint Bowyer won the September race at the track.
Dover 200
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (9 a.m. Speed), race (7 p.m., tape-delay, Speed)
2009 winner: Brian Scott
Fast facts: Johnny Sauter won May 2 at Kansas Speedway, holding off Ron Hornaday Jr. after they made late contact and saved their trucks in tire-smoking slides. ... Timothy Peters, the winner of the season-opening race at Daytona, has a 22-point lead over Todd Bodine in the standings. ... The 51-year-old Hornaday is fourth, 97 points behind Peters. Hornaday won his series record fourth title last season, winning six races for Kevin Harvick Inc. ... Elliott Sadler is driving the No. 2 Chevrolet in place of Harvick, the winner at Atlanta and Martinsville.
Site: Monte Carlo, Monaco, Circuit de Monaco (street course, 2.075 miles)
TV schedule: Thursday, practice (7 a.m., Speed); Saturday, qualifying (7 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (6:30 a.m., Speed)
Fast facts: Red Bull's Mark Webber had a comfortable wire-to-wire victory in the Spanish Grand Prix last Sunday. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was second and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel third after McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton crashed with a lap left. ... Jenson Button, the winner in Australia and China in his first season with McLaren, leads the standings with 70 points. Alonso, the Bahrain winner, is second with 67, followed by Malaysia winner Vettel (60) and Webber (53). ... Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, driving for Ross Brawn-led Mercedes GP after a three-year retirement, is ninth with 22 points. He has a record 91 victories, winning at Monaco in 1994, '95, '97, '99 and 2001.
Site: Commerce, Ga., Atlanta Dragway
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (7 p.m., taped, ESPN2); Sunday, final eliminations (6 p.m., taped, ESPN2)
2009 winners: Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle)
Fast facts: Tony Schumacher raced to his second Top Fuel victory of the season, beating Doug Kalitta in the Midwest Nationals on May 2 in Madison, Ill. Robert Hight (Funny Car), Warren Johnson (Pro Stock) and Michael Phillips (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won. It was Johnson's Pro Stock-record 151st victory and first since 2007. ... In 2008 at the Atlanta Dragway, Ashley Force Hood beat father John Force to become the first female driver to win a national Funny Car event. ... John Force has three victories this year to push his record total to 129. The 60-year-old star, trying to add to his record 14 season championships, leads the Funny Car standings — 151 points ahead Matt Hagan. ... In Top Fuel, Larry Dixon has a 41-point lead over Cory McClenathan. Dixon has three victories this year, one more than McClenathan. ... Edwards, a three-time winner this year, has a 286-point lead in Pro Stock.
Posted at 11:47 PM in Formula One, NASCAR, NHRA | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
National, international racing schedule (May 7-9)
Site: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (oval, 1.366 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Speed), qualifying (4 p.m., Speed); Saturday, race (6:30 p.m., Fox)
Fast facts: Kyle Busch snapped a 21-race losing streak, his longest since joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008, beating Jeff Gordon last Saturday at Richmond after a late restart. Gordon is winless in his last 38 races. ... Talladega winner Kevin Harvick tops the standings with 1,467 points, 10 more than four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson, who has a series-leading three victories in the first 10 races. ... Gordon has seven Darlington wins, the last in 2007. He has finished second eight times since his victory at Texas last year, his lone win in his last 89 starts. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. is winless in 67 races. Clint Bowyer (72), Greg Biffle (54), Jeff Burton (51), Carl Edwards (46) and Matt Kenseth (44) also have long droughts. Biffle won at Darlington in 2005 and 2006. ... Johnny Mantz won the inaugural race in 1950 at the historic track that had two races a year from 1960-2004. ... David Pearson holds the track record with 10 Cup wins, one more than Dale Earnhardt.
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (2 p.m., Speed), race (6 p.m., ESPN2)
2009 winner: Matt Kenseth
Fast facts: Brad Keselowski raced to his second straight Nationwide Series victory, dominating, then rallying from fourth in a green-white-checker finish at Richmond last week. ... Keselowski, penalized 50 points after his Talladega win because of an unapproved left-front spring and right-front shock, has a 59-point lead over Kevin Harvick in the season standings. Keselowski is in his first year in Roger Penske's No. 22 Dodge. ... Defending series champion Kyle Busch is third, 84 points back. He has three victories this year. ... Harvick has two victories this season. ... Kenseth is driving the No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford in place of Colin Braun for the second straight week. Kenseth has 25 career Nationwide victories, three at Darlington.
Site: Barcelona, Circuit de Catalunya (road course, 2.89 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (7 a.m., Speed); Saturday, qualifying (7 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (6:30 a.m., Speed)
Fast facts: Jenson Button gambled on tire strategy to win the rainy Chinese Grand Prix on April 18, beating McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton. Button made only two stops. ... Button, also the Australian Grand Prix winner in March, leads the season standings with 60 points. Nico Rosberg is second with 50, and Fernando Alonso has 49. ... Alonso is the lone Spanish champion in event history, winning in 2006. He opened this season with a victory in Bahrain. ... Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, driving for Ross Brawn-led Mercedes GP after a three-year retirement, is ninth in the standings with 10 points. He has a record 91 victories, six at Catalunya.
National, international racing schedule (April 16-18)
Samsung Mobile 500
Site: Fort Worth, Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (noon, Speed), qualifying (3:30 p.m., Speed); Saturday, practice (11:30 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (2 p.m., KDFW/Ch. 4)
2009 winner: Jeff Gordon
Fast facts: Ryan Newman won at Phoenix International Raceway last week to snap a 77-race victory drought. Newman won for the 14th time and first with Stewart-Haas Racing, taking the lead after a late caution and holding off Gordon in a two-lap shootout. ... Jimmie Johnson leads the series with three victories and 1,073 points in seven races. Matt Kenseth is second 36 points back. ... Carl Edwards has a series-high three victories at the track, winning in November 2005 and sweeping the 2008 races. ... Jeff Gordon is winless in 35 starts since his victory last year. ... Kurt Busch won the November race at the track.
O'Reilly Auto Parts 300
Schedule: Friday, practice (10:30 a.m., ESPN2), qualifying (1:30 p.m., ESPN2); Saturday, race (2 p.m., ESPN2)
2009 winner: Kyle Busch
Fast facts: Kyle Busch recovered from a wild sequence — losing the lead on a disputed restart and falling 20 seconds back after a drive-through penalty — to win at Phoenix International Raceway last week. Busch has two victories this year and 32 overall. ... Busch is trying to become the third driver in series history to win five straight races at a track. Jack Ingram won five in a row at South Boston Speedway (1985-86) and Dale Earnhardt accomplished the feat at Daytona (1990-94). ... Brad Keselowski leads the season standings with 974 points, four more than Carl Edwards. Busch is third, 15 points back.
IZOD IndyCar
Site: Streets of Long Beach, Calif. (street course, 1.97 miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (5 p.m., Versus); Sunday, race (2:30 p.m., Versus)
2009 winner: Dario Franchitti
Fast facts: Helio Castroneves won the inaugural Grand Prix of Alabama last week to give Penske Racing its third victory in three races this season. Scott Dixon was second. ... Will Power swept the season-opening races in Brazil and St. Petersburg, Fla. The Penske driver leads the season standings with 136 points. Teammate Castroneves is second, 32 points behind. ... Danica Patrick is 15th in the standings. She was 15th in Brazil, seventh in St. Petersburg and 19th in Birmingham.
Site: Shanghai International Circuit (road course, 3.39 miles)
Fast facts: Sebastian Vettel won the Malaysian Grand Prix on April 4, leading from start to finish. Red Bull teammate Webber was second. ... Michael Schumacher, the seven-time world champion driving for Ross Brawn-led Mercedes GP following a three-year retirement, won the 2006 race for the last of his record 91 victories. The 41-year-old German star was sixth in the season-opening race in Bahrain, 10th in Australia and 21st in Malaysia. ... Ferrari's Felipe Massa leads the season standings, two points ahead of teammate Fernando Alonso and Vettel. Alonso won in Bahrain.
SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals
Site: Las Vegas, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
2009 winners: Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock)
Fast facts: Larry Dixon won the NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park last week for his second Top Fuel victory of the year and 50th overall. Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won. ... John Force has two victories this year and leads the Funny Car standings. The 60-year-old Force has an NHRA-record 128 victories and 14 season titles. ... In the Top Fuel standings, Cory McClenathan has a 28-point lead over Dixon. ... The NHRA will return to the track in October for the Las Vegas Nationals.
Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach
Race duration: 100 minutes
2009 winners: Simon Pagenaud, Gil de Ferran (P1, overall); Luis Diaz, Adrian Fernandez (P2); Olivier Beretta, Oliver Gavin (GT1); Patrick Long, Jorg Bermeister (GT2)
Posted at 10:47 PM in Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR, NHRA, Sports-car racing, Texas Motor Speedway | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)


text:
Ronald "Ronny" Maraun (* 10. September 1928 in Berlin; † 19. Juli 2017 ebenda) war ein deutscher Radrennfahrer.

Sportliche Laufbahn
Maraun gehörte ab 1948 der Stadtteilmannschaft Berlin-Mitte unter Leitung von Paul Szostak an. Die Mannschaft wechselte geschlossen in den Westteil Berlins über und schloss sich dort dem Verein RC Endspurt 1911 an. 1951 wechselte er zur BSG Einheit Berliner Bär.

1950 belegte Ronny Maraun den zweiten Platz beim Straßenrennen Berlin–Cottbus–Berlin. 1951 und 1952 wurde er DDR-Meister im Steherrennen. 1953 belegte er mit seiner Mannschaft von  BSG Einheit Berliner Bär (mit Fritz Jährling, Werner Malitz, Heinz Wahl) den dritten Platz bei den DDR-Meisterschaften im Bahnradsport in der Mannschaftsverfolgung. Seit 1954 bei der SC Einheit Berlin (dem Nachfolger von Einheit Berliner Bär), wurde er 1955 gemeinsam mit Fritz Jährling DDR-Meister im Zweier-Mannschaftsfahren. Maraun entwickelte sich im Verlaufe seiner Laufbahn zu einem der besten Bahnfahrer der DDR. Er wurde ein bei seinen Kollegen gefragter Partner für Zweiermannschaftsrennen. Mit Heinz Wahl und Hans Wagner siegte er bei den 1001 Runden in der Berliner Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle 1956 und 1957. Auch bei der bei den Zuschauern besonders beliebten Stunde der Matadore war er stets ganz vorne zu finden. Anfang der 1950er Jahre bemühte sich die Sportführung der DDR darum, den noch existierenden Berufsfahrersport (der insbesondere bei Steherrennen Zuschauermassen anzog) ins Abseits zu drängen. Unter Anderem wurden DDR-Amateure ermuntert, Steherrennen zu bestreiten. So kam auch Maraun zum Stehersport. Neben dem Meistertitel gewann er noch viele weitere Rennen hinter Motoren auf Sommerbahnen und auf der Berliner Winterbahn. Nach dem Saisonende 1958 beendete er dann seine Laufbahn mit einer Bilanz von mehr als 200 Siegen.

Berufliches
Nach dem Ende seiner sportlichen Laufbahn arbeitete der gelernte Kaufmann ab 1958 als Verkaufsstellenleiter für Radrennsport im HO-Sport-Zentrum Berlin am Strausberger Platz.

Maraun ging 1961 aus privaten Gründen nach Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz). 2008 zog es ihn in seine Heimatregion zurück und er lebte in Stolzenhagen bei Wandlitz.

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

Radsportler (DDR)
DDR-Meister (Radsport)
Bahnradfahrer
Sportler (Berlin)
Deutscher
DDR-Bürger
Geboren 1928
Gestorben 2017
Mann

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text:
Q: Python For loops Creating Diffrent Lists I have an idea but don't know how to execute it.
i have a variable value EG: 5
now i want my python program to create 5 different list all with differnt names
EG: list1 = []
list2 = []
...

A: I don't know if this is possible. When you say list1, you mean that list1 is an identifier for a variable which is a list. I don't think it is possible that the program creates identifiers within itself (or at least I don't know how).
Of course, you can write a Python program which writes another Python program where there are variables with these identifiers, then get creative with it:
VAL = 5 # can change this
f = open("lists.py", "w")
for i in range(1, VAL + 1):
    f.write("list" + str(i) + " = []\n")
f.close()

Output (lists.py):
list1 = []
list2 = []
list3 = []
list4 = []
list5 = []

A: Morning Jacob,
I have a little bit of difficulties reading your question.  But let me try to answer your question.
Direct answer
There are no simple way to generate python variables.  The only way I know is to generate the code as str and then execute it.
def generate_code(n):
    ret = ""
    for i in range(1, n + 1):
        var_name = "lst_" + str(i)
        ret += var_name + " = []\n"
    return ret

code = generate_code(5)
print(code)
exec(code)

where the printed code will be
lst_1 = []
lst_2 = []
lst_3 = []
lst_4 = []
lst_5 = []

The idiomatic solution
The idiomatic solution would be to create a list of list.  Something like bellow.
lsts = [[] for i in range(5)]

then, you could access your sub lists using indexes in a very similar fashion then with the variables you asked for.  lsts[0] would be equivalent of the above lst_1, lsts[1] would be equivalent of the above lst_2, lsts[2] would be equivalent of the above lst_3, ...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange