text:
Archive for the 'Lime Rock Park' tag
Worth the risk of frostbite: Lime Rock's snowcross series
Dan in the Mustang, throwing a bit of opposite lock. Photo by Kurt Ernst.
On the power into the first corner, my Volkswagen GTI starts to drift wide, the Dunlop winter tires fighting for grip on the pavement's mix of ice and snow. Coming off throttle fails to rotate the back end, so I grab the handbrake instead, then quickly countersteer to catch the purposely induced slide. Pointed in the right direction, I gently roll into the throttle trying to find grip, then prepare to set up for the next corner, a slightly uphill right-hander with a slippery powder base at the entry.
Kurt in the GTI, doing his best Stig Blomqvist impersonation. Photo by J. Daniel Beaudry.
As one whose race experience was limited to spectating to this point, Managing Editor Dan Beaudry had a slightly different experience in his 420-hp 2014 Mustang GT. "The first thing I noticed," Dan explains, "is how quickly you can build up a sweat. Having never done any snowcrossing—or any racing at all, for that matter—I was spinning the wheel from lock to lock and shifting between second and third gears multiple times throughout the course until one of the instructors told me that it had been built with the intention that you put it in second and leave it there. You drive with the throttle, and occasionally the e-brake."
"I also quickly learned that I didn't know everything about my Mustang. No stranger to doing stoplight burnouts, I could turn off my traction control, but I hadn't the foggiest idea of how to switch AdvanceTrac to sport mode (in neutral with the brake on, cycle through the display screens and then hold down the Traction Control button in front of the shifter for five seconds). As with all nannies—both the flesh-and-blood and the electronic kinds—these are designed to keep you safe under normal circumstances, but need to be switched off if you're going to make it around a snowcross course with any semblance of grace or speed."
On public roads, with a dangerous mix of other drivers, curbs, trees and guardrails, such antics would be foolhardy, if not suicidal. At Lime Rock Park, on the track's groomed winter autocross course, they're encouraged, and even backed up with professional instruction for those seeking to upgrade their confidence behind the wheel during winter months. Want to be safer driving a Honda Civic to work? The course will help, blending ample amounts of instruction and practice. Want to perfect your Scandinavian flick and drift your WRX STI through every corner? The instructors can help you there, too.
Two laps in the GTI.
Calling it a "snowcross series" is a bit of a misnomer, since no one held a clipboard and a stopwatch to record lap times. Instead, the new-for-2015 events are aimed more at bringing people out to learn (or play) in the snow, making them better drivers and potential candidates for the track's warm-weather autocross series (which does indeed feature timed laps).
Despite the frigid 10-degree temperatures and biting wind—at one point, the Miata actually found itself frozen in place in the short time between rounds—about a dozen cars showed up to our session, with drivers that ran the gamut from Millennials to card-carrying members of AARP. Which meant that everyone was there for a slightly different purpose, all centered on gaining confidence behind the wheel on icy and snow-packed roads.
With the right tires, even Miatas go well in snow. Photo by Kurt Ernst.
The day began with a safety briefing from the instructors, which included such helpful advice as, "If your car has bumper-mounted tow hooks, you might want to uncover them now. You'll need them at some point today." Put in a kinder, gentler, way, the expectation was that every driver would, during the course of the event, require assistance from one of the track's two tow trucks, perpetually at the ready throughout each session. "Knowing that the tow trucks were there," says Dan, "made you feel like you could push your boundaries just a little further each time around the track until you either found your own limits or the limits of your car."
The ever-present tow trucks were deployed a few times each session. Photo by Kurt Ernst.
On the plus side, snow is soft, and the track's dedicated autocross course is devoid of any solid objects to hit. Going off produces bruised egos, but little in the way of vehicular damage. As Dan and I found out, the predictions of the instructors weren't far off the mark. "In, probably 15 laps, I spun the Mustang out on the ice on Turn 3 twice," Dan says, "and needed to be towed out of the soft snow at the bottom of the hill on Turn 6 once. Some people needed a tow every other lap. But that was okay. No harm done; you just tried it a little differently the next time around."
Lime Rock Snowcross conditions on January 31, 2015. Illustration by Zach Higgins.
As explained in an earlier article on the track's snowcross series, the idea came about as a way to use the autocross course year-round. With the help of the Lime Rock Driver's Club, the track acquired the snow-making and grooming equipment used by ski resorts, which requires only cold weather to produce a suitable base of icy powder. To ensure the track is as smooth as possible, it's groomed before each session with a tool that looks like a bit of agricultural equipment. As Lime Rock's Jeff Grossbard explained, the plow churns up the surface to reduce ice buildup and make for a more uniform base.
That's not to say it's a completely smooth surface, and picking the best way around the track requires dodging ice potholes and coping with ever-varying amounts of grip. The rules of choosing a line, critical for respectable lap times in warm-weather autocross, simply do not apply here.
Tom Nelson doing a pirouette in his X5; no tow truck was needed here. Photo by Kurt Ernst.
Man-made snow is only produced on the lower autocross track, which leaves the upper section available on the whim of Mother Nature (and track instructors). Thanks to this winter's snowfall and cold, it was open for business and covered with a thick sheen of glare ice for our Saturday session. Only chains or studded snow tires work well on such a surface, and neither is permitted at Lime Rock. In other words, it pays to have very good winter tires mounted when signing up for a session.
"Incidentally," Dan explains, "I learned that the only way to maintain any speed on the icy corners was to tuck your front tire into the snow on the inside of the turn early on and, depending on your speed, either feather the throttle or the e-brake as your rear slides around." Optimal techniques varied, depending on whether the car was rear-drive, front-drive, or all-wheel drive.
No sports car? No problem; here, David Maffucci catches a slide in his Nissan Armada. Photo by Kurt Ernst.
The ever-changing track surface added an element of complexity, and participants got to practice cornering on everything from deep powder through hardpacked snow and polished ice (covered with a thin layer of friction-reducing snow, thanks to Saturday's gusty wind).
Conditions were, in fact, ideal, and ample track time (interspersed with a brief classroom discussion on driving dynamics and the effects of weight transfer when accelerating, cornering and stopping) made the event's cost a bargain. Sure, sliding a car around an empty snow-covered parking lot is free, but that comes without instruction (and with the risk of hitting something buried beneath the snow, or getting ticketed by law enforcement).
Good winter tires are essential. Photo by Kurt Ernst
Late in the day, Dan and I traded keys, and he found my front-drive GTI much easier to wheel than I found his rear-drive Mustang GT. Though shod with the same model of Dunlop winter tires I use, the Mustang proved a handful to drive at speed around the course, and I'll admit to twice burying the back end in the snow (though both incidents required just a set of hands to extract me, not a tow hook). I'd forgotten just how big the fifth-generation Mustang is, and dancing one on ice requires more than just a few laps of familiarization.
Afterward, it's critical to dig the snow out of your wheels. Ask us how we know. Photo by J. Daniel Beaudry.
If you have the opportunity to participate in a winter driving course such as this, do it. It doesn't matter what you drive (as Saturday's vehicles included a Honda Civic, a Hyundai Elantra, a first-generation Mazda Miata and a full-size Nissan Armada SUV), what matters is that you'll be safer behind the wheel when the white stuff falls.
Lime Rock's winter autocross days are scheduled to run through Saturday, March 7. For more information, visit LimeRock.com.
New at Connecticut's Lime Rock Park: autocrossing on snow
Lime Rock Drivers Club members test the track's groomed autocross area. Photos by Rick Roso and Casey Keil.
Conventional wisdom says that winter marks the end of the competitive driving season, unless one lives in a place cold enough to offer ice racing, like Norway or Minnesota, or a place warm enough that winter exists only on prime-time news. Last year, Connecticut's Lime Rock Park decided to change this by offering an autocross series that spanned the seasons from winter through fall, with events held regardless of weather conditions. This year, the track has taken things one step further: Thanks to the addition of snowmaking equipment, it will be offering true winter autocross sessions on a snow-packed (and groomed) track.
Lime Rock tests its snowmaking equipment on December 12, 2014.
We attended a January 2014 autocross session at Lime Rock and turned it into a feature in the May 2014 issue of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car magazine. Though the weather was cold, it wasn't snowing, something that Rick Roso, the track's director of editorial, press and PR, regretted. He even admitted that Lime Rock was considering adding snow-making equipment to its dedicated autocross track, but that seemed like little more than wishful thinking at the time. Race tracks, after all, are businesses with steep overhead and seasonal profitability, making such a large investment in seasonal infrastructure seem unlikely.
The MINI is well suited to winter autocross.
Enter the Lime Rock Drivers Club (LRDC), whose members thought that adding snowmaking equipment sounded like a great idea. Connections were made, equipment was acquired, and as a result, LRDC members get a winter playground on which to safely hone their driving skills. Snowmaking and surface grooming at the facility began in mid-December, and the initial track sessions began the same month.
The LRDC's improvements work out well for the rest of us, too, as Lime Rock has opened up the winter autocross series to drivers of all ages and abilities, with sessions planned for Fridays and Saturdays through March (or, realistically, as long as it remains cold enough to make snow). The entry fee for each event is $300, which includes professional instruction from one of the track's Skip Barber School drivers, a lot of laps throughout the day, and access to a heated chateau with restrooms, hot beverages and snacks.
Instructor Don Drislane (center) supervises an LRDC session.
Snowcross, as winter autocross is also called, is an excellent way to learn or sharpen winter driving skills, and Lime Rock's 1,200-foot autocross area provides ample run-off should things get out of control. Sessions typically see three or four cars on the track at any given time, which allows sufficient spacing for safety.
Wondering how a 2014 Mustang GT would fare on a tight, snow-packed autocross course? A 2011 Volkswagen GTI? Look for first-person coverage coming in the Hemmings Daily, as well as in upcoming issues of Hemmings Muscle Machines and Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car.
For additional information, visit LimeRock.com.
Old guys (and girls) rule at Lime Rock Park
Porsche Cayman at a Lime Rock Drivers Club track day. Photo courtesy of Lime Rock Park.
Our whole world is predicated on the fact that you're never too old to have a happy childhood. Really big kids like to drive fast. Even if you've reached a certain, noble level of seniority and discretion, Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut, has an option that will let you rip loose. The Lime Rock Drivers Club has created a new Senior Speedster membership for men and women aged 65 and over. The historic road course, designed by John Fitch, is rare among pro-class racing circuits in welcoming senior citizens as performance drivers.
What do you have to do? First off, ante up an initiation fee of $16,500, plus annual club dues of $3,630. That, incidentally, is comparable in some cases to what NFL teams charge for permanent seat licenses as season tickets. The investment allows senior drivers to run on all weekly club days plus five weekend dates each year. Club days include four hours of open lapping, coaching, catering, clubhouse access and more. No previous experience is required. For the younger ones, the Lime Rock Drivers Club also now allows licensed drivers age 16 and older. Questions? Direct them to Michael Briskie (email@example.com) or Simon Kirkby (firstname.lastname@example.com).
Ex-Nuvolari Alfa Romeo takes top honors at Lime Rock concours
1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300. Photo by Greg Clark, courtesy of Lime Rock Park.
In 1933, Alfa Romeo delivered a new 8C 2300 roadster to the great Tazio Nuvolari, who teamed with Raymond Sommer for that year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the race, they were soon leading by two laps when they were forced to pit with a fuel leak, which lore has it was fixed with a wad of chewing gum. Back in the race, Nuvolari smashed the lap record nine times while recovering the lead, winning Le Mans by a quarter of a mile.
It's incredibly rare to find any car that had been personally raced by the Flying Mantuan, much less a Le Mans winner. That's the likely explanation for why the Alfa won Best of Show during the 32nd annual Sunday in the Park presented last weekend at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. The historic Alfa is now in the collection of Peter Sachs from Stamford, Connecticut, and had been entered in a class called Risky But Racy, dedicated to pre-1945 competition cars.
Photo by Casey Keil, courtesy Lime Rock Park.
Lime Rock's concours boasted no less than 29 classes, gathering cars ranging from American classics to hot rods and motorcycles. A few other class winners included the 1935 MG PA-PB "Leonidis" entered by The Revs Institute of Naples, Florida; the 1947 HRG 1100 roadster of Joe Freeman from Boston, Massachusetts; a rare pre-production 1964 Mercedes-Benz 300SL entered by Dennis Nicrota of Fairfield, Connecticut; the 1967 Lancia Flaminia Touring Convertible entered by Donald Schwarzkopf of Rumson, New Jersey; the 1964 Chevrolet Corvette owned and raced by Tom Cotter of Davidson, North Carolina and in the muscle car category – yes, there was one – the uncommon 1969 Pontiac Firebird 400 Ram Air fielded by David Brady of Trumbull, Connecticut. Watch for full coverage in an upcoming issue of Hemmings Motor News.
Ralph Lauren bringing five cars to Lime Rock Park's Historic Festival
1956 Jaguar XKSS from the Ralph Lauren collection. Photos courtesy D.A.D. Garage / Lime Rock Park.
In most circles, Ralph Lauren is best known for his fashion design and perpetually successful brand of clothing and accessories. Among car collectors, however, Lauren is known for his impeccable taste in classic and historically significant vehicles, which are infrequently shared with the general public. On Labor Day weekend at Connecticut's Lime Rock Park, however, Lauren will be displaying five unique sports and racing cars from his collection, giving attendees of this year's Historic Festival a chance to see some very desirable automobiles.
The "Flat Rad" 1953 Morgan Plus Four.
Among the most personal cars to be shown will be Lauren's 1953 Morgan Plus Four "Flat Rad," named for the shape of its radiator shell. Originally powered by a 2088-cc Vanguard engine rated at 68 horsepower, the Plus Four instantly delivered racing success to the Morgan factory, though the Flat Rad design would only last until the 1954 model year, and the Vanguard engine would be replaced by a 90 horsepower Triumph engine in 1955. Lauren's car has been retrofitted with this later Triumph engine, a popular in-period modification for owners seeking additional performance. Though this Morgan has an unknown early history, it's likely that Lauren has a strong emotional attachment to the car, as his very first automobile was a Morgan.
1964 Ferrari 250 LM.
The 1964 Ferrari 250 LM to be shown was the 31st of 32 cars built, and was campaigned extensively in Australia between 1965 and 1968. Of the 19 events entered, chassis 632 captured victories in 12, including the 1966 Surfers Paradise 12 Hours, which saw Andy Buchanan deliver a win with a young and promising Scottish co-driver named Jackie Stewart.
1929 Birkin Blower Bentley.
Lauren's 1929 Birkin Blower Bentley was one of only two "short chassis" models built, and the Paget crest between radiator cap and Bentley logo identify the car as one sponsored by socialite Dorothy Paget for the 1930 24 Hours of Le Mans. Chassis HR3976 proved to be fast, but the race's duration proved too much for the forced-induction Bentley, which retired with a broken piston on lap 145. The car's most promising performance came at the 1930 French Grand Prix at Pau, where the legendary Sir Henry "Tim" Birkin drove HR3976 to a second place finish. As the 1930 season came to a close, Paget cut off funding for the team, forcing the sale of its cars. Under new ownership, the Blower Bentley raced again at Le Mans in 1932 and 1933, but failed to finish either event. Acquired by Lauren in 1988, the Bentley was restored to "as-raced" condition by England's Traction Seabert in 1990.
Lauren's 1956 Jaguar XKSS (actually, an XKD converted to XKSS specifications in 1958).
Among the most beautiful cars in Lauren's collection is the 1956 Jaguar XKSS, which began its life as a racing D-Type before its 1958 conversion to XKSS specifications. Designed at the request of American racer Briggs Cunningham, the XKSS was essentially a street-legal version of the track-only D-Type, constructed in a quantity of 50 units specifically to meet SCCA production car racing homologation requirements. Though the car may have sported the required directional signals and brake lamps, power came from the same 250 horsepower, 3.4-liter inline six-cylinder engine that powered the D-Type, and the race car's four-wheel disc brakes and rack and pinion steering also carried over. During the construction of the first 25 units, a fire at Jaguar's Browns Lane factory destroyed nine cars, along with the tooling required to build them. Instead of the required 50, only 16 were built in the initial production run, though demand for the cars later saw D-Types (like Lauren's) converted to XKSS models by Jaguar.
1959 Porsche 718 RSK Spyder.
Porsche's 718 RSK delivered the German automaker its first victory in a manufacturer's championship event, when it led a parade of three other Porsches across the finish line at the 1959 Targa Florio. Lauren's car, chassis 718-009, was present at the event, but used in practice only. Actively campaigned throughout the remainder of the 1959 season, chassis 718-009′s performance at the 1959 Tourist Trophy race at Goodwood was memorable. In the hands of drivers Jo Bonnier and Wolfgang von Trips, the Porsche held off an attack from the larger and more powerful Ferrari 250 TR driven by Tony Brooks for six hours, finishing the race in second place.
The Historic Festival at Lime Rock Park runs from Friday, August 29 through Monday, September 1. For additional details, visit LimeRock.com.
First Ferrari imported to U.S. takes Best in Show at Lime Rock
The Best in Show 1948 Ferrari 166 Spyder Corsa. Photos by Casey Keil, courtesy Lime Rock Park.
Introduced in 1948, Ferrari's 166 series built from the lessons learned with its 125 and 159 models, eventually becoming the first Ferrari model to win a major international race. Tipo 166 chassis 016-I, raced by Luigi Chinetti to a victory in the 12 Hours of Montlhery before finding its way into the hands of sportsman Briggs Cunningham, also bears the distinction of being the first Ferrari imported into the United States, in 1949. This past weekend, that unique Miles Collier-owned car took Best in Show honors at the Lime Rock Sunday in the Park Concours.
Ferrari's history in the United States may have been recorded differently had Jaguar's Coventry factory been more efficient at producing cars. Told that his ordered Jaguar XK120 would not be delivered in time for an SCCA event at Long Island's Bridgehampton circuit, Briggs Cunningham scrambled to find a suitable replacement that could be delivered in time. A deal was struck to purchase the Montlhery-winning 1948 Ferrari 166 Spyder Corsa from Chinetti, and the car was delivered to these shores a mere four days before the race. With driver George Rand at the wheel, the Ferrari set the fastest time in practice and was leading the event until an oil line failed, retiring the car.
The Ferrari was repaired in time for the next race at Watkins Glen, in September of 1949. Driven by Cunningham himself, the car fared well in both the preliminary and main events, scoring a pair of podium finishes. The following season, 1950, saw Cunningham take victory in both the preliminary and main events at Long Island's Suffolk Airport in May, and the event marks the very first time a Ferrari model was victorious in the United States. By June of 1950, Cunningham had relinquished the wheel, turning the car over to Sam Collier, brother of C. Miles Collier.
Sam Collier drove the 166 to a preliminary round win at Bridgehampton in June, but it would be his final victory in the car. Running third in an event at New York's Watkins Glen in September of 1950, Collier spun the car on gravel and was killed in the ensuing crash. The incident prompted Cunningham to advise his crew that he never wanted to see the car again, but his heat of the moment proclamation was to be short-lived. By the following season, the car had been rebuilt and campaigned by Cunningham's team at the Buenos Aires Grand Prix. In June of 1951, Cunningham himself climbed behind the wheel, finishing in fifth at an event in Bridgehampton.
Ferrari Tipo 166, chassis 016-I, would see action at just five more races through the 1953 season, before becoming part of Cunningham's museum collection. In 1986, the car was purchased by Miles C. Collier (son of C. Miles Collier, who died of polio in 1954) as part of the Briggs Cunningham Collection, and it remains part of the private Collier Collection to this day.
Other Lime Rock Sunday in the Park Concours winners of note include a 1930 Aston Martin International, owned by Richard and Phillip Rader of Briarcliff, New York, which earned top honors in the "Risky but Racy" class; a 1967 Toyota 2000 GT prepared by Carroll Shelby and owned by Bob Tkacik of Saco, Maine, which captured first place in the "Speed & Style" class; a 1964 Ferrari Lusso, owned by Roger Werner of Greenwich, Connecticut, which took first place in the "Businessman's Express" class; and a 1966 Ford Mustang, owned by Andy Sullivan of Bethel, Connecticut, which captured the crowd's attention as the "People's Pick" winner.
For a complete list of Lime Rock Sunday in the Park category winners, visit the LimeRockHistorics.com website.
Road Racing 101 seminar to get fast learners up to speed
Photo courtesy Volkswagen.
Auto racing need not be a spectator sport, or at least so goes the thinking behind the Road Racing 101 seminar that the Saratoga Automobile Museum and Lime Rock Park will jointly present.
The professor is Greg Rickes, longtime track announcer at Lime Rock, who will explain classes, formulas, sanctioning groups and more. Make a passing grade and you'll get a free $50 ticket to Lime Rock's Historic Festival, good either Saturday, August 31, or Monday, September 2.
The seminar takes place on Sunday, June 23, and doesn't require pre-registration. For more information, visit either SaratogaAutoMuseum.org or LimeRock.com.
Cunninghams to convene in Connecticut
Photo courtesy Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance.
Now that every C-3 street car built by Briggs Cunningham's famed sports car production effort of the 1950s has been located, it's time for a family reunion of Cunningham cars, which is exactly what author Tom Cotter and other Cunningham owners have planned for this year's Lime Rock Vintage Fall Festival.
The gathering – the second such event in three years – aims to bring together as many Cunningham-built and significant Cunningham-owned cars as possible and to reunite them with the drivers and craftsmen who helped build the Cunningham legacy.
"A couple years ago, we had our first Cunningham Gathering in West Palm Beach, where Cunningham assembled the chassis for the cars, and we got to go through the factory building," Cotter said. "This year, we thought we'd gather in another significant place in Cunningham history. Not far from Lime Rock is the Cunningham estate, where Briggs had Le Monstre prepped, and of course, John Fitch, who drove for Cunningham, lived right there."
After getting it into his head to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, playboy and sports car enthusiast Briggs Cunningham II threw every resource at his disposal to achieve that goal. Spurred on by a semi-successful attempt in 1950 using Le Monstre and a stock-bodied Cadillac, Cunningham bought out the Studillac and Fordillac operation run by racers Phil Walters (Ted Tappet) and Bill Frick to start his own company, dedicated to building world-class race cars. Le Mans homologation rules called for a production run of at least 25 cars, so Cunningham did exactly that, producing 25 C-3 coupes and convertibles starting in 1952.
Tom Cotter's Cunningham C-3, chassis #5207, photographed in 1952 at Watkins Glen. Photo courtesy Tom Cotter.
Intended for the street, the C-3 was based on the Hemi-powered Cunningham C-2 race car, but used a body designed by Giovanni Michelotti and built by Vignale. At a price of more than $10,000, it was likely America's most expensive production car until Cunningham went out of business after 1955. According to Cotter, all 25 C-3s are accounted for today – #5209, the last "lost" C-3, turned up a couple years ago, sitting outside the second owner's barn in Connecticut. He said he hopes to gather as many of the C-3s as possible – along with the racing Cunninghams (according to Cotter, all but one still exist), the more recent continuation Cunninghams (built in Lime Rock), and the various cars that Briggs Cunningham owned and raced – for the weekend's events.
"Briggs Cunningham really was the Carroll Shelby before Carroll Shelby developed the Cobra," Cotter said. "He was a very significant person, a class act, a renaissance man, a sportsman. If he had disc brakes or a lighter V-8 engine like the small-block Chevrolet, he certainly would have won Le Mans."
Besides the class dedicated to Cunninghams at the fall festival's concours d'elegance, the weekend's other Cunningham-related activities will include the unveiling of a new Cunningham C3 convertible die-cast as well as a new two-volume book on Cunningham and his cars by Richard Harman, titled Cunningham: The Passion – The Cars – The Legacy. The cars will also participate in the Thursday evening road tour that ends in Falls Village, Connecticut, and Cotter said that Cunningham's family and some of the mechanics who helped assemble the cars will attend the event as well.
For more information about the Lime Rock Vintage Fall Festival, visit LimeRock.com.
UPDATE (16.August 2013): Lime Rock put together this nice video on the Cunningham ahead of the reunion.
Car show aims to help those harmed at Sandy Hook
Photos courtesy Lime Rock Park.
One of the great things about being into cars, or any kind of vehicles, is seeing how willingly the people who love them will reach out to help others. This is a great example. This Saturday, April 13, Lime Rock Park road circuit in Connecticut will host an enormous car, truck and motorcycle show to benefit the survivors and first responders of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre last December. More than 3,000 cars, trucks and bikes will be coming in convoys from starting points as distant as New Jersey, Maryland and Texas, plus all over New England.
The show is called Spikes Ride for Sandy Hook at Lime Rock Park, and is being organized by George "Spikes" LeGrice of Raynham, Massachusetts. Two local convoys are looking for vehicles to join. One will leave the commuter parking lot at Exit 42 on Route 8 at 7:30 a.m. and cruise to New Milford, where it will join another group leaving from the George Washington Plaza in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, beginning at 6:45 a.m. Another convoy will leave from the Stadium Sports Bar & Grille in Waterbury at 7:30 a.m.
Car owners who want to show a vehicle at Lime Rock should arrive at the track between 7 and 9 a.m. Show donations are $15 for cars and bikes; $20 for pickups and bobtails. The spectator donation is $5. One Newtown beneficiary is the Sandy Hook Family Healing Fund, started by parents in Newtown to assist the survivors from the two classrooms where the shootings took place. It's a 501(c)(3) non-profit. The other is Adopt a Sandy Hook Cop, started by Mother's Embrace Yoga from Shelton, Connecticut, to support the Newtown Police Department. Money collected is provided directly to the Newtown Police Department liaison, which in turn distributes the funds to officers in need.
Lime Rock Park is located in extreme northwestern Connecticut just off U.S. 44. For more information, visit LimeRock.com.
UPDATE (16.April 2013): More than 2,400 vehicles showed up to the event, helping raise $26,000. Some photos are on Lime Rock's Facebook page.
Sir Stirling, still a stud
When we heard that Sir Stirling Moss was going to be the guest of honor at Lime Rock Park's 30th annual vintage festival over Labor Day weekend, well, we couldn't burn it getting down there fast enough. Sir Stirling exuded a lot of candor about his unforgettable career, which officially ended only last year – he is 83 – and will be the topic of an in-depth, exclusive feature coming soon in Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car.
It's been a good 50 years since Sir Stirling, having slithered away from death after a savage Goodwood crash, raced a car in genuine anger. Yet to an extent, he hasn't stepped away yet. Several Moss-driven icons ranging from a Maserati 250F to a Vanwall were under power at the event, yet Sir Stirling chose to lap the OSCA MT4 that he and Bill Lloyd shared to score an unbelievable come-from-behind win during the 1954 12 Hours of Sebring. The OSCA, owned by Briggs Cunningham, ran down several much bigger cars to win overall by five laps. It remains the smallest-displacement car ever to win at Sebring. Sir Stirling took a couple of laps of honor in the OSCA, now part of the Collier Collection at the Revs Institute of Naples, Florida, with Lady Susie Moss alongside him. It was great, timeless stuff, and I'm glad I got to experience it.


text:
Interactive Seating Charts
Unfortunately, we do not currently have
a seating chart for Motorpoint Arena.
Motorpoint Arena100 Broughton Lane
Sheffield, UK
Upcoming Events
Mar 31
Tue 6:30 PM
Apr 1
Wed 6:30 PM
Apr 6
Mon 1:30 PM
Apr 6
Mon 4:45 PM
Apr 9
Thu 8:00 PM
About Seatgeek
We scour the web's major ticket sites and aggregate inventory into one place. Our Deal Score helps you identify the best ticket deals available for each event.Learn more about SeatGeek

subset: commoncrawl


text:
February 20, 2014
Daily Moisturizing Cream for Creative Hands by Kallista is designed with the nail tech in mind.
Perfect for sterilizing small metal implements such as cuticle nippers and tweezers is the Glass Bead Sterilizer from Classic Spa by FantaSea.
January 30, 2014
Backscratchers' Herbal Synergy Nail and Cuticle Enhancer naturally enhances and restores discolored, unhealthy, yellow, or cloudy nails back to their beautiful luster.
Sani-Tablet is a tablet that disinfects foot spa water.
January 29, 2014
Cuccio Naturale's manicure oils, available in three scents, help condition, nourish, and revitalize your clients' cuticles.
The White Radiance 4-step Brightening System contains powerful ingredients to help target signs of aging, uneven skin tone, and texture.
NailSpa by Alessandro International is an intensive nail care serum for all nail types that pampers skin, protects against cracked cuticles, and makes nails more resilient.
The award-winning formula is infused for the holiday season with amber and vanilla notes.
The Original Wooden Pedicure File from Gehwol is manufactured from Swiss beech wood sourced from sustainable forests.
Named an editors' choice by Allure, Karma Naturals nail polish remover is soybean-oil based.
December 29, 2013
Cuccio has introduced a product to its Nail Solutions line that works to repair the damage inflicted on nails through a variety of factors.
December 7, 2013
Splish Splash's One-Step Disinfectant is a clear, odorless, EPA-approved formula with no artificial blue dye and is now available in a new economical 128-gallon bottle.
The cracked heel formula mousse by Footlogix incorporates dermal infusion technology and is proven to moisturize and repair extremely callused, thick, and cracked skin.
December 5, 2013
Jessica Cosmetics' ZenSpa Intense Heel Repair Cream rejuvenates cracked, dry heels during the winter months with the restorative powers of vitamin E, aloe vera, and shea butter.
October 23, 2013
The Multi Active Nail Strengthener from Revere Cosmetics features a twofold strengthening formula that activates multibinding sites that promote the formation of the keratin protein which builds the nail.
Turning Back the Hands of Time21 photos
Disinfectant Products: Crack Down on Grime15 photos
Michael Megna is Backscratchers Salon Systems' chief executive officer and co-founder.
Learn More
Am I losing my touch applying acrylics?
Should I have a TV in my salon?
Is perfectionism on the job a blessing or a curse?
Do I need a special permit to do medical pedicures?
Featured Products & Promotions | Advertisement
How big is the U.S. nail business? $7.3 billion. What's the average service price for a manicure? Dig into our decades' deep research archives.
View All
The U.S. Vietnamese salon industry represents more than half of all salons. VietSALON serves this market with a bi-monthly Vietnamese language print magazine and a community-oriented website.
Get a free preview issue and a Free Gift
Subscribe Today!


text:
3 Marshall Avenue
Commute to Downtown Edmundston
Almost all errands require a car.
Score Details
3 Marshall Avenue has a Walk Score of 14 out of 100. This location is a Car-Dependent neighborhood so almost all errands require a car.
Nearby schools include Hilltop Elementary School, Caribou Middle School and Teague Park School.
The closest grocery stores are Sleepers Store, Brambleberry Market and Shop 'n Save.
Nearby restaurants include Frederick's Restaurant, Big Cheese Pizza and Napoli's Restaurant LLC.
Explore how far you can travel by car, bus, bike and foot from 3 Marshall Avenue.


text:
View divorced Singles in Posen
By clicking continue, I agree to receive transactional and promotional emails from Match.com. I understand that I am free to withdraw consent at any time.
By using our site, you agree to the Match.com Terms of Use.
Your one stop for singles in the Prairie State of Illinois. Whether you're looking to online dating as your matchmaker for love or just for a date or two, Match.com can help you meet your match. New singles in Posen,Illinois are joining daily, and many singles are making connections every day. Single and loving it? You must be dating on Match.com, the leading online dating site with thousands of singles available in Posen alone.
Alsip, Blue Island, Burbank, Burnham, Calumet City, Calumet Park, Chicago Ridge, Country Club Hills, Crestwood, Dixmoor, Dolton, East Hazel Crest, Evergreen Park, Flossmoor, Glenwood, Harvey, Hazel Crest, Hometown, Homewood, Ivanhoe, Lansing, Markham, Merrionette Park, Midlothian, Mount Greenwood, Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Olympia Fields, Palos Heights, Palos Hills, Palos Park, Phoenix, Riverdale, Robbins, South Holland, Thornton, Tinley Park, University Park, Wicker Park, Worth view all states »


text:
Harbor House Bed and Breakfast
No availability found through our partners. Please contact the business directly or check some of our recommended alternatives.
- Continental Breakfast
- Free High-Speed Internet
- Beach
- Free parking
Travelers also recommend:
- More recommendations
TripAdvisor Reviews Harbor House Bed and Breakfast Georgetown
Travel Blogs from Georgetown
Georgetown day 3
Repairs done... Necessary repair to engine & fortunate to have Just the guy for the job. Ernie the mechanic, came this morning just as promised. I took the opportunity to walk around Georgetown again. Beautiful day, but cold. Sun out but no relief in weather, so will move on ...
Georgetown -- day 2
... Electric heat is still in order to stay reasonably comfortable. We're going to play backgammon and listen to music before retiring. We're hoping to get underway again tomorrow with either McClellanville or Price Creek as possible destinations. Not much else to report. We're enjoying this beautiful antebellum community and the true southern hospitality from everyone we've met. The restaurants are good and the facilities here at Harborwalk are first ...
Great southern food
... river, southern sunset, cold American beers and delicious food. We tried a few classic southern dishes... Grits, which is a creamy ground corn dish, almost like a dip (tastes amazing), Gumbo with prawns and spicy sausage, which is similar to a stew and fresh Grouper, thats a white flesh fish. The food was so good and cheap. $33 for four beers, main meals and (compulsory) tip.
We had a fantastic overnight trip to Georgetown, a stunning small southern town. ...
Hey Good-Looking (1967)
... hemlines below their knees. I'm uncomfortable eating in the cafeteria, and I don't enjoy spending my lunch in the restrooms, which reek from the smell of cigarettes. I miss my friends in MI. They are open minded, friendlier, and more hip than my southern classmates.
My first class is History. The classroom door is shut, and my classmates are crowded in front of the door looking at a piece of paper taped to the door.
Free camping in the woods
... just as the light disappeared and picked a spot in between trees and started preparing dinner. Five minutes later, there was a bang on our door and someone pointing out that apparently we had chosen someone else's spot, so we moved across the gravel loop road into the centre and again started preparing dinner. No bang on the door, so hopefully we're ok. After dinner we watched an episode of Hotel Babylon and then went to bed.


text:
CARSON, Calif. -- The moment that will live on in LA Galaxy history forever.
In the 111th minute, Robbie Keane scored an MLS Cup winning goal with his clever finish off a pinpoint pass from Marcelo Sarvas which sealed the LA Galaxy's 2-1 Extra Time victory over the New England Revolution and their fifth MLS Cup. Now you can enjoy the goal in slow motion courtesy of the folks at MLSsoccer.com.
Check it out above.
CARSON, Calif. -- Time and time again, the LA Galaxy faced considerable challenges during their 2014 season and more often than not, it was their captain Robbie Keane who bailed them out.
Keane did so again in an impressive fashion with his extra time tally that gave the Galaxy a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution in MLS Cup. Although the Irishman endured a frustrating game to that point, his finish past Bobby Shuttlesworth late in the game proved once more than the MLS MVP was the true class of the league.
"It wasn't the greatest game to be honest with you. It was tough, New England played really well. I have to give them a lot of credit," Keane told reporters afterward. "We went 120 minutes and in the end it's whichever team pulls out stronger. I think we certainly came out stronger in extra time. We're thankful that we got the goal. It was a great pass from Marcelo [Sarvas]."
The goal capped what was the finest season in Keane's illustrious career: Over the course of 34 games in the regular season and playoffs, Keane notched 21 goals and 17 assists in his highest output for one team ever.
And after the game, you could forgive LA for singing the praises of their Irish captain.
"Keane is a guy that you want on your team because he's always going to give it his everything. There's no other way that Robbie knows," said Omar Gonzalez. "It wasn't going our way, but we found a way to win. We stayed composed and waited for our chances and we did that. Robbie had a few chances that he wanted back, but he made sure when the time came that he put his final chance in the back of the net. Now we're champions."
Added head coach Bruce Arena, "Robbie is been unbelievable since he stepped foot in MLS. I've been on record, I've said this, it's very rare that an international player can step into this league, be adjusted instantly and not explain to us how you are supposed to do things and how it's done elsewhere. I've never heard one "this is how they do it at Liverpool or Tottenham." He's bought into Major League Soccer from the start. He's our greatest advocate. It's been fabulous. Look of what we've done since we've acquired Robbie. Is it his team? Naw, its Mr. Anschutz's team to be honest, but he's pretty big asset."
The hero of Los Angeles. #mlscup pic.twitter.com/XY1fEaLE94
— Adam Serrano (@LAGalaxyInsider) December 7, 2014
CARSON, Calif. -- It was an emotional week for Dan Gargan.
Not only did the defender win his first ever MLS Cup and help marshall the LA Galaxy defense to a victory, but he had his first child on Wednesday. Following the MLS Cup victory, Gargan, who was the final player signed during preseason, reflected on his wild week.
"It's been an incredible year. I haven't quite processed it all yet, it's a beautiful thing. I've had an amazing week," said Gargan. "My wife gave birth to our first child, a girl, on Wednesday afternoon and I think I've slept a total of seven hours since then. That's not an exaggeration. I can't imagine it's going to add to that total tonight, but we're going to re-evaluate that tomorrow."
CARSON, Calif. -- The day is finally here.
In the latest edition of "What To Watch For," Joe Tutino and Cobi Jones break down the MLS Cup Final between the LA Galaxy and New England Revolution
Check it out above.
CARSON, Calif. -- In the latest edition of my Insider Breakdown for Galaxy TV, I break down the LA Galaxy's match with the New England Revolution.
In the video, I take a look whether Landon Donovan will get his Hollywood ending and finish his career as an MLS Cup champion.
Check it out above.
CARSON, Calif. -- Landon Donovan went through his final training session as a professional athlete on Saturday as the LA Galaxy went through their final preparations for Sunday's MLS Cup Final against the New England Revolution at StubHub Center.
Photos from Donovan's final training session are below.
CARSON, Calif. -- One Day More.
The LA Galaxy will face off against the New England Revolution on Sunday in the 2014 MLS Cup Final. In the latest -- and final 2014 -- edition of By the Numbers, I look at the Galaxy's record against the Revs in MLS Cups. Spoiler Alert: It's pretty good.
Check it out below.
CARSON, Calif. -- The LA Galaxy and New England Revolution will face off on Sunday in MLS Cup, but ESPN FC and KICKTV took all the suspense out of the matchup by running a simulator of the game two days out.
Both simulations are exciting with the ESPN edition opting to play it a bit straight while the KICKTV simulation is a wacky affair. And no, I'm not going to tell you who was the winner in the simulations.
Check it out the ESPN FC one above and KICKTV video below.
CARSON, Calif. -- The LA Galaxy continued their preparation for Sunday's MLS Cup Final against New England Revolution.
During training, Mora Photography and Galaxy Photographer Hana Asano captured training and the press conference with both LA and the Galaxy.
Following training, Galaxy midfielder Marcelo Sarvas reflected on the team's mood ahead of Sunday's game.
"It's the moment that we've been waiting for, for so long. At training, everyone is happy and motivated," said Sarvas. "You can sense that everyone is ready for this big game."


text:
Global ship vetting specialists RightShip appoint Anuj Chopra to enhance customer relations, lead the vetting team and build on RightShip's reputation and expertise in the region.
Anuj has over 30 years maritime experience both at sea and onshore, and joins RightShip from ship manager, Anglo-Eastern where he was President for the past six years. In this role, he had operational responsibility for all Anglo-Eastern managed vessels visiting US ports, managing risk evaluation, assessment and mitigation and liaising with customers, charterers, United States Coast Guard, P&I Club, flag and classification societies.
On making the appointment, Warwick Norman, RightShip's CEO said:
"I am delighted to welcome Anuj to the RightShip team. His background in modern ship management will bring a valuable perspective to our business and his expertise in mitigating risk, fostering client relations and business development provides an excellent base for his new role."
About RightShip
RightShip is a ship vetting agency, supporting 6000 users in over 210 organisations worldwide with expert vetting support and advice, vessel inspections and secure hosting of client systems.
RightShip's comprehensive online vetting system (SVIS™) is accessed 24/7 through www.rightship.com and analyses over 50 risk factors, using up-to-the-minute data about 71,000 ships and thousands of maritime companies.
The world's largest cruise company Miami-based Carnival Corp reported a net profit of $49 million, or 6 cents per share in the first quarter ended Feb. 28.
Turkey owned merchant ship flying the flag of Tuvalu was arrested by Ukrainian authorities over a visit it made to a port in Crimea, reports Reuters. The ship's captain detained.
The Coast Guard cutter fleet is flushing ice through the Great Lakes river systems to prevent ice jams and facilitate commercial shipping as the shipping season
Austal USA combined two classes to graduate a total of 48 members of Austal's cutting-edge four-year apprenticeship program yesterday at a formal ceremony held at the Arthur R.
The heavy rainfall that battered Chile's usually arid north this week happened because of climate change, a senior meteorologist said, as the region gradually
Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA), the Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation,
SATCOM edges closer to providing standardized services to the workboat sector. It's affordable now and someday soon, you won't be able to afford to be without it.
The basic nature of maritime casualties, salvage and wreck removal has evolved rapidly over the last few years. Ships and offshore constructions have become more technologically elaborate,
With ESPRIT CAM software, Armor Mécanique has the wind in its sails; 50% time savings, better quality and new markets thanks to 3D machining
Established in 1984
"Ships and offshore structures are becoming more and more interconnected," said Tor Svensen, CEO DNV GL - Maritime, when taking the stage at this year's CMA
Digital Boat Profile and Customer Service Portal Gives Cutting Edge Options for Vessel Management to Boat Owners Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
On recent routine United States Public Health inspections (USPHI) conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Holland America Line's ms Statendam,
Antwerp Gateway, managed by DP World (one of the largest container terminal operators in the world) is a significant contributor to the success of the Port of Antwerp.
Global marine engineering consultancy LOC Group (London Offshore Consultants) announced appointments in two new positions; John Quarrington has joined the company


text:
"This is really a good book"
This book is good one and it really would be liked by everyone , and i would recommend to everyone.
Report Inappropriate Content
If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.


text:
Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller
- March 17, 2013
- From Beginning
- Previous feature
- Next feature
- Current
Comments (62) (Please sign in to comment)
Who says Sunday comics can't continue the story? You just have to be good…And Wiley's well known as being indisputably great,so it's easy for him… but still, it's pretty cool….
But, seriously, how do we know Jeffry isn't already a zombie?" BTW, could he have come back ten seconds before he left? Because that would be kinda cool to see….
I bet Jeffery know what Danae's going to become and he doesn't dare tell her !
Lá Fhéile Pádraig Shona!
Happy Saint Patrick's Day !
Now, now we don't want him punching a hole in time, do we ?
I love Danae's expression in panel one….And is it just me, or is that thing bigger on the inside than it is on the outside? Now THAT'S ergonomics…..
Hard to take in no ZA for Jeffrey.
As I said there are several real diseases that could give us such an Apocalypse. A mutated form of rabies would fit the bill too closely. Of course that could mean that Jeffrey just stopped from happening for another split off universe not his own. (Why paradoxes will not happen.)
You said: "…And is it just me, or is that thing bigger on the inside than it is on the outside? Now THAT'S ergonomics….."
No, that's dimensionally trancendental.
How do we know Jeffrey isn't a Terminator send back to kill Danae?
(One can only hope)
Actually, the scale of third panel is larger. Note the size of Jeffery and how crowded it is in there for him.
He doesn't want to tell her there married with children
@ Odd Dog: "they are" = they're. "at that place" = there. "belonging to them" = their. I know, that's so hard to remember, getting three common words correct.
Kid's got a time machine and he choses to go into medical research?! He has no idea how to take advantage of technology.
Believe us, Danae, we gave up on you years ago. Embrace the feeling.
bumfoozled by yacka-fratzen! (future realists)
- Load 15 more comments. | Load the rest (47).
You must be signed in to make a comment.


text:
Stock Photo:
Lady Vamp Style. Brunette Woman close-up Portrait
- Image ID: 115622410
- Release Information: Signed model release filed with Shutterstock, Inc
- Copyright: Subbotina Anna
Same ModelSee All
Coffee. Beautiful Girl Drinking Tea or Coffee in Cafe. Beauty Model Woman with the Cup of Hot Beverage. Warm Colors Toned
Beauty Fashion Glamorous Model Girl Portrait. Vintage Style Mysterious Woman Wearing Red Glamour Gloves. Jewellery. Jewelry. Holiday Hairstyle and Make-up. Diamond Ring. Retro Lady with Blue Eyes
High Fashion Beauty Model Girl with Black Make up and Long Lushes. Black Lips. Dark Lipstick and White Skin. Vogue Style Portrait
Winter Beauty Woman. Christmas Girl Makeup. Holiday Make-up. Snow Queen High Fashion Portrait over Blue Snow Background. Eyeshadows, False Eyelashes and Crystals on the Lips. Copy Space for Your Text
Valentine Heart Kiss on the Lips. Makeup. Beauty Sexy Lips with Heart Shape paint. Valentines Day. Beautiful Love Make-up
Beauty Girl Portrait with Colorful Makeup, Hair, Nail polish and Accessories. Colourful Studio Shot of Funny Woman. Vivid Colors. Manicure and Hairstyle. Rainbow Colors
High Fashion Model Girl Portrait with Trendy Fringe Hair style and Makeup. Long Black Fringe Hairstyle, Black Hair and Red Matte Lipstick. Woman Makeup. Sexy Lips. Haircut
Fashion Sexy Woman with flowers. Vogue style Model girl face with roses. Red Sexy Lips and Nails closeup. Manicure and Makeup. Make up. Beauty lady face isolated on white background. Perfect skin
Similar ImagesSee All
A young woman, closeup, isolated on white
Portrait of young beautiful woman with colored glossy hair. Beauty
Portrait of brunet with long false eyelashes
Brunette Woman close-up Portrait
Portrait of beautiful young woman with long straight hair. Beauty
Close up Face with pretty sharp eyes from an attractive blond lady
Closeup ofa beautiful woman's face, isolated on white
A young woman, closeup
beautiful, beauty, black, brunette, club, coloring, cosmetic, cut, dark, eyes, eyes, face, fashion, fringe, girl, glamour, hair, haircare, haircut, hairstyle, halloween, health, healthy, isolated, lady, lips, lipstick, look, luxury, make-up, makeup, model, perfect, portrait, pure, red, salon, sensual, sexy, shiny, skin, skincare, smokey, smoky, studio, style, styling, vamp, vampire, woman


text:
Welcome to UCD Science. University College Dublin has one of the most diverse Science programmes in the country, providing undergraduate and graduate courses in the biological, biomedical, chemical, geological, mathematical, physical and computer sciences. Watch our new 60 second video showcasing the world-class facilities in the UCD O'Brien Centre for Science.
2-5 June 2015 UCD 5th Year Summer Schools
3 June 2015 UCD Science Summer School - Includes workshops in biomedical, environmental and biomolecular science, chemistry, mathematics, geology and physics. Book online.
4 June 2015 Computer Science Summer School - includes opportunity to learn how to program and attend a range of range of presentations and interactive demonstrations on modern computer science topics. Book online.
How to turn the bad guys good in hardened arteries
Hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases and is a common feature of ageing but it is not good news. Dr Orina Belton is figuring out how targeting a key cell of the immune system could change the nature of plaques, and possibly even reduce the damage.... (Posted 25 March 2015)
New insights into depression – gender diversity and links to inflammatory diseases
Depression is a complex condition and people with inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and cardiovascular disease often experience depression alongside their ailment. Dr Jana Haase has been getting glimpses into the molecular underpinnings that could help explain some of these more 'personalised' aspects of depression.... (Posted 24 March 2015)
UCD School of Geological Sciences are pleased to announce the
Woodside Energy Masters Scholarships in Petroleum Geoscience
UCD School of Geological Sciences was pleased to welcome representatives from Woodside Energy to present the Woodside Energy MSc Award in Petroleum Geoscience and to launch a new scholarship programme for students pursuing an MSc in Petroleum Geoscience.
Over 30 secondary school students attend UCD Science Workshop
Over 30 students from secondary schools across Ireland attended the UCD Science Workshop on 25 February 2015. The students got the chance to learn about Physics of Antarctica and experienced a microbiology lab on the Art & Science of Brewing.
UCD Spin-out Secures €800,000 from European Space Agency to Address Big Data Challenges in Space
Parameter Space Ltd, a new University College Dublin (UCD) spin-out company, has secured a €800,000 contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) to fund a 3-year project.


text:
No Apologies #26: Man's Soul Is Immortal
Version 8 and above required to view videos
Uploaded by AirMaria on Jul 11, 2008
Ave Maria! Our "built in" sense of moral obligation and of justice are two roads that lead to the conclusion that man will continue to live even after his body has died. Ave Maria!
Fra Joseph Immortal Justice Justince No Apologies Sense of moral obligation
0 Comments
Leave a Comment
Most Popular
Rare video shows 'successful' exorcism on woman 'possessed by devil' Read More
CO-PILOT LOCKED CAPTAIN OUT OF COCKPIT: Chilling last minutes of Germanwings Airbus crash revealed Read More
Where's the most hate in the United States? A look into the top states with the highest amount of hate groups may shock you Read More
Bacon is good for you? Here are 5 incredible reasons bacon actually helps your body Read More
For the first time in over 150 years -- Blood of St. Januarius liquefies during Francis' visit to Naples Read More


text:
Tru-cut Reel Clutch Adjustment
I've owned this guy since new (1979). Beyond normal maintenance (oil, plugs, etc), I've had the blades sharpened a few times. Been a great mower. The clutch is starting to slip some with thick grass, so the blade stops turning. If I back off it will turn again. I believe the clutch can be adjusted by the jam nuts on each end of the axle - does anyone know the procedure?
I believe the nut size is 15/16. I used to own Tru-Cuts when I lived in Los Angeles, but now I only have an old Cooper Klipper front throw which I keep for nostalgia reasons. The Cooper uses 15/16 jam and regular nuts.
I ended up buying a 15/16 x 1" wrench and grinding the flats down to about 1/4" or so.
To adjust, start with the reel drive first and break the large nut free of the jam nut using either a tappet wrench or modified regular wrench. Tighten the main nut until the clutch begins to engage about half way down on the control rod. The tighten the jam nut against the main nut. You don't need to fully tighten the jam nut because you'll nee to go back and check the adjustment and possible re-do several time. Correct adjustment is tight enough to fully engage the reel without slippage, and able to go past the detent to stay engaged, yet loose enough that there is no drag or creep when disengaged.
Then go the the rear drive clutch (in the center) and do the same thing. Most professionals would set the drive clutch to engage with thumb pressure but not go far enough to go past the detent and stay fully engaged. Again you want it loose enough when not engaged to prevent creeping.
You may have to check and adjust several times going from reel to drive and back again. This is because the two clutches are on a common shaft and tend to affect one another. However, the reel clutch has less effect on the drive clutch, so you want to start with drive clutch. Once you think you have everything right, tighten down both jam nuts against their respective heavy nuts and check one more time as things may have changed slightly.
Two places sell tappet style wrenches in 15/16 x 1". Snap-On is the best but very expensive. The Thin Wrench is much cheaper and should do the job:
Thx for replies. I think I understand the reel drive adjustment using the jam/main nut pair outboard of the right side (looking forward) mounting block. Still a bit confused about the drive clutch adjustment - is this done with the nuts on the left side of the shaft? These are oriented different than the pair on the right, there is a nut and capture washer on each side of the shaft drive sprocket.


text:
Loading stream...
Now Playing
Podcasts & RSS Feeds
|All Content
|View all podcasts & RSS feeds
Connect with Us
Behind the Mics
News Director & Morning Edition anchor
Production Director & host of All This Jazz
Operations Director & documentary host
General Manager & host of StudioTulsa
The Torch
4:46 pm
Wed August 8, 2012
Photos Of Day 12 From The Olympics
By Emily Bogle
Originally published on Wed August 8, 2012 6:30 pm
Photo highlights from today's Olympic action feature women's beach volleyball, men's and women's track and field, and men's water polo.
Want to see yesterday's photos? Click here.
Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.


text:
OP Junior Member
Thanks Meter: 0
10 posts
Join Date:Joined: Apr 2012
I am new here and hope to find an answer to a problem i have with my Acer A500.
I am very happy with this tablet but when i wanted to do some video call with Skype i notice than my front camera doesn't work.
I get a green screen with a lot of noise and sometime its like i see some of my icons of my home page but a lot bigger.
Does anybody have the same problem, i want to have it fix in the shop but only when i am certain it is a hardware problem.
I don't want to miss my tablet for several weeks.
A factory reset did not make any difference.


text:
VIEWS: 10 PAGES: 9 CATEGORY: Herbal POSTED ON: 7/27/2012
This file addresses the field of alternative medicine and treatment methods of ancient and modern, as well as medicinal herbs
Chang et al. BMC Cancer 2011, 11:196 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/11/196 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Complementary and alternative medicine use in oncology: A questionnaire survey of patients and health care professionals Kah Hoong Chang, Rachel Brodie, Mei Ann Choong, Karl J Sweeney and Michael J Kerin* Abstract Background: We aimed to investigate the prevalence and predictors of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) use among cancer patients and non-cancer volunteers, and to assess the knowledge of and attitudes toward CAM use in oncology among health care professionals. Methods: This is a cross-sectional questionnaire survey conducted in a single institution in Ireland. Survey was performed in outpatient and inpatient settings involving cancer patients and non-cancer volunteers. Clinicians and allied health care professionals were asked to complete a different questionnaire. Results: In 676 participants including 219 cancer patients; 301 non-cancer volunteers and 156 health care professionals, the overall prevalence of CAM use was 32.5% (29.1%, 30.9% and 39.7% respectively in the three study cohorts). Female gender (p < 0.001), younger age (p = 0.004), higher educational background (p < 0.001), higher annual household income (p = 0.001), private health insurance (p = 0.001) and non-Christian (p < 0.001) were factors associated with more likely CAM use. Multivariate analysis identified female gender (p < 0.001), non- Christian (p = 0.001) and private health insurance (p = 0.015) as independent predictors of CAM use. Most health care professionals thought they did not have adequate knowledge (58.8%) nor were up to date with the best evidence (79.2%) on CAM use in oncology. Health care professionals who used CAM were more likely to recommend it to patients (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrates a similarly high prevalence of CAM use among oncology health care professionals, cancer and non cancer patients. Patients are more likely to disclose CAM usage if they are specifically asked. Health care professionals are interested to learn more about various CAM therapies and have poor evidence-based knowledge on specific oncology treatments. There is a need for further training to meet to the escalation of CAM use among patients and to raise awareness of potential benefits and risks associated with these therapies. Background Previous studies demonstrated that patients were using Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is 'a CAM without obtaining enough information regarding comprehensive term used to refer both to traditional these therapies [5]. Documented figures of up to 60% of medical systems such as traditional Chinese medicine, these patients did not disclose their CAM usage to the Indian ayurveda and Arabic unani medicine, and to var- doctors, and most cited reason was that their doctors ious forms of indigenous medicine' [1]. The use of did not ask them [4,5]. These findings highlighted the CAM has gained enormous popularity among the gen- lack of awareness of CAM usage among health care pro- eral public and numerous surveys have reported particu- fessionals. This could have important oncologic implica- larly high prevalence of use in cancer patients [2-5]. tions due to potential drug-herb-vitamin interactions. For example, shark cartilage has been found to have no effect on tumour growth in clinical trials, but caused * Correspondence: email@example.com Department of Surgery, University College Hospital Galway, National severe gastrointestinal toxicity [6,7]. More importantly, University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland St. John's Wort was associated with significantly reduced © 2011 Chang et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Chang et al. BMC Cancer 2011, 11:196 Page 2 of 9 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/11/196 plasma levels of SN-38, the active metabolite of che- with any cancer in the past. Non-cancer volunteers were motherapeutic agent, Irinotecan [8]. The majority of patients who were on the wards or attending outpatient novel anticancer treatments are studied in advanced clinic for reasons other than cancer, or visitors. Thirty- cancer patients and this cohort has been shown to use six consultants across 13 specialties (breast and endo- CAM more frequently [9]. This can be a confounding crine surgery; general and gastrointestinal surgery; plas- factor potentially leading to under- or over-estimated tics and reconstructive surgery; urology; head and neck drug levels, toxicity, side effect profiles, drug-herb-vita- surgery; obstetrics and gynaecology; medical oncology; min interactions and unreliable clinical trial data [10]. radiation oncology; dermatology; respiratory medicine; Previous surveys in cancer patients have mainly palliative medicine; neurology and haematology) gave focused on the prevalence and predictors of CAM usage permission to have their patients recruited in this study. [2-5,9]. In Ireland, the prevalence of CAM use in oncol- The study was coordinated by a postgraduate researcher ogy has been reported in a selected cohort of patients and a medical student undertaking summer research with head and neck cancer [11]. Few studies have project. Nurses at each study location assisted with the assessed the attitudes and perceptions of health care accrual process. professionals toward CAM use in oncology. Richardson Health care professionals consisted of doctors, nurses, et al reported negative perceptions on CAM by clinical physiotherapists, pharmacists, speech and language, and oncologists and Hyodo et al reported discrepant views occupational therapists. All of these health care profes- on CAM between oncologist and cancer patients sionals are involved in the care of cancer patients. Doc- [12,13]. Risberg et al investigated oncology professionals' tors and nurses were asked to complete the knowledge of and attitudes toward CAM in a group of questionnaire at various locations within the hospital. oncologists, nurses, clerks and interventional radiogra- For other allied health care professionals, questionnaires phers [14]. However, the study cohorts did not represent were distributed to the corresponding departments. all the members of the current multidisciplinary team. Furthermore, these studies did not assess patients and Questionnaires health care professionals' attitudes and perceptions We utilised a modified version of a previously published simultaneously [13,14], which may enable better under- questionnaire validated in Japan [5]. Prior to the com- standing of the interactions between the two parties. mencement of the survey, the questionnaire was distribu- Lastly, health care professionals' knowledge of the use of ted to all participating consultants for review. The CAM therapies in specific cancer-related clinical condi- structure was further modified and questions reworded tions has not previously been investigated. according to consultants' feedback. The anonymised ques- The aims of this study were therefore to a) investigate tionnaire collected data on sociodemographics; use of the interest and prevalence of CAM use among cancer CAM and specific details such as types of CAM, expecta- patients attending a tertiary referral centre in Ireland; b) tions and reasons for use; cancer-related characteristics determine factors associated with CAM usage; (c) assess and treatment (Additional files 1 and 2). The question- communications between health care professionals and naire also incorporated Hospital Anxiety and Depression patients by obtaining opinions and experience from Scale (HADS) which is a validated brief 14-item scoring both parties; and (d) investigate health care profes- system to assess emotional state [15]. Data was also col- sionals' knowledge of and attitudes toward CAM. lected on the location of consultation, stage of cancer and a simplified Karnofsky performance status score. Methods The questionnaire distributed to health care profes- Participants sionals was composed of questions regarding their spe- This was a single centre cross-sectional survey. Partici- cialties and positions; use of CAM; attitudes towards pants were recruited between July and August 2008. CAM and previous experience during consultations. Three study cohorts were included in this study, namely Five quiz-like questions regarding the use of CAM in cancer patients, non-cancer volunteers and health care specific cancer-related scenarios were incorporated to professionals. The study was granted approval by the determine if health care professionals were up to date Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the University with the best available evidence (additional files 1 and College Hospital Galway. Patients and volunteers were 2). The 'correct' answers to these questions were based accrued after explanation of the nature of the survey on level 1a evidence [16-20]. both in verbal and written format, followed by verbal consent. Cancer patients and non-cancer volunteers Statistical Analysis were identified from the outpatient clinics, inpatient Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 15.0 soft- wards, oncology day ward and radiotherapy department. ware (Chicago, IL, USA). Univariate comparison of vari- Cancer patients were patients who have been diagnosed ables was assessed using c2 test for nominal or ordinal Chang et al. BMC Cancer 2011, 11:196 Page 3 of 9 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/11/196 data; Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were insurance (p = 0.015) as independent predictive factors used for parametric and non-parametric continuous of CAM use (Table 4). data respectively. Multivariate analysis was performed In the cancer patient cohort, patients who received using binary logistic regression with forward conditional hormonal therapy were more likely to use CAM (p = method. Variables that were significant on univariate 0.016). Interestingly, no association was found between analyses were entered into the regression model. A p CAM use and cancer stage, and Karnofsky performance value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically signif- status score. icant for all tests. Attitudes and Perceptions Toward CAM Results Among 155 CAM users, reasons for using CAM were: Characteristics of Participants 72 (51.1%) recommended by family or friends; 42 A total of 728 participants were asked to complete the (29.8%) own will, 12 (8.5%) media influence and 6 questionnaire, 52 were excluded from subsequent analy- (4.3%) recommended by doctor. Among the non-cancer sis as 5 were erroneously filled out by clerical staff and volunteers, CAM users expected CAM to improve 47 had excessive missing information. Therefore, 676 immune function (n = 79, 61.7%), general wellbeing (n questionnaires were valid for analysis including 301 = 20, 15.7%) and a small proportion expected CAM to completed by non-cancer volunteers, 219 by cancer prevent cancer (n = 8, 6.3%). On the other hand, the patients and 156 by health care professionals. The cancer patient cohort used CAM with the expectations majority of participants were Caucasians. Nineteen dif- that it would cure cancer (n = 1, 0.7%), halt cancer pro- ferent malignancies were represented in the cancer gression (n = 1, 0.7%), improve symptoms (n = 6, 4.1%), patient cohort. The prevalence of CAM use among can- and 6 patients used it as a complementary to conven- cer patients, non-cancer volunteers and health care pro- tional treatments. When asked if they thought CAM fessionals were 29.1%, 30.9% and 39.7% respectively. The was effective, the majority of CAM users (n = 93, 66.5%) prevalence rate in the entire study cohort was 32.5%. either agreed or strongly agreed. Only 4 participants Characteristics of cancer patients and non-cancer volun- reported negative effects from CAM use (one constipa- teers are summarised in Table 1, and characteristics of tion and diarrhoea; one drowsiness; one cough, sweating health care professionals are summarised in Table 2. and weight gain; one urinary incontinence). In 359 non-users, reasons for not using CAM were Types of CAM Use reported to be: did not have enough information about Biologically-based and orally ingested CAM such as nat- it (n = 150, 50.2%), no interest (n = 64, 21.4%), did not ural supplements (i.e. Probiotics, fish oil, flax seeds, mel- believe in it (n = 38, 12.7%), never needed it (n = 14, atonin, etc.), vitamins, green tea and herbal or folk 4.7%), too expensive (n = 12, 4%), happy with conven- remedies (i.e. garlic, ginger, Essiac, aloe vera, ginseng, tional medicine (n = 5, 1.7%) and heard bad comments Laetrile, etc.) were the most commonly used CAM in about it (n = 4, 1.3%). Interestingly, 151 (46.6%) of the the study cohorts. Manipulative and body-based prac- non-users would like to learn more about CAM. tices such as massage therapy, acupuncture, yoga and Among health care professionals, there was a signifi- chiropractic therapy were popular among CAM users. cant association between CAM use and professions (p = Energy medicine (i.e. energy healing, biofeedback, etc.), 0.050). The prevalence of CAM use was the highest mind-body medicine (i.e. psychotherapy, meditation, among pharmacist (4/5, 80%), followed by nurses (30/ etc.) and whole medical systems such as homeopathy 61, 49.2%), physiotherapists (10/27, 37.0%), and the least and traditional Chinese medicine were less commonly prevalent among doctors (17/59, 28.8%). Longer dura- used. The types of CAM used in our study cohorts are tion since qualification was associated with higher likeli- summarised in Table 3. hood of CAM usage (p = 0.007). There was a high level of interest among health care professionals with 110 Predictors of CAM Use (75.3%) wanting to learn more about CAM. On univariate analysis, female gender (p < 0.001), younger age (p = 0.004), higher educational background Communications Between Health Care Professionals and (p < 0.001), higher annual household income (p = Patients 0.001), private health care insurance (p = 0.001), non- In 155 CAM users, 43 (30.1%) voluntarily reported CAM Christian (p < 0.001) were found to be factors associated use to their doctors. The doctors' response was reported with more likely CAM usage. No association was found to be: encouraged to continue (n = 16, 37.2%), advised to between ethnicity, HADS and CAM use (Table 1). Mul- stop (n = 7, 16.3%), neither discouraged nor encouraged tivariate analysis identified female gender (p < 0.001), (n = 20, 46.5%), and doctor did not know about CAM (n = non-Christian (p = 0.001) and private health care 4, 2.8%). Among patients who did not report CAM use Chang et al. BMC Cancer 2011, 11:196 Page 4 of 9 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/11/196 Table 1 Characteristics of patient participants Variables Number of Participants Number of CAM Users (%) p value (c2) Total 520 155 (29.8) Gender <0.001 Male 186 29 (15.6) Female 330 124 (37.6) Missing 4 2 Age* 52.5 ± 16.9 49.1 ± 15.5 0.004† Ethnicity 0.385 Caucasian 497 149 (30.0) Non-Caucasian 4 2 Missing 19 4 Educational background <0.001 Primary level 97 11 (11.3) Secondary level 255 74 (29.0) Tertiary level 154 66 (42.9) Missing 13 4 Annual household income 0.001 <€20 000 197 43 (21.8) €20 000 - €49 999 161 50 (31.1) €50 000 - €99 999 71 33 (46.5) >€100 000 12 5 (41.7) Missing 79 24 Health insurance 0.001 None 71 242 26 (36.6) 52 (21.5) Public Medical Card Private Health Insurance 200 76 (38.0%) Missing 7 1 Religions 0.001 Christian 486 138 (28.4) Non-Christian 15 11 (73.3) Missing 19 6 Subgroups 0.369 Non-cancer volunteers 301 93 (30.9) Cancer patients 219 62 ((28.3) Breast 81 27 (33.3) 0.667 Colorectal 23 4 Lymphoma 17 6 Leukaemia 13 3 Prostate 12 3 Lung 12 2 Ovarian 12 5 Melanoma 12 6 Head & Neck 7 0 Oesophagus 5 1 Kidney 5 1 Brain 4 1 Cervix 3 1 Stomach 3 0 Testicle 2 0 Urinary bladder 2 0 Non-melanoma skin 2 1 Chang et al. BMC Cancer 2011, 11:196 Page 5 of 9 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/11/196 Table 1 Characteristics of patient participants (Continued) Pancreatic 1 1 Myeloma 1 0 Missing 2 0 HADS High anxiety score (≥11) 44 13 (29.5) 0.350 Low anxiety score (<11) 333 112 (33.6) Missing 143 30 High depression score (≥11) 13 3 (23.1) 0.328 Low depression score (<11) 386 128 (33.2) Missing 121 24 Karnofsky score 0.493 80 - 100 106 33 (31.1) 50 - 70 36 7 (19.4) 0 - 40 6 1 (16.7) Missing 76 24 * mean ± standard deviation † student's t-test voluntarily, only 8 were asked about its use by their doc- 6 months. A large proportion of health care profes- tors. The majority of patients did not mention CAM use sionals (n = 68, 45.9%) thought they would ask patients because the doctor never asked (n = 47, 34.6%), some about CAM use, while 57 (38.8%) would recommend thought that the doctor would not understand (n = 5, CAM to patients. Health care professionals who used 3.7%), or would disapprove (n = 8, 5.9%). CAM were more likely to recommend CAM to their From the health care professionals perspective, when patients (p = 0.001). asked about their responses to patients regarding CAM use, 26 (17.2%) reported that they would encourage to Health Care Professionals' Knowledge on CAM continue, 5 (3.3%) advise to stop, 92 (60.9%) neither dis- Health care professionals were asked to self-rate their courage nor encourage. Of these, 58 (38.2%) have been knowledge on CAM. With regards to having adequate asked about CAM during consultations in the previous knowledge, 1 strongly agreed, 22 (14.4%) agreed, 40 Table 2 Characteristics of health care professional participants Variables Number of Participants Number of CAM Users (%) p value (c2) Total 156 62 (39.7) Gender 0.001 Male 38 7 (18.4) Female 118 55 (46.6) Age* 31.1 ± 7.3 33.3 ± 8.6 0.001† Ethnicity 0.211 Caucasian 136 56 (41.2) Non-Caucasian 18 5 Missing 1 1 Professions 0.050 Doctors 59 17 (28.8) Nurses 61 27 30 (49.2) Physiotherapists 27 10 (37.0) Pharmacists 5 4 (80.0) Occupational therapists 2 0 S&L therapists 2 1 * mean ± standard deviation † student's t-test S&L therapists, speech and language therapists Chang et al. BMC Cancer 2011, 11:196 Page 6 of 9 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/11/196 Table 3 Types of CAM used Discussion Types of CAM Used Number of Users (%) In this study, we surveyed the prevalence of CAM use in Natural supplements 83 (53.9) three distinctive populations and investigated the preva- Vitamins 78 (50.6) lence, predictive factors, knowledge of and attitudes Green tea 62 (40.3) toward CAM use. The communication on CAM between health care professionals and cancer patients Massage therapy 51 (33.1) was explored. Herbal remedies 50 (30.5) One of the strengths of this study is the recruitment Acupuncture 40 (26.1) process. Participants were approached and invited to Yoga 35 (22.7) complete the questionnaires, instead of using mailed- Homeopathy 26 (16.9) questionnaire method. With the assistance of nurse Chinese herbal medicine 25 (16.2) coordinators, the response rate of our study was 100% Chiropractic 20 (13.0) among patients who were invited to participate. This Meditation 15 (9.7) eradicates selection bias inherently associated with most Energy healing 14 (9.1) mail-based study design as patients who use CAM are Spiritual practice 13 (8.5) more inclined to participate. One might argue that the prevalence rate of CAM use in this study may not be a Music/art therapy 12 (7.8) true reflection of the entire population as participants Tai Chi 10 (6.5) were accrued from the hospital setting. However, the Psychotherapy 8 (5.2) prevalence rate reported here is in keeping with pre- Hypnotherapy 7 (4.5) vious large scale population surveys [2,21-23]. Further- Biofeedback 2 (1.3) more, patients (cancer or non-cancer) and visitors Others (Neuro Linguistic Programming) 1 (0.6) included in this study are a representative group of indi- viduals that hospital-based health care workers interact with on a daily basis and are therefore clinically relevant. (26.1%) undecided, 62 (40.5%) disagreed and 28 (18.3%) In our study, the prevalence of CAM use is high in all strongly disagreed. When asked if they were up to date groups of participants, intriguingly, the highest among with the best available evidence on CAM use, none health care professionals. This would reflect the growing strongly agreed, 5 agreed, 27 (17.5%) undecided, 83 rates of CAM use and it is an encouraging finding as (53.9%) disagreed and 39 (25.3%) strongly disagreed. CAM becomes more acceptable in the society. There is Five questions based on level 1a evidence were no difference in CAM use between cancer patients and designed to assess health care professionals' knowledge non-cancer volunteers, which is not consistent with pre- on the evidence-based CAM practices including: the vious reports [5,22-26]. This may be explained by the role of acupuncture in chemotherapy-induced nausea inclusion of patients suffering from chronic disorders and vomiting; Chinese herbal medicine for side-effects other than cancer in the non-cancer volunteer cohort. of chemotherapy; antioxidant for the prevention of lung Factors associated with increased CAM use such as cancer; oral fish oil for the treatment of cancer cachexia female gender, younger age, higher socioeconomic status and ginger as an effective anti-emetic remedy. The and private health insurance shown in our study are answers provided are summarised in Table 5. The consistent with previous data [4,5,27,28]. Interestingly, majority were undecided on all five questions highlight- patients with higher anxiety or depression score, more ing the lack of knowledge. advanced disease stage and poorer performance status Table 4 Univariate and multivariate analyses of factors predictive of CAM use Univariate Multivariate Binary Logistic Regression Variables p value Likelihood Ratio 95% Confidence Interval p value Female gender < 0.001 3.703 2.251-6.094 < 0.001 Younger age 0.004 - NS Higher educational background <0.001 - NS Higher annual household income 0.001 - NS Private health insurance 0.001 1.670 1.106-2.521 0.015 Non-Christian <0.001 10.587 3.000-37.359 <0.001 NS, not significant. Chang et al. BMC Cancer 2011, 11:196 Page 7 of 9 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/11/196 Table 5 Distribution of answers provided by health care professionals on evidence-based practices of CAM in cancer Numbers of Answers (%) Questions Strongly Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree There is evidence that acupuncture is effective in reducing first day vomiting after 1 (0.6) 19 128 (82.6) 5 (3.2) 2 (1.3) chemotherapy. (12.3) There is evidence that Chinese herbs decrease side-effects in patients treated with 1 (0.6) 11 132 (85.7) 8 (5.2) 2 (1.3) chemotherapy. (7.1) There is evidence to support recommending antioxidant vitamins such as a-tocopherol, 0 12 127 (82.5) 9 (5.8) 6 (3.9) beta-carotene or retinol to prevent lung cancer. (7.8) There is evidence to support the use of oral fish oil for the management of cancer 0 18 126 (81.8) 8 (5.2) 2 (1.3) cachexia. (11.7) There is evidence that ginger has a potential role as an antiemetic herbal remedy. 10 (6.5) 29 109 (70.8) 4 (2.6) 2 (1.3) (18.8) Bold fonts indicate the correct answers according to the best available evidence. are not more likely to use CAM. Kristoffersen et al pre- CAM users were asked by their doctors about CAM viously reported higher prevalence of CAM use among use, a much higher proportion (45.9%) of health care cancer patients with poorer prognosis [9]. The authors professionals thought they would ask patients about its suggested that this may be due to patients resorting to use. Similarly, only 17.2% of health care professionals non-conventional therapy when less hope of cure is would encourage patients to continue CAM, which is given by the physicians. In contrast, other studies have markedly different from experience reported by patients demonstrated that CAM use is not associated with more that 37.2% of doctors encouraged them to continue advanced disease stage [29-31]. This may be related to CAM when consulted. the complexity of underlying psychological and beha- When asked about their knowledge on CAM, the vioural mechanisms influencing the use of CAM in can- majority of health care professionals thought they did cer patients such as attitude, family support and coping not have adequate knowledge (58.8%) nor were up to behaviour as have been shown by previous reports date with the best available evidence (79.2%) on CAM [32,33]. use. This is evident from answers provided by health The most commonly used CAM is orally ingested care professionals to the five evidence-based CAM ques- agents such as natural supplements, vitamins, green tea tions. Up to 80% were unsure of the roles of the afore- and herbal remedies. This further highlights the impor- mentioned CAM practices in cancer-related scenarios, tance of documentation of the intake of these sub- thereby not being able to advise patients regarding the stances as part of routine clerking and assessment of benefits, limitations and even potential harms. patients in order to avoid potential drug-herb-vitamin The findings of this study have major implications for interactions particularly in patients undergoing chemo- undergraduate education. We demonstrated a high pre- or hormonal therapy. As demonstrated by our study, valence of CAM use in our study population consisting most patients do not inform their doctors about CAM of cancer and non-cancer patients as well as health care use, mainly because the doctors never ask, or are per- workers. Despite the lack of awareness and knowledge ceived to be lack of CAM knowledge or disapproving. on CAM, health care professionals expressed a high Therefore the initiatives to elicit CAM usage through level of interest in CAM education. Until recently few history taking may be effective in obtaining such allopathic medical students worldwide would have been information. exposed to the teaching of CAM. In recognition of the There are numerous reports expressing communica- growing needs for medical graduates that have at least tion gaps between health care professionals and patients basic understanding of CAM in order to make appropri- on CAM. This is possibly related to the suboptimal evi- ate referrals as part of integration of CAM into conven- dence-based knowledge on these therapies but none of tional medicine; several countries have incorporated these studies had addressed this in detail [4,5,28,34-36]. CAM into undergraduate curricula such as the United To our knowledge, this is the first study that includes States of America (USA), Finland, Germany, Japan, both health care professionals' attitudes toward CAM Canada, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Notably in use in oncology and an assessment of their knowledge Finland acupuncture has been part of the undergraduate on these therapies. There is a significant discrepancy curriculum since 1975. According to the worldwide comparing patients and health care professionals' review on CAM published by the World Health Organi- reported experience toward CAM. While only 8 of 155 zation, the majority of medical schools in the USA offer Chang et al. BMC Cancer 2011, 11:196 Page 8 of 9 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/11/196 courses on CAM. Since 1997, primary care physicians Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. have been encouraged to attend courses that enable them to incorporate homeopathy into practices. In Ger- Received: 14 June 2010 Accepted: 24 May 2011 Published: 24 May 2011 many, medical schools are required to test students' knowledge of CAM. In Australia, acupuncturists form a References 1. World Health Organization: WHO traditional medicine strategy 2002-2005. part of the multidisciplinary management of patients in [http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js2297e/]. the public health sector. The British Medical Association 2. Eisenberg DM, Kessler RC, Foster C, Norlock FE, Calkins DR, Delbanco TL: recommends incorporating CAM into undergraduate Unconventional medicine in the United States. N Engl J Med 1993, 328:246-252. curriculum and making accredited postgraduate training 3. Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Ettner SL, Appel S, Wilkey S, Van Rompay M, available [37]. University of Southampton commenced Kessler RC: Trends in alternative medicine use in the United States, 1990- education on CAM as part of the Special Study Module 1997: Results of a follow-up national survey. JAMA 1998, 280:1569-1575. 4. Richardson MA, Sanders T, Palmer JL, Greisinger A, Singletary SE: (SSM) out of students' request [38]. As part of the Pro- Complementary/alternative medicine use in a comprehensive cancer fessionalism curriculum, CAM SSM has been made center and the implications for oncology. J Clin Oncol 2000, 18:2505-2514. available at the National University of Ireland Galway 5. Hyodo I, Amano N, Eguchi K, Narabayashi M, Imanishi J, Hirai M, Nakano T, Takashima S: Nationwide survey on complementary and alternative for the last 2 years. The potential for incorporating medicine in cancer patients in Japan. J Clin Oncol 2005, 23:2645-2654. CAM as part of a compulsory undergraduate curriculum 6. Miller DR, Anderson GT, Stark JJ, Granick JL, Richardson D: Phase I/II trial of remains to be evaluated. the safety and efficacy of shark cartilage in the treatment of advanced cancer. J Clin Oncol 1998, 16:3649-3655. Nevertheless there are some limitations to our study. 7. Loprinzi CL, Levitt R, Barton DL, Sloan JA, Atherton PJ, Smith DJ, Dakhil SR, The survey was carried out in a single institution invol- Moore DF Jr, Krook JE, Rowland KM Jr, Mazurczak MA, Berg AR, Kim GP, ving generally defined populations of cancer patients, North Central cancer Treatment Group: Evaluation of shark cartilage in patients with advanced cancer: a North Central Cancer Treatment group non-cancer volunteers and health care professionals. trial. Cancer 2005, 104:176-182. While further studies may be warranted to investigate 8. Mathijssen RH, Verweij J, de Bruijn P, Loos WJ, Sparreboom A: Effects of St. the attitudes toward CAM in more specifically defined John's wort on irinotecan metabolism: St. John's Wort–More implications for cancer patients. J Natl Cancer Inst 2002, 94:1247-1249. populations, the present study produced useful informa- 9. Kristoffersen AE, Fonnebo V, Norheim AJ: Do cancer patients with a poor tion on the overall prevalence of CAM use. The non- prognosis use complementary and alternative medicine more often cancer volunteer cohort was accrued from the hospital than others? J Altern Complement Med 2009, 15:1115-1120. 10. Hlubocky FJ, Ratain MJ, Wen M, Daugherty CK: Complementary and environment, which may not be truly reflective of the alternative medicine among advanced cancer patients enrolled on general population. Furthermore, the questionnaire used phase I trials: a study of prognosis, quality of life, and preferences for in this study did not address the use of CAM within a decision making. J Clin Oncol 2007, 25:548-554. 11. Amin M, Glynn F, Rowley S, O'Leary G, O'Dwyer T, Timon C, Kinsella J: specific time period or specifically in relation to cancer. Complementary medicine use in patients with head and neck cancer in Ireland. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2010, 267:1291-1297. Conclusions 12. Richardson MA, Masse LC, Nanny K, Sanders C: Discrepant views of oncologists and cancer patients on complementary/alternative This survey demonstrates a high prevalence of CAM use medicine. Support Care Cancer 2004, 12:797-804. among patients and health care professionals. Increased 13. Hyodo I, Eguchi K, Nishina T, Endo H, Tanimizu M, Mikami I, Takashima S, awareness of CAM use and potential drug-herb-vitamin Imanishi J: Perceptions and attitudes of clinical oncologists on complementary and alternative medicine. Cancer 2003, 97:2861-2868. interactions is critical for optimal patient care in oncol- 14. Risberg T, Kolstad A, Bremnes Y, Holte H, Wist EA, Mella O, Klepp O, ogy. The incorporation of CAM education into under- Wilsgaard T, Cassileth BR: Knowledge of and attitudes toward graduate medical curriculum may improve health care complementary and alternative therapies: a national multicentre study of oncology professionals in Norway. Eur J Cancer 2004, 40:529-535. professionals' knowledge on CAM, thereby improving 15. Hyodo I, Eguchi K, Takigawa N, Segawa Y, Hosokawa Y, Kamejima K, doctor-patient communication. Inoue R: Psychological impact of informed consent in hospitalized cancer patients: A sequential study of anxiety and depression using the hospital anxiety and depression scale. Support Care Cancer 1999, Additional material 7:396-399. 16. Ezzo J, Vickers A, Richardson MA, Allen C, Dibble SL, Issell B, Lao L, Pearl M, Additional file 1: Ramirez G, Roscoe JA, Shen J, Shivnan JC, Streitberger K, Treish I, Zhang G: Acupuncture-Point stimulation for chemotherapy-induced nausea and Additional file 2: vomiting. J Clin Oncol 2005, 23:7188-7198. 17. Taixiang W, Munro AJ, Guanjian L: Chinese medical herbs for chemotherapy side effects in colorectal cancer patients. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2005, 1:CD004540. Authors' contributions 18. Caraballoso M, Sacristan M, Serra C, Bonfill X: Drugs for preventing lung KHC and MAC conceived of and designed the study. KHC performed cancer in healthy people. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2003, 2: statistical analysis and drafted the manuscript. RB carried out the CD002141. questionnaire survey. MAC helped to draft the manuscript. KJS and MJK 19. Dewey A, Baughan C, Dean T, Higgins B, Johnson I: Eicosapentaenoic acid participated throughout the study and critically reviewed the manuscript. All (EPA, an omega-3 fatty acid from fish oils) for the treatment of cancer authors read and approved the final manuscript. cachexia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, 1:CD004597. Chang et al. BMC Cancer 2011, 11:196 Page 9 of 9 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/11/196 20. Ernst E, Pittler MH: Efficacy of ginger for nausea and vomiting: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. British Journal of Anaesthesia 2007, 84:367-371. 21. Fisher P, Ward A: Complementary medicine in Europe. BMJ 1994, 309:107-111. 22. MacLennan AH, Wilson DH, Taylor AW: Prevalence and cost of alternative medicine in Australia. Lancet 1996, 347:569-573. 23. Fox P, Coughlan B, Butler M, Kelleher C: Complementary alternative medicine (CAM) use in Ireland: a secondary analysis of SLAN data. Complement Ther Med 2010, 18:95-103. 24. Rees RW, Feigal I, Vickers A, Zollman C, McGurk R, Smith C: Prevalence of complementary therapy use by women with breast cancer: a population-based survey. Eur J Cancer 2000, 36:1359-1364. 25. Paltier O, Avitzour M, Peretz T, Cherny N, Kaduri L, Pfeffer RM, Wagner N, Soskolne V: Determinants of the use of complementary therapies by patients with cancer. J Clin Oncol 2001, 19:2439-2448. 26. Malassiotis A, Fernandez-Ortega P, Pud D, Ozden G, Scott JA, Panteli V, Margulies A, Browall M, Magri M, Selvekerova S, Madsen E, Milovics L, Bruyns I, Gudmundsdottir G, Hummerston S, Ahmad AM, Platin N, Kearney N, Patiraki E: Use of complementary and alternative medicine in cancer patients: a European survey. Ann Oncol 2005, 16:655-663. 27. Gansler T, Kaw C, Crammer C, Smith T: A population-based study of prevalence of complementary methods use by cancer survivors. Cancer 2008, 113:1048-1057. 28. Corner J, Yardley J, Maher EJ, Roffe L, Young T, Maslin-Prothero S, Gwilliam C, Haviland J, Lewith G: Patterns of complementary and alternative medicine use among patients undergoing cancer treatment. Eur J Cancer Care 2009, 18:271-279. 29. Munstedt K, Kirsch K, Milch W, Sachsse S, Vahrson H: Unconventional cancer therapy: Survey of patients with gynecological malignancy. Arch Gynecol Obstet 1996, 258:81-88. 30. Begbie SD, Kerestes ZL, Bell DR: Patterns of alternative medicine use by cancer patients. Med J Aust 1996, 165:545-548. 31. Risberg T, Lund E, Wist E, Dahl O, Sundstrøm S, Andersen OK, Kaasa S: The use of non-proven therapy among patients treated in Norwegian oncological departments: A cross-sectional national multicenter study. Eur J Cancer 1995, 31A:1785-1789. 32. Hirai K, Komura K, Tokoro A, Kuromaru T, Ohshima A, Ito T, Sumiyoshi Y, Hyodo I: Psychological and behavioral mechanisms influencing the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in cancer patients. Ann Oncol 2008, 19:49-55. 33. Sollner W, Maislinger S, DeVries A, Steixner E, Rumpold G, Lukas P: Use of complementary and alternative medicine by cancer patients is not associated with perceived distress or poor compliance with standard treatment but with active coping behavior. Cancer 2000, 89:873-880. 34. Gratus C, Wilson S, Greenfield SM, Damery SL, Warmington SA, Grieve R, Steven NM, Routledge P: The use of herbal medicines by people with cancer: a qualitative study. BMC Complement Altern Med 2009, 9:14. 35. Shih V, Chiang JYL, Chan A: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) usage in Singaporean adult cancer patients. Ann Oncol 2009, 20:752-757. 36. Robinson A, McGrail MR: Disclosure of CAM use to medical practitioners: a review of qualitative and quantitative studies. Complement Ther Med 2004, 12:90-98. 37. Legal status of traditional medicine and complementary/alternative medicine: a worldwide review. World Health Organization; 2001. 38. Owen DK, Lewith G, Stephens CR: Can doctors respond to patients' increasing interest in complementary and alternative medicine? BMJ 2001, 322:154-158. Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: Pre-publication history The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here: • Convenient online submission http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/11/196/prepub • Thorough peer review doi:10.1186/1471-2407-11-196 • No space constraints or color figure charges Cite this article as: Chang et al.: Complementary and alternative medicine use in oncology: A questionnaire survey of patients and • Immediate publication on acceptance health care professionals. BMC Cancer 2011 11:196. • Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar • Research which is freely available for redistribution Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit
Pages to are hidden for
"self treatment"Please download to view full document