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A New Leadership Squad Takes On The Challenge Of Bringing USAC Into The Future
Steeped in history, yet bogged down by several major issues, USAC was at a crossroads a little over a year ago. So, their Board of Directors made a change at the top in order to bring the 53-year-old sanction into what was termed a "new era."
The Board tapped Kevin Miller as the new CEO and President of USAC, while naming Jason Smith to the position of senior vice president of Racing Operations. Miller came to USAC from Chrysler after a 23-year stint in the automaker's Performance Parts and Motorsports division. Most notably, he led the development of Mopar's initial V-8 aluminum block, which today can be found powering many USAC teams. And in 2002, Miller led an initiative to relaunch the Mopar brand, which included building strong brand ties to Tony Stewart Racing.
In contrast, Jason Smith actually worked for USAC from 1998 to 2005 as its National Series Coordinator. Smith left the sanction in 2005 to form the Premier Racing Association, not coincidentally, it was the same time that the ill-fated new pavement Silver Crown car came into being at the push of the then-leadership of USAC.
Miller and Smith inherited a sanction with a strong core but some serious challenges, especially in a faltering economy. Remember, when these guys took over, gas was just beginning its meteoric climb into the stratosphere. The bulk of today's USAC is made up of four series, each racing a different type of car on dirt and pavement. The Silver Crown Cars are the big dogs running on tracks one mile and larger, while Sprint Cars usually race on tracks 5/8-mile and smaller. Midgets are the oldest type of USAC racer with designs dating back to the 1930s while the Ford Focus Midgets are the newest ones dating back to 2002.
One of the biggest challenges for Miller and Smith was found in the Silver Crown division. When they came on board, there were actually two types of Silver Crown cars, a traditional version and the next generation pavement version. The traditional car looks very similar to a Sprint Car, but is actually much bigger-1,500 pounds versus the 1,200-pound Sprint Car. Miller says that there really isn't a major issue here. Switch over to pavement and you have a different story. Introduced in 2006, the pavement Silver Crown cars look like nothing you've seen before. It's as if a Sprint Car fell out of the sky and landed on top of a WKA Kart. The car and its design was to serve one purpose, and one purpose only, to launch USAC into the future and back onto the world stage. (See story in February 2007 Circle Track.)
The idea was to ride the coattails of NASCAR and use this next generation pavement car as the hook to expose NASCAR fans to USAC racing. Races were scheduled as a companion to the Sprint Cup Series at selected tracks around the country. But the car and concept was met with skepticism and low car counts. Ultimately, it didn't work. However, there was still interest among the car owners and drivers who first committed to the division.
With that in mind, Miller's first step was to park the next generation Silver Crown cars and form an owners' exploratory group. In essence, the OEG, as it's being called, was formed to examine and determine if the original spirit of the next generation cars was a viable business model. As it was originally, the idea is to create a destination series within USAC. "We want USAC to include a complete ladder system from entry level division all the way up to the premiere division," says Miller. The destination series would ultimately be the final stop on a driver's road to the Indy 500. In essence, USAC would be the ultimate training ground for North American Open Wheel racers.
The OEG chose to rebadge the program as Gold Crown to differentiate it from the Silver Crown cars. They also spent more than a year redesigning the body and look of the original next gen car. Designer Bruce Ashmore stands proudly in front of a model on display in USAC's booth at the December 2008 Performance Racing Industry trade show in Orlando. "We really refined the lines to make it appealing to the fans. The power plants remain the same as the current Silver Crown cars, but we were really going for a look all its own." The design is light years ahead of the boxy cars that first appeared on the scene in 2006.
The Gold Crown cars are tentatively slated to hit the tracks in 2010, but that will only be if the OEG, Miller, and the rest of the USAC brass are happy with the program.
"We are not going to force this program into being, just because of a specific date," Miller says. "We want to debut the Gold Crown program when it is ready and market conditions are correct. If that's 2010, great. We want to do it right, not just fast."
Meanwhile, Miller reverted the Silver Crown cars back to the the traditional formula, running them on dirt and pavement.
Like the Silver Crown cars, Sprints and Midgets both run on pavement and dirt. However, unlike the Silver Crowns, Miller tags the Sprints, as well as the Midgets, as two problem-free areas. "The foundation of what we have lies in the Sprints and Midgets," explains Miller. In fact, the 2008 Sprint and Midget seasons produced some of the closest racing in any form of motorsport with Cole Whitt beating out Tracy Hines for the Midget Championship by a single point.
The 6-year-old Ford Focus Midgets is the other division that needed attention from the new management team. The original concept for the Ford Focus Midgets was a cost effective entry level series where youngsters and new racers alike could begin their journey to the upper levels of USAC. While the whole economical package initially worked, costs outside of the engine began to escalate to the point where the division was getting away from the intended purpose.
As you might guess, the cars get their name because they use the same motor found in the Ford Focus. In the beginning, all Ford Focus engines were sealed motors from S.C.R.E.A.M. a California engine builder. However, an internal decision from Ford Motor Company moved that contract from S.C.R.E.A.M. to the reknowned RoushYates Engines, the North Carolina builder of championship NASCAR teams.
"Having RoushYates building the motors brings a credibility to the Focus program that we did not have before," says James Spink, another new hire for USAC. Spink, formerly with 600 Racing, serves as USAC's Developmental Series Director. The motors were, and still are, economical spec motors. "The engine is the one area of the Focus program where cost was not a significant concern," explains Spink. "We're looking at other areas that need attention to keep that series economical."
As Spink works to bring those costs back in line he says there will be a lower division with the Focus Series for younger racers who are ready to move out of Quarter Midgets but aren't fully prepared for the Focus class. The Junior Focus program will feature the same Midget based cars but with an engine that has less power. How are they going to accomplish that you might ask? "A restrictor plate will be placed in the ram tube to slow the cars," says Spink. That will allow the younger drivers to get their feet wet in the Midget class of race car. The beauty of the program is that when these youngsters are ready for full-on Focus racing, they don't have to buy a new motor, just take the restrictor plate out and you are good to go.
Taking this grassroots concept to the next level brought Miller and Smith to the Quarter Midget world. Until this year USAC had not sanctioned Quarter Midget racing, the acknowledged first step for many racers. The newly named .25 Midgets run the same rules as the Quarter Midgets across the country, four wheel independent suspension, full rollcages, and so on. But the .25s fall under the USAC sanction, enabling local clubs to have all the benefits of working with a national sanction.
"It's nice to be able to work with a professional sanctioning body to help keep costs curtailed and be governed by stable, consistent rules and safety regulations," says Eric Rankin, President of the Northwest Ohio Quarter Midgets Assocation, the latest club to join USAC's .25 Midget program. "We are looking forward to cross promotion with other forms of racing and at other venues to help promote our club and the sport of Quarter Midget racing in general."
And that's the point. "We wanted to bring a true entry level division to USAC's offerings," Miller says.
"It goes back to the idea of creating a complete ladder system. You start in .25 Midgets move up to Junior Focus, then to Ford Focus and evenutally graduating up the ladder to the Gold Crown cars," says Spink. The Junior Focus division will be tied to the .25 Midget clubs with an eye on keeping costs in line. That coupled with a strong marketing program will help Spink achieve his goal of developing a younger USAC, in other words bring more youngsters into the sport.
In the .25 ranks, all eyes are on next year's .25 Midget Nationals which will be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from July 8-11, 2009. The event consists of three days of racing on a temporary course constructed in the garage area of IMS. Qualifying races for the .25 Midget Nats will be held in Tampa Bay, FL; Las Vegas, NV; and Toldeo, OH. A cool twist is that the event will be streamed to a live audience on www.usacracing.com if you can't make it to Indy. If you can, you'll be greeted by free admission. In all, hundreds of drivers aged 5-17 from across America are expected to compete.
In the original press release, Johnny Capels, USAC Chairman, stated, "USAC is excited to start a new era with Kevin and Jason on board." That new era is embodied in Miller's philosophy which is somewhat different than the previous regime. He doesn't intend to follow anybody's lead or ride on any other sanctions' coattails. His vision is that USAC needs to be a true grassroots organization, bringing new fans into the sport, bolstering youth participation in the sport and becoming a more accessible sport.
"That's a challenge given the number of races we sanction, but I want it to be a major event when USAC comes to town," Miller says. "We have to promote our events, and put on exciting shows where the fans want to be there."
"When we came on board, the schedules and most of the programs were already in place (more than 70 dates between National Sprint and Midget alone)," Miller says. "Now we are looking at where improvements can be made to make our package more marketable and promotable, not only to racetrack owners and communities, but to sponsors as well."
One idea is to grant fans more access to the drivers and teams by creating an open pit area much like NHRA drag racing. "We want to engage the fans and one idea is to open the pits early so that fans can get an up close and personal look at the cars and teams," explains Miller. That's the kind of access that helped build NHRA and NASCAR into the powerhouses they are today.
Another is the USAC website, a completely interactive site that even has a My Space style section for the kids who race in the different divisions.
"I'm excited," says Levi Jones, who finished Second and Sixth in the 2008 Sprint and Midget standings respectively for Tony Stewart Racing. "And I think that is a general feeling among all of the drivers. I know Kevin from his days at Mopar and Jason from when he was here before. I think they'll do a good job. I like the direction they're going."
Jones' teammate, Tracy Hines, is also optimistic about the change in direction. "They haven't been here that long, but so far they're going in the right direction," says Hines, who finished Third in Sprint Car points and Second in Midget. "We've got one of the most exciting forms of racing. There needs to be more promotion and marketing, though. It (USAC) needs to work with the promoters of the tracks to really get the word out that we're coming to town."
If Miller and company can fulfill their vision, you could see leaner, meaner, more exciting wingless Sprint Car racing coming to your town in 2009. We'll check back with the boys at USAC in a year or so and see how they're doing.


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48 commenti
Hey everyone!
Interesting question indeed and I'm keen to find out what other apartment hosts have to say.
I currently own 3 apt and can't say I have a very different strategy regarding the peak season. Usually, my rating and reviews speak for themselves. I always try to give my guest the maximum information thru videos + guidebook and/or info about events happening during their stay.
To make sure the month is full, I start lowering prices by 5€ per night with 1.5 - 2 weeks before the empty dates. I don't use the Promotions menu because to be honest, I haven't gotten very good results. I found it more efficient to simply lower the prices from the Calendar menu. The feedback I got was more good than the Promotions one. It would be interesting to get some statistics on the Promotions thing just to see the reach/impressions and so on.
Looking forward to what others have to share!
I think that there are several ways of making sure that you have a successful peak season:
1. Decide on your rates and set them and your availability in your listings a year in advance, so that you get the people who like to prepare in advance. Also, some people want to make sure that they get the accommodation they want, and are prepared to pay more to make sure that they do, so this also an opportunity to try to put prices up a little (you can always bring them down later).
2. Make sure that you get any preparatory work (maintenance, improvements etc) done WELL in advance. There's nothing worse than frantically chasing suppliers and tradesmen just as your guests are about to arrive.
3. Try to find suggestions for ways to improve your offering, whether it's a welcome gift, smart new toiletries, or something else. Guests love feeling that you care, and that you've made an effort, and it's these things that they'll tell other people about.
4. Write to all of your old guests and tell them about what you're improving, invite them to come again etc. Even if they don't book, they'll be reminded of your property and may mention it to others.
5. If you have a website, Facebook page or Instagram account for your property, start posting enticing images and posts in the winter to get people interested!
Hi there!
Oe interesting topic this one.
We start promoting our peak weeks really early in the year already to ensure the resorts are nice and full. The more people at the property, the more activities we can arrange! I'm talking game nights, live music at the pool area, bonfire nights. Our guests loves seeing a resort that is buzzing with many holiday-goers and entertainment hosts.
This way we get return clients who prefer going on holiday only in the peak seasons! So it helps us fill our peak season for the next year as well.
I'm looking forward to everyone's responses.
Kind regards.
Different strokes for different folks... be flexible, always be friendly, always offer great quality ( we have a customer rating of 99%!!) and great value for money.
We focus on selling peace and quiet, even in the middle of summer; a pretty cool trick.
We focus too on a clean and stunning environment with fresh sea air, clean seas, clean beaches and no pollution and no crowds and we're only 2 1/2 hours from a major international airport..
Hello !
For the peak seasons of May, June and July, we try to make sure all the rooms are occupied by managing our rates. If a room is left vacant, and the rest are booked, we lower the rate for that room. Its a bit hectic to have a full house, but I think the guests prefer to have people around, and we can have bonfire nights where everyone can socialize.
The rates are appropriately higher during peak season to compensate for the higher demand. But I think that the most important aspect is to not devalue your product.We're often inundated with data showing that our rates are higher than the comparables in our area, with the objective of reducing the rate to increase bookings.
If you have a beautiful, well located house or condo in a desirable vacation or business hot spot, then don't devalue your product. It devalues it in the eyes of potential guests as well.
Guests are willing to pay a little bit more if they're getting value for their money and you shouldn't be nervous about it because what you're offering is a fair price.
It's a price / booking volume balance and resisting the urge to cave in to the "lower your rate" bombardment. High season is when we generate the revenues that we need to make sure that our properties continue to offer a great vacation package to our future guests.
With that being said I am offering a very nice, well equipped, well located vacation home in Southern Florida, which is a vacation hot spot. So if I continually lower my rates then I'll need to work that much harder to fill my house throughout the year.
The rate competition game is a game that is difficult to win. So I am confident that I'm offering my guest a very good value for their cost and I work hard to make sure that they get it. The guest feedback will let you know if they appreciate it or not (guests don't like to over-pay and will hold you to a higher performance bar).
Everything else mentioned above about furnishings, treating your guests well, perfect housekeeping, etc, goes without saying in my opinion..
Hi All,
We promote our peak season with every check-out! We offer guests so many incentives to return and to make their reservation directly with the hotel and find that 'word of mouth' is still a very effective promotional tool.
At each check-out the guest receives a promo code to receive a % discount off any reservation made through our website. They are told that they can share their code with their family and friends and anyone else they like. They are also given a flyer outlining the benefits of reserving direct.
The hotel is part of a Group that owns over 20 bars, restaurant, shops and night venues in the area. Each guest who makes their reservation through our web page receives a VIP card that offers them a discount/benefit at each one of these venues. This year 3 other venues in the same town who are not part of the Group have asked to be included in the scheme. All the venues benefits and the guest's experience is far greater.
We also offer extras like reduced cost airport transfers, complimentary beach packages (beach bag, beach towel, parasol, discount sunbed) and complimentary water package (free daily bottle of water) to direct reservations.
As part of the 'thank you for reserving' message we send to each new reservation, we include an encouragement to check-out the hotel's Facebook page where the guest can finds more information about the benefits that the Group can offer to guests of the hotel.
Over the past years we have seen the number of reservations made via OTAs be reduced considerably and the number of return guests increase.
We don't really have a peak season in the traditional sense. Our "peak" season changes every year.
We find that as long as you maintain and equip your apartments to the highest standard possible, restock inventory items regularly - teaspoons always seem to go missing; stock a decent welcome pack and a household pack, then guests will appreciate the quality of accommodation.
For us, we don't entertain yo-yo rating. We found it more trouble than it was worth. A few years back we trialled it, but found it only attracted the less favourable guest. Our repair/maintenance costs went up and to add insult to injury, those guests were the ones who left lower review grades.
We now keep our rates steady throughout the year and just offer genius bookers and last minute bookers a discount. Our repair/replacements costs have reduced.
We are in the industry where people will always criticise what they believe is value for money. As long as you are confident that you provide a good all round service and quality of accommodation and you are on top of your admin, then you shouldn't really need any special preparation.
Make sure the main picture shows your best assets, regarding to the season. Showing nice weather, outdoor scene, think of what "dream" people look for within your possibilities. In my case it's the garden, the quietness and green. Also consider to raise the prices, people like the idea to buy something luxurious. At the same time it filters the ones who wanna have 'first row for a dime' ;) But after all, any hospitality business will only work with decency, kindness and the art of making people feel good. Success!
Hello Every One !
Let me try to add a new perspective to discussion.
When peak season is just around the corner, it's exciting – you're looking forward to welcoming guests and having full occupancy. However, you may also be worried about managing the increased workload that awaits you.
Here's what you can do to make sure you're 100% prepared for peak season at your bed and breakfast.
1. Review your length of stay restrictions
2. Review your rates & packages
3. Don't overbook.
4. Anticipate your staffing needs.
5. Connect with your former guests.
6. Anticipate big or small events in your location.
7. Scroll down reviews & feedbacks and make mends.
I feel this covers almost all of it. Have a great season.
Optmize Vacations Goa. India
In a big city like Atlanta we always look at the city wide conventions, sports team schedules, school's schedules and city events...evaluate the #s of people and then set rate and minimum stay parameters. This is helpful for a 6 room luxury B&B in MidTown Atlanta to keep our rates at a premium. We also promote to our International partners as the International guest tends to be a longer stay customer.
When on holiday a good sleep is paramount. We ensure a very comfortable bed and good quality pillows (both feather and poly filled). Our guest often check in late so we provide enough groceries for a healthy fulfilling breakfast. Over the few years of doing this we have found a good balance of necessary items, of good quality, for use by guests. All accessories and cleaning products are environmentally friendly.
Hello world, we are located in Anjuna Goa India and our secret is easy, we dont think about peak season or low season because all the time we are improving and creating according to our guests advice and what they really need so every day is important to have an evolution on your "business" or creation. Our big secret is to treat the guests as people and not as guests so we welcome them home! Our community operates with the help and effort of everyone so if someone want to change or improve something in our properties, we provide them the tools and support to make it happen!
Costs & well done up rooms cum facilities aside, a warm sensitive, host providing personalised interaction, meeting each guest's needs makes a huge difference. Time & inclination of guest permitting, exchange of experiences - travel, personal interests like sports, movies, children, grand-children makes a guest respond. Plus good food in keeping with what the guest likes - surprise yummy items help.As a Homestay, all members are on board, contributing to make the stay not just comfortable but refreshingly memorable.
As a holiday home provider I like to go above and beyond my call of duties just simply going that little bit extra gives that customer that little special feeling you've thought of them. I bake fresh cakes and leave them a tray with tea coffee milk and sugar, I feel when your clients get to there destination they crave a warm drink .
The whole holiday home is stripped from top to bottom and cleaned from head to toe not trying to miss a thing giving them a holiday that I would simply be wanting and paying for , the holiday home as to be immensely spotless and keeping on top of things this is not to much trouble. I leave a booklet full of sightseeing ventures restaurants fairgrounds with discounts for there own entertianment should they choose there own. Every customer is different one might like the fairs the others the theatre, well not a problem you cater for all.
Our beds are all luxury Memory Foam to offer the guest that little bit more comfort for sleeping relaxing and enjoying themselves, all bedrooms have a tv so they can watch tv in bed if they choose.
All of customers on arrival , are given a welcome box of little nic nacks what they may need crackers cheese bottle wine ham butter and few other things.
You can see by our reviews we offer and provide a clean immaculate holiday home , nothing is to much just ask and we shall try to help, beds are made up fresh for arrival , fresh pressed towels in the bathrooms ready for them to.
I pride myself on delivering such a service , which is to what I would require should i book a holiday.
Just keeping as much message templates handy to minimize time spent before sending a response to the guest since we get a lot of messages as the peak season approaches. Also, using the automated reply feature gets a lot of work done for you.
We just try to be as prompt as possible. We are also available to guests over the phone 24/7 which is also a faster way of solving an issue.
We keep track of bookings and requests in our internal system to which all of our employees have access. This keeps everyone in the loop and minimizes the chance of guests needing to talk about a request to the person that they talked to first. This way, anyone they ask will know exactly what they are talking about and will be able to provide an update of further support.
Hello everyone
We have a tiny cottage in the middle of France and will be starting our 4th year on 21st July... from the start we incorporated all the things we liked best about our b&b or hotel experiences to create the best possible stop over for our guests.
Whether its in the season or out, the same things apply - the difference is volumes - our tips to new starts and this will apply to 'old hats' too, are as follows...
1. Respond to reservations and enquiries as soon as you can even a quick template message suffices to put prospective guests at ease and it lets them know you are oaying attemtion to them...
2. Have double the bedding you need...
3.ALWAYS have rooms ready - those last minute bookings can catch you out...
4. Meet and greet with a smile and a welcome - if you are small like us, these people will share you home - treat them as YOUR FAMILY, make guests feel as if it is their home too...
5. Exceed their expectations in every way you can...
6. ENJOY your work, you get to meet some really great people who will also become friends...
Finally, even when you feel you are going to collapse with fatigue SMILE, SMILE, SMILE...
Bon courage and bonne chance to you all - see you on the other side
Sue and Mark
We have a natural attraction nearby, as well as other natural areas nearby. We try to tailor each trip for each group- including medical issues and allergies. Our peak season is March's spring breaks (there are three in the region) so offering activities for kids and teens in a tiny town is critical for repeat bookings.
Our peak season is Summer, when children are on holiday. We make families with children very welcome, and always find time to answer any questions guests may have. Our pools are especially enjoyed by children, and many of our young guests have learned to swim there. Our aim is for all the family to have a wonderful, unforgettable holiday - just like holidays we had when our children were young.
From a revenue point of view , last year performance for the peak season to be studied plus this year helping/adverse factors then to decide rates , restrictions , supplements , cancellation policy ..etc .
Operation wise , guest preference and time of arrival to be ascertaining ahead of time to manage back to back situations the best way possible . plus informing the guest about the ongoing promotions , F&B activities to provide the best value and secure the best revenue .
Thirdly , act like an ambassador for all the departments about the peak season so all involved department are aware and ready and well prepared .
Look forward to reading your inputs as well , folks !
Fadi Morcos
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subset: commoncrawl


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Toronto Underground Market has done a number of great things for Toronto, including launching the careers of a number of aspiring chefs. It has also inspired others, such as TO Food Fest, to create neighbourhood festivals that promote neighbourhood chefs, bakers, restaurants and caterers. TO Food Fest was held on July 29 in Scarborough and, while not prolific among the Twitterazi, it had many interested Scarborough and Markham residents attending.
TO Food Fest had a mix of established vendors and vendors that were new to the food scene. One of the exciting new vendors was How 'Bout Those Meatballs?! Meatballs made from a mix of pork and beef, slow cooked in his Nona's sauce and then served on a charcoal-grilled bun? Yes please! The meatballs were incredibly simple and they tasted just as if they were served from a grandmother's kitchen. Juicy and tender and very meat forward, they were incredible. The spices were simple and it was all about the meat, the sauce and the technique. I could have eaten twenty of these, but we had other booths to sample.
Bake'n was sampling their bacon-laden desserts, like bacon caramel popcorn, bacon cheesecake and sticky toffee bacon cake. The winner was the sticky toffee cake, which wasn't overly heavy or cloyingly sweet. It was warm, tasty, gooey and delicious and didn't leave you with a sugar hangover after you finished it.
Fruitysplendour were more or less the definition of eye candy. Their designs were beautiful and skillful. We had to get close before we could believe that they were actually made from fruit and vegetables!
Comida Del Pueblo is a TUM favourite and makes one hell of a grilled cheese sandwich. Their take on grilled cheese is made with a homemade jalapeño cornbread, refried beans and cheese, then covered with guacamole and sour cream.
I've sworn off Indian food for over 5 years. I find that the over-use of ghee spoils a lot of otherwise delicious meals for me. I was pleasantly surprised to be introduced to Pavitra Restaurant. Their chef believes in letting the spices and meats do the talking and either minimizes or eliminates the use of ghee in his dishes. I decided to put a halt to my Indian food boycott and tried his samosas with chicken tiki masala. He was true to his word; the tiki masala gravy didn't have that greasy heaviness that I'm unfortunately accustomed to, and was rich only in seasoning and flavour. We'll definitely be taking the trip to Guildwood to eat at Pavita!
Tacocat was another newcomer to the food festival scene. Imagine 20 friends – all university grads – wearing Nyan Cat-esque purple t-shirts and offering Asian-style tacos. Robin tried the squid taco and was instantly in love with it. The pineapple mayo and salsa with the deep-fried squid was surprisingly refreshing and not a combination that is tasted often, which is a shame!
With limited time and stomach space, we weren't able to cover some of the other booths, including Filipino food, beef-cheek buns, pulled pork kimchee sandwiches, macarons and cupcakes. It was great to see strong food options coming out of Scarborough and we can't wait until next year's festival.
TO FoodFest


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Lymph node
|Lymph node
Diagram of a lymph node, showing the flow of lymph through the lymph sinuses.
|Immune system[1][2] (Lymphatic system)
|nodus lymphaticus (singular); nodi lymphatici (plural)
A lymph node is an oval- or kidney-shaped organ of the lymphatic system, present widely throughout the body including the armpit and stomach and linked by lymphatic vessels. Lymph nodes are major sites of B, T, and other immune cells. Lymph nodes are important for the proper functioning of the immune system, acting as filters for foreign particles and cancer cells. Lymph nodes do not deal with toxicity, which is primarily dealt with by the liver and kidneys.
Lymph nodes also have clinical significance. They become inflamed or enlarged in various infections and diseases which may range from trivial throat infections, to life-threatening cancers. The condition of the lymph nodes is very important in cancer staging, which decides the treatment to be used, and determines the prognosis. When swollen, inflamed or enlarged, lymph nodes can be hard, firm or tender.[3]
Lymph nodes are kidney or oval shaped and range in size from a few millimeters to about 1–2 cm long.[4] Each lymph node is surrounded by a fibrous capsule, and inside the lymph node the fibrous capsule extends to form trabeculae. The substance of the lymph node is divided into the outer cortex and the inner medulla. The cortex is continuous around the medulla except at the hilum, where the medulla comes in direct contact with the hilum.[4]
Thin reticular fibers and elastin form a supporting meshwork called a reticular network inside the node. White blood cells (leukocytes), the most prominent ones being lymphocytes, are tightly packed in the follicles (B cells) and the cortex (T cells). Elsewhere in the node, there are only occasional leucocytes. As part of the reticular network there are follicular dendritic cells in the B cell follicle and fibroblastic reticular cells in the T cell cortex. The reticular network not only provides the structural support, but also the surface for adhesion of the dendritic cells, macrophages and lymphocytes. It allows exchange of material with blood through the high endothelial venules and provides the growth and regulatory factors necessary for activation and maturation of immune cells.[5]
The number and composition of follicles can change especially when challenged by an antigen, when they develop a germinal center.[4]
Lymph enters the convex side of the lymph node through multiple afferent lymphatic vessels, to flow through the sinuses. A lymph sinus which includes the subcapsular sinus, is a channel within the node, lined by endothelial cells along with fibroblastic reticular cells and this allows for the smooth flow of lymph through them.The endothelium of the subcapsular sinus is continuous with that of the afferent lymph vessel and is also with that of the similar sinuses flanking the trabeculae and within the cortex. All of these sinuses drain the filtered lymphatic fluid into the medullary sinuses, from where the lymph flows into the efferent lymph vessels to exit the node at the hilum on the concave side.[4] These vessels are smaller and don't allow the passage of the macrophages so that they remain contained to function within the lymph node. In the course of the lymph, lymphocytes may be activated as part of the adaptive immune response.
The lymph node capsule is composed of dense irregular connective tissue with some plain muscle fibers, and from its internal surface are given off a number of membranous processes or trabeculae, consisting, in humans, of connective tissue, with a small admixture of plain muscle fibers; but in many of the lower animals composed almost entirely of involuntary muscle. They pass inward, radiating toward the center of the gland, for about one-third or one-fourth of the space between the circumference and the center of the node. In some animals they are sufficiently well-marked to divide the peripheral or cortical portion of the gland into a number of compartments (follicles), but in humans this arrangement is not obvious. The larger trabeculae springing from the capsule break up into finer bands, and these interlace to form a mesh-work in the central or medullary portion of the gland. In these spaces formed by the interlacing trabeculae is contained the proper gland substance or lymphoid tissue. The gland pulp does not, however, completely fill the spaces, but leaves, between its outer margin and the enclosing trabeculae, a channel or space of uniform width throughout. This is termed the subcapsular sinus (lymph path or lymph sinus). Running across it are a number of finer trabeculæ of reticular connective tissue, the fibers of which are, for the most part, covered by ramifying cells.
Subcapsular sinus
The subcapsular sinus (lymph path, lymph sinus, marginal sinus) is the space between the capsule and the cortex which allows the free movement of lymphatic fluid and so contains a sparsity of lymphocytes.[4] It is continuous with the similar lymph sinuses that flank the trabeculae.[4]
The lymph node contains lymphoid tissue, i.e., a meshwork or fibers called reticulum with white blood cells enmeshed in it. The regions where there are few cells within the meshwork are known as lymph sinus. It is lined by reticular cells, fibroblasts and fixed macrophages.[4]
The subcapsular sinus has clinical importance as it is the most likely location where the earliest manifestations of a metastatic carcinoma in a lymph node would be found.
The cortex of the lymph node is the peripheral portion underneath the capsule and the subcapsular sinus.[6] The subcapsular sinus drains to trabecular sinuses, and then the lymph flows into the medullary sinuses.
The outer cortex consists mainly of the B cells arranged as follicles, which may develop a germinal center when challenged with an antigen, and the deeper cortex mainly consisting of the T cells. There is a zone known as the subcortical zone where T-cells (or cells that are mainly red) mainly interact with dendritic cells, and where the reticular network is dense. The predominant site within the lymph nodes which contain T cells & accessory cells is also known as paracortex (reticular network).[7]
The medulla contains large blood vessels, sinuses and medullary cords that contain antibody-secreting plasma cells.
The medullary cords are cords of lymphatic tissue, and include plasma cells, macrophages, and B cells. The medullary sinuses (or sinusoids) are vessel-like spaces separating the medullary cords. Lymph flows into the medullary sinuses from cortical sinuses, and into efferent lymphatic vessels. Medullary sinuses contain histiocytes (immobile macrophages) and reticular cells.
The lymph fluid inside the lymph nodes contains lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, which continuously recirculates through the lymph nodes and the bloodstream. Molecules found on bacteria cell walls or chemical substances secreted from bacteria, called antigens, may be taken up by dedicated antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells into the lymph system and then into lymph nodes. In response to the antigens, the lymphocytes in the lymph node make antibodies which will go out of the lymph node into circulation, seek, and target the pathogens producing the antigens by targeting them for destruction by other cells. If the lymphocytes are unable to fight a particular pathogen, the general immune system will be activated to assist. The increased numbers of immune system cells fighting the infection will make the node expand and become swollen.
Lymph circulates to the lymph node via afferent lymphatic vessels and drains into the node just beneath the capsule in a space called the subcapsular sinus. The subcapsular sinus drains into trabecular sinuses and finally into medullary sinuses. The sinus space is criss-crossed by the pseudopods of macrophages, which act to trap foreign particles and filter the lymph. The medullary sinuses converge at the hilum and lymph then leaves the lymph node via the efferent lymphatic vessel towards either a more central lymph node or ultimately for drainage into a central venous subclavian blood vessel.
- The B cells migrate to the nodular cortex and medulla.
- The T cells migrate to the deep cortex. This is a region of the lymph node called the paracortex that immediately surrounds the medulla. Unlike the cortex, which has mostly immature T cells, or thymocytes, the paracortex has a mixture of immature and mature T cells. Lymphocytes enter the lymph nodes through specialized high endothelial venules found in the paracortex.
When a lymphocyte recognizes an antigen, B cells become activated and migrate to germinal centers (by definition, a "secondary nodule" has a germinal center, while a "primary nodule" does not). When antibody-producing plasma cells are formed, they migrate to the medullary cords. Stimulation of the lymphocytes by antigens can accelerate the migration process to about 10 times normal, resulting in characteristic swelling of the lymph nodes.
The spleen and tonsils are large lymphoid organs that serve similar functions to lymph nodes, though the spleen filters blood cells rather than lymph.
Clinical significance
Lymph nodes may become enlarged due to an infection, tumour or inflamed due to leukemia. This increase in size is primarily due to an elevated rate of trafficking of lymphocytes into the node from the blood, exceeding the rate of outflow from the node. They may also be enlarged secondarily as a result of the activation and proliferation of antigen-specific T and B cells (clonal expansion). In some cases, where there is no infection they may still feel enlarged due to a previous infection. Lymphogranuloma venereum is a sexually transmitted infection that travels through the lymphatics and targets lymph nodes where the bacteria multiply. Enlarged and painful lymph nodes can result.
Lymphadenopathy is a term meaning "disease of the lymph nodes." It is, however, almost synonymously used with "swollen or enlarged lymph nodes." In this case, the lymph nodes are detectable by touch (palpable); this is a sign of various infections and diseases.
Lymphedema is a fairly widespread condition of the lymphatic system resulting in localised fluid retention and tissue swelling. Affected tissues are at risk of infection. Primary lymphedema generally results from poorly developed or missing lymph nodes. Secondary lymphedema results mostly from the dissection of lymph nodes during breast cancer surgery and also from other treatments usually involving radiation.
Lymphomas are classed as tumors of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues and mostly refer to malignancies. Lymph nodes may become swollen but are not often painful.
Additional images
Lymphatic system
Section of small lymph node of rabbit.
Lymphatics of the arm
Lymphatics of the axillary region
See also
- Cervical lymph nodes
- List of lymph nodes of the human body
- Peyer's patch
- Sentinel lymph node
- Tracheobronchial lymph nodes
- ↑ "What are lymph nodes". Siamak N. Nabili, MD, MPH. 2015-02-05.
- ↑ "Lymph Nodes Directory". www.webmd.com.
- ↑ "Swollen Glands and Other Lumps Under the Skin-Topic Overview". Children.webmd.com. 2011-04-14. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Warwick, Roger; Peter L. Williams (1973) [1858]. "Angiology (Chapter 6)". Gray's anatomy. illustrated by Richard E. M. Moore (Thirty-fifth ed.). London: Longman. pp. 588–785.
- ↑ Kaldjian, Eric P.; J. Elizabeth Gretz, Arthur O. Anderson, Yinghui Shi and Stephen Shaw (October 2001). "Spatial and molecular organization of lymph node T cell cortex: a labyrinthine cavity bounded by an epithelium-like monolayer of fibroblastic reticular cells anchored to basement membrane-like extracellular matrix". International Immunology. Oxford Journals. 13 (10): 1243–1253. doi:10.1093/intimm/13.10.1243. PMID 11581169. Retrieved 2008-07-11. Cite uses deprecated parameter
- ↑ "Definition: cortex of lymph node from Online Medical Dictionary". Retrieved 2008-10-19.
- ↑ Katakai, Tomoya; Takahiro Hara, Hiroyuki Gonda1, Manabu Sugai and Akira Shimizu (5 July 2004). "A novel reticular stromal structure in lymph node cortex: an immuno-platform for interactions among dendritic cells, T cells and B cells". International Immunology. 16 (8): 1133–1142. doi:10.1093/intimm/dxh113. PMID 15237106. Retrieved 2008-07-11. Cite uses deprecated parameter
External links
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lymph nodes.
- Histology image: 07101loa – Histology Learning System at Boston University
- Lymph Nodes


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We just wanted to say Howdy to any of the Oregon folks that have joined this site or are just visiting.
We havent gone to any shows yet and I am not training My girl to compete at tho moment either. She is a very good family dog and personal friend. I was blessed to get her and enjoy her very much. She is very spoiled and thinks shes a lap dog.


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Manage Hadoop Jobs from iPhone? Yes with Cisco Enterprise Scheduler!
Last night we uploaded version 6.1 of Cisco's Tidal Enterprise Scheduler. I'm pretty excited to introduce the new functionality of this tool and there's a lot. Particularly with Hadoop support and Amazon EC and S3 support as well. If you are unfamiliar with TES, the datasheet is here.
But when talking about big data, I thought, I'd start small. Like iPhone small. Existing Scheduler customers and the curious, can download the free Apple iPhone app to control jobs. Here's the AppStore description and link
Cisco Enterprise Scheduler is the premiere job scheduling and process automation software that provides a single point of control and monitoring for business operations. Enterprise Scheduler for iOS now allows Scheduler administrators and users to monitor and control their operations directly on their mobile devices. Enterprise Scheduler for iOS was designed for the mobile user experience, but retains core features of the Enterprise Scheduler web client that users are familiar with including:
* Monitor and view jobs, connections, events, schedules, queues, logs and alerts.
* Control all aspects of jobs, including holding, rerunning, canceling, and overriding jobs.
* Powerful search and filtering for all Scheduler objects.
As for the BigData story? I will post more in a few days, but here's why this product is crucial to big data deployments
What is the Cisco Tidal Scheduler (TES) product and why is it relevant for Big Data?
Big Data requires major data processing—which remains a main function of data centers. The data transformation processes necessary to make Big Data usable are complex and it is inefficient and cost prohibitive to manage such processes in silos without automation because there are so many processes, cross technologies and a myriad of inter-dependencies. Cisco Tidal Enterprise Scheduler solves this problem because it provides workload automation that facilitates the flow of data between a wide variety of enterprise applications, now including Hadoop.
The automation delivered by the scheduler makes the creation and management of processes used to transform vast amounts of data into usable information a very feasible endeavor by providing a holistic approach and a unified environment. It helps IT cut costs and increase the value gained from Big Data in the same way that it has been doing for traditional business intelligence management and delivery. Cisco Tidal Enterprise Scheduler provides:
- End-to-end business process management and visibility
- Deep API integrations with major enterprise applications and Big Data platforms
- Capacity awareness of the entire business processing environment
- Real-time, latency-free job stream automation
- Reduction of errors in business analytics and reporting
- SLA awareness for historical and predictive analysis
Cisco Tidal Enterprise Scheduler works across diverse systems environments and provides a single point of control and visibility for all scheduled and event-driven processes.
Cisco News: Cisco Tidal Enterprise Scheduler (TES) release 6.1
This release of Tidal Enterprise Scheduler continues to extend and expand the value of the TES product through the addition of these new capabilities:
- Support for Big Data processing. Customers can now include Hadoop processing in their enterprise scheduling infrastructure by scheduling Sqoop, Data Mover (HDFS), Hive, and MapReduce jobs using the same views as all other enterprise workloads. TES has added Hadoop API integrations to deliver granular and error-free processing of Hadoop jobs. The Enterprise Adapter for Informatica has also been validated for the Informatica 9.5 release, which includes Informatica workloads for Hadoop, providing multiple ways to schedule Big Data workloads.
- Mobile Management via iPhone App: Customers can now control jobs and manage their TES environment from their iPhone. This new UI gives administrators the ability to manage adapter and agent connections, override, hold/stop, and release/resume TES jobs, as well as filter and view jobs, alerts, events, schedules, connections, queues and logs.
- Support for Amazon Cloud Environments. TES now integrates existing workload environments with Amazon Cloud Services environments via integration with Amazon Elastic Cloud (EC2) and Storage (S3) resources. This feature delivers expanded, automated workload environmental management by scheduling additional workload processing and storage for business processing environments, when needed. This ability to cross workloads between internal datacenters and external clouds helps cross-organizational processes.
- Self-service solution to business partners with the Cisco Workplace Portal. Customize access and functionality to add business value, reduce human error and free-up administration resources. This flexible portal platform gives data center workload automation managers the ability to free up administration cycles that support high-touch business end users. This solution also gives manages the ability to segregate and simplify job management tasks within the data center itself, lowering the TCO of the administration and management of the entire business processing environment.
The challenges of managing Big Data environments will only get bigger, and to get the most value out of big data, companies need to integrate solutions such as Hadoop with existing data processing environments. And that is exactly what Cisco Tidal Enterprise Scheduler enables because it is a dynamic, intelligent, efficient solution for integrating big data "science projects" into an existing data center infrastructure, and to automate the myriad of dependent processes involved to support advanced data integration analytics and report delivery.
The scheduler is provides adapters to leading enterprise applications and data bases such as SAP, Oracle, Informatica, MS SQL, JDEdwards, Peoplesoft, and others. It also it offers capacity awareness to prevent bottlenecks, automated resource control, and complete visibility across the entire business processing environment.
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.
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Embedded Systems run our cars and telephones, control production lines and aircraft systems. Meeting the strong requirements regarding the cost, safety, security, size and the power consumption require new and innovative solutions. Providing flexible and configurable systems is nowadays the key role of the embedded software.
In this context, WISES2013's objective is to create a forum for exchanging ideas, discuss solutions and share experiences among researchers and developers from both industry and academia. Original papers describing prototype implementations and deployments of embedded systems are particularly welcome. WISES 2013 will be held in conjunction with the 18th International conference on Applied Electronics (http://www.appel.zcu.cz).
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
Embedded Systems Architecture
‐ Multicore SoC (e.g. homogeneous, heterogeneous MPSoC)
‐ Memory systems and optimization in embedded systems
‐ On‐chip buses and point‐to‐point networks
‐ Application‐specific (e.g. ASIPs, hardware accelerators)
‐ Architectures and tools for reconfigurable computing
Software for single or multi‐core embedded systems
‐ Applications and systems software (e.g. drivers, communication libraries)
‐ Real‐time operating systems and middleware in embedded systems
Prototype platforms, applications and case studies
‐ Next generation networking and mobile/wireless technology
‐ Sensor networks and related hardware/software platforms
‐ Embedded systems with ambient intelligence and pervasiveness
Tools and methodologies for analysis, exploration and validation
‐ Cost‐efficient and power‐aware embedded system design
‐ Fault tolerance, reliability and security in embedded systems
‐ Real‐time embedded systems
‐ Debugging and profiling techniques and tools
– Cyber-physical systems
Special Sessions:
‐ Industry‐oriented research
‐ Safety and Security
‐ PhD students session
Other special sessions can be proposed to the General Chairs.
Submission and Publication
The working language of the workshop is English. Prospective authors are invited to submit new original research papers of a maximum length of 6 pages (A4,two column, 10pt, IEEE conference style) for blind review. Initial submisssions must not contain any authors informations (name,affiliation, etc.)
All submitted paper will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published in printed proceedings. The papers will be made accessible via world-wide web and via IEEE Digital Library. Each paper must be presented by one of the authors at the workshop.
Submissions will only be accepted electronically via WISES homepage in PDF format. Submission will be enabled on March 11th.
Please format the final version of your accepted paper according to the "IEEE Manuscript Templates for Conference Proceedings" in A4 (latex or word): www.ieee.org/web/publications/pubservices/confpub/AuthorTools/conferenceTemplates.html
Important Deadlines and Dates
|Manuscript Submission Final Deadline
|March 31th, 2013
|Notification of Acceptance:
|May 31th, 2013
|August 20th, 2013
|Camera-Ready Paper Submission:
|July 22th, 2013
|September 10th/11th, 2013


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Administrators at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology are considering spending $7 million for a new student recreation center, saying that its 64,500-square-foot rec center is too small. The rec center would be part of the first phase of a 30-year campus plan that was approved last fall by South Dakota's Board of Regents.
Through July 27, the university is accepting feasibility studies from interested engineering firms, the Rapid City (SD) Journal reported. Administrators are proposing paying for construction costs through private donations and an increase in student activity fees.
Student fees would be $43 per credit hour, an increase of $10 per credit hour. The fees could generate $575,000 in the first year. The students approved the plan last year.
"Really, this project was spurred by the students recognizing a need to upgrade our facilities for student recreation," Tim Henderson, vice president for finance and administration, told the newspaper.
Henderson said construction could start in fall 2013 if plans are approved. The almost 25-year-old King Center, which is the current student wellness center, no longer fills the needs of the students, school officials say. The new facility would add an extra 60,000 to 80,000 square feet.


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On a warm October afternoon in 1955, many family members gathered together in Maryborough, Queensland, to celebrate the 88th birthday of Barbara Lena Nargar (nee Häberling). It was a special day for the tiny Swiss born lady, but not only because it was her birthday. In the same year, 1955, she had became a proud great-great grandmother and the eldest of five generations of family who were all together on this day in her honour.
A photographer from the Brisbane Courier Mail was present to record and celebrate the wonderful day when five generations of mothers and daughters were together. Since I was only eight months old and the baby in the photograph above, I do not recall the party, however, it is a wonderful treasure to have this photograph of my mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great great grandmother and myself pictured together. I kept this yellowed clipping from the Courier Mail in a 'treasure' box when I was a child and it is this same picture which led me to become interested in family history many years ago. Barbara Nargar, my 2 times great grandmother, was the first family member whose ancestry I set off in search of. Sadly, she died on October 30, 1957, two years after this photograph was taken and before I was old enough to know my 'little nana' as she was called. (Barbara Lena is pictured seated front right). From the script accompanying the photograph, I knew the year in which my 2 times great grandmother was born, however, my search for her arrival was somewhat misled, by her age being given as eight years when she arrived. She was, in fact, four years of age - but what is the journey in genealogy about without a few challenges thrown in!
Born, Barbara Lena Häberling, she was the second youngest child of Jacob Häberling, a bootmaker, and his wife Anna (Bosshard) from Zurich in Switzerland. Jacob and Anna Häberling departed from Hamburg, Germany and arrived in Maryborough, Queensland Australia on board the Reichstag in 1871. Travelling with their parents were their 5 surviving daughters, Rosine (14), Amalie Dorothy (9), Bertha Martha (7), Barbara Lena (4)and Herminnie Adele (2). Two children, Jacob and Rosetta had died in Switzerland before the family departed for Australia to make a new life for themselves.
Although I have successfully traced the Häberling family as far back as 1520 in Switzerland, I will leave that story for another day and write about the five generations of women pictured above. Barbara was a clever girl who spoke five languages, German and French amongst them. She worked as a court translator in Maryborough. Her talent for languages would have been a useful skill, as Maryborough was a popular destination for immigrants in the 1800's. On December 31, 1884, Barbara Lena Häberling married John Gottlieb Nerger [later changed to Nargar]. The couple first lived at Bazaar Street, Maryborough, near Brennan & Geraghty's General Store, which is now a National Trust Museum. John was away from home quite a lot as he worked as a timber getter at Tinana. Eventually Barbara settled in Howard Street, in a little home which she nostalgically named 'Zurich' and where she lived until her death in 1957.
The second eldest of Barbara and John's five children was my great grandmother, Lillie Herminnie Nargar, pictured back left in the photograph. Lillie was born in Maryborough on October 1, 1888. She married William Joseph Weston on the 23rd of August, 1907. They settled on a sugar cane and banana farm at Bauple not far from Maryborough. Lillie and William had three children, Hilda Lillian, Mervyn William and Dorothy May. Lillie was a strong woman and her faith and involvement in the Baptist church, saw her through some very difficult times. In about 1920, the family moved to Brisbane where they ran a fruit shop in Fortitude Valley. Not long after this move, William took up with another woman, whom he left Lillie for and who he later married. Lillie was left on her own with three children under the age of 11 and a fruit shop to run by herself. She became a well known and respected figure in Brisbane as the first woman to own and operate a green grocery store. During the Second World War, Lillie used her knowledge of the land to help the war effort by joining the Women's Land Army. Lillie eventually remarried, but sadly she died of cancer in July of 1966. My great grandmother, Lillie was a wonderfully caring role model for me as a child and I loved to visit her home at Lutwych to play in her rose garden.
Hilda Lillian Weston, my grandmother, was born on the 9 th of July, 1908. (She is standing at the rear on the right of the photograph). Hilda married Ian Cuthbert Reece-Hoyes in Brisbane in 1929. My mother, their only child, was born on the 24 th of September, 1931. Hilda and Ian took their young baby daughter to live in Auckland New Zealand when she was only a few months old. The marriage was not a happy one and Hilda divorced my grandfather in 1933 in New Zealand. Hilda was a champion figure skater on ice, and toured new Zealand, performing publically. Life was difficult with a young child to rear on her own and so Hilda returned to Brisbane, Queensland in 1936 where she lived with her mother Lillie so that she could work to support her young daughter, Alwynne Jean,( my mother) pictured right in New Zealand aged 5 years. Hilda Lillian died on the 4 th of September, 1992 aged 84.
My mother, Alwynne Jean Reece-Hoyes never really knew her father, Ian. Her stepfather, David Andrew Schmith became her role model and she retained a close relationship with him until his death in his 80's. Dave, as she called, him adopted Alwynne when she was 10 years old, although she always insisted that her name was Reece-Hoyes. Alwynne married Colin John MacDade in March, 1954 and I was the first of their three daughters. She was a dedicated music teacher and a devoted mother to her daughters, who were the focus of her life. Family was very important to my mother, and we made quite a few journeys to Maryborough to visit our relatives. Tragically, Alwynne became ill with Alzheimers Disease in her early forties and died on the 29 th of October 1995, having not recognised her family for more than thirteen years.
Pictured right, are three generations of family, my grandmother, Hilda Lillian, my mother, Alwynne Jean and myself, (and sister) at Maroochydore, on the Sunshine Coast where Hilda lived when I was growing up in Brisbane. This photograph was taken in about 1960.
My journey into family history began with a photograph entitled 'Five Generations'. The photograph may have inspired my passion for genealogy, however, the strong, self reliant and loving women in the picture, are my inspiration in life - my brave great great grandmother who brought five children accross the world to make a better life for them, my great grandmother, who raised her children and ran a business on her own and proudly wore the uniform of the land Army during World War II, my grandmother, with whom I spent all of my school holidays, and who shared my great love of books and reading, and my mother, who always put others before herself and sadly did not live to know her grandchildren.
Pictured right, are myself, my mother and my sisters, standing on the steps of the house named 'Zurich' in Howard Street Maryborough. With us is one of Barbara Lena's daughters, Elsie and her husband who lived in the house after Barbara died. This is the last trip we made to Maryborough before my mother became ill.
I am the family face;
Flesh perishes, I live on,
Projecting trait and trace
Through time to times anon,
And leaping from place to place
Over oblivion.
Thomas Hardy 1840-1928 'Heredity' 1917


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Phoenix, AZ (Wednesday, March 26, 2014) -- Attorney General Tom Horne is today announcing that the Arizona Department of Corrections (DOC) has changed its lethal injection protocol to allow for the additional use of a two-drug protocol using Medazolam and Hydromorphone in carrying out executions.
Arizona, like other states, has chosen lethal injection as the method to conduct executions and for this very reason DOC uses, and therefore needs, the appropriate drugs to carry out the death sentence placed upon defendants who are convicted of murder.
The two-drug protocol has already been used in Ohio, and Arizona will be using an even greater concentration. Because of Arizona's confidentiality law (A.R.S. § 13-757(C)) the compound pharmacist and/or company that provides these drugs to the Arizona Department of Corrections will remain confidential.
It is very important that people understand the reason Arizona and 31 states across the country are finding it difficult, if not impossible, to obtain pentobarbital and why the source of the drugs is confidential. Arizona used pentobarbital in the last 11 executions since 2011. Courts across the country found that the use of this drug complied with the 8th Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment – that is, pentobarbital is safe. In Arizona, there is no evidence that an inmate has suffered pain in any execution. After challenges to the use of pentobarbital proved unsuccessful in the courts, counsel for inmates switched course and began attacking the suppliers of the drug – by challenging the source and asking for it to be revealed.
Because of this change in strategy, compounding pharmacies in Texas and Oklahoma that had been providing pentobarbital for executions are now refusing to provide it after their identity was released publicly and they began to receive threats. This kind of reaction has caused companies that sell the drug to corrections' agencies to stop supplying it for the purposes of inmate executions. This further drives home the point that this has now become a public safety issue and states have a legitimate interest in keeping the source of the drugs confidential.
The Arizona DOC carries out executions in a constitutional manner and in a way that is transparent to the public. But transparency has its limits when used to undermine government agencies from carrying out their lawful duties. Arizona had an extremely effective protocol for carrying out executions that withstood court challenges, but the legal maneuvering and game playing has caused the once plentiful supply of that protocol (pentobarbital) to stop. The Arizona Department of Corrections is therefore modifying its execution protocol to allow for the use of two additional drugs that have been used elsewhere. As recently as last week, Oklahoma modified its protocol to allow for the use of the same drugs.
Being lost in the conversation and political maneuvering is the fact that family of murdered love ones are paying the ultimate price as they wait for justice to be carried out.


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of degrees
& programs
Concentration: Career and Technical Education
Fall: April 1
[December 15 for international applicants]
Spring: November 1 [August 1 for international applicants]
Summer: April 1 [December 15 for international applicants]
Applications are processed as they are received throughout the year.
Number Required: 3
From Whom: Letters of recommendation should be obtained from college/university faculty members and others who can provide insight into the applicant's academic competence.
Students must meet all prerequisites for the specialty area to which they are applying: Business, Computer, and Information Technology (BCIT); Industrial Education; or Marketing Education. The Pennsylvania Department of Education expects that all individuals seeking teacher certification at the master's level, regardless of the discipline, have taken at least 6 credits of college-level mathematics and 6 credits of college-level English composition and literature in their undergraduate program. Prospective students should contact an advisor to discuss course/program prerequisites for their specialization in the Career and Technical Education concentration.
A baccalaureate degree in a field related to Career and Technical Education is required.
In the Statement of Goals, applicants should indicate their goals and objectives for obtaining
a master's degree and certification in a specialty area of Career and Technical Education: BCIT, Industrial Education, or Marketing Education. The statement should be approximately 500-1,000 words in length and should include the following elements: your specific interest in Temple's program; your future career goals; any job-related experiences that are relevant to the program; and your academic and research achievements and interests.
The GRE/MAT is required. It is expected that the scores will generally be at or above the 50th percentile.
Applicants must also pass the PRAXIS I examination required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. In addition, a criminal background check, a TB test, and a child abuse clearance are required.
A resume is required.
Courses from accredited institutions may be transferred into the Ed.M. program as long as they are current (no more than five years old) and relevant. The faculty advisor determines relevancy of any course that a student wants transferred. The maximum number of credits a student may transfer is 6.
Each student is assigned a faculty advisor at the time of admission.
The advisor reviews the student's credentials and
determines which, if any, of the required courses can
be waived. In general, this waiver covers the beginning-level courses in the program. Waiving a specific requirement,
however, does not reduce the total number of credits
needed to graduate.
Number of Didactic Credits Required Beyond
the Baccalaureate: 33-36 credits depending on the specialty area
Required Courses:
Core Courses (15 s.h.)
ED 403: Effective Teaching: Theory and Practice
ED 413: Practicum in Teaching
ED 554: Characteristics of Computer Based Instruction
ED ADMIN 402: Action and Collaborative Research Seminar
ED PSYCH 523: Introduction to Educational Psychology
SPECIAL ED 666: Inclusive Education
URBAN ED 400: Introduction to Urban Schools
Specialized Pedagogy Courses (15 s.h.)
CTE 401: Current Problems in Career and Technical Education
CTE 411: Evaluation in Career and Technical Education
CTE 426: Foundations of Work-Based Education
And two additional courses approved by the advisor
Supervised Teaching and Seminar (6 s.h.)
ED 406*: Supervised Teaching
ED 412*: Seminar in Supervised Teaching
* Must be taken simultaneously; only offered during the Fall and Spring semesters.
Internship: No internship is required.
Language Examination: No language examination is required.
Student teaching and its related seminar are the culminating events for this program.
College of Education
434 Ritter Hall (003-00)
1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Gwen Miller
Program Coordinator:
Dr. Saul Axelrod
Lead Professor for BCIT and Marketing Education:
Dr. Victor Gbomita
Lead Professor for Industrial Education:
Dr. Thomas J. Walker
The Ed.M. program is uniquely designed so that teacher certification in a specialty area of Career and Technical Education or in various other content areas can be earned simultaneously with the master's degree. It is open to those who hold a baccalaureate degree outside education but who do not have a public school teaching credential. Individuals seeking a Pennsylvania Intern and/or Instructional I certificate should apply. Applicants already holding an Instructional I or II certificate or a Vocational I or II certificate who are interested in a master's degree should apply to the CITE Department's M.S.Ed. degree program.
Time Limit for Degree Completion: 4 years
Students are able to complete this degree program on either a full-time or part-time (8 credit hours
or less per semester) basis. Evening classes on Main campus start at 5:00 p.m.
434 Ritter Hall (003-00)
1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Not applicable.
The program is a state-approved teacher certification program. It meets the general requirements and state standards for academic certification as specified by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The graduate programs in Temple's College of Education are consistently ranked in the top 25% of U.S. colleges and universities by U.S. News & World Report.
The program is accredited by
the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and is approved as a teacher certification program by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Three different areas of certification are offered through the Career and Technical Education concentration of the Ed.M. program. The scope of each certificate is as follows: Business, Computer, and Information Technology (BCIT), grades K-12; Industrial/Vocational Education, grades 7-12; and Marketing Education, grades K-12.
Other areas of specialization include Elementary Education; Secondary Education (Biology, Chemistry, Earth/Space Science, English, General Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Social Studies); Special Education; and World Languages (French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, and Spanish).
Graduates typically pursue careers in elementary, middle, and secondary school settings, depending on the specialization.
Intern Certificate (BCIT and Marketing Education):
Candidates may be eligible for a Pennsylvania Intern Certificate after completing supervised teaching and its prerequisites; passing both the PRAXIS I and II examinations; receiving a successful rating on the Pennsylvania Department of Education – PDE 430 form; and passing criminal background and child abuse clearance checks. The Intern Certificate allows the student to teach in public schools for up to three years. The Intern Certificate is issued only once and expires automatically in three years; no extensions are granted.
Intern Certificate (Industrial/Vocational Education):
Candidates should consult with an advisor.
Instructional I Certificate:
Upon successful completion of the degree requirements and passing all PRAXIS examinations, candidates may apply for a Pennsylvania Instructional I Teaching Certificate.
Students must matriculate within the first 9 credits of the program.
Although some limited funding opportunities are available, assistantships are generally offered to doctoral-level students. Students who wish to apply for an assistantship should send a letter of interest, along with a resume, to Dr. T. J. Walker, Department Chair, Temple University, CITE Department, 351 Ritter Hall, College of Education, Philadelphia, PA 19122.
Updated 6.5.06


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George Osborne downplays Nick Clegg's 'rich tax' call
Chancellor George Osborne has warned against "driving away" the UK's "wealth creators" after Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg called for a temporary additional tax on the rich.
Mr Clegg argued that those of "very considerable" means should pay more into the system, leading to an angry reaction from several Tory MPs.
He said this should come in addition to the Lib Dems' proposed "mansion tax".
But Mr Osborne said it was important not to deter business from the UK.
In recent weeks there have been several reported clashes between Liberal Democrats and Conservatives over issues including House of Lords reform, airport expansion and plans to redraw boundaries for House of Commons seats.
'National effort'
In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Mr Clegg appeared to highlight differences over fiscal policy, by suggesting the government could go beyond his own Liberal Democrats' current policy for a "mansion tax" on properties of a high value.
He said: "In addition to our standing policy on things like the mansion tax, is there a time-limited contribution you can ask in some way or another from people of considerable wealth so they feel they are making a contribution to the national effort?" he said.
Mr Clegg said fairness was key to the next steps in tackling the "longer economic war".
"While I am proud of some of the things we have done as a government, I actually think we need to really hard-wire fairness into what we do in the next phases of fiscal restraint," he said.
"If we don't do that I don't think the process will be either socially or politically sustainable or acceptable."
The tax idea is expected to be debated at next month's Lib Dem conference in Brighton, with party sources suggesting Mr Clegg could eventually present it to the cabinet.
But, during a visit to Sunderland, Mr Osborne said: "I am clear that the wealthy should pay more, which is why in the recent budget I increased the tax on very expensive property transactions.
"But we also have to be careful as a country we don't drive away the wealth creators and the businesses that are going to lead our economic recovery."
For Labour, shadow Treasury minister Chris Leslie said: "Nick Clegg is once again taking the British people for fools. He talks about a tax on the wealthiest, but he voted for the tax cut for millionaires in George Osborne's Budget.
"And he has supported a failing economic plan which has pushed Britain into a double-dip recession and is leading to borrowing going up by a quarter so far this year."
Mr Clegg's comments provoked criticism from Conservative MPs.
Bernard Jenkin, who chairs the Commons Public Administration Committee, told the BBC: "If the politics of envy made a country rich, we would be a very rich country.
"I think most rich people are contributing far more in tax than other people.
"I know this is not a fashionable view, but if you go on raising tax on rich people - and that's why, in agreement with Nick Clegg we have had to cut the top rate of tax from 50p to 45p - you drive wealth abroad.
"This is a pre-conference, easy-clap line."
Fellow Conservative MP Mary Macleod said: "This is Nick Clegg saying let's try out a few ideas before party conference, probably will cheer up a few Lib Dems to talk about it. But it isn't government policy."
Discussions about tax and spending will take place before the chancellor's autumn statement.
In his interview, Mr Clegg also hinted at a return to cabinet for former Treasury minister David Laws.
Lib Dem Mr Laws resigned as chief secretary to the Treasury two years ago after admitting he claimed expenses to pay his partner rent.
"I have never made any secret of the fact that I want to see David Laws back in government," Mr Clegg said.
He also promised the coalition would stand by its commitment not to build a third runway at Heathrow, despite growing calls from Tory MPs for a change of heart.


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SPL Wrap: Celtic win, Inverness retain lead
Inverness Caledonian Thistle retained the Scottish Premiership lead with a 3-0 victory over Hibernian on Saturday.
The table-toppers suffered a 1-0 loss to Aberdeen in their previous league match, but they were back on form at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium as Billy Mckay scored twice to take his goal tally to eight for the season, either side of an effort from Richie Foran.
That gave Inverness top spot from Celtic on goal difference, although Neil Lennon's men continued their push with an impressive 5-2 victory over Kilmarnock.
The visitors maintained their unbeaten start to the new campaign at Rugby Park courtesy of a hat-trick from Georgios Samaras.
The 28-year-old's first two efforts capped off three goals in just 10 minutes for Celtic, after Kris Commons had put them ahead on the 20-minute mark.
Goals late in the first half from Sammy Clingan and Sean Clohessy gave Kilmarnock brief hope of a comeback, but Samaras and Amido Balde struck late on to seal the victory.
Elsewhere, Motherwell continued their good start with a 3-1 win over Ross County, with striker John Sutton netting twice, while the points were shared in Saturday's other two fixtures.
Neither side was able to clinch a winner as St Johnstone hosted Partick Thistle, with Steve MacLean cancelling out Kris Doolan's sixth-minute effort in a 1-1 draw, while Hearts were also held 0-0 by Dundee United.


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by David Ammons | Washington State Secretary of State's blog
With the Referendum 71 signature-check now nearly complete, state election officials say they've now confirmed that sponsors turned in more than the bare minimum needed for a spot on the November statewide ballot. Signature-checkers passed the 121,000 mark on Monday, the 23rd day of an exhaustive hand check of all 137,000-plus signatures submitted on July 25 by foes of a new "everything but marriage" domestic partnership law passed by the Legislature in April.
It takes 120,577 valid Washington voter signatures to qualify a referendum to the state ballot. That is equal to 4 percent of the total vote for governor last fall. Voters will have a choice of accepting the new law or rejecting it.


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Sony Admits That Playstation Hacker Got Tons Of Info, Including Passwords
from the this-is-what-you-get-with-a-company-that-rootkits-people deptWe had avoided discussing what was going on with the PlayStation Network hack and subsequent downtime until more details were known, and now Sony is finally revealing what many people feared: a ton of personal info was leaked. According to Sony's blog post, among the information that hackers got was:
- Name
- Address
- Country
- Birthdate
- PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login
For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password. Additionally, if you use your PlayStation Network or Qriocity user name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them, as well.You hear that sound? That's the sound of a whole bunch of class action lawsuits being filed against Sony as we speak. I'd like to say it's a huge surprise that Sony would even store passwords and credit card data in a place where it could easily be extracted like that, but it's really not. This, after all, is the company that made the word "rootkit" famous, and spent the last few months wasting more resources in a quixotic legal campaign against a guy who added back a feature to the PS3 that Sony had deleted. Perhaps if it spent a little more time actually protecting its users rather than fighting silly battles, there wouldn't be issues like this.
To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant, to review your account statements and to monitor your credit reports. We are providing the following information for those who wish to consider it:
Filed Under: credit cards, passwords, playstation, playstation network, security
Companies: sony


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Possible Duplicate:
Is there a way to identify whether users are online or not?
Like in instant messengers. If the user has been active during the last 5 minutes (or so...), a green dot will be shown next to his user name.
It'd be helpful in order to let you know if you can expect a reply from that someone in the near future.


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The article is called "Bring Windows Desktop Search Into Visual Studio With Our Cool Add-In". It's about Visual Studio 2005 add-in development and Windows Desktop Search integration. Check it out right here:
It should be in July 2006 issue and available in stores early June. Hope you all like it.
Sergey @ USysWare


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"Ender's Game" will have a happy beginning this weekend, but maybe not a happy ending.
The pricey adaptation of Orson Scott Card's popular 1985 sci-fi novel is poised to debut at No. 1 with a so-so $23 million, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys.
But the animated 3-D film "Free Birds" -- which cost only half as much to make as "Ender's Game" -- won't be far behind, with a decent $20 million.
The only other film debuting nationwide this weekend, the AARP-aimed comedy "Last Vegas," is poised to launch with a solid $15 million.
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"Ender's Game" has had more than a decade-long journey to the big screen. OddLot Entertainment producer Gigi Pritzker struggled for years to persuade Warner Bros. to sell her the rights to the project. After she got them, many studios were hesitant to take on a project with subject matter that some viewed as dated. Ultimately, the project got the green light at Lionsgate's Summit Entertainment, which co-financed the $110-million production with visual effects company Digital Domain and OddLot.
Starring up-and-comers Asa Butterfield and Hailee Steinfeld, the futuristic "Ender's Game" follows a young boy who is recruited by the military to defend the human race from an alien invasion. But in an era where teenage moviegoers flock to more grown-up films like "The Avengers" and "The Dark Knight," younger ticket buyers might not hurry to see a movie about a pubescent boy.
What's more, "Ender's Game" has just one week of clear sailing at the box office because "Thor: The Dark World," the highly-anticipated sequel to the box-office hit "Thor," opens next weekend.
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"Free Birds" is the first feature film release for Reel FX Animation Studios and Relativity Media, which partnered to finance the $55-million movie. The two companies are hoping to develop a partnership akin to the successful one between Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment, developing a slate of lower-budgeted animated films.
The film follows two turkeys (voiced by Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson) who team up to try to stop the annual Thanksgiving slaughter of their kind. While there aren't too many family films in the marketplace right now, "Free Birds" will have to overcome bad buzz if it is to become a hit: On Thursday, the film had notched a mere 13% on Rotten Tomatoes.
"Last Vegas" stars Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Kevin Kline and Michael Douglas as a group of friends who head to Sin City for a bachelor's party. The movie, which has been critically panned, was co-financed by distributor CBS Films and Good Universe for $28 million.
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Not surprisingly, the film is appealing most to those between the age of 45 and 65 -- a demographic that doesn't typically rush out to see a new movie on its opening weekend. CBS is hopeful that the movie will play like "Hope Springs," the 2012 comedy aimed at older adults that launched with $14.7 million and ultimately collected $63.5 million in the U.S. and Canada.
In limited release, Universal Pictures is launching its romantic drama "About Time" in 175 theaters. The film, written and directed by Richard Curtis ("Love Actually"), stars newcomer Domhnall Gleeson as a young man who learns he has the ability to travel back in time.
Universal, which co-financed the $12-million production with Elliott Management, will open the movie in a handful of theaters, hoping to build buzz before the picture launches nationwide next weekend. While the movie, which costars Rachel McAdams, has earned decent reviews, only a small number of older females so far appear interested in seeing it.
Meanwhile, Focus Features will launch its "Dallas Buyers Club," a period AIDS drama starring Matthew McConaughey, in nine theaters. McConaughey plays the real-life Ron Woodroof, a homophobic Texas electrician who, after being diagnosed with AIDS in the mid-1980s, began importing unapproved treatments that significantly prolonged his life and the lives of thousands of other patients.
The movie, which reaches theaters after a tortuous 20-year development period, has been stirring awards buzz for McConaughey and costar Jared Leto since premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival last month.
John Horn and Steven Zeitchik contributed to this report.
'Last Vegas' is not necessarily about the city of old
Orson Scott Card's anti-gay views haunt 'Ender's Game' premiere
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