Exactly how long your recovery will be depends not only on which technique your surgeon uses, but also on your own level of general health and how well you follow your post-op instructions.
Recent advances in liposuction technology have made this cosmetic procedure significantly less invasive and traumatic than it once was. Smaller needles, more effective medications, and newer techniques have all reduced the toll it takes on the human body. however, liposuction is still considered a surgery, and as such it does take some time for the body to recover fully from it. exactly how long your recovery will be depends not only on which technique your surgeon uses, but also on your own level of general health and how well you follow your post-op instructions.
Immediately after your liposuction procedure is over, you will probably still be feeling somewhat numb from the anesthetic. you may also be feeling a little dizzy or sleepy from some of the other medications. because of this, you should not plan on driving yourself home. Arrange for a ride from a friend or use some form of public transportation to get back home.
Once you arrive at home, you should plan on spending at least a couple of hours resting. If you don’t feel like sleeping, lying down and watching TV or reading a book are two good options. If you would like, you can also converse with friends. do not plan on catching up on work or making any important decisions, and if possible avoid most responsibilities as well. get childcare for the day, and have a friend or significant other pick up some takeout for dinner.
You may feel fully recovered by the third day after your surgery, or it may take you a little longer, depending on a number of factors. Those who have had more fat taken from their bodies, or who have had it taken from more than one different area, will probably need a little extra time to recover. Also, as with most things, younger people will probably bounce back more quickly than older ones, and healthy people will do better than those who struggle with any serious medical conditions.
If you are anxious to recover as quickly as possible, the most important thing you can do is follow your doctor’s instructions to the letter. The more closely you act on his or her advice, the faster you will recover, and the less likely you are to develop any secondary complications. sometimes the instructions may seem a little silly to you, or they may be inconvenient or seem overly complicated. nevertheless, you should remember that your doctor has had much more training and experience than you with regards to liposuction and the human body, and he or she have a much better grasp on your condition than you do. In addition, not following their instructions can sometimes lead to worse results regarding your appearance. Don’t let pride get in the way of you having the best possible liposuction and recovery.
Over the past three decades women’s median income has increased 63%, and now more than a third of working wives earn more than their husbands. It’s no surprise when, although they were once discouraged from pursuing higher education, women now surpass men in achievement of bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Across sectors, women continue earning only 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, but more and more they are landing high-paying professional jobs and narrowing the gap. an analysis of the median weekly earnings of full-time American workers in 2011 by occupation and gender, as tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows the top 20 jobs where women are earning the most. all require some college and most are concentrated in health care, science and technology, and business fields.
At No. 1, pharmacist is the best-paying job for women, where they earn a median of $1,898 a week or approximately $99,000 a year. Women comprise more than half (56%) of all pharmacists and earn nearly as a much as men in the job. moreover, the field offers more than 10,000 annual openings and is expected to grow 25% by 2020.
“Pharmacy is known for paying very well straight out of school and all the way through your career,” says Katie Bardaro, lead economist at compensation research firm PayScale. “It’s a very good return on investment in terms of money and time spent on education.”
While pharmacists must achieve a four-year professional degree and pass licensing exams, physicians and surgeons attend four years of medical school and complete three to eight years of internship and residency. Yet, for women, doctor comes in as the fourth highest paying job—behind pharmacists, lawyers (No. 2) and computer and information systems managers (No. 3)—with median weekly earnings of $1,527 or about $79,000 a year. They also earn 21% less than male doctors.
Bardaro explains that physicians face a much wider range of specialty and practice type. Men trend toward high-risk, high-paying areas like plastic and brain surgery, she says, while women are more likely to move into lower-paying specialties like general practice and pediatrics.
It used to be common for workers to scoff at the idea of wearing any sort of personal protection equipment, or PPE. However, the times, the technology and the laws have changed. The workplace today is a much safer place as a result.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed in 1970 to assure safe and healthy working conditions for working men and women. OSHA, the governmental agency responsible for the enforcement of the 1970 Act, determines the safety regulations required for all businesses in the US.
Hardhats, safety glasses and goggles, steel-toed boots, protective clothing, harnesses and radioactive dosimeter badges are just a few examples of PPE that may be required on today’s job-sites. The degree and type of PPE use is dependent on the industry.
Mandatory Personal Protective Equipment
OSHA requires that all workers use mandatory PPE in any job that poses a threat to one’s health. it is the employer’s responsibility to assess the workplace for potential health threats and implement the necessary steps to address any hazard. if such a hazard is present, the employer must supply the PPE and educate the employee on both the potential hazards and the proper use of the PPE.
Safety glasses must be worn in any situation where the worker is or might be exposed to flying debris, often in the form of sparks, dust or splashes. The safety glasses of today have advanced far beyond the thick, black rimmed spectacles or the awkward goggles of the 1950s.
Safety glasses can be made to a prescription and safety bifocals, trifocals and progressive focus lenses are standard. The lens material, too, has changed. There now exist several options, from the original plastic to a new substance, polycarbonate.
Polycarbonate lenses are lighter and more impact resistant, but sacrifice optical clarity. A third material is Trivex, the most impact resistant, while retaining excellent optical clarity, but this lens material is quite expensive and still not as widely available as polycarbonate. All of these materials can be coated a variety of tints, both cosmetic and functional.
Goggles have become somewhat of a dinosaur, as the tendency to fog, the poor optical clarity and the downright discomfort have made them obsolete, except in specific circumstances.
Any safety glasses that meet or exceed OSHA standards has Z-87 stamped on the lens or temple piece. thanks to advances in chemistry and the safety industry, the safety glasses of today, while virtually indistinguishable from trendy, brand name sunglasses, protect the user from almost any hazard from a flying chip to a caustic liquid.
Shares of drugmaker Merck & Co. surged over 4 percent to a new high for the year Friday as its second-quarter results easily beat Wall Street expectations – just as generic competition is set to start decimating sales of its top-selling medicine, Singulair.
The world’s third-biggest drugmaker by revenue maintained its profit forecast despite net income dropping 11.4 percent as higher sales were offset by unfavorable currency rates and acquisition and restructuring costs. Still, adjusted profit was up 9 percent, and it was Merck’s sixth straight quarter with revenue and adjusted income both up.
The maker of diabetes pill Januvia and asthma and allergy medicine Singulair said net income was $1.79 billion, or 58 cents per share. that was down from $2.02 billion, or 65 cents per share, a year earlier, when results were boosted by a one-time, $700 million tax settlement gain.
Excluding $1.71 billion in one-time charges, income was $3.23 billion, or $1.05 per share, up from $2.95 billion, or 95 cents per share. that beat expectations of $1.01 per share, according to FactSet.
Revenue rose 1.3 percent to $12.31 billion, exceeding expectations of $12.15 billion. Merck noted unfavorable currency exchange rates, mainly due to the weak euro, reduced total revenue by 4 percent.
Edward Jones analyst Linda Bannister called it a “very strong quarter for Merck, as sales in new and existing drugs continue to outperform, supported by the consumer health and animal health businesses.”
“We continue to believe that long-term growth will be primarily driven by the company’s drug pipeline,” she added, noting that during the quarter Merck got positive late-stage study results for HIV drug Zolinza and a new osteoporosis drug, odanacatib, “which had such strong results that the trial was able to end early.”
During a conference call, CEO Kenneth Frazier told analysts Merck is on track to apply for regulatory approval of six experimental drugs over the next 18 months, including odanacatib and new medicines for high cholesterol, insomnia and cancer.
Pharmaceutical sales rose 2 percent, to $10.56 billion.
Singulair saw sales rise 6 percent to $1.43 billion in its last quarter before U.S. generic competition arrives on Aug. 3. Merck said it expects multiple generic versions of Singulair to hit drugstores next Friday, and 90 percent of sales to evaporate within two months. Singulair had $5.5 billion in global sales last year, about 70 percent of that in the U.S.
Sales of Januvia and combo pill Janumet both jumped about 30 percent, to $1.06 billion and $411 million, respectively. that franchise is a key Merck focus as the global epidemic of Type 2 diabetes worsens. The two drugs now grab 75 percent of sales in their category, DPP-4 inhibitors, which both increase the insulin made by the pancreas and decrease the sugar made by the liver.
Cholesterol drugs Zetia and Vytorin brought in a combined $1.08 billion, up nearly 3 percent; HIV drug Isentress brought in $398 million, up 17 percent; and immune disorder drug Remicade posted $518 million in sales, down 38 percent. that drop is due to a revised agreement with Johnson & Johnson reducing the countries in which Merck has rights to sell the biologic drug, the result of arbitration.
Several older drugs with generic competition saw sales continue to decline, including ex-blockbusters Fosamax for osteoporosis and blood pressure drugs Cozaar and Hyzaar.
“Merck is the `few surprises Steady Freddy’ of big Pharma,” said analyst Erik Gordon, a professor at University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. “Its top sellers are doing what was expected of them, and expenses are generally in line, with just a little extra spending on research and development.”
Sales of veterinary medicines climbed 8 percent to $865 million, and sales of consumer health products such as the Coppertone sun care line edged up 2 percent to $552 million.
Merck still expects revenue for the year to be about the same as 2011′s $48.04 billion. That’s despite that huge hit to Singulair, the impact of unfavorable exchange rates and ongoing austerity measures in Europe, where government health programs continue to push for slight price decreases each year.
Credit Suisse analyst Catherine Arnold wrote to investors that she was “comforted by the fact” Merck maintained its 2012 profit forecast despite those pressures.
Merck expects profit of $2.04 to $2.30, or $3.75 to $3.85 per share excluding charges. Analysts expect $3.82 per share.
“It is hard to find anything wrong with the quarter,” Arnold wrote.
Merck shares rose $1.76, or 4.1 percent, to close at $45.10 Friday. Shares have been climbing sharply since June 1, when they were at $37.18, and passed the prior 52-week high of $44.37.
Luis Canelos, the Peruvian teenager who lost his genitals in a gunshot accident when he was a child, is facing a complex operation.
South Florida doctors on Thursday mapped out how they will replace his penis using a combination of skin from his forearm and bone from a cadaver.
The surgery, tentatively scheduled for next month, will take two medical teams 24 hours at Holtz Children’s Hospital at University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center. International Kids Fund Wonderfund, a Jackson Memorial Foundation-run charity that arranges for foreign children to get the medical attention they need, is helping to raise money for the $50,000 cost.
“I cannot overemphasize how complex the operation is,” said Dr. Rafael Gosalbez, a pediatric urologist at Miami Children’s Hospital, who will perform the surgery with two other doctors.
Luis’ genitals were destroyed by a rifle shot when he was 9. he was left with just a part of his right testicle.
To make a new penis, doctors will remove skin from Luis’ left forearm. Using a microscope, they will transfer nerves to enable Luis to experience sensation, said Dr. Christopher J. Salgado, associate professor of surgery and section chief of plastic surgery at the University of Miami. Doctors will then transfer skin from his thigh to his forearm. Luis will sport a cast to allow a smooth recovery.
Luis’ remaining testicle — which continued to grow after his accident — eliminates the need to treat him with hormones or testosterone, Salgado added.
This sort of operation is “not very common and there are not a lot of institutions that do this,” Salgado said. he said he performs six penile reconstruction surgeries a year.
Salgado first met Luis three years ago in Lima, Peru, and he felt compelled to help. Wonderfund arranged for Luis to receive treatment in Miami.
After the surgery, Luis will be monitored for two days. Through additional surgery in the future, Luis will eventually be able to father children. One option involves creating a support infrastructure using part of a fibular bone obtained from a cadaver. The other alternative is to insert an artificial pump, which poses the risk of infection.
“this is not only about making him physically whole, it’s about giving him back human dignity, self-esteem, a future and maybe even prevent suicide,” said María Luisa Chea, executive director of International Kids Fund Wonderfund.
International Kids Fund Wonderfund is asking the public to donate to cover Luis’ operation by calling 877-453-5437 or visiting wonderfund.org.
Chuck Crow, The Plain DealerHugh Gorman, shown with his Army service medals, says his experiences during World War II, including being seriously wounded, gave him an appreciation for life and survival under tough circumstances.
“There are no ordinary lives,” said Ken Burns of those who served in a global cataclysm so momentous that the filmmaker simply entitled his 2007 documentary “The War.”
Many who served in so many different ways during World War II are gone now.
Some took their stories with them.
But not this one.
Hugh Gorman got his last taste of combat when a German machine-gun bullet tore through his mouth.
He’d been at the front for only 12 days.
It’d take 14 surgeries and two years of hospitalization to restore the jaw, teeth and face of the Mentor youth who’d gone to war with the confidence of his generation.
“At that time, we weren’t scared. We were all young, 19 years old,” said Gorman, 87, of Willoughby.
Before he was drafted, “Snooks” Gorman was working to support a family that included his mother and three younger siblings. his father had died a year before Gorman graduated from Mentor High School in 1943.
Gorman tested high enough to qualify for the Army Specialized Training Program, which sent recruits to colleges to learn technical skills needed by the military.
But mounting casualties and the increasing demand for replacements at the front forced cancellation of the program, and Gorman was sent to Europe with the 87th Infantry Division.
He would be among the first of the more than 5,000 casualties the division would suffer during the war.
Gorman can still vividly recall that Dec. 14, 1944, when he was wounded near Saarbruken, Germany.
Gorman said his squad leader, Sgt. Beers, was “a gung-ho kind of guy” who’d transferred to the infantry from the Army Air Corps.
“We had moved into a wooded area at the top of a small hill. ahead of us in the valley there had been some German machine gun fire and Sgt. Beers asked for three or four men to join him in an attempt to find the gun and knock it out,” Gorman recalled.
Gorman grabbed a BAR (Browning automatic rifle) and joined the group.
“We went down the hill toward where we thought the German machine gun was, and laid on our stomachs and were getting ready to see where they were, waiting for them to fire, and all of a sudden they started shooting at us.
“I felt a sharp thud to the right side of my head and I thought that my gun had accidentally fired and the butt had hit me in the jaw. I put my hand up to my face and I could touch my teeth. The right side of my cheek was hanging down on my neck. My shoulder and chest felt real warm from the blood.
“I yelled for Beers but my mouth was stuck open and instead of Beers, the word that came out was ‘eers.’ I found out later that Sgt. Beers had got it in the forehead and was killed instantly.
“I lay there for what seemed like 10 minutes when our company medic came down to me. He gave me a shot of morphine and wrapped a first-aid packet around my jaw and head to try to hold in the hanging flesh.”
Gorman recalled that as he and the medic crawled back to safety, “I could hear the slugs from the German machine gun thudding into the ground around us. I don’t know how we made it, but we did.”
Gorman walked for another half-hour, holding the side of his face together, to get to a battalion aid station. From there he was transported to a series of medical facilities including a brief stop at Crile Hospital in Cleveland where he was visited by his mother.
“My mother didn’t even know I was wounded, I was back so soon,” he recalled. “It was a shock to her. I was still bandaged up, and she couldn’t believe it when she saw me.”
Hugh Gorman, right, is shown in 1945 with a friend from Mentor, Doug Barber, while Gorman was visiting back home and recuperating from multiple operations to repair his wounded face.
He spent the next two years at hospitals in California. A bone graft from his hip was used to repair his jaw. Then came plastic surgery and extensive dental work. “Yeah, I was getting a lot of pain in those days,” Gorman said.
Coping with that pain was a common challenge facing Gorman and other wounded GIs.
“Most of the guys who came out of combat with injuries, they did a lot of drinking. at night they’d go to the bars, and then the nights they didn’t drink, they’d tell the nurse they had pain and wanted a painkiller.
“So they sort of got addicted. it wasn’t a good thing, but they made it.”
Gorman said he, too, started drinking a bit, but hitching a ride to a nearby golf course was even more therapeutic.
When finally discharged in 1947, Gorman came home, worked as a pipe fitter for more than 40 years, married his wife of 64 years, Cecelia, and together they raised 9 children. He has been manager/secretary of the Lake-Geauga U.S. Bowling Congress Association for the past 36 years.
Reminders of the war linger in a small scar on his face, a few problems with his false teeth, some difficulties chewing food, and occasional memories. He said he thinks about the war “off and on, but not a lot. I don’t dwell on it. It’s been so long now.
“War, now, is different than what it was in those years,” he added. back then “you had a gun, and you didn’t have any place to sleep or anything, you had to sleep on the ground, eat K-rations.
“It’s more mechanical [now]. There’s more of the heavy equipment and stuff that we didn’t have back then.”
But loss is still loss, regardless of the war, and it always hurts. “When Sgt. Beers got hit through the head, it was a very big shock to me because I was good friends with him,” Gorman said.
Losing a buddy was one of the harsher realities of war, yet there were also positive lessons that would last a lifetime.
As Gorman said, “I learned to have a lot of consideration for other people, and learned it was important to survive as best you could under tough circumstances.”
Looking back, “I feel like I did my part,” Gorman said. “I went through a lot that a lot of guys didn’t go through, with the serious injury. But I have no regrets.”
Cosmetic plastic surgery is booming worldwide. Cosmetic plastic surgery is in high demand because of the multi-faceted benefits associated with it. one of the most important reasons behind immense popularity of cosmetic plastic surgery can be the desire to look younger than your age. Cosmetic surgery can help you not only to look better, but also to feel better. Plastic surgery procedures lead to an increase in self-esteem and confidence. Correcting certain malformations in the face and body can make a person more comfortable to live in the society. one becomes more comfortable in interaction with others.
Cosmetic plastic surgery procedures includes abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), blepharoplasty (baggy eyes), mammoplasty (breast augmentation enhancement/ reduction), buttock augmentation, chemical peels, lasers, skin care, etc. the cost of the cosmetic surgery varies according to the cosmetic procedure opted.
A highly knowledgeable and experienced plastic surgeon is able to provide you with the best possible treatment thereby improving your quality of life. a surgeon having an extensive experience in the field of plastic surgery is able to give you that desired look for which you aspire for. before selecting a plastic surgeon make sure whether the surgeon is board certified in plastic surgery or not. also ensure that the surgeon has an excellent past history. Check thoroughly the type of patient the surgeon has treated. in order to assess the surgeon’s artful techniques you can view the before and after photos of a surgeon’s patients.
A professionally trained surgeon makes you aware of the different treatments available in the market. the surgeon reviews the patient’s medical history and overall condition, etc. he or she also provides you with effective guidance about the treatments and serves you with the best application. you can also make a prior appointment with the surgeon. the appointment can help you in knowing the surgeon better. you can discover whether you feel compatible with the chosen surgeon or not. Thus a well known and a reliable surgeon will help you in taking an informed decision. in case you have queries you can get them solved by the chosen certified surgeon. the surgeon carefully guides you and suggests the best suitable procedure.
A highly experienced dentist surgeon is totally dedicated to improving your quality of life through advanced cosmetic surgery. during the initial consultation the surgeon explains you the entire process and fully explain your treatment options to you. a highly acclaimed surgeon gives you a clear idea of the cosmetic enhancement surgery by showing you the computerized imaging and color photography. By doing this the surgeon explains how you can be benefitted from cosmetic enhancement surgery. only the best plastic surgeon can handle the cosmetic surgery in an efficient manner.
In order to find out the best surgeon all you need is to browse the internet. On the internet you can find out numerous well known plastic surgeons offering great services. you can also ask friends, family member as they often know about the most skilled plastic surgeons in the area.
I’ve been thinking a lot about age this week because a friend of mine recently retired. my golden years are still a way off, so it’s hard to imagine what it would be like to not have a work routine any more, or how it would feel to receive your last pay cheque (frightening if you aren’t financially prepared).
But I imagine that there are some positives, like never having to go to another meeting or having to deal with that ubiquitous difficult workmate, who seems to exist in every office around the world.
Of course, there are some days, after being up all night with a sick child, for instance, when I’d love nothing more than not to have to stress about heading into the office. Or to wile away my days doing what I want to do, rather than doing what somebody else wants me to do. But those wistful moments are more the exception than the rule.
Growing old, like death and taxes (except here, of course), as the saying goes, is a fact of life. Rich or poor, there’s no escaping it, even if you have splurged on plastic surgery, Botox and fillers in an attempt to fool everybody that you are much younger than you really are.
As if growing old and facing retirement is not enough to contend with, it seems there are some other issues our “older” counterparts also have to experience as they wind down their careers and financial responsibilities, such as finally paying off the mortgage.
Take my recently retired friend. he arrived in the UAE two years ago to take up a job that would mark the final chapter in his career. when he arrived, he had to open a bank account for his salary to be transferred into, just like what every expat has to do when they arrive here.
But when it came to getting a credit card with that account, he had a much different experience from the rest of us simply because of his age.
It didn’t matter that he had a job and a steady income. His age – at the time, he was 63 – was a barrier and the bank was firm.
My friend takes up the story.
“A representative of the bank came to my office and helped me and two other new colleagues open accounts. he completed the paperwork for them to receive credit cards, but turned to me and said I couldn’t have one.
“‘You’re over 60,’ he said. in fact, I had turned 63.
“‘What does that have to do with whether I can get a credit card?’ I asked.
“‘It’s the law,’ he said. ‘The government doesn’t want people over 60 getting credit cards.’
“‘But young people are the ones who don’t pay their credit-card bills. old people always pay their bills. That doesn’t make sense.’
“I pestered the bank for a few weeks and finally a representative said I could have a card if I opened a special account and put Dh20,000 [US$5,444] in it. I said that was fine with me and I got the credit card, which I used for almost two years.
“I believe there was a Dh15,000 limit on the card. Whatever I owed on the card was automatically paid out of the Dh20,000 account. in turn, money from my regular account was regularly transferred to the credit-card account so that it was kept near the Dh20,000 required amount.
“I am now leaving the UAE and was settling up at my bank the other day. I had to fill out special paperwork to close the credit-card account. the bank representative serving me said, ‘the age limit is now 65′.
“He smiled and said he had no idea why they had raised the age limit.”
I’ve since learnt that there is a phrase for what my friend experienced with his bank. It’s called ageism and banking. And it means that older people are penalised by banks and financial institutions when it comes to credit and loans because of their age.
It doesn’t seem to matter if they have a regular income. the practice happens in many parts of the world, but is not limited to the banking sector; insurance companies are also averse to the older policyholder.
In a world where many governments are revising up the official retirement age of their citizens because they can’t afford for them to enjoy their golden years while they are still able to, it seems that many sectors, including banks, are way off the mark with their ageist policies.
If people are going to be forced to work into their 70s, then cutting off access to credit and other loan vehicles in their 60s is short-sighted, more so when so many banks are struggling to make a profit these days.
My friend is right. Older people always pay their bills.
If you are planning to undergo plastic surgery at Beverly Hills for some reason, you should choose to get operated at an established Beverly Hills plastic surgery center.
Beverly Hills, which is famous for celebrities and other popular personalities, is also known for its esteemed troupe of plastic surgeons. So you won’t be facing any difficulty in finding a plastic surgeon, if you are opting for a Beverly Hills plastic surgery. then why should you worry over the issue of locating a good surgeon?
Well, though plastic surgery has become an ordinary phenomenon – especially in Beverly Hills, you should avoid getting operated by the first surgeon you could spot. though plastic surgery is not unusual or hazardous, it is still a surgery; it is not a simple issue like visiting a beauty parlor. You just can’t hop into any Beverly Hills plastic surgery center and visit another center – if anything goes wrong in the first center you chose. So you have to do some research before choosing a surgeon.
You can start by finding out if the surgeon is certified or licensed. You can check whether the surgeon holds a certificate from reputable concerns like the American Board of Plastic Surgery or the American Board of Medical Specialties. The Internet is a good starting point for making credibility checks. You can also read the online reviews of people who have undergone plastic surgery at Beverly Hills. Checking websites like cosmeticscharm.com for more information is also advisable.
You can also choose a surgeon who holds advanced certifications and degrees. Such surgeons are usually interested in learning the latest techniques and practices and would generally be more committed to their chosen field of plastic surgery. You should also opt for a Beverly Hills plastic surgery center that employs highly experienced surgeons. as everyone knows, nothing can beat the first-rate experience gained after years of surgical practice.
Plastic surgery is a valuable tool that helps people to overcome their defects and deformities. it also helps in shaping the career of some people. But, it can also affect your health and beauty, if it is not performed properly. So, be careful and patient when choosing a Beverly Hills plastic surgery center.
By JENNA FRYER, The associated Press Auto Racing Glance:
The associated Press
All Times EDT
NASCAR
COKE ZERO 400
Site: Daytona Beach. Fla.
Schedule: Thursday, practice (Speed, 4-5:30 p.m., 6:30-8 p.m.); Friday, qualifying (Speed, 4-6:30 p.m.); Saturday, race, 7:30 p.m. (TNT and TRU, 6:30-11 p.m.).
Track: Daytona International Speedway (tri-oval, 2.5 miles).
Race distance: 400 miles, 160 laps.
Last year: David Ragan rebounded to win at the track months after a late-race gaffe cost him a victory in the Daytona 500. Roush Fenway teammate Matt Kenseth was second.
Last week: Brad Keselowski raced to his series-leading third victory of the season, grabbing the lead with 55 laps left at Kentucky Speedway. He also won at Bristol and Talladega in Penske Racing’s No. 2 Dodge.
Fast facts: Kenseth leads the season standings, 11 points ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. with nine regular-season races left. Kenseth, leaving Roush Fenway at the end of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing, won the season-opening Daytona 500. … Keselowski is 10th in the standings. as the season victory leader, he’s in position to open the 10-race Chase as the No. 1 seed. … Roush Fenway’s Carl Edwards is winless in 50 races. … Michael Waltrip is driving the No. 55 Toyota for the second straight week. He shares the Michael Waltrip Racing ride with Mark Martin and Brian Vickers. three of Waltrip’s four Cup victories have come at the track.
Next race: Lenox Industrial Tools 301, July 15, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
NATIONWIDE
SUBWAY JALAPENO 250
Site: Daytona Beach. Fla.
Schedule: Thursday, practice (ESPN2, 2:30-4 p.m.; Speed, 5:30-6:30 p.m.); Friday, qualifying (ESPN2, 2-4 p.m.), race, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN, 7-10 p.m.).
Track: Daytona International Speedway (tri-oval, 2.5 miles).
Race distance: 250 miles, 100 laps.
Last year: Joey Logano won with a last-lap push from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch. Jason Leffler was second. Busch finished fourth.
Last week: Austin Dillon raced to his first Nationwide victory, dominating at Kentucky Speedway. The No. 3 Chevrolet, fielded by grandfather Richard Childress, failed postrace inspection because it was too low in the rear. on Monday, the team was penalized six points in the standings.
Fast facts: Elliott Sadler leads the standings, four points ahead of Dillon. … Busch, the series career victory leader with 51, is driving his own No. 54 Toyota. … Cup driver Logano leads the series with five victories in 11 starts in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota. He has won his last two starts and four of his last five. … Cup drivers Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch also are racing. … Truck Series regular James Buescher is back in Turner Motorsports’ No. 30 Chevrolet after winning the season-opening race at the track.
Next race: F.W. Webb 200, July 14, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
Next race: American Ethanol 200, July 14, Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa.
Last week: James Buescher won at Kentucky Speedway, holding off Brad Keselowski. Buescher also won at Kansas and took the season-opening Nationwide race at Daytona.
Track: Streets of Toronto (street course, 1.75 miles).
Race distance: 148.75 miles, 85 laps.
Last year: Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti raced to the last of his four 2011 victories en route to his third straight season title and fourth overall. He also won a Champ Car race in Toronto in 1999, and the IndyCar event at the track in 2009.
Last race: Ryan Hunter-Reay raced to his second straight victory, winning the wreck-filled event at Iowa Speedway on June 23. Andretti Autosport teammate Marco Andretti was second. Hunter-Reay won the previous week at Milwaukee.
Fast facts: Franchitti won the Indianapolis 500 in may. … Team Penske’s will Power, the 2007 and 2010 Toronto winner, leads the season standings. Hunter-Reay is second, three points back. … The race is the sixth of the season on road or street courses. Helio Castroneves won the opener at St. Petersburg, Power swept the next three road races at Alabama, Long Beach and Sao Paulo, and Scott Dixon won at Belle Isle. … Andretti Autosport’s James Hinchcliff is from Toronto. He’s fifth in the season standings. … The 50-lap Indy Lights race is Saturday.
Next race: Edmonton Indy, July 22, Edmonton City Centre Airport, Edmonton, Alberta.
FORMULA ONE
BRITISH GRAND PRIX
Site: Silverstone, England.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 9-10:30 a.m.); Saturday, practice, qualifying (Speed, 8-9:30 a.m.); Sunday, race, 8 a.m. (FOX, noon-2 p.m.).
Last year: Fernando Alonso gave Ferrari its lone 2011 victory.
Last race: Alonso won the European Grand Prix on June 24 in Spain to become the first two-time winner this year. Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen was second, and Michael Schumacher third for his first podium finish since returning to racing in 2010 with Mercedes.
Fast facts: Alonso leads the season standings, 10 points ahead of Red Bull’s Mark Webber. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, the Bahrain winner in April, is 26 points behind Alonso in fourth. Vettel won 11 races last year en route to his second straight season title. … Test driver Maria de Villota faced life-threatening injuries after her car smashed into a team vehicle Tuesday during testing at a British airfield. The 32-year-old Spanish driver joined Russian-owned Marussia F1 in March. … in 1950, Silvertone was the site of F1′s first race. Giuseppe Farina won in an Alfa Romeo.
Next race: German Grand Prix, July 22, Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, Germany.
NHRA FULL THROTTLE
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA NATIONALS
Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 6-7:30 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 8-11 p.m.).
Track: Summit Motorsports Park.
Last year: Mike Neff raced to the third of his five 2011 funny Car victories, beating Ron Capps in the final. Del Worsham won in top Fuel, Vincent Nobile in Pro Stock and Eddie Krawiec in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Last week: Erica Enders became to the first female driver to win an NHRA Pro Stock race, beating four-time series champion Greg Anderson in the Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Ill. Antron Brown won the top Fuel division, Jeff Arend topped the funny Car field, and Andrew Hines won in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Fast facts: Robert Hight tops the funny Car standings, 96 points ahead of Capps. Hight won four straight events from February to April. … Tony Schumacher leads the top Fuel standings, three points ahead of Brown, Spencer Massey, a three-time winner this season, is 11 points back in third place. … The K&N Horsepower Challenge is Saturday. Anderson has won the Pro Stock bonus event the last two years.
Next race: Mile-High NHRA Nationals, July 20-22, Bandimere Speedway, Morrison, Colo.
OTHER RACES
AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES: Northeast Grand Prix, Saturday (Speed, 4-6 p.m.), Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Conn.
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car: Friday, Cedar Lake Speedway, Somerset, Wis.; Saturday, Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis. Late Model: Friday, Amsoil Speedway, Superior, Wis.; Saturday, Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Success came quickly for Carl Edwards, who won four times and finished third in the championship race in his first full season at NASCAR’s top level.
The next year was a disaster. Edwards failed to win a Sprint Cup race, missed the 2006 Chase, and learned it wasn’t as easy as it looked just a season before.
“That woke me up quickly,” Edwards said. “We were coming off a great year, and we missed the Chase, and that was really eye-opening. so I completely respect the position we are in.”
The position he is in is precarious.
With nine races to go to set the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship field, Edwards is in danger of missing the 12-driver field. although he is 11th in the standings, the last two spots go to race winners, and Edwards would presently be leapfrogged by Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne.
Edwards tied Tony Stewart for the championship last season, losing what would have been his first Cup title on a heartbreaking tiebreaker. a mere 16 races later, he and his No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing team looking nothing like they did last season, when he led the points for 23 weeks. Edwards only lost the championship because Stewart couldn’t be stopped during a five-win push over the final 10 races.
There is a theory that the driver who loses the championship suffers through a hangover season the next year, and Edwards seemed to prove that after his nine-win runner-up 2008 season. He wasn’t a factor the next year, when he again went winless and finished 11th in the final standings.
Edwards said this week in a phone interview with The associated Press that he doesn’t put much stock in the hangover notion, even though he appears to be suffering through one right now.
“What I believe is that the guy that almost wins the championship has a pretty big microscope above him,” Edwards said. “The reality is that it is cyclical, and this team has proven to be really hot and cold, and that’s really frustrating for everyone. But lately, I think the lows have been higher than what they used to be, we just need to prove that.
“If you look at the end of 2010, we won the final two races and we were moving (in the standings) the last 12 to 15 races, and 2011 was very good. Now, 2012 is obviously no good. But if we could turn it around and make the Chase, we could make it look a little more constant and consistent.”
Edwards said there is nothing different about his team seven months after they lost the championship. He opened the season by winning the pole for the Daytona 500 and from an organizational standpoint, Roush is obviously in good shape — Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle have both won races, and are ranked first and fourth in the standings.
The difference is that his Roush teammates haven’t had the bad luck that has hit Edwards this year. Of all the strange things that have happened, only the jumped restart at Richmond can really be blamed on Edwards. He went from challenging for the win to a 10th-place finish that night.
Most everything else, though, has been plain old racing bad luck, including last Saturday night at Kentucky when a late fuel stop spoiled what should have been a top-five run.
“The biggest thing I can do is to be realistic and to remind myself and educate people that you can do the best possible performance and still have things happen that are out of your control,” he said. “We’ve run pretty well, but people wrecked in front of me at Bristol, we had a tire blow out at Dover. We’ve had trouble with running out of fuel. The penalty at Richmond, that was our fault, but some things have just not gone our way.”
He has heard all the speculation about why things have changed for him. it ranges from the time he’s spending in the television booth as an ESPN analyst for Nationwide Series races, to him sitting out those races this year after running full Cup and Nationwide schedules the past seven years.
The worst theory? that Edwards might need a new crew chief because Bob Osborne is allegedly not getting it done anymore.
“It’s really tough because you start to hear all these things, but none of those reasons are real and they don’t make people wreck in front of you, and they don’t make tires blow,” Edwards said. “Sure, it’s not as good as it could be, but we’re all battling to make it into the Chase. and something that I tried to point out the other night, is the fact is just 16 or 17 races ago, Bob and my communication, the decisions and the things we were doing with the cars was as good as anybody in the sport.
“We just have to keep believing in ourselves and believing in each other.”
But, he knows they also must be perfect the next nine weeks, and that’s a very tough spot to be in with so much on the line.
Edwards could very well push too hard. so could his crew, and so could Osborne, and that could lead to mistakes or mishaps that sink his chances.
Even worse, up next is Saturday night’s race at Daytona. although Edwards has yet to win a restrictor-plate race, he’s competitive and has tried every different strategy to make it to Victory Lane.
It’s left him a bit unsettled heading into Daytona, where he’s hopeful he’s got the engine for another pole-winning run so he can race at the front most of Saturday night.
“Daytona is one that makes me a little more nervous than the others because from here on out, we want to be aggressive,” Edwards said. “But, it’s like, ‘OK, let’s throw your elbows up and lets go race like hell and make something happen,’ when the problem is I’ve been caught in a ton of wrecks.
“We have to be smart. all the running around, pounding our chests, acting like we are going to throw caution to the wind, it sounds great and it sounds entertaining, but we have to make the Chase first. we know we are better than this, bob and I looked at each other (after Kentucky) and we said ‘We are smarter than this, we are better than this, and we don’t need to be making these kind of mistakes.’ “
IndyCar
Hinchcliffe heads home to Canada
James Hinchcliffe once spent three hours waiting for the chance to meet his hero.
When Greg Moore finally emerged to speak to the 12-year-old outside his team truck, Hinchcliffe was too awe struck to say much during what ultimately turned into a life-changing chat for the aspiring driver.
“I barely could spit out any words, my sister had to ask most of the questions because I was just staring up at this guy like he was God,” Hinchcliffe said. “It changed my life, to this very day. He influenced the design of my helmet, he’s why I wear red gloves, he’s who I model myself after — and it only took 10 minutes for him to make that impression on me.”
Canadian drivers are revered in their home country, and Moore was quickly moving up through the ranks when he met a young Hinchcliffe at the 1999 race in Toronto. Moore died about four months later in an accident at the season-ending race in California. He was 24.
Hinchcliffe, a native of Oakville, Ontario, understands the legacy of Canadian drivers. He rattles off a list of winners — Moore, Patrick Carpentier, Scott Goodyear, Alex Tagliani, Paul Tracy, Jacques Villeneuve — and feels the pressure to match their success.
“Almost all the Canadians before me have been successful,” he said. “Just making it to IndyCar is only a small part of the fight, because as a Canadian, I am very anxious and keen to carry on that legacy of winning for this nation.”
The pressure is even more intense this week since Hinchcliffe is returning home to race Sunday in Toronto. He arrives with some serious buzz: this second season of IndyCar has been a breakthrough for Hinchcliffe, who joined Andretti Autosport this year as Danica Patrick’s replacement, and he’s combined on-track success with strong marketing to become the series’ newest star.
Sponsor GoDaddy has rallied behind him for this event with a “Toronto Takeover” campaign that has put Hinchcliffe’s face on billboards and at bus stations all over the city. Perhaps it really is “Hinchtown,” that imaginary online community (and Twitter handle) that has helped build his reputation as one of the more personable drivers in quite some time.
For Hinchcliffe, all of this is both surreal and scary.
“My poster is now all over Toronto, and seeing my face, seeing yourself around town is just bizarre,” he said. “It’s not something you get used to, and not something I’ve experienced before. and Canadian fans are super supportive of their drivers. so to know that you’ve got that backing, it really hits you how much you want to put on a good performance for the hometown crowd.”
Tracy, in fact, is the last Canadian driver to win an IndyCar race at Toronto, which he did in 2003 under Champ Car sanctioning. that win came 10 years after Tracy’s first victory, in 1993 under CART, and no other Canadian driver has won in that 19-year span.
No pressure, right? Four-time series champion Dario Franchitti remembers the pressure on good friend Moore whenever the series raced in Canada.
“I think the guys in the Canadian press and the Canadian fans, they want a home win and they are going to put a lot of pressure on James to deliver that,” Franchitti said. “But I used to see that with Greg, too. The pressure on Greg in Toronto and Vancouver, especially Vancouver, was just obscene, and to have to deal with that was very tough.
“I think if James can put that out of his head and get on with it, he’ll be just fine.”
But, Franchitti said, it’s up to Hinchcliffe alone to manage the pressure and not let it interfere with his performance or his approach to Sunday. He has been impressed with Hinchcliffe’s performance so far this season, and sees many similarities between Hinchcliffe and Moore.
“One thing I’ve learned about James, I think he’s very smart and he’ll treat it like any other race,” Franchitti said. “Obviously the next big break for James is winning an IndyCar race. He’s been very consistent and done a hell of a job, and I think as long as he treats this race like any other week, he’ll be just fine.
“As far as Greg, out of the car, Greg (had) that — just that kind of crazy sense of humor and a really good person; and I see that from James, that connection with the fans. they definitely have that in common. I think a lot of that is the Canadian personality, as well. He’s a good guy and very, very impressive.”
Many people knew Hinchcliffe had a special presence outside the car and in front of the camera. But he’s shown this season he’s a special talent inside the car, too.
Hinchcliffe has finished lower than sixth just twice in nine races this season. He has two podium finishes, has led at least one lap in six races, started on the front row at the Indianapolis 500, and, until a pot hole in the track caused him to crash at Belle Isle last month, was the only driver in the series to complete every lap.
He rebounded from that 21st-place finish to finish fourth at Texas and third at Milwaukee.
That moved him to second in the IndyCar standings behind leader will Power two weeks ago when they raced at Iowa, which turned out to be one of the more frustrating races of his career. He led 19 laps and was poised to tighten the points race after Power crashed, but he wrecked by himself 55 laps from the finish on a restart in which it was critical he and Andretti teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay not make contact with each other.
Belle Isle and the poor track conditions made him angry. Iowa still has him frustrated after a week off. The two races are the only blemishes on his season and, with different outcomes, he could be heading into Toronto as the points leader.
“On Iowa, I understand everybody makes mistakes in this sport and my philosophy is as long as you can learn something and grow from it, you’ll be fine,” he said. “What I’ve struggled with after Iowa is I don’t know why I wrecked, and that’s what bothers me. I am not saying it is not my fault, but I just don’t know what caused it and I can’t learn from that. If I was in the same situation today, I don’t know what I would do differently.
“And on Belle Isle, well, that one just makes me mad because it was avoidable. If you can do that race over again, you’d red flag that at lap 6 and go fix the track before you cheat me, and before you cheat the fans who got a shortened race because of the problems.”
Hinchcliffe went into Iowa trailing Power by 31 points. although he has slipped to fifth, he is still only 30 points behind the leader and “in a weird, twisted way, we moved closer and the championship race is a lot tighter.”
He is still looking for his first IndyCar win, but team owner Michael Andretti believes it is coming soon.
“He’s right there, right on the verge of getting that first win, and when he gets it, I really believe it’s going to open the gates and he’ll starting winning a lot of races,” Andretti said.
Hinchcliffe knows there will be hometown fans hoping that win comes Sunday at Toronto, where he’ll be racing for the sixth time spanning three different series. He first attended the event as a baby with his family and could finally be its star attraction with Toronto-native Tracy — the popular “Thrill from West Hill” — not competing for the first time since his 1992 debut.
In Hinchcliffe’s first appearance at the track, in 2006, he tried to accommodate every request and realized afterward that he done “way too much.” Back this year in a much more high-profile role, he’s worked hard to make it a normal event.
“PT was around last year, my first year in IndyCar, and he still got a lot of the attention. But this year, without Paul and with (me) being a little bit higher up the food chain, we know there’s going to be attention,” he said. “We’ve worked very closely with (the team) and the league to make sure I contain everything.”
But the expectations are clearly there, and there should be more than a few fans in attendance wearing the limited edition “Red Gloves Rule” T-shirt being sold by the Toronto Motorsports group. He’s worn red gloves most of his career as a tribute to Moore, but it drew particular attention at the Indianapolis 500.
A friend of Moore’s gave Hinchcliffe a pair of the late drivers’ gloves, and asked Hinchcliffe to take them on a lap around the famed speedway where Moore never got a chance to race. Hinchcliffe waited until qualifying day, tucked the gloves inside his firesuit and nearly won the pole.
“For someone to ask me to do that, and think I was worthy enough to give Greg the laps around the most famous race track in the world was unbelievable,” Hinchcliffe said. “I don’t think of myself as worthy enough, because he was my hero. But to be able to give him that was very special to me.”
Formula One
Alonso eyes third win after halting F1′s record run
LONDON (AP) — After breaking free from a pack of title contenders, Fernando Alonso’s task at the British Grand Prix is to ensure that advantage in the Formula One championship isn’t now thrown away.
The season had produced seven different winners from the opening seven races until Alonso halted the record-breaking run by becoming the first driver to take the checkered flag twice in 2012.
With a 20-point lead over Red Bull’s Mark Webber established at the European GP, Alonso returns to the Silverstone circuit, where he won for a second time last year. with showers forecast for race weekend in central England, in this most unpredictable of seasons Sunday’s result could be even harder to predict.
No wonder Alonso’s Ferrari team is being so cautious.
“I don’t want outsiders to think that one win is enough for us to put on a fireworks display,” Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said on the team website.
Di Montezemolo stressed after the win in Valencia on June 24 that Alonso collecting 25 points “will definitely not go to our heads.”
“We are well aware how things can change in the blink of an eye,” he said. “And we must continue to work on improving the car’s performance, because it is still not at the level we want.”
Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley is already helping to develop a quicker car for Alonso and teammate Felipe Massa.
“In Valencia we didn’t have the quickest car, but compared to the start of the year, we had a much improved car,” he said. “However, our car has always been particularly suited to high speed corners and Silverstone is dominated by high speed turns for almost two thirds of the track.”
McLaren’s British drivers, though, will be determined to stop Alonso winning at home. Particularly Jenson Button, who has failed to win — or even make the podium — at the British GP in 12 attempts.
The 2009 world champion was forced to retire on lap 40 of last year’s race when his crew failed to secure the right front wheel at a pit stop and he ground to a halt after leaving the garage.
“Silverstone is a circuit that suits the McLaren,” Button said. “It’s high speed so it should be a circuit where we’re quick. we have good down force at high speed, which is something we don’t probably have at low speed, so the car should be strong there. It’s a very mixed season, which means it’s sometimes difficult to know where your car is going to work well.”
Button has plunged to eighth in the standings, having been second after three races.
“I know I’m a long way behind and that I’ve put myself in a very difficult situation,” he said. “I know I’ve made it more difficult for myself compared to most other people, but you never give up until it’s not possible anymore.”
Already 62 points behind Alonso, Button is also 39 points behind third-place McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton.
“Although he’s not been on the podium (at Silverstone), it’s not been for a lack of ability, it’s been for a lack of opportunity, the lack of a car, reliability and stuff,” Hamilton said of Button. “But his day will come, and when it does, I hope I’m there as well.”
Hamilton hasn’t won his home race since 2008, when he went on to win the championship. Hamilton’s priority on Sunday will be closing the 23-point gap to Alonso after being shunted into a wall by Williams’ Pastor Maldonado in Valencia last month.
“(Alonso) can be caught,” Hamilton said. “All it takes is for them to have one hiccup, and for us to have a good weekend, and we’re right back up there.”
That optimism is also being echoed at Red Bull.
Like Hamilton, two-time defending champion Sebastian Vettel failed to finish in Valencia, stalling midway through the race after starting from pole. But Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is sure Vettel’s rocky form will come to an end after teammate Webber rose to second with his fourth-place finish in Valencia.
“To that point it was our most competitive showing in a grand prix this year,” Horner said. “Whilst very annoying to lose a race like that, we drew some comfort from the fact the car was so quick.”
Test driver de Villota loses right eye after crash
LONDON (AP) — Formula One test driver Maria de Villota lost her right eye in a crash during a testing session and remains hospitalized in Britain, with teammates describing her condition as critical but stable.
The 32-year-old Spaniard sustained serious injuries to her head and face after colliding with a team vehicle at the end of one of her straight-line test runs at Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire, north of London. She underwent a lengthy procedure by neurological and plastic surgery teams, her team said, adding that de Villota was in the operating theater from Tuesday afternoon until Wednesday morning.
“We are grateful for the medical attention that Maria has been receiving,” John Booth, Marussia team principal. “However, it is with great sadness that I must report that, due to the injuries she sustained, Maria has lost her right eye.”
De Villota was testing the team’s racing car for the first time Tuesday after joining Marussia in March. She is the sport’s first full-time female driver since Italy’s Giovanna Amati raced with the Brabham team in 1992.
She was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital after the accident with what an emergency team’s spokesman described as life-threatening injuries.
Her head apparently took much of the impact from the collision with the Marussia team truck, which was used to transport the racing car to the airfield for a week of testing ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone Sunday.
It was still unclear why the car suddenly accelerated, and hit the truck as de Villota slowed down at the end of the run.
Booth said the investigation of the accident is ongoing.
“We have embarked on a very comprehensive analysis of what happened,” Booth said.
Marussia F1, formerly known as Virgin Racing, is yet to score a point in this season’s Formula One championship.
Chuck Crow, The Plain DealerHugh Gorman, shown with his Army service medals, says his experiences during World War II, including being seriously wounded, gave him an appreciation for life and survival under tough circumstances.
Hugh Gorman, right, is shown in 1945 with a friend from Mentor, Doug Barber, while Gorman was visiting back home and recuperating from multiple operations to repair his wounded face.
By JENNA FRYER, The associated Press Auto Racing Glance: