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JBS CEO Art Thompson's weekly video news update for November 7-13, 2011.
According to American intelligence sources, senior Israeli ministers who once opposed a military strike against Iran are now indicating support for such an endeavor. Those sources indicate that Israeli officials have been swayed by updates on the progress Iran has made toward building a nuclear program, believing that the next round of sanctions will not be tough enough. Israeli President Shimon Peres has warned that an attack on Iran is becoming increasingly imminent, prompting U.S. officials to voice concerns that Israel may attack Iran without any warning for the United States.
Last week, the Israeli military launched a "ballistic missile" test, in addition to a large-scale civil defense drill. Though Israeli officials indicate that the drills were planned long ago, some believe the tests reveal a potential drive toward Israeli military action against Iran.
Sources indicate that information about how Israel would like to proceed with Iran will likely appear in the next International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iran, expected on November 8. Members of the Obama administration claim that the change of heart is based on the notion that Iran may already possess a nuclear weapon.
Rosen Plevneliev managed a narrow victory in Bulgaria's recent presidential elections on a reform platform pledging to clean up the country's corruption-plagued government, one of the most notorious in Europe. On November 3, Plevneliev was certified as the official winner in Bulgaria's presidential race. The President-elect immediately declared that the first thing he plans to do after assuming office is fire all Bulgarian diplomats abroad who have been exposed as former agents of the communist Committee of State Security (CSS).
On Wednesday, prosecutors for the United States government argued that regardless of whether the man accused of bombing the USS Cole is acquitted of those charges by a military tribunal, the feds have the authority to imprison him at the Guantanamo Bay facility until the "War on Terror" is over. While refueling in the Yemeni port of Aden on October 12, 2000, the USS Cole was attacked by terrorists claiming to be members of al-Qaeda. As a result of the bombing, 17 American sailors were killed and 39 others were wounded.
Saudi-born Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri is alleged to have been the mastermind of that deadly attack, as well as that carried out on the the French civilian oil tanker MV Limburg, and the attempted attack on the USS The Sullivans earlier in 2000.
In November 2002, al-Nashiri was captured in the United Arab Emirates by the Central Intelligence Agency's Special Activities Division. After being held and interrogated at one of the CIA's infamous rendition facilities (where he was waterboarded and questioned at gunpoint and threatened with a power drill), al-Nashiri was transferred to the Guantanamo Bay prison, where he remains to this day.
Documents obtained as result of a Freedom of Information Act request made by the American Civil Liberties Union indicate that while in the custody of the CIA (which reportedly included time in a "black site" prison north of Warsaw, Poland), al-Nashiri was subject to inhuman torture tactics that led him to sign a confession admitting to having participated in the planning of the attack on the USS Cole.
Colombian government officials claim that the leader of that nation's most prominent rebel group was killed Friday in an operation carried out by the Colombian military.
Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzón said FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia — People's Army) leader Alfonso Cano was killed in a raid on a town in the Cauca department of Colombia, having been chased months ago out of a FARC stronghold in the mountains in the southwest area of the country.
Pinzón declared that Cano had been pursued relentlessly by armed forces in the southwestern Colombian state and was killed just hours after several of his lieutenants were killed in a bombing raid in Suarez, a rural town in Cauca.
The Colombian army may have been aided in its efforts to locate Cano (real name: Guillermo Saenz) by locals motivated to cooperate with the government by the offer of a reward of $3.7 million for information that led to his capture.
Cano, for decades the ideological polestar of the leftist movement, was known to be an intellectual and a hardliner with his eyes firmly fixed on a final triumph over the forces of the government of Colombia. He took command of FARC in March 2008 upon the death of Manuel Marulanda Velez (A.K.A. "Tiro Fijo").
On Wednesday, November 2, Viktor Bout, the former Soviet military intelligence officer and international arms dealer on trial for attempting to sell weapons to communist FARC terrorists, was found guilty in the Federal District Court in lower Manhattan.
The verdict and possible life sentence, expected to be announced in February 2012, brings an end to the three-week-long trial that may perhaps go down as the of the most important case in years, highlighting the link between Moscow and international terrorism under the covert guise of spreading communism.
"Viktor Bout is key in all this," says "Jimmy from Brooklyn," frequent radio caller in the New York area and renowned expert on communism and the USSR. "Bout connects Russia to Marxist and Muslim terrorism," Jimmy said.
"How does a Soviet military officer go from being a military intelligence officer to becoming in charge of an international air freight company selling arms over night, unless he was working for the Russian government?" Jimmy asked rhetorically when interviewed by The New American magazine.
Egypt's ruling military junta is positioning itself to keep the reins of power even after elections take place, prompting outrage and criticism among Egyptians of all political persuasions. Critics, meanwhile, are being silenced by the regime. And talk of a "second revolution" is becoming more widespread.
Among the most contentious issues is a proposal by the Egyptian cabinet — hand picked by the military — to ensure that civilian government cannot meddle in the affairs of the armed forces. Because the military regime would be recognized as the guarantor of "constitutional legitimacy," analysts said the junta would in effect continue to rule without any limits to its power. Even its budget would be secret.
The scheme would also give the military the ability to virtually exclude elected representatives from the process of drafting a new constitution, with 80 percent of the delegates being selected by the generals. And all it takes for the proposal to become binding is approval from the two dozen generals on the "Supreme Council of the Armed Forces."
NATO forces and Libyan rebels associated with the National Transitional Council are being investigated for alleged war crimes committed during the Western-backed overthrow of strongman Col. Muammar Gadhafi, the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court told the United Nations. A probe of crimes attributed to forces loyal to the late despot is also ongoing.
"There are allegations of crimes committed by NATO forces, allegations of crimes committed by NTC-related forces, including the alleged detention of civilians suspected to be mercenaries and the alleged killing of detained combatants, as well as allegations of additional crimes committed by pro-Gadhafi forces," ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told the UN Security Council in New York on November 2. "These allegations will be examined impartially and independently by the Office [sic]."
The self-styled world prosecutor did not offer details about what war crimes Western forces may have committed, but the well-documented slaughter of dozens of civilians in the town of Zlitan is thought to be on the list. Alliance targeting of crucial non-military infrastructure including a television station accused of spreading propaganda and key water facilities will also likely be among the accusations being investigated.
As GOP presidential contender Herman Cain is contending with allegations of sexual harassment, some critics assert there are more pressing items for which Cain should answer, most notably, his foreign policy and his views on the engagement of war. Appearing on Fox News' most popular program, The O'Reilly Factor, Cain indicated that he sees no issue with entering into a military confrontation with Iran.
After Moammar Gadhafi's downfall as Libya's tyrannical ruler, politicians and "experts" in the U.S. and elsewhere, including French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, are saying that his death marked the end of 42 years of tyranny and the beginning of democracy in Libya. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said Gadhafi's death represented an opportunity for Libya to make a peaceful and responsible transition to democracy. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said, "Now it is time for Libya's Transitional National Council to show the world that it will respect the rights of all Libyans (and) guide the nation to democracy." German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that "Libya must now quickly make further determined steps in the direction of democracy." It's good to see the removal of a tyrant, but if we're going to be realistic, there's little hope for the emergence of what we in the West call a democracy. Let's look at it.
Throughout most of mankind's history, personal liberty, private property rights and rule of law have always won a hostile reception. There's little older in most of human history than: the notion that a few people are to give orders while others obey those orders; the political leadership classes are exempt from laws that the masses are obliged to heed; and the rights of individuals are only secondary to the rights of the state. The exception to this vision feebly emerged in the West, mainly in England, in 1215 with the Magna Carta, a charter that limited the power of the king and required him to proclaim and recognize the liberties of English subjects.
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There is no cost to students and we work within their time available and schedule.
TRIO is a great opportunity to support students' success at Northeastern Illinois University, because our programs are designed to increase graduation and retention rates by providing services such as leadership development, tutoring and mentoring, personal and academic development workshops, and much more.
Our programs are specifically designed to take the uncertainty out of the university experience and to better prepare students for success at Northeastern Illinois University and beyond.
TRIO Student Support Services offers three programs:
- Achieve - serving all academic majors
- Access - serving students with disabilities
- Teacher Prep - serving students majoring in education
Students' success is our priority!
TRIO helps undergraduate students with important decisions, such as college major, career choices, financial aid, and course selection.
TRIO is accepting applications from undergraduate students motivated to earn a degree. College success requires meeting the challenges of your academic courses and gaining the confidence, expertise, and professionalism needed to progress through life beyond graduation.
Should you have any questions?
Please contact Monica Teixeira, Interim Director of TRIO Student Support Services at 773-442-4984 or email her at email@example.com for an application and more information. You may also read TRIO newsletter.
News & Announcements
Ensemble Español launches Our Chance to Dance Youth Festival
15 hours agoEnsemble Español Spanish Dance Theater will launch the Our Chance to Dance Youth Festival, taking place Oct. 17-23. Collaborating dance programs and companies include the…
Northeastern to host sixth annual NETT Day
22 hours agoGeorge Vukotich from 1871 and Keith Wakeman from SuperBetter will deliver the keynote addresses during Northeastern Illinois University's sixth annual NETT Day on Oct. 15. Vukotich,…
Northeastern to host second annual Disability Awareness Days event.
22 hours agoAmerican artist and activist Riva Lehrer, whose work focuses on issues of physical identity and the socially challenged body, will present "Disability & Queer Identity"…

subset: commoncrawl


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If you need Industrial Estate or REAL ESTATE or even Engineering in Karnataka, look no further. www.hotfrog.in showcases more than 21 Industrial Estate businesses across Karnataka. To find more related businesses and to filter by locality, use the left navigation menu.
Bangalore, Karnataka
Kaveri Enamel & Allied Industries was started in 1981 in Peenya Industrial Estate, which is one of the largest Industrial estates in South East Asia and We are now ISO 9001:2008 Certified Vitreous Enamel Coati…
Hubli, Karnataka
Manufactures of magnet wire, enamelled copper wire, copper winding wire and aluminum conductor
Magnet WireAluminum WireCopper Winding WireCopper Conductor
Sonetem is an team expert setted up for R & D project and slowly move for mass production and design houses. with vast expreriance .We started our operations sourcing and supplying high grade electronic components and …
Mangalore, Karnataka
…excellence We are in the market since 80's serving our valued customers factory located at Industrial Estate at Baikampady Total quality management and customer satisfaction has always been our Hallmark…
We are pleased to introduce ourselves as a company established in 2001 specializing in industrial adsorbents such as Molecular Sieves, Activated Alumina Balls, Activated Carbon, Silica gel, Catalysts, Zeolites and other…
HUBLI, Karnataka
To position ourselves as the leading manufacturers of Bare & Insulated Copper Conductors catering to the needs of our customers All our efforts are towards Customer Satisfaction
Magnet WireCopper ConductorPolysterAluminium Conductors
Other Services
Admixtures, Bondings
Expansion Joint Treatment
Repairs & Protections
Industrial Floorings
Exterior Coats (Water proof )
Surface Treatment
Structural Strengthening
Arabic College
Our Major functions include Automation products, Process Controllers, Recorders, Thyristor Power Controller and Control Panel
Power Controller
bangalore, karnataka
India's leading manufacturer of scientific and laboratory glassware (from boroslicate glass) and plasticware
Karnataka Conveyors & Systems with Quality products is poised for a phenomenal growth with the various multinationals operating in the Indian Engineering & Automobile Industries Karnataka Conveyors & Systems P…
Tumkur, Karnataka
Cosmos Conductors is an ISO 9001:2000 Certified Company engaged in manufacture of various types of insulated copper conductors viz.,Enamelled copper wire /strips , Fibreglass covered copper wire / strips , Kapton covere…
Magnet WireEnamelled Copper WirePolyster
Udupi, KARNATAKA
BENGALURU, Karnataka
Belgaum, Karnataka
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The Munster Regional Final for the Restaurant Awards 2012 sponsored by Santa Rita / Sunday Independent Life Magazine took place in The Imperial Hotel, last night. If you're looking for the full list of winners in restaurants across Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and … [Read more...]
Kilkenny, Campagne Features At Restaurant Awards
LAST NIGHT in Dublin saw The Irish Restaurant Awards take place at a packed Burlington Hotel with the creme of Irish restaurants, bars and chefs in the running for awards like Best Chef, Best Restaurant, Best Gastropub and more. The winners were circulated a few hours before the … [Read more...]


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The Intra-District Committee of the BCS School District will host a Volunteer Appreciation and Recruitment Night Thursday at the Oak Harbor High School cafeteria.
This event is open to all community members.
Doors open at 6 p.m. with a welcome from school Superintendent Guy Parmigian. Free pizza and free open swim will be available from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. The walking track also will be open during this event.
Meet representatives from school organizations, network and learn about becoming a volunteer for BCS Schools. Volunteers are needed to work directly with students, work behind the scenes (yard work, office work, bulletin boards, etc.) and work on special projects (website, Career Day, taking photos, etc.).
Door prizes for this event have been donated by African Safari Wildlife Park, Allied Chiropractic of Fremont, Bill's Auto, Coffee Express, Drown's Dairy and Ella Lou Handmade Creations on Etsy.
RSVP to 419-898-6210 to ensure proper amounts of pizza and lifeguard staffing for this event.


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Milwaukee Bucks v Brooklyn Nets
P.J. Carlesimo of the Brooklyn Nets argues a call during the game... News PhotoArguing,Barclays Center - Brooklyn,Basketball - Sport,Brooklyn Nets - Basketball Team,Full Length,Horizontal,Match - Sport,Milwaukee Bucks,NBA,NBA Pro Basketball,New York City,P.J. Carlesimo,Sport,USAPhotographer Bruce BennettCollection: Getty Images Sport 2013 Getty ImagesNEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 19: P.J. Carlesimo of the Brooklyn Nets argues a call during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Barclays Center on February 19, 2013 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. The Nets defeated the Bucks 113-111 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)


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You limited your search to:
Partner: UNT Libraries
Decade: 2000-2009
Year: 2000
Degree Discipline: Clinical Psychology
Comparative Models of the Impact of Social Support on Psychological Distress in Cancer Patients
Date: May 2000
Creator: Forjaz, Maria João Bettencourt Pereira
Description: This study tested the relationship between Social Support, Psychological Distress, and Illness Stress in individuals who report cancer as a health condition. This study was based on archival data obtained from the Wave 1 of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). The HRS provides a nationally representative sample of individuals aged 51 to 61 in 1992 and their spouses. The study sample was limited to cancer patients with a spouse or partner (n = 503). A structural equation modeling analysis procedure was used to test the theoretical models. Measures of social support were limited to variables assessing the participant's satisfaction with social support. Evidence was found for the Stress Prevention and the Support Deterioration models. This is congruent with previous research using measures of social support perception. Both the Stress Prevention and the Support Deterioration models predict a negative relationship between Illness Stress and Social Support. In addition, a univariate analysis of variance was used to test the stress buffering model. Similarly to other studies measuring the individual's degree of integration, or its perception, in the social network, the present research supported the only the Main Effect model and not the Stress Buffering model.
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
Family Rituals and Resilience: Relationship Among Measures of Religiosity, Openness to Experience, and Trait Anxiety
Date: August 2000
Creator: Emmett, Gloria J.
Description: Rituals are an integral part of society. The focus of research on rituals has been shifting to highlight the effect rituals may produce on individual resilience and ability to function. This study examined the relationships between participation in family rituals and several conceptually related facets of the human experience, including religiosity, openness to experience, and anxiety. Participants responded to questions on an assessment instrument (Family Ritual Questionnaire) designed to measure participation in a broad variety of identified family rituals; they were grouped according to responses on that questionnaire, and the resulting groups were compared on their responses to questionnaires addressing religiosity (Religious Background and Behavior Questionnaire), openness to experience (Revised NEO Personality Inventory Openness to Experiences scale), and anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). The four-group classification system did not produce significant differences on measures of religiosity, openness to experience, or trait anxiety. Nor were there any significant differences noted when the groups were examined on the basis of the demographic characteristics of age, gender, separation time from family of origin, or academic status. The demographic descriptive which was associated with specific group differences related to adult composition of family of origin: participants described the adults present in their families of origin, ...
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
Feigning cognitive deficits on neuropsychological evaluations: Multiple detection strategies
Date: December 2000
Creator: Bender, Scott D.
Description: Individuals undergoing forensic neuropsychological evaluation frequently stand to gain in some manner if neurocognitive dysfunction is diagnosed. As a result, neuropsychologists are customarily asked to test for neurocognitive feigning during the assessment. The current study employed an analogue design with a clinical comparison group to examine the utility of the TOCA (Rogers, 1996) as a measure of feigned neurocognitive impairment. Two groups of simulators (one cautioned about the presence of detection strategies and one not cautioned) were compared to clinical and normal control groups. Fourteen scales were developed based on five detection strategies: symptom validity testing, performance curve, magnitude of error, response time, and floor effect. Each was employed during both verbal and nonverbal tasks. Significant differences were revealed among groups when subjected to ANOVA. Classification rates from subsequent utility estimates and discriminant function analyses on the scales ranged from 58.8% to 100%. Combining strategies yielded a classification rate of 95.7%. The effect of cautioning simulators was modest; however, a trend was noted on some scales for cautioned simulators to appear less obviously impaired than noncautioned. Although the results require crossvalidation, preliminary data suggest that the TOCA is a sensitive and specific measure of feigned neurocognitive performance. Strengths and weaknesses ...
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
Parenting Stress: A comparison of mothers and fathers of Disabled and Non-Disabled children
Date: December 2000
Creator: Walker, Alexis Philbin
Description: This study compared perceived levels of parenting stress between mothers and fathers of children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), children with developmental disabilities, and normally developing children. The relationship of certain demographic variables, such as Socio-economic Status (SES), number of children, years married, parent age, and child age, as well as social support with parenting stress was also examined for mothers and fathers of these three groups. Identification of factors related to parenting stress in fathers was of particular importance for this study, as fathers are often an underrepresented group within parenting research. Identifying effective methods for predicting high levels of parenting stress is important, as stress has been linked to psychological well-being, potential for abuse, and a greater likelihood of poor adjustment for both parent and child. Results from the present study comparing reported stress levels between groups of parents were supportive of previous studies indicating that parents of children with ADHD and developmentally disabilities experience significantly greater parenting stress, specifically with respect to child characteristics. Significant gender differences were also found between mothers and fathers in terms of parent characteristics related to stress. Fathers reported greater stress in the areas of attachment, while mothers reported more parent role ...
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
The Relationship Between Neuropsychological Performance and Daily Functioning in Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease
Date: May 2000
Creator: Tomaszewski, Sarah
Description: The results of neuropsychological tests are often used by clinicians to make important decisions regarding a demented patient's ability to competently and/or independently perform activities of daily living. However, the ecological validity of most neuropsychological instruments has yet to be adequately established. The current study examined the relationship between neuropsychological test performance and functional status in 42 individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. A comprehensive battery of cognitive tests was employed in order to assess a wide range of neuropsychological abilities. Functional status was measured through the use of both a performance-based scale of activities of daily living (The Direct Assessment of Functional Status; Loewenstein et al., 1989) as well as by a caregiver/informant-based rating scale (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living; Lawton & Brody, 1969). Findings suggest that neuropsychological functioning is moderately predictive of functional status. Memory performance was the best predictor of functional status in most ADL domains, followed by executive functioning and visuospatial abilities.
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
The relationship between racial identity, ethnic identity, and African-American acculturation and their contribution to psychological well-being
Date: August 2000
Creator: Wilcots, Kylynnedra D.
Description: Since there are few studies which address the relationships between racial/ethnic identity and acculturation in the African-American community, the purpose of this study was threefold: 1) explore the relationship between racial identity and African-American acculturation; 2) examine racial and ethnic identity associations; and 3) observe the connections between these cultural constructs and psychological well-being. One hundred ninety-four African-American undergraduates from a predominantly White institution and two historically Black colleges completed measures of these constructs, self-esteem, and depression. The findings indicate a relationship between racial identity and acculturation for three of the four Cross (1971) stages (encounter, immersion-emersion, and internalization). Relinquishing the White frame of reference and achieving inner security with their Blackness coincides with immersion in the eight facets comprising African-American culture. Individuals who do not identify with their race (pre-encounter) less often affiliated with their ethnic group. Conversely, achieving racial identity (internalization) was associated with ethnic identity attachment. Finally, the study's findings suggest that identity development may affect how individuals perceive themselves and feel emotionally, which may depend on identity achievement. Pre-encounter stage scores were associated with reports of higher depression and lower self-esteem; whereas, higher internalization individuals reported higher self-esteem. As for ethnic identity, those who have explored ...
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
Violence and depression among ethnically diverse, low income women: Mediating and moderating factors
Date: August 2000
Creator: VanHorn, Barbara
Description: This longitudinal study examined factors influencing the relationship between sustained partner violence and depression/suicidality among ethnically diverse, low income, community women. The sample at Wave 1 consisted of 303 African American, 273 Euro-American, and 260 Mexican American women in long term relationships with a household income less that twice the poverty threshold. There were no ethnic differences on frequency of partner violence, depression, or suicidality. The moderate relationship between partner violence and women's depression, confirmed previous findings. Frequency, but not recency, of violence predicted depression and suicidal ideation for African Americans and Mexican Americans, even after controlling for earlier depression or ideation. Recent violence did not predict Euro-American's depression or suicidality after controlling for initial scores. Causal and responsibility attributions for partners' violence did not mediate the relationship between violence and depression or suicidality in any ethnic group. However, African American women's attributions of global effects for violence mediated the relationship of violence on depression and suicidal ideation. Poverty level and marital status moderated the relationship between violence and the number of times women seriously considered and actually attempted suicide. Frequent violence was most lethal among the poorest women and marriage provided the least protection for women in the most ...
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries


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|Manufacturer Warranty:
|30 Day
Good bike gloves will keep your hands protected no matter how long or how harsh the trail. These Grenade Disobey Bike Gloves are made of strong sturdy, neoprene and stretch corded nylon that is built to last and to protect your hands from scrapes and cuts while out on the trail. They are comfortable and will fit securely on your hand. They also feature a unique, bold design that makes a bold statement that is sure to catch everyone's attention. Functional and stylish, these are the only gloves you'll need.


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Chevy Chase Lake is located in the suburbs of our Nation's Capital. and offers the convenience of nearby coffee shops, banking, quaint salons and other local retailers. Just steps from Connecticut Avenue, minutes from downtown DC and I-495, the Chevy Chase Lake community is nestled on a welcoming side street where towering oaks and majestic maples add to the neighborhood charm! Convenient, comfortable and affordable- that's Chevy Chase Lake.
Our lease terms are: 12 Months, (Please note that lease terms may vary, are subject to change without notice, and are based on availability. Inquire with property staff for complete details).
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text: FSN Dress Line has just newly launched charming looking and lovely Eid dress collection 2013 for women. This whole eid dress collection by FSN Dress Line has been stylishly designed for the women that are finished with the blends of the western wear and eastern wear designing. In latest this Eid dress collection the brand has put together the long shirts along with the pairing of tights, trousers and churidar pajamas etc. In addition, the modern women will also grab the maxis and frocks, long shirts, churridar pajamas inside this subjected collection. All the dresses have been set either within the churidar pajamas or even with the trousers as well. In this post we will be sharing some of the latest pictures of FSN Dress Line Eid dress collection 2013 for women and girls. The stylish brand offers trendy outfits for women. We hope that you will surely like this latest eid dress collection.


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Calliope Media, which owns An Attorney for You, on May 1, 2009 started looking for people injured by Iovate Health Sciences Inc.'s dietary supplements. Within four weeks, more than 2,300 Hydroxycut(R) case leads were generated by the firm for plaintiff attorneys.
To obtain articles or recordings from HB programs, and for more information about the July 28, 2009, Hydroxycut(R) Litigation Conference, contact HB Litigation Conferences by phone at (484) 324-2755, by email at firstname.lastname@example.com, or by visiting the conferences section of HB's website at www.LitigationConferences.com.
HB Litigation Conferences has been producing high-end litigation events since 1992. Its president, Tom Hagy, is former publisher of Mealey Publications and vice president at LexisNexis. Sharon Boothe, HB's vice president, has been the conference director since the company's first program on lead paint litigation in 1992.
CONTACT Sharon Boothe Vice President (484) 324-2755 x208 '/>"/>
|SOURCE HB Litigation Conferences
Copyright©2009 PR Newswire.
All rights reserved


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TUCSON, Ariz., April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Muscular Dystrophy Association announced today that SMT C1100, an experimental drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), has received approval from regulatory agencies in the United Kingdom to move from laboratory to human testing, starting with healthy human volunteers.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120424/DC93207LOGO)
The drug is designed to increase production of a muscle protein utrophin that can potentially compensate for the one that's missing in DMD.
The Association has been supporting the development of SMT C1100 through its MDA Venture Philanthropy drug development program, via a grant to Summit Corporation PLC of Oxford, United Kingdom.
"We're extremely pleased that SMT C1100 will now move from testing in vivo to testing in healthy humans," said Jane Larkindale, MDA's director of translational research. "We have good evidence from laboratory studies that this drug's mechanism of action is valid for slowing the progression of this degenerative muscle disease, and we hope that this first trial will show that it can be effectively and safely delivered to humans."
Summit's Chief Scientific Officer Richard Storer said: "Utrophin upregulation will be beneficial to all DMD boys, and SMT C1100 has demonstrated disease-modifying potential in nonclinical efficacy studies. This trial will evaluate if our improved formulation of SMT C1100 can produce consistent levels of the drug in the blood which, based on the preclinical studies, might be expected to have a therapeutic benefit in patients."
About SMT C1100
SMT C1100 is designed to boost production of the muscle protein utrophin. Utrophin closely resembles and can mimic some of the functions
|SOURCE Muscular Dystrophy Association
Copyright©2010 PR Newswire.
All rights reserved


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What you need to know
Corral Boots are made by the finest leather craftsmen in the world in the heart of North American boot making, Leon, Mexico. Made with the finest exotic material, these distressed black snip toe boots feature a black cross with gold inlayed wings on the front and back of the shaft, as well as, the toe and heel. Genuine leather lines the shaft, insole, and sole for comfort while rubber gripping on the heel and sole provides stability. Get noticed in these special winged cross inlay boots!
**If you are unsure of your size for this Corral, you might want to go a half size bigger.**
Product Details
- Color: BLACK
- Shaft Leather: GOAT
- Toe Type: SNIP TOE
- Heel Height: 2"
- Construction: GOODYEAR WELT
- 14" Shaft circumference based on size 7.5 (Measurement varies by size)


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WALTHAM, Mass., May 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Repligen Corporation (Nasdaq: RGEN) announced today that the Office of Orphan Products Development of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to RG2833, a selective histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC-3) inhibitor for the treatment of Friedreich's ataxia. Orphan drug designation qualifies Repligen to receive seven years of marketing exclusivity in the United States if the company is the first to obtain marketing approval for RG2833 for the treatment of Friedreich's ataxia. This designation may also qualify Repligen to benefit from certain tax credits and a waiver of the company's obligation to pay the FDA application user fees for this product as required by the Prescription Drug User Fee Act. The U.S. Orphan Drug Act provides incentives for companies developing and marketing therapies for rare diseases, defined as those affecting fewer than 200,000 Americans. There are approximately 15,000 people worldwide with Friedreich's ataxia.
"We are very pleased to receive Orphan Drug Designation for our Friedreich's ataxia program," stated Walter C. Herlihy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Repligen. "RG2833 is the first compound that targets activation of the defective gene responsible for Friedreich's ataxia. If this approach is successful, it has the potential to significantly impact patients' lives."
Earlier this month, we filed an Investigational New Drug Application with the FDA for a Phase 1 study of RG2833 to evaluate the pharmacokinetic and safety profile of RG2833 in up to 40 healthy volunteers. This study will also evaluate the phar
|SOURCE Repligen Corporation
Copyright©2010 PR Newswire.
All rights reserved


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Universal Music
Latest Headlines
Latest Headlines
Universal Music Group tunes up 'Six-String' app
Universal Music Group announced the introduction of Six-String, a premium iPhone application promising a virtual guitar experience incorporating original master recordings of chart-topping hits.
Netbiscuits bolsters UMG's direct-to-consumer efforts
Universal Music Group announced it will team with mobile publishing platform Netbiscuits to expand its direct-to-consumer mobile content and services. Per terms of the agreement, UMG will leverage
UMG teams with FreeAllMusic.com for free downloads
Universal Music Group announced an agreement with ad-sponsored digital music service FreeAllMusic.com to offer free, legal downloads from the label's massive catalog. Thousands of UMG tracks are now
Nokia to stream exclusive Rihanna live event
Nokia announced an agreement with Island Def Jam Music Group and Universal Music Group International to launch Nokia Play 2010, a new global music partnership that will kick off Nov. 16 when the
UMG expands mobile distribution deal with INgrooves
Universal Music Group announced it will expand its partnership with INgrooves, with the digital distribution, marketing and promotion services provider now handling distribution of all UMG mobile
Bravado signs content deal with the Rolling Stones
Music merchandising firm Bravado announced an agreement with rock and roll icons the Rolling Stones to create a series of integrated products spanning the physical, web and mobile platforms. Per
Orange debuts music service for prepaid subscribers
European mobile operator Orange announced an agreement with Universal Music Group and British free-to-air television channel 4Music to introduce Monkey, touted as the first pay-as-you-go mobile music
Virgin Media, Universal team for unlimited music downloads
Virgin Media announced an agreement with Universal Music Group to introduce a new digital music service promising DRM-free unlimited downloads optimized for any MP3-compatible device, including
Interscope Geffen A&M launches artist apps for iPhone
Universal Music Group's Interscope Geffen A&M division announced an agreement with digital media platform Kyte to launch iPhone and iPod touch applications spotlighting IGA artists the All
The Motown Sound goes mobile via Verizon
Verizon Wireless announced an agreement with Universal Music Enterprises to introduce a series of exclusive Motown Records-themed mobile music promotions in celebration of both the fabled soul


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Articles Tagged Robert Tonner
Gothic Charm School's Jillian Venters Interview of Robert and Joe – Getting Dark
If you missed this wide-sweeping and detailed Interview by Jillian Venters of both Robert Tonner and Joe Petrollese it is a must read for any Tonner Doll or Wilde Imagination – or Tonner Toys – fan. All sorts of questions about inspiration, exploring the "darker" side of fashion and play abound. It is just chalk full […]
The Tonner Doll Katniss Mockingjay Pin – A Hunger Games Peek
The Mockingjay Pin Robert is having fun with these tiny bit-by-bit Hunger Game reveals and don't we love it. This time it is the Katniss Mockingjay Pin. All these peek just are queuing our interest. Definitely another good share from Robert.
Robert Shows Peggy Harcourt and tells the Inspiration Story of Precarious
Structure and Self-Expression – Precarious There have been a lot of enthused responses to the 2012 Mainline so Robert wanted to give some thoughts about the directions he, Joe and the Design Team were going toward early 2012. Most interestingly he shares some of inspiration for the new line of Precarious, how Pat Henry of […]
Robert Shows the new Painted Eye Amber Head – Wilde Imagination
One of the things Michelle of Wilde Imagination has been waiting for is a Painted Eye Amber, and Robert does not disappoint as he reveals the very first Painted Eye Amber head, right as it came in the mail for approval. Facepaint artist Sherry Miller has done a spectacular job as you can see! Robert […]
And the Winner Is…Robert Picks the Winner of our Dazzlng Tyler Giveaway
Doll Duels Giveaway! Everyone has been so patient for our Doll Duels giveaway drawing, the contest we originally posted about here. This weekend we busted through the million duels mark and today Robert draws the winner out, you have to watch it and see it if is you! We'll be contacting the winner through their […]
City Girls, Maudlynne, Tron Legacy, Nu Mood and More! – Doll Diaries Reports
If you were following our Facebook postings from Toy Fair 2012 you'll love this detailed report from Char of Doll Diaries. Char is someone we first met on Twitter I think, and we have become fast friends ever since. She's interviewed Jason and Robert about Tonner Toys, and was won over by the LittleMissMatched Girls. […]
A Wilde Imagination Steampunk Preview! Robert Reflects on Toy Fair and More
Robert gives us all something sweet with this Friday YouTube! A preview of the much-anticipated Steampunk line "Imperium Park". Toy Fair was fantastic for Tonner Doll. It saw the Tron Legacy and Avatar prototypes which created quite a buzz and on which we'll be reporting as each comes closer to release. But Robert decided he […]


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July 26, 2012 'Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour' is currently the top grossing live show in North America. The Cirque du Soleil production earned more than $79 million dollars the first half of this year alone. But it's pretty easy to be the hottest ticket in town when your primary focus is the King of Pop. Host Michel Martin speaks with the show's artistic director Tara Young about the concert-like, acrobatics-infused tribute to Michael Jackson.
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Academy Award-winning actress Celeste Holm was best known for roles in Gentleman's Agreement, All About Eve and Oklahoma!
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July 15, 2012 The Academy Award-winning actress was a star on both stage and screen, best known for roles in Gentleman's Agreement, All About Eve and Oklahoma!
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Miracle!, a drag version of the Helen Keller drama The Miracle Worker created and directed by Dan Savage, is a highlight of the Intiman Theater's comeback summer festival in Seattle.
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July 15, 2012 After financial problems forced it to close midseason last year, Seattle's Intiman Theater is reopening with a more limited offering: an eight-week summer festival. The comeback shows include a drag version of The Miracle Worker.
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Alan Cumming plays Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Banquo and many other characters in a one-man adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy set in a psychiatric ward. The show plays as part of the Lincoln Center Festival in New York through July 14.
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July 10, 2012 Alan Cumming stars in a creative reinterpretation of Shakespeare's Scottish play Macbeth. Cumming stars as Fred, a mental patient who performs his own highly personal version of the classic tragedy, playing nearly every character.
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July 5, 2012 In just a few years, comedian Trevor Noah went from performing at amateur clubs to selling out large theaters in his native South Africa. Born to an African mother and Swiss father during apartheid, many of his jokes stem from his upbringing in a township where law separated blacks and whites.
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Mike Nichols' directing credits include Spamalot on Broadway, the movies Working Girl and The Birdcage, and HBO's Angels in America.
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July 4, 2012 Mike Nichols has won every major entertainment award over a long career in theater, comedy, TV and film. He returned to Broadway directing a revival of Death of a Salesman, which picked up seven Tony nominations. Nichols warns the production may be his last. Originally broadcast May 23, 2012.
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In plays like FOB, M. Butterfly and Chinglish, David Henry Hwang, seen here at a 2006 gala, touches on the obstacles that can stand between immigrants and the American dream.
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June 28, 2012 Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang has written extensively on Asian immigrants' assimilation into American culture. The American dream, he says, is defined by the ability to imagine a future, and then have hope of fulfilling it.
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Author and screenwriter Nora Ephron died Tuesday in New York. She was 71.
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June 27, 2012 Nominated for multiple Oscars, the director and screenwriter gave us two of the most indelible scenes in contemporary cinema — and they're startlingly different.
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Celebrated composer and lyricist Richard Adler has died at the age of 90.
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June 25, 2012 Richard Adler, who co-wrote the musicals The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees with his partner, Jerry Ross, died Thursday at his home in Southampton, N.Y. He was 90. Fresh Air remembers the composer and lyricist with excerpts from a 1990 interview.
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In The Connection, Leach (Warren Finnerty, right) and his friends wait around for their heroin fix, which eventually comes courtesy of Cowboy (Carl Lee). The controversial film was shut down in New York after two screenings in 1962.
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June 23, 2012 When it was released in the early '60s, Shirley Clarke's controversial film about heroin addicts got shut down by New York police after two screenings. Now, a half-century later, audiences get a second chance to see the newly restored movie in theaters.
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David Sonnier Jr., from Jeanerette, La., plays the Devil in Angola Prison's production of The Life of Jesus Christ. He was convicted of aggravated rape and is serving a life sentence.
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June 23, 2012 The Angola Prison Drama Club performed a play unlike any other in the prison's experience. Seventy inmates took part in The Life of Jesus Christ. For the untrained actors, this production held special meaning, as they saw pieces of their own lives revealed in the characters they played.
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June 22, 2012 He co-wrote Pajama Game and Damn Yankees, then hired Marilyn Monroe to sing "Happy Birthday" to John F. Kennedy.
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June 22, 2012 We bounce from chronicles sober and silly to the question of what makes a solid first-person shooter, and confess to being pleased by some of the strangest things.
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Orlando (David Furr), Rosalind (Lily Rabe, right) and Celia (Renee Elise Goldsberry) in As You Like It. The Public Theater's production opens the 50th-anniversary season at New York's Delacorte Theater.
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June 21, 2012 This summer marks the half-century anniversary of Central Park's Delacorte Theater, home of the free annual Shakespeare in the Park. Jeff Lunden looks at the theater's beginnings and how it continues its work today with a new production of As You Like It.
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June 19, 2012 One last dispatch, now that we've recovered, featuring observations on Jackie Hoffman and shirtless dwarves.
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Item 3376472
Extended Reach Table Lamp
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Enjoy the best of contrast and brightness with OttLite® 508 Illumination.™ A precise blend of light wavelenghts the eye can see and focuse on without the harsh glare, birghtness, distortion and fatigue other light sources can cause.This lamp has powerful and versatile illumination, which is perfect for large work areas with a wide shade of 13.5 inches long and a base of 10 inches.
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Extended Reach Table Lamp is rated out of 5 by 1.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Buddy from Lights up projects great Good Product. Purchased for my wife's sewing room.
Date published: 2015-01-05


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the room was quite small and the service almost did not speak english (with the exception of a chinese girl that worked in the morning, whose english was very good). The location was in La Valette, which actually is 16km from toulon. If you do not have a car, you'd bettter avoid this hotel. The rooms were very clean.
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Strawberry fields forever
April 20, 2014 § 36 Comments
The night had started off slowly. I was sitting next to a couple of dudes at the bar and they were discussing beer. "I like the slightly fruity finish, almost strawberryish," one said of his light-colored ale.
"Yeah. And it's amazing the way it starts with a full nose, almost chocolatey, then transforms into something airy and almost, like you said, a fruity aromatic."
I looked at my 32-oz. glass of suds. "Are you guys talking about beer or edible underwear?" I asked.
They laughed nervously. "Ha, ha. Good one. What are you drinking?"
"Racer 5."
"Oh, that's a good beer," approved Fruity Finish.
"Yes, very workmanlike, solid," added Chocolatey Nose. "For sure it's a biggie and has those strong citrus notes. Kind of muted compared to others but still lots of orange rind and piney notes. It's a big beer, for sure."
"It is?" I asked, wondering if they were talking about the big mug.
"Oh, yes," chimed in Fruity Finish. "I'd add that, you know, it's a well-balanced bitey IPA, right?" He eyed my giant mug. "You'll get a better nose from a tulip glass, it'll let the smell travel and pull out the high notes on that classic mix of piney, mango, citrus, resin, dankness. There's enough bitterness, nicely mixes with the fruity, citrusy, fresh finish."
I looked at them as if they were trying take upskirt photos of my wife. "You think so?" I asked.
Fruity Finish and Chocolatey Nose nodded. "How would you describe it?" asked Chocolately Nose.
I took another swallow from the giant mug as the bitter liquid charged down my throat. I savored it for a moment. "Hmmm," I said. "Tastes like ass."
The two connoisseurs winced. "Ass?"
"Yep," I said, taking another swig. "A big old nasty swallow of ass. And that's what beer's supposed to taste like, by the way."
They didn't know what to say, so I continued. "Beer is one of the nastiest things ever invented, worse than kimchi. It's rotted inedible offal stewed in a pot and left in a bucket to rot some more. If it doesn't taste like shit you're doing it wrong."
Fruity Nose protested. "Good craft beer …"
"Fuck good craft beer. Beer tastes foul when you start and gets fouler with each successive swallow. That's why by your tenth beer you're cross-eyed trying to choke the shit down. That's why men drink it after a long day digging ditches or clear cutting virgin old growth. If you're going to fructify and chocolatify it, might as well soak a pair of flavored edible panties in ethanol and eat that."
Convo saver
The two experts politely turned away, which was perfect timing because up came the Godfather. He sat down at the bar next to me and ordered a beer. Like a man, he pointed to my glass and said to the bartender, "I'll have what he's having." Like a man, he didn't bother to ask what it was, he just assumed that it was strong and bitter and there was a lot of it.
"How'd you get into cycling, Godfather?" I asked him.
The barkeep plopped the huge cold mug in front of him and he paused to take a deep, manly draft after we clinked the shit out of those 12-lb. mugs. "Fatty tuna," he said.
I thought about that for a second, hoping like hell he wasn't about to pronounce that there was a finishing note of raw fish. "Not saying I'm drunk, Godfather, but you're gonna have to help me out with that one."
"Fatty tuna," he repeated. "And strawberries." Then, like a man, he sucked down a full quarter of his glass and dissected it the only way any man worth his salt would ever evaluate a beer. "That shit is good," he said.
"Damn straight," I said, adding the only man-approved comment to another man's approval of a cold beer. "But I'm still not understanding the berries and tuna thing and what it has to do with bikes."
Godfather lives up on top of the Hill and runs the global energy consulting arm of IBM. He is always nicely dressed and seems like the perfect product of Southern California suburbia. But he isn't. "You know, I grew up in Pedro," he said, referring to San Pedro, the impoverished little armpit at the southernmost tail of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. "We were fishermen, and our family had fished the peninsula since they emigrated from a little village in Sicily in the early 1900's. All of Pedro was fishermen, mostly Italians and Portuguese, and Croats, too."
"Pedro?" I asked, incredulously. "You mean the place that's now crawling with gangs and drunk longshoremen and street people who live in shopping carts?"
"The same," he said. "We had three boats, the biggest was the Giuseppe, a hundred-footer. When I got big enough to work the boat, I was seven, they took me on my first run. We left in the wee hours and sailed up by Abalone Cove, shining lights on the surface to bring up the squid. Once we had a full load of squid, we sailed farther out to the bait barge and cashed in our bait for money that we used to fuel up the Giuseppe and the chaser boat."
"What's a chaser boat?"
"We had a little motorboat hanging on the back of the Giuseppe, my dad ran that."
I tried to envision all of this happening right here on the coast of Southern California in the late 1960's, a family fishing operation off a peninsula that's now slathered in tract housing, faux Mediterranean designs, and filled with people whose only conception of beer is fruity finishes and chocolatey noses.
"I bet your old man liked beer," I said.
"Damn straight he did. But we were a big Italian family, so he loved wine, too. Anyway, we fueled up the boat and headed out because we knew the tuna were running up from Baja, and if we could land a decent catch we'd be able to keep a roof over our heads for the next three months or so. It was a big deal. Grandpa climbed up into the crow's nest and started scanning the water for dolphin fins because the tuna ran beneath the dolphin schools. Sure enough, he spotted 'em. He had eyes like a hawk, just like the whalers back in the day.
"He shouted down to dad, and we rolled the chaser boat into the water, and dad cranked the motor and set out after those tuna with grandpa coming up under a full head of steam. Dad got to the school, and started to turn it with the chaser boat, bringing the dolphins back to the Giuseppe, where we had the nets. It was exciting stuff, yelling and the crew doing everything just exactly at the right time and then bam, those nets were filled with tuna and all hell broke loose. We wound up with three tons of tuna that run."
"So what does that have to do with cycling and strawberries?" I'd managed to hang onto that thread despite the boat chase and the tuna catch and the squid and the old Italians drinking beer.
"I'd ridden my bike down to the harbor that morning at dark-thirty. Dad filleted a 30-lb. cut of fatty tuna, wrapped it in some newspaper, and put it in my basket. Now mind you, the bike and the tuna weighed almost as much as I did. 'Go get us some berries, Gerald,' he said. So I had to crank that big steel bicycle loaded down with fresh fish all the way up the wall on 25th Street and out PV Drive South out to what is now Trump National Golf Course. It wasn't a golf course then, I can assure you."
"What was it?"
"Strawberry fields. And corn fields. Paolo and Maria Pugliese farmed strawberries all along the coast along with a couple of other families."
"You're shitting me."
"I am not. Where you now see multi-million dollar McMansions and a golf course there used to be strawberry fields and old Italians with sunburnt faces. It took me forever to get there, lugging that fish on that heavy bike. Remember, I was only seven. Finally I got there, and old Paolo took my fish and handed me two big wicker baskets. 'Go pick your berries, Gerald,' he said. So for the next two hours I bent over in the fields picking those fresh strawberries, then I rode home."
"And that is how you got into cycling?" I asked.
Gerald finished off his beer in a one long manly pull. "Yes," he said. "It is."
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The things we teach
April 12, 2014 § 19 Comments
Many years ago we lived in a one-room home. The whole interior was a little more than ten tatami mats, or about 178 square feet. That probably sounds small until I tell you that six of us lived there, including one squalling infant. We were building a house on the other side of Utsunomiya, and my wife's grandfather had allowed us to stay in one of his rental units until the house was finished. Our furnishings consisted of a small TV and low table. We lived there for eight months, but I don't remember ever being cramped.
What I remember is the morning ride to kindergarten.
I had the biggest Bridgestone commuter bike that they sold at the local bike shop, a 55cm monster that, even with the seat jacked all the way up, was much too small. It had fenders, 30mm all-beef commuting tires, and a kickstand, but the piece of resistance was the add-on that they installed at the time of purchase: a kiddy seat.
The kiddy seat was a wire basket contraption with two flimsy cushions, foot pegs, and leg guards to keep the passenger's legs out of the spokes. It mounted onto the rear bike rack and had a fixed handlebar so that the kiddy could grip in the event that circumstances became rough or unstable. There was no seatbelt of any kind.
Rough and unstable circumstances
My eldest daughter was in kindergarten, and due to our temporary location I had to pedal her across town every morning, a solid 20-minute commute in heavy traffic. They say that a child's personality is formed at birth, and whether that's true or not, it's definitely formed after your first trip to kindergarten in a wire basket on the back of my commuter bike.
Ours was no normal commute, either, because of the Tobu Hill. This was a very short, steep, 200m downhill that swooped under the Tobu train line and flattened out at the traffic light on Heisei Dori. The road was narrow and even had a segregated bike path, but you couldn't get any speed on the bike path so my daughter and I always opted for the lane. Well, she never opted for anything. She just hunkered low in the basket and gripped the bars survival tight.
The beauty of that little drop was that you could get a good head of steam, and if you got lucky and hit the traffic light green or mostly yellow and there was no oncoming traffic you could take the wide slightly cambered right-hander out into a clean 4-lane road. A full-speed sprint down the hill and a lucky light meant that we could sweep through the turn at a solid 35+, the bike in full lean, the tires at the limit of their grip, and the taste of fear dry and exhilarating and bitter roiling at the back of my tongue.
My daughter never complained, never cried, and never asked me not to do it, although upon reflection she never asked me to do it, either. She wore the cutest of kindergarten outfits, Japanese cute, a cuteness that only generations skilled in the art of tiny and cute could ever produce, and part of the uniform was a hat with a drawstring. At 35mph in full lean, the drawstring wasn't strong enough to keep the hat on her head, of course. The times I looked back at her, usually after reaching terminal velocity but before hitting the hopefully green light, she always looked the same.
She would be staring calmly ahead, tilted in the seat so that she could see around me, a faint smile on her face, with one hand holding the handlebar in a vicegrip and the other mashing her hat onto her head so that the wind didn't carry it away. If there was fear in her eyes as she pondered the onrushing and immediate future, it never showed.
Neither of us, of course, wore a helmet.
The great Utsunomiya World Championship Road Race
One morning we were sitting in traffic. As the light turned green and we began to move, a fancy road rider whizzed by. "Good morning!" I said, but he ignored us.
I looked back at my daughter. "That rude bastard," I said. "Let's catch him!"
She didn't agree, but she didn't disagree, either. She only peered around me to get a better look at our quarry, casually took one hand off the handlebar and clamped her palm to her hat. She knew that whatever was going to happen next it would involve high winds and turbulence.
The Bridgestone was a solid 30 pounds and Sakura was another 35 or 40, and I happened to only be wearing flip flops, so the bike wasn't exactly quick off the line. However, once you got that giant lump of chromoly up to speed, it had momentum, and lots of it.
Packed in the middle of tight traffic I was able use the cars to draft my way up to about 30mph. Inches off the bumpers of car death I went faster and faster until my legs really started to burn and my breathing became painful and my body had to viciously sway from side to side to beat the pedals hard enough to keep up the speed. I could feel her weight shifting behind me as the bike rocked side to side.
The speed picked up and I hunkered down in the draft. Through the car's windshield I could see the roadie up ahead as well as the car's speedometer. We were over 35mph and the bike was starting to shimmy. My legs tore at the pedals and I was buried in the red. We approached a giant traffic intersection, and our draft was the last car that was going to make the light, which had turned yellow. The roadie had already come to a stop.
The Toyota I was drafting gunned it and got me up to forty before he pulled away. The bike was in full shimmy. Braking was not an option as I prepared to sail out into the intersection. I turned my head and stopped pedaling in preparation for the moment we'd shoot past the stopped roadie. Buzzing as close to him as I could, I said, "Good morning again!" and we rocketed by as if we'd been discharged from a Soviet work camp.
Judging from his gape, he'd never been passed by a dude in flip flops on a bike with a kickstand hauling a kid in a basket. At forty miles an hour. I'm sure the fact that I wasn't pedaling added to the mysterious nature of the public humiliation.
My daughter is twenty-five and she still rides a bicycle, though her smile is wider and, you know, she wears a helmet.
America's first sporting superstar
March 1, 2014 § 21 Comments
I was pedaling along, talking to a pair of Cat 5's about racing. A dude on a fancy bike passed us like we were tied to a stump. "Damn," I said, "who does he think he is? Major Taylor?"
Stringbean looked at me. "Who's Major Taylor?" he asked.
I didn't know what to say, so I thought about it. "Ever heard of Eddy Merckx?" I asked.
Stringbean laughed. "Uh, yeah."
Stumpy chipped in. "Merckx was the greatest ever. The Cannibal."
"Why do you think he was the greatest ever?" I asked.
"Dude," said Stumpy. "He fuggin won it all. He was The Cannibal."
"Yeah," I said. "I heard you the first time. So you reckon he was better than Major Taylor?"
"Who's he?" Stringbean repeated. "Was he better than Merckx?"
"Couldn't have been," said Stumpy. "Merckx was The Cannibal."
"Yeah," said Stringbean. "Who was Major Taylor? I bet he wasn't no cannibal."
Der Sieger schreibt die Geschichte
Among black cyclists, Major Taylor needs no introduction. But for many whites, he's an ancient name at best, a blank at worst. This is weird because you don't have to race bikes for long before you hear his name. Although I knew, or thought I knew, the rough outlines of his story, it wasn't until I read "Major" by Todd Balf that I got an appreciation for the man who was unquestionably America's first sporting superstar and who, judged by his accomplishments, remains one of the greatest American athletes ever.
Had Taylor been white, his palmares would have been incredible. But dominating the domestic and international competition as a black man in the late 1800's who faced threats of violence, blatant discrimination, and machinations to keep him from even entering races testifies to a stony will and indomitable competitive lust that makes the accomplishments of Eddy Merckx pale in comparison.
In his prime, Merckx was the undisputed patron of the peloton with a powerful team that protected him and worked tirelessly for his victories. Just as crucially, very little happened without Merckx's consent. In his prime, Taylor had to fight for every position in every single race, and could look forward to racial epithets and overt discrimination wherever he traveled in the United States.
I thought about all this as I pedaled along with Stumpy and Stringbean. "Boys," I said, "if you want to know what it means to be a champion, a real one, get yourself a bio of Major Taylor. He wasn't The Cannibal. He was far tougher than that."
Did you know that you can subscribe to this blog and ensure that your morning glory is accompanied by a generous donation to a worthy cause? Click here and select the "subscribe" link in the upper right-hand corner if you feel like it, and even if you don't … thanks for reading and for commenting!
Exclusive interview: Stuart O'Grady breaks silence on doping
February 26, 2014 § 28 Comments
With the impending release of his book, Battle Scars, former Australian cyclist Stuart O'Grady has embarked on a media tour and sat down with Cycling Fanboys for his first major interview since his retirement and dished on his experiences with drugs in the pro peloton.
Fanboys: Why the name?
SO: "Battle Scars" is a name that is very appropriate to my career because there were so many battles. Battles all the time, every day. And you know, because of those battles I had scars. So, battles and scars, and then "Battle Scars." The scars of battles. Get it? Bities, bitzles, bingles,the whole shebang.
Fanboys: After announcing your retirement on the first Monday after the 2013 Tour de France, you admitted to using epo ahead of the 1998 Tour, just before the French Senate released its report on doping in the Tour in 1998. Why the timing?
SO: Well, I sure as hell wasn't gonna admit it during me career, was I? Maybe I'm Ozzie, but I'm not as dumb as all that.
Fanboys: And that's the only time you doped?
SO: Oh, yeah. Just the day before the '98 Tour. A tiny little pinch. Itsy bitsy amount, actually. Hardly enough to even see, much less make me ride faster. It was kind of a joke, really.
Fanboys: Wow. Because 1998 was the year, you know, that teams were supplying it in gross to their riders, everyone walking around with his own personal thermos of epo.
SO: Really? What a bunch o' cheaters, eh?
Fanboys: So you didn't really ever hear about other riders using drugs?
SO: Lord, no. The French guys, sure, and maybe some of the lower class riders, the donkeys, the guys who were never gonna be any good, maybe they did it, but the big teams, the legit teams, I can honestly say I never heard of anyone using drugs to gain an unfair advantage. It's just not how we thought at the time.
Fanboys: Where did you obtain the drugs?
SO: Oh, I don't remember. You know, it was just a very small amount, not more than a couple of thermoses. I think I got it from some gal in a bar. We was talking about the Tour and she said, "Try this," and gave me a couple of thermoses. I only used it the month leading up to the Tour, kind of on a training plan I made up meself.
Fanboys: Did you notice any difference in your riding?
SO: From the epo? Blimey, no sir. It was like drinkin' orange juice. Made me kind of drowsy, in fact, which is why I quit taking it right after the '99 Tour, the year Lance won his first yellow jersey.
Fanboys: When did you quit using drugs?
SO: Immediately, right away, as soon as I heard about the Festina affair in '98. I smashed me thermoses, got rid of it and that was the last I ever touched it.
Fanboys: Except for '99, right?
SO: Right. And 2000. We used a spot of it in 2000, me and the boys, but just before the Tour. It didn't help us at all, though, so we quit immediately.
Fanboys: "The boys?"
SO: Oh, sure, you know, the boys on the team. It wasn't organized by the team, it was all individualized, but we did it together. There was a big cooler on the bus, we had ten thermoses for each rider along with the other usual supplements, and just used them. I believe they made us slower, actually.
Fanboys: What were the other "usual supplements"?
SO: Test, corticos, clen, a blood bag 'ere and there for when you was gettin' a bit woozy after the big mountain stages. And before the big mountain stages. And the long flat days, too, and time trials, a pinch before and maybe a spot after. But that's all we did, and after the 2001 Tour, Bjarne told us "no more drugs because drugs is bad." You know he was tough about drugs like that and wouldn't tolerate it. "It's just cheatin'," is what he told us all the time. So we just quit, and I'll tell you that they didn't make you any faster. They made you slower. That's a proven fact.
Fanboys: Your admission of doping cast into doubt your subsequent results, particularly your 2007 win at Paris-Roubaix.
SO: Sure, I can see how people might think that, but Roubaix is a strongman's race and drugs was gone completely from the peloton after the Tour wrapped up in '02, I think it was. We just all kind of reached an agreement that cheatin' wasn't worth it. It was the right thing to do, so we did it. Simple as that.
Fanboys: How did you feel during all those years when you were denying drug use even though you were plugged to the bunghole with PED's of every kind?
SO: I felt awful, actually. I just kind of buried it so far back in my mind because it was just one of those things that I hoped would never surface. It was the darkest period of my career. It was the darkest period of cycling in general until things got cleaned up for good in 2003, right after the Tour.
Fanboys: How did that come about?
SO: Well, we was using blood transfusions, and transfusions from our family, and from our pets, and of course there was always a bit of androstenediol, androstenedione, androstene, bolandiol, bolasterone, boldenone, boldione, calusterone, clostebol, danazol, dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, desoxymethyltestosterone, drostanolone, ethylestrenol, fluoxymesterone, formebolone, furazabolgestrinone, hydroxytestosteronemestanolone, mesterolone, metandienone, metenolone, methandriol, methasterone, methyldienolone, methylnortestosterone, methyltestosterone, metribolone, mibolerone, nandrolone, norandrostenedione, norboletone, norclostebol, norethandrolone, oxabolone, oxandrolone, oxymesterone, oxymetholone, prostanozol, norandrostenedione, norboletone, norclostebol, norethandrolone, oxabolone, oxandrolone, oxymesterone, oxymetholone, and maybe a spot o' noretiocholanolone, stuff like that. None of it worked for shite, though, I can promise you.
And one day we just all said, "Hey, mates, enough's enough. HTFU." And that was it. I personally threw all my stuff away, broke it with a hammer, tossed it in the toilet. Remember it just like it was yesterday, felt a enormous burden off me shoulders, day after the 2004 Tour finished we was all like, hey, it's a new day. Right?
Fanboys: Since your doping admission you've not been seen a lot in public. What's Stuey O'Grady doing to occupy himself?
SO: Oh, you know, just bein' a regular dad, playin' with me 10-year-old, tryin' to forget about all those battle scars, the ones from the battles. Epic battles. And scars, too. Epic battles, epic scars. Battle scars.
Fanboys: Any thoughts of returning for one last hurrah?
SO: Lordy, no. Twenty years as a pro, it's enough. It was black times a lot of them times, black times for cycling, but we've turned a corner. Things is better now than they was.
Fanboys: Can you pinpoint when the change happened?
SO: Blimey, just like it was yesterday. It was right after the Tour, 2005 if memory serves, and we all decided on a new direction. Smartest thing we ever did, 'cause doping was killing us and people just couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Fanboys: But didn't you say that the drugs didn't actually help?
SO: Oh, they didn't. They made you slower, mate. But it's the thinkin' that they're makin' you faster that makes you go faster. Hard to explain, y'know? But Bjarne helped us change the game. It was right after the 2006 Tour, we dumped all of our stocks and investments in Big Pharma, just did everything pan y agua. That's Polish for "bread and water." And I'm glad it happened then, couldn't have come at a better time because all that winter and then the spring of '07 I trained pan y agua and HTFU and I won Roubaix that year, clean as a whistle. I can look back on me career and that day in particular with nothin' but pride.
Fanboys: Thanks for your time, Stuey. We here at Cycling Fanboys really believe in you.
SO: You gonna buy a copy of me book, then?
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Various paths, one destination
February 10, 2014 § 8 Comments
Fields called up last night. We spoke for the first time in a couple of years. We chatted about law and obnoxious bankruptcy trustees for a few minutes before the conversation drifted to bike racing.
He and I have taken different paths in life, but we've both wound up in the same place, that is, stuck in the past. I know this because every time he reminded me of some long-ago incident, I'd one up him with a detail. "Remember the time I lowered the car onto Buffalo Russ's hand?" he said.
"Sure. You guys were working on the brakes in his old silver Honda Civic. The one with the aluminum bleed nipples."
Every time I'd bring up an old tale, he'd add a detail that proved he remembered it better than I did.
But there's always one trip down memory lane that neither of us can ever add any detail to because we both remember it so perfectly. Fields named it "The Path of Truth." The first time we did it was 1984. We would meet over at his place by the old Austin airport and ride for 30 minutes or so, warming up. Then we'd head out MLK to where it intersected with FM 979.
As soon as we crossed FM 979 it was nine miles to the green sign that said "Webberville." Fields would put it in the big ring and wrap up the pace, jolting my system from warm-up to threshold in a few terrible pedal strokes. That first surge of pain when the intervals started I can still remember. It was a bright, searing pain, and for the first minute I never believed I'd make it to the city limit sign. Then the pain would ratchet back, just in time for Fields to swing over.
I'd hit the front and the rush of pain would return, only this time it was ten times worse. "Faster!" Fields would yell, as I'd invariably slow down now that I was the one pushing the wind. Somehow I'd get back up to speed, pull for a minute, then flick Fields through.
That was always the most terrifying moment, the end of each pull. I'd be wrecked and racked with pain, knowing that Fields would be coming by hard. If I missed the timing his rear wheel would pull away and I'd be on my own. The trick was to go hard enough to do my pull, but still have something left to lunge onto his wheel. Whoever was on the front would lead out the other for the green sign; not that it mattered. Fields always got there first.
We'd soft pedal for a mile, then turn around and soft pedal back to the sign. He'd nod, and we'd do it again all the way back to FM 979. Sometimes on those return intervals I'd be able to repay some of the pain I'd received on the way out. Other times Fields would ease up on his pulls just enough to keep me from shooting off the back, gassed and bleating. He never gave me a free ride and I always had to pull through, but he was merciful as well. Those fierce surges to slip behind him and get some brief shelter from the relentless crosswind, that merciless give and take that was nonetheless merciful, the trust of the wheel in front of you, the discipline to endure misery now for gain later, those things were the most indelible part of my college education.
At the end of those vicious sessions we'd part ways, me off to class and him off to whatever it was that pro bike racers did with the rest of their day. Each time I think about those rides I realize that wherever it is that I've finally arrived, the Path of Truth helped get me there. It's not, maybe, such a bad past to be stuck in after all.
February 7, 2014 § 82 Comments
When Joe Robinson got up on Sunday morning he was excited. Even though his riding partner had bailed on him — funny how the optimism of Saturday afternoon so often fails to carry through at 6:00 AM on Sunday morning — he awoke with ease. Shortly before seven, with the sun not yet risen above the hills outside Irvine, he rolled down the drive. By the time he got to Santiago Canyon Road the muscles in his lean, 21-year-old legs were flush with blood and his youthful lungs were sucking in the fresh morning air. The whole road was going to be his because of all the days in the year, none is more peaceful for cyclists than the morning of Super Bowl Sunday.
His excitement came from the intersection of several puzzle pieces in his life. Joe was excited to be on his bike because it had been three days since he'd ridden. His mother had a broken foot and he'd been helping her get around, run errands, and make the short-term accommodations you have to make with a foot injury. Being off his bike for three days had left him pent up and eager to pedal. He was excited because this early morning ride was the only chance he'd have to cycle before work. His job selling bikes at Jax's in Irvine was hectic, and his Sunday shift would start at ten and last the entire day.
And he was excited because of the power meter. He'd just built up a power tap hub and couldn't wait to see how his growing strength, and especially his climbing strength, translated into watts. He'd been cycling for a short time, but was already fully smitten, and his combination of enthusiasm, youth, long legs, and a rail-like build meant that he was gaining in leaps and bounds. He hadn't said much about it, but any experienced observer could tell that it wouldn't be long before Joe started racing his bike.
As it has for so many others, the discovery of cycling had begun the progress of putting structure, discipline, and confidence into the life of a young man who, like virtually every other 21-year-old, was still trying to make his way in the world. Since he'd begun cycling he had re-enrolled in college. The once sporadic scholar was now bringing home A's with only the occasional B. He was a semester away from leaving business administration, a dull subject, for computer science, the area that he secretly loved more than any other.
Joe turned onto Santiago Canyon, having now climbed the rollers on Jamboree for a few minutes, and he breathed harder as his legs jammed the bike up the climb. He breathed with the freshness and strength you only have once, when your body is as young and resilient as it will ever be. Joe Robinson had the day and his entire life ahead of him, and it was good.
The villain
We'll never really know exactly what happened, but one possible version of reality is this: The girl was scared. She and her friends had been partying hard at the pre-Super Bowl party. They had hit the beer and vodka and tequila until the wee hours, and even though she had stopped drinking long before sunrise, she was still drunk. A friend had offered her something to "pick her up," and she'd taken it. It might have been meth, but she didn't care. She took it and enjoyed the rough buzz that beat back, then overpowered, then comfortably mixed with the booze. She wasn't scared anymore.
What she still cared about, though, was how she was going to get home. She knew that at age eighteen she couldn't afford a DUI for a long list of reasons, but her route home took her directly through Irvine, a city that's notoriously hard on drunks. She too had a full day ahead of her and the party was over and she had to get home. If she hurried she might make it before her parents were even up.
In her stoned and drunken state she figured it like this: Her biggest chance of getting nailed was on the highway. The CHP would be out looking for leftover drunks from last night, so better to take the surface streets. She did, and was pleased at her strategy. No cops anywhere. Best of all, she could avoid the freeway entirely by taking Santiago Canyon, which ran parallel to the highway but never had any traffic because cars preferred to take the faster freeway next to it. She pressed on the accelerator, bringing the car up to 55 mph on the narrow road.
It was 7:30. The sun had now crested the hills and was shining directly into her drunken, addled eyes. She could barely make out the edges of her narrow lane. "Fuck it," she thought. "Why didn't I put on my sunglasses?" She mashed harder on the gas, rushing towards her rendezvous.
The soul mate
Those of us who are old and who grew up before computers don't really understand anything about youth, least of all young love. While we stare grumpily at our beer and complain to our friends about how "those damned video games have ruined this younger generation," the younger generation is doing just fine, thanks very much. Sydnee Hyman was Joe's girlfriend and they already recognized that they had found in each other a life partner.
It came about in the most 21st Century way you can imagine. Sydnee had been buried in a game of World of Warcraft as a high school student when Joe entered the fray. He was good, beyond good, and she sucked in her breath as the game unfolded. Then something odd happened. When two new, plainly inexperienced players entered the game, Joe did what expert video gamers never do. He started helping them.
In video gaming, as in road cycling, the new face often endures what can only be described as bullying. Locked behind her computer screen, Sydnee watched this expert player gently and with skill help a mom and her daughter learn the ropes. His warmth and his character were right there, for the entire world to see. Was she the only one who could see it? Sydnee had to know more about this guy. The spark from his gentle character had turned a remote video game player in Southern California into a person, and the spark did what it has been doing since the beginning of time. It brought together two strangers, a boy and a girl, and it transformed itself from a spark of curiosity into a cascade of love.
Sydnee was now majoring in biomedical engineering, and even though it was early in her academic career, she was a straight A student who knew she wanted to pursue a masters degree at Purdue once she finished her undergraduate studies, and ultimately a Ph.D. somewhere on the West Coast, closer to her family outside San Francisco. She and Joe were completely in love, and her trips from Indiana back home took on a new pattern. Rather than going straight across, her flights somehow detoured to John Wayne Airport in Costa Mesa. She'd spend time with her life partner, usually a few days, before continuing on home to her family in Northern California.
It was Super Bowl Sunday, and while the other students were still in bed, Sydnee was already up, studying. It was cold and miserable outside, and she knew Joe was out riding in the warm California winter. She looked forward with warm anticipation to the phone conversation they'd have later that morning.
The boss
Brian got up early and headed in to work. The shop was going to be busy and they were short handed. He was glad that Joe, his star salesman, was coming in. Even though he normally worked three days a week during school, at Brian's request he had agreed to log some extra hours. Brian thought about how lucky he was to have hired Joe, and he grinned as he remembered the day they'd met. Joe had come in and asked for a job. When Brian asked him about his qualifications for job in bicycle retail, Joe had smiled his characteristic smile and handed Brian a sales printout from the previous shop he worked at. "Wow," said Brian. Joe's best month had brought in $70,000 in sales. "You're hired."
Joe had only been with the shop since November, but he was already a fixture. The shop loved him because he sold bikes. The customers loved him because he didn't "sell" bikes, he just talked with them about cycling and helped them get what they needed. He had a direct, honest gentleness about him that people instinctively trusted. These were the kind of employees you lucked out with, the rare gems who were dependable, hardworking, honest, friendly, and effective at what they did. As the clock got closer and closer to 8:00, Brian worked harder, mentally checking off all the tasks he had to finish before the doors opened at ten.
Things were moving quickly, but they were coming together, too.
The hero
Battalion Chief Mark Stone was mulling over the work that lay ahead as he drove towards Westminster and his Sunday shift. The career fireman reflexively scanned the hillside, noting the dry landscape. "We need rain," he said to himself. That habit of seeing everything at once had been with him for as long as he could remember, and it showed itself in little ways, like when he took his family to the movies and, without thinking, noted the location of every single exit, noted any strange looking patrons, noted anything that stood out. His eyes glanced at the approaching car in the opposite lane. He had an instinct for finding whatever didn't fit.
The oncoming car's windshield was violently smashed on one side and the driver was hauling by at well over 60 mph. "She must have hit a deer," he thought, wondering why the car hadn't pulled over to call a tow truck. Now he was on alert, checking the roadside for an injured animal that might stagger out in front of his truck. At the same time, the hair stood up on the back of his neck. At the beginning of his commute he had seen several groups of cyclists. "I wonder if she hit someone?" he wondered. "Not possible. She would have stopped."
His eye caught a shoe on the edge of the road, almost invisible in the dry grass. He swung over. "Not possible," he thought again. There was nothing near the shoe, but he waded off the roadside into the scrub. First he saw the bike, then further, completely invisible from the road, he saw Joe. Mark touched the young man's neck where his pulse should have been.
He set his jaw and raced back to his truck. Mark's mental impression of the car with the broken windshield was one of complete recall. He got on his radio, and the CHP put out an all points bulletin. Shortly thereafter a police officer saw the car with the broken windshield in a parking lot, deserted except for two women, one of whom was frantically taking her things out of the damaged car and throwing them into the other car in an attempt, perhaps, to vanish, to claim the car had been stolen, and to place the blame for Joe's death on a phantom "thief."
"You have the right to remain silent," he said.
Through the haze of drugs and alcohol, the owner of the smashed car started to sob.
The mother
Valerie Dubois didn't know what to do, exactly. There was no way to rehearse, to practice, to prepare yourself for this. The third day after Joe's death she stood in front of Jax's Bike Shop, watching the assembled riders. She had been humbled by the thought that the shop was putting on a memorial ride for her son, and she'd expected a dozen or so riders to show up there at 6:00 in the morning in the middle of a work week. Now she looked out on a group of close to two hundred, a group that would swell once the ride began and riders joined en route to Joe's ghost bike.
The CHP, the Irvine police, and the Orange police shut down every intersection as the group made its way out to the point on Santiago Canyon where Joe had been killed. Valerie could hardly believe the rolling police enclosure as the mass of cyclists rolled through the early morning commuter traffic. At 7:30, approximately the time that Joe had been hit, they reached the site of the ghost bike. Valerie made a brief speech to the massive crowd. Her voice shook as she thanked them. The warm morning light poured over the hilltop just as it had a few days ago. Most of the people there had never met Joe. They listened in silence, thinking the same thing: "That could have been my son, that could have been me."
Valerie thought about other things above and beyond the things she said. Joe had been her youngest, and he had meant everything to her. His gentleness, his kindness, his joyful approach to life, his passion for cycling, all of these things washed over her. The unwritten rule of parents had been broken, of course: Thou shall not live to bury your children. But even that couldn't erase in her mind what Joe had left behind: His reminder that a smile to someone having a rotten day matters. That the way we intersect with strangers gives the truest picture of who we really are. That Joe was her angel, and if he could see the people he'd touched standing in the morning sunlight, people he knew and people he'd never met, he'd smile his gentle smile and say "Remember me for this."
When a big tree falls
December 21, 2013 § 30 Comments
When Raymond Fouquet died, those close to him were aware that his health had been failing, and that at age 92 his end was near. His death was not tragic or shocking; it came at the end of a long live that had been wonderfully lived. Raymond's death punctuated a lifetime of kindness, but death could not erase or even diminish the ripples of goodness that continue to fan out from the warmth and humanity of his good deeds.
In a profound and complex way, Raymond lived the American Dream. Not the dream of textbooks or political ideology, but the dream that all people have of providing for those they love and giving their children a better hand of cards than the ones they were dealt. In his case, Raymond had been dealt a pair of twos.
Born outside Paris in 1920, France was still in ruins from World War I. The loss of an entire generation of young men, the wholesale destruction of the northern part of the country, and the political instability created by the Treaty of Versailles meant that by the time he turned nineteen the continuation of World War I, otherwise known as World War II, had erupted with Hitler's invasion of Poland. France quickly fell and Ray was sent to work in a forced labor camp in Germany.
An athletic and competitive young man, once the war ended he followed his passion for bicycles and raced for Montmartre Sportif, a cycling club based in Paris. This passion for bikes he brought with him to the United States, where he emigrated, finally settling in Los Angeles in 1956. Ray worked as a waiter until he saved up enough money to open his own restaurant, La Grange in Westwood, in 1968. This was the same year that he formed the La Grange cycling team, one of America's oldest and most highly regarded bike clubs.
The real American Dream
Raymond's life was a kind of cardboard cutout of "Succeeding in America for Dummies." Work hard. Make friends. Save money. Take risks. Reap rewards. Although Ray did all of these things, his American Dream was something different. It involved planting a seed in the relatively barren cultural soil of 1950's Southern California, and nourishing that seed with the passion and reverence that only those who have left a homeland for another country can understand.
For Ray, the dream was to infect his new homeland, one person at a time, with his passion for the most revolutionary peacemaking machine ever invented, the bicycle. As a restaurateur, nothing could have been simpler than doing group rides with his waiters, rides that started from the restaurant, of course. The late 1960's was a time of political and cultural revolution in American history, and in his solid, quiet, middle class immigrant way, Raymond fomented change of his own in the form of bikes and bike racing.
Velo Club La Grange became the anchor for cycling in Southern California, and it formed along with the Nichols Ride, a legendary Sunday beatdown started by Ray and featuring a nasty 3-mile climb up into the Santa Monica mountains followed by a punishing 10-mile smashfest along Mulholland Drive. Had Ray only created the club and this one ride and nothing more he would still rank as one of the pioneers who helped make Southern California a national icon for bikes and bike racing.
But his real contribution was much greater than that.
Spreading the gospel with a gentle hand
In a sport where social graces are often wholly absent, and where a kind of nasty, rude clubbiness is painfully common, Ray believed that cycling wasn't nearly as important as people. He believed that, since each person had a name, it was incumbent on him to know it. His rides began with a personal greeting to each friend and to each new face. This was in tandem with what became legendary hospitality. One rider still remembers with reverence how he went to Fouquet's home to pick up his first kit and the kindly Frenchman invited him to sit down for dinner.
People who joined Ray's circle of cycling friends –and everyone was welcome regardless of ability, ethnicity, or equipment — found themselves in a community that looked after its members and that practiced the camaraderie and joy of cycling embodied in Ray's daily life. I didn't know Ray Fouquet, but his goodness and his humanity touch me through those who knew him and through the good works of his club, which continues to be one of the best in the nation. This beachhead of bike racing and cycling culture that Raymond Fouquet established in California, however, is not his legacy.
His legacy is the grace and kindness and gentleness that he brought to the task. We can honor him by learning the lesson, and passing it on.


text:
THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING -- ADDENDA; A Push to Renew Group's Financing
By Stuart Elliott
Published: March 11, 2004
A group of current and former health officials will team up Tuesday to support renewed financing for the American Legacy Foundation, the antismoking group started with money from the tobacco industry.
The group is called the Citizens Commission to Protect the Truth, after the ''Truth'' ad campaign sponsored by the foundation. Members planning to attend a media event on Tuesday include three former surgeons general, M. Joycelyn Elders, Julius B. Richmond and David Satcher; a former secretary of health, education and welfare, Joseph A. Califano Jr.; and two former secretaries of health and human services (as Mr. Califano's department was renamed), Margaret Heckler and Louis Sullivan.
The foundation, which began in March 1999 as part of the settlement with tobacco companies, has received almost all the money it was due. The ''Truth'' ads, aimed at reducing and preventing teenage smoking, have received numerous awards. They are created by agencies including Arnold Worldwide in Boston, part of the Arnold Worldwide Partners division of Havas, and Crispin Porter & Bogusky in Miami.