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Fiji Time: 4:16 PM on Saturday 24 March
/ Front page / News
Salaseini Moceiwai
Friday, May 23, 2014
THE Bua Provincial Council is $10,321 short of achieving its targeted total provincial levy for this year.
Speaking at the second day of the council meeting in Nabouwalu yesterday, the roko tui Bua Rupeni Kunaturaga said so far the council had received $17,813 from districts within the province.
Mr Kunaturaga told members of the council that provincial levies for last year totalled $26,586 which was 94 per cent of the original estimate.
He said the estimate for last year and this year was the same at $28,134 and districts managed to collect 63 per cent of this amount.
Mr Kunaturaga told the council the provincial levies failed to achieve the targeted amount every year.
Council chairman Alipate Radrodro told the council that district representatives should start visiting members of their districts to remind them of their provincial levies.
Speaking on the issue, Ratu Filimoni Ralogaivau told the council they needed to implement a mechanism to remedy the situation.
Ratu Filimoni told members of the council the people were burdened every year through church and provincial levies, apart from providing for their families every day.
He said the council needed to also consider the difficulties they went through to come up with their dues.
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To the editor:
The recent reports of remarkable success of our rocket attacks on Pakistan make me downright proud of our military industrial complex.
During the Vietnam war the massive bombing of North Vietnam and Cambodia (the latter was sort of not our enemy) was reported to kill only bad Vietnamese and, presumably, Cambodians. The bombs somehow avoided innocent civilians — women and children and the elderly. Or come to think of it, I believe they finally decided there were no innocent civilians so it was OK either way.
Anyway, my point is that our new rockets fired from drones are much more accurate in picking out Taliban or al-Qaeda or even ordinary out-of-work farmers who signed on to work for the bad guys. Our rockets must have some sort of radar that makes them avoid the same innocent civilians who were killed in that other war. The very few that we kill who actually are not fighting against us are called "collateral damage" — like broken windows or teapots. We learned a lot in Iraq about how to kill only people who deserve to be killed, or who picked the wrong side to join, but, after all, war without collateral damage would not be much of a war.
We all can be proud that this is being done with our tax money and in our name, and we ourselves can take credit for the results. In any case, we will have to live with the results.
Copyright 2018 The Lawrence Journal-World. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. We strive to uphold our values for every story published.

subset: commoncrawl


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Regardless of which side you're on when the debate turns to the question of climate change, most experts agree that the "new normal" will be more weather-related disasters in the future. Most of us have seen — in the news if not with our own eyes — what havoc earthquakes and tsunamis can wreak, and we will apparently have to get used to a world where hurricanes, floods and fires are more common than they were in the past. Last year there were nearly a thousand natural disasters worldwide, almost all of them weather-related, that were so strong that they were officially designated as "catastrophes." In the U.S., last fall's Hurricane Sandy left a toll of at least 283 human deaths, while property damage was estimated to more than $60 billion, making this the second-most devastating hurricane in U.S. history, exceeded only by Hurricane Katrina seven years earlier.
How do we as dog owners prepare for the day when disaster strikes? We've all seen photos of sad, lost dogs wandering streets with burnt-down houses in the background, or taking refuge on rooftops during a flood — but there's a lot more to it than that. One of the characteristics of a natural disaster is, of course, that you never know when it will strike, what kind of catastrophe it will be, or how you will be affected by it, so it's difficult to be prepared. However, there are some common denominators. One of them is that most people when told to evacuate their homes due to some danger refuse to do so unless they can safely bring their pets along. This has had the effect of convincing even government officials who are not in themselves primarily concerned about saving animals that it would be wise to pay some attention to shelters for pets, or on shelters where people may bring their pets.
A Positive Practical Step
One of the most positive practical steps that the American Kennel Club has taken recently, one that could substantially aid future rescue operations, has been rolling out a program that's termed Pet Disaster Relief, dedicated to keeping pets and their owners safe during natural disasters. The idea is that AKC Reunite (previously known as CAR, or AKC Companion Animal Recovery) in co-operation with AKC local all-breed and national breed clubs should raise funds to supply fully stocked, mobile "disaster trailers" that can deliver essential assistance whenever and wherever needed around the country. The trailers, each of which is estimated to cost around $22,000 to fully equip, are meant to provide services primarily during the first critical 72 hours following a disaster, before the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been deployed.
Since the first meetings to discuss the project in June this year a lot has been accomplished. The decision to go ahead was announced at the AKC Delegates meeting in Newark in September, where it was met by overwhelming enthusiasm and generous donations. AKC Reunite kicked off the pledges with a promise of $250,000 over the next two years, and this has been followed by close to $150,000 in pledges from more than 30 local all-breed and national breed clubs.
"It's imperative to find a solution for safe, effective pet sheltering in times of disaster. AKC Pet Disaster Relief provides that solution for local emergency management agencies, which are required by federal law to provide for the safety of the people and pets in their communities," according to Tom Sharp, AKC Reunite CEO. "We look forward to working with AKC clubs around the country to raise funds for these trailers and help them present them to local officials."
The trailers are modeled after those that were used in AKC Reunite's home state of North Carolina during Hurrican Irene in 2011. Each trailer is stocked with essential supplies to create a safe, temporary home base for at least 50 displaced animals immediately following a disaster. Equipment includes lighting and wiring for electricity to run off either a generator or a power supply, as well as pretty much everything that could reasonably be considered useful in any emergency situation when providing safety for animals: fans, lighting, generators, cleaning and maintenance supplies, animal care items such as crates, carriers, microchips and a scanner, bowls, collars and leashes.
The First Trailer Presentation
As previously announced by Best in Show Daily, the first trailer was presented to Pamlico County emergency officials during a ceremony in Raleigh, North Carolina, on October 30. In addition to AKC Reunite representatives, officials from several different state and local departments were in attendance: County Emergency Management, Department of Agriculture, Department of Public Safety, as well as State Representative Michael Speciale, who thanked those involved for their efforts. The first disaster trailer was made possible by donations and grants from the all-breed Forsyth Kennel Club in North Carolina ($12,000), as well as $2,500 each from three breed-specific organizations — the German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America, the American Chinese Crested Club, and the English Springer Spaniel Foundation (a sister organization to the ESSFTA, the parent club), with remaining costs covered by AKC Reunite.
The National Orthopedic Foundation for Animals has also pledged a trailer for Missouri, the state where OFA is located. Announcements of other trailer donations in different parts of the country are expected soon. Each trailer is clearly marked with the words "American Kennel Club Pet Disaster Relief" on each side, and clubs that donate $1,000 or more may request that their logo is featured on the trailer as well.
Individuals, corporations and other interested parties can donate to trailer projects in local areas or across the country. Donations are tax deductible and accepted online. A trailer will be on display at the AKC Eukanuba National Championship in Orlando, Fla. on December 13-15.
For more information go to AKC Pet Disaster Relief at www.akcreunite.org/relief or call 919-816-3980 or email firstname.lastname@example.com. AKC Reunite was founded in 1995 and is North America's largest not-for-profit pet ID and recovery service. For more information go to www.akcreunite.org.


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Chelsea Reportedly Set to Beat Barcelona to Nicolas Otamendi of PortoOctober 4, 2013
Despite signing an array of talent throughout the summer, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho looks set to significantly strengthen his squad in the near future.
Rumours indicate the Portuguese manager is on the verge of tying up a move for Porto centre-back Nicolas Otamendi, as confirmed by Ben Jefferson of the Express:
Reports in Spain suggest that Otamendi will move to Stamford Bridge at the start of next season, despite interest from Barcelona and Milan.
Both clubs has unsuccessful negotiations with the Portugese club over signing Otamendi over the summer, but it now seems that the defender is bound for the Blues.
Spanish newspaper Marca claims the deal has already been agreed, as reported by 101 Great Goals: "Marca suggest Chelsea had to fight off competition from Barcelona and AC Milan to sign Otamendi, who has impressed in spells at Velez Sarsfield and more recently at Porto."
Mourinho has also been linked with a move for Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema in recent days, as reported by A Bola via Nick Lustig of the Daily Star, and appears to be quickly moulding Chelsea's squad to his liking.
His interest in 25-year-old Otamendi emerges at a time where John Terry heads towards the pitfalls of footballing old age. Chelsea's club captain will be 33 by the end of the season and is unlikely to perform at full pace for much longer.
Otamendi is a capable player who has enjoyed a run of success during his spell with Porto. The Argentinian defender—who played under Andre Villas-Boas when he arrived at the Estadio do Dragao—has racked up three Primeira Liga titles, three Portuguese Super Cups, the domestic cup and an excellent Europa League triumph since 2010.
The former Velez Sarsfield man was also brought into the Argentinian national setup by former coach Diego Maradona and has proceeded to gain 15 caps for the South American side, per Jefferson's report.
This season, Otamendi has appeared in six domestic league games and two Champions League clashes for Porto. As recorded by WhoScored.com, the defender currently averages 0.5 successful tackles per game and a booking once every two appearances.
It is certainly smart for Mourinho to start considering his side's defensive future. Much has been made about Chelsea's inability to find a definitive striker—heightened by Mourinho's failure to capture Wayne Rooney—but the returning manager cannot let this overshadow the long-term needs of his club.
The Stamford Bridge side face a perilous run of fixtures this season and hope to compete across all fronts. With matches in the Premier League, Capital One Cup, FA Cup and Champions League to be played, obtaining centre-back coverage represents efficient business.
Otamendi's potential arrival may also provide David Luiz with the chance to step into midfield. The versatile Brazilian emerged as a star man in this position for Rafa Benitez, but since Mourinho's return, has appeared in just four games, all of which have been from central defence.
Chelsea's squad continues to evolve alongside Mourinho's tastes. Although a swoop for Otamendi would certainly aid the manager's cause, he must prioritise the transfer of a prolific centre forward before too long.


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« March 2005 | Main | May 2005 »
April 26, 2005
The Lion King to roar no more
BBC SPORT | Cipollini to bow out of cycling
Mario Cipollini, who holds the record for stage wins at the Giro d'Italia, will retire from cycling. And, this time, it may even stick.
Cipollini retired and unretired in 2002, and said at the end of last season he was done, but raced through the spring with Liquigas-Bianchi, where he pulled off a satisfying victory over his spiritual successor, Alessandro Petacchi, at the Giro di Lucca.
"I would have liked to be at the start of the Giro d'Italia looking for victory again, fighting for the pink jersey," Cipollini said. "Maybe, an 'old man' like me, who has given a lot to cycling and has also received a lot, has to recognize when is the right moment to stop.
Over a 17-year career, Cipollini won 12 Tour de France stages and wore the yellow jersey for 6 days, despite dropping out every year when the race hit the mountains.
There's also this enigmatic bit from the AFP story on Cipo's retirement:
The Liquigas team announced that Cipollini, nicknamed the "Lion King" would reveal further details of why he has decided to retire at a press conference in Milan on Friday.
At left, Cipollini far from his native habitat, laboring up Brasstown Bald at the 2004 Tour de Georgia.
It's starting to feel like a generational shift, with Cipo's retirement, Lance Armstrong's announced retirement, and Andrea Tafi's retirement.
cyclingnews.com | First Edition Cycling News: Cipollini retires, Farewells to Cipo
gazzetta.it | Cipollini's palmares (in Italian)
nytimes.com | Cipollini Suffers Angst of Long-Distance Rider
Samuel Abt offers a profile of Cipollini facing the onrushing dusk of retirement last year.
TdFBlog's Mario Cipollini archive
Posted by Frank Steele on April 26, 2005 in Mario Cipollini, Top Stories | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Lance Armstrong's last US racing miles
Lance Armstrong's last US racing miles
Originally uploaded by Frank Steele.
Velogal has a Stage 6 gallery up, that includes some touching pictures of Andrea Tafi taking a final bow while accepting the overall most aggressive rider jersey, in recognition of long breaks he animated during Stage 2 and Stage 6.
And the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a photo gallery of Stage 6.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 26, 2005 in Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong, Tom Danielson, Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 24, 2005
Ullrich will ride Tour de Suisse, Vinokourov Dauphiné
VeloNews.com | Sunday's EuroFile: Ullrich to do Swiss Tour
Jan Ullrich has confirmed that he'll skip the Dauphiné Libéré in favor of the Tour de Suisse.
That means the next, and last, time he'll face off against Lance Armstrong will be at this year's Tour de France.
Alexandre Vinokourov will ride the Dauphiné, presumably as T-Mobile's team leader, while Andreas Klöden is still working out his final preparations for the Tour, where he was 2nd overall last year.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 24, 2005 in Alexandre Vinokourov, Andreas Klöden, Jan Ullrich | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 23, 2005
Other Stage 5 blog reports
Judging by the picture HE took, Josh Hallett was about 200 meters down the road from me (although I think I would remember if I had seen the guy in the background without a shirt -- brrrrrr!). There are more shots at Josh's photostream on Flickr.
Velogal was there, and got some pictures.
Dave Aiello was at the top, and got a great picture of Tom Danielson, Lance Armstrong, and Stage 5 most aggressive rider Christian Vande Velde at the post-race press conference (at right). He's got a running photo gallery covering the whole Tour, which you can also hit by clicking through the pic.
Michael at CoolBicycling.com also has a full Stage 5 report with lots of photos.
Not technically a blog, but the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a good photo gallery for the stage, including this cool fisheye shot of Danielson and the crowd near the summit, and they sell reprints of anything on the site.
And here's my Stage 5 photoset ot Flickr.
cyclingnews.com | Tour de Georgia Stage 5 photo gallery
Posted by Frank Steele on April 23, 2005 in Christian Vande Velde, Lance Armstrong, Links, Photo galleries, Tom Danielson, Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Danielson takes Brasstown Bald, overall lead at Tour de Georgia
Sorry for no "as it happens" updates: I've been out on the course, suffering from an unbelievably cold day for a Georgia April.
My vantage point: Hog Pen Gap, 17 miles from the finish, at the day's 3rd King of the Mountains line. We saw the very scattered snow flurry, and had a brief bout of sleet, just as the lead group arrived.
The crowds were incredible through the mountains; Dave from Operation Gadget said parking was gone for 5 miles approaching the spur road to Brasstown Bald. Where I was, at Hog Pen Gap, roadside spaces were gone by around 2, with the riders eventually coming through around 4:30.
In Gainesville this morning, Viatcheslav Ekimov predicted that Discovery Channel would take the stage and the overall lead today, but didn't name any names.
As the peloton rolled into the mountains, Jittery Joe's rider Tim Johnson took a flyer, and Discovery's Jason McCartney covered the break. The two would ride together over the day's first two climbs, building a lead of almost 2:30 at times. Discovery's José-Luis Rubiera took 3rd over each climb to defend his King of the Mountains jersey.
Shortly before reaching Hog Pen, Lance Armstrong launched an attack, and was covered by almost all of the stage and GC hopefuls, including yellow jersey Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimer, Tom Danielson, Saul Raisin and Trent Lowe (fighting it out for the young rider's jersey), Saunier Duval-Prodir's Nicolas Fritsch and Marco Pinotti, and, by the Hog Pen summit, Bobby Julich and a teammate (picture at right - click for larger).
I say "and a teammate," because some sources say it was Andy Schleck, but just after the group passed Hog Pen Gap, Christian Vande Velde launched an attack that he sustained all the way onto Brasstown Bald. Reviewing the tape (wow, TdFblog video), I think it's Vande Velde riding with Julich. On the other hand, a couple of other CSC riders passed by maybe 30 seconds behind Armstrong's group, and could have caught up on the descent. At some point, this became a group of 15, adding Azevedo, Blaudzun, Schleck, Vandborg, Nathan O'Neill, and Justin England (with Vande Velde off the front).
Armstrong rode out in pursuit of Vande Velde, with Azevedo, then Danielson and Leipheimer attacked. This put pressure on Floyd Landis, and allowed Armstrong to ride in his slipstream with a teammate up the road. Danielson and Leipheimer rode much of the last 5 kilometers together, slowly gapping Armstrong and Landis. With Leipheimer placed 10 seconds ahead of Danielson on GC, Discovery's Danielson opened up a gap on Leipheimer in the last kilometer. At the finish, Danielson took the lead, with 5 seconds to spare.
Back with Landis, Armstrong was finally able to get a split at the summit, and finished 10 seconds clear of Landis, and (Dave Aiello notes) pointing defiantly back down the mountain.
At left, the once and future yellow jersey (click through for larger picture).
Stage Top 10:
1) Tom Danielson, Discovery
2) Levi Leipheimer, Gerolsteiner, at :15
3) Lance Armstrong, Discovery, at :59
4) Floyd Landis, Phonak, at 1:09
5) Bobby Julich, Team CSC, at 1:44
6) Marco Pinotti, Prodir-Saunier Duval, at 1:55
7) Trent Lowe, Jittery Joe's-Kalahari, at 2:10
8) Saul Raisin, Credit Agricole, at 2:10
9) Michael Blaudzun, CSC, at 2:33
10) Andy Schleck, CSC, at 2:33
Preliminary Overall Results:
1) Tom Danielson, Discovery
2) Levi Leipheimer, Gerolsteiner, at :05
3) Floyd Landis, Phonak, at :09
4) Bobby Julich, CSC, at 1:10
5) Lance Armstrong, Discovery, at 1:41
Lowe holds on to the white (under-23) jersey, while Rubiera will win the King of the Mountains, since there are no KoM points available tomorrow.
And, of course, barring a comet crashing into his helmet, it looks like Discovery Channel has a stage on which to introduce Tom Danielson, who is going to win the 2005 Tour de Georgia. Looks like I have to create a "Tom Danielson" category.
With all the tough stages out of the way, what have we learned about Lance Armstrong's fitness? Bobby Julich, who clearly targeted his fitness to the early season, lost 43 seconds to the six-timer, which must be encouraging for Armstrong. Was Armstrong going all out on the last climb, or biding his time, helping Danielson gap Landis while Landis marked the wrong Disco? I guess we'll know in July.
Also, Levi Leipheimer, ladies and gentlemen; what a gutty ride -- he was also isolated from any teammates for the entire last climb, and put 45 seconds into Armstrong, and almost a minute into Landis.
On the other hand, I wouldn't want to spend the night with the CSC's. Christian Vande Velde takes the "consolation prize:" most aggressive rider. They had the numbers in the break, but couldn't get up Brasstown Bald with the Discos, Landis, and Leipheimer. As a result, they'll miss out on the team prize, which they took last year, and Julich will finish in the bitterest position -- one step off the podium.
VeloNews | Danielson wins stage, seizes lead at Georgia
VeloNews wrap-up, with some good Casy Gibson photos.
procycling.com | Armstrong: "Danielson's something special"
ThePaceline.com (free reg. req.) | Stage 5 Race Report
Posted by Frank Steele on April 23, 2005 in Bobby Julich, Christian Vande Velde, Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Saul Raisin, Tom Danielson, Top Stories, Viatcheslav Ekimov | Permalink | Comments (1)
Tour de Georgia Stage 5: Gainesville to Brasstown Bald
Today is the key stage of the 2005 Tour de Georgia. The GC leaders are all bunched within 2 minutes of Floyd Landis, and CSC has David Zabriskie and Bobby Julich looming within 30 seconds of the race lead.
Only 90 riders are left in the race, as 13 riders, including Jonathan Sundt and Ben Brooks, finished outside the time limit, and 14 others, including Discovery's Michael Barry, Ivan Dominguez, and Stage 1 flyer Dan Bowman, dropped out. Two Colavita riders, Mark McCormack and Juan José Haedo (who won a sprint on Friday's stage) were disqualified for unspecified reasons (anybody hear anything? Update: As you might guess, they were DQ'ed for drafting).
Weather is much cooler today than earlier this week, with temperatures this morning in the mid-50s and winds coming out of the west to northwest. The high is expected to be only about 60. Local weatherman says there's a wind advisory, with gusts of up to 25-30 mph expected.
The stage today just gets harder and harder, starting in poultry capital Gainesville, rolling through the only sprint line of the day, and then starting to climb. There are 4 categorized climbs on the day, spaced fairly evenly about 17 miles/28 kilometers apart.
The 3rd-Category climb to Dicks Creek Gap is a long, gradual climb, with some short descents worked in, and a feed zone just before the final climb of perhaps 800 vertical feet.
The 2nd-Category climb to Unicoi Gap is both taller and steeper, gaining almost 1000 vertical feet ahead of a long descent of almost 1500 vertical feet.
Next is 1st-Category Hogpen Gap, where riders will climb almost 2000 feet to 3518 feet above sea level. A very steep descent down the backside puts the riders at the base of the climb to Georgia's highest point, the Hors Categorie Brasstown Bald.
Brasstown Bald stands almost 4800 feet above sea level, and riders will suffer through about 2800 feet of that over just 7.5 miles.
Last year's winner, Cesar Grajales, now with Navigators, lives in Athens, about 75 miles away, and had a suspiciously low finish on yesterday's stage. He may have been resting up to try a big move today.
Jason McCartney and José Luis Rubiera showed yesterday, but Discovery Channel's other strong climbers, Tom Danielson and Jose Azevedo, stayed with Lance Armstrong in the chasing group all day. With Danielson, Ekimov, Armstrong, and Azevedo all within 2 minutes of Landis, who was isolated for the late stages of yesterday's stage, look for Discovery's strategy to be some tag-team breakaways.
CSC has three men in the top 10: Zabriskie just 19 seconds behind Landis, Julich at 28 seconds, and Stage 4 winner Brian Vandborg at 1:39.
Also highly placed is Gerolsteiner's Levi Leipheimer, sitting 50 seconds back.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 23, 2005 in Bobby Julich, Dave Zabriskie, Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Tour de Georgia, Viatcheslav Ekimov | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 22, 2005
Ag2R only wild card for 2005 Tour de France
CyclingPost | Ag2R get wild card for Tour de France
France's AG2R squad will join the 20 ProTour squads in this year's Tour de France. The announcement leaves Agritubel and a few other hopefuls on the sidelines for this year's Tour.
It also leaves the Tour 9 riders shorter than in many recent years, when ASO has invited 22 squads.
Next month's Giro d'Italia will be a more democratic affair, with 24 squads competing, better representing Italian cycling.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 22, 2005 in Giro d'Italia, Top Stories, Tour news | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Vandborg takes TdG stage 4
Coming into Dahlonega, there was a short steep climb up to the 1 kilometer to ride mark.
Marco Pinotti attacked, and Viatcheslav Ekimov followed, shadowed by CSC's Brian Vandborg and Jason McCartney, all of whom got a small gap on the field.
Vandborg led Ekimov across the finish line, with Pinotti back a bit, then McCartney, then the chasers' group of 20-22.
Rubiera takes over the King of the Mountains jersey.
Landis was in that group, and should lose time only to the top 4 riders of the day.
That means tomorrow will be THE crucial day for this tour. Organizers actually made the toughest stage of the TdG even tougher this year, with four King of the Mountains lines and a shorter route between the last three, so they come one after another.
I think it's pretty notable that neither Jose Azevedo nor Tom Danielson were unholstered today; look for them to factor heavily in the Disco strategy tomorrow.
Preliminary stage Top 10:
1) Brian Vandborg, CSC
2) Viatchdslav Ekimov, Discovery
3) Marco Pinotti, Saunier Duval/Prodir
4) Jason McCartney, Discovery Channel
5) Bobby Julich, CSC
6) Mauro Santambrogio, Team LPR
7) Lance Armstrong, Discovery
8) Floyd Landis, Phonak
9) Sven Krauss, Gerolsteiner
10) Daniele Contrini, Team LPR
Overall after Stage 4:
1) Floyd Landis, Phonak
2) David Zabriskie, CSC, at :19
3) Bobby Julich, CSC, at :28
4) Levi Leipheimer, Gerolsteiner, at :50
5) Tom Danielson, Discovery, at 1:00
6) Viatcheslav Ekimov, Discovery, at 1:13
7) Brian Vandborg, CSC, at 1:39
8) Lance Armstrong, Discovery, at 1:42
9) Jose Azevedo, Discovery, at 1:53
10) Danny Pate, Jelly Belly-Pool Gel, at 2:12
ThePaceline.com (free reg. required) | Tour de Georgia, Stage 4 Race Report
Posted by Frank Steele on April 22, 2005 in Dave Zabriskie, Top Stories, Tour de Georgia, Viatcheslav Ekimov | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
TdG Stage 4 in progress
3 p.m.:
Riders are contending not only with each other, but with thunderstorms and hail, as a cold front rolls through North Georgia, cooling the course, and possibly whipping up some wind. Dave at Operation Gadget has an enterprising on-scene weather roundup from Woody Gap.
Discovery put José-Luis Rubiera in an early break, and he's been pulling a group of initially 6, now down to 3, riders, at the head of the field. With the group's gap, Rubiera is the yellow jersey on the course -- he leads Floyd Landis on the road by more than Landis leads him in the overall classification. Of course, there's a lot of racing left today.
On Wolfpen Gap, Discovery's Jason McCartney broke from the pack, accompanied by Michael Blaudzin of CSC and Dalton's own Saul Raisin of Credit Agricole, and was joined by Jose
Azevedo (Discovery) and Christian Vande Velde (CSC). Up front, Rubiera managed to ride CSC's Andy Schleck and Gerolsteiner's Sven Krauss off his wheel, and is riding alone.
3:22 p.m.:
Rubiera and Krauss are just 50 seconds up on a very healthy chase group of 23, featuring Landis, Leipheimer, Julich, and Armstrong, among others. Landis is the only Phonak in the group, while Armstrong has Danielson, Azevedo, and Jason McCartney. Dave Zabriskie of CSC is alongside Julich, while Andy Schleck is in no man's land between the chasers and the leaders.
3:25 p.m.:
Rubiera, Krauss and Schleck are caught on the descent from Woody Gap, the last categorized climb of the day. Rubiera is likely to score the King of the Mountains jersey for his efforts today.
Overnight, Phonak's Jose Enrique Gutierrez abandoned the race with knee problems; today is not a day you would want to start with bad knees, with 19,000 vertical feet. The loss leaves Phonak with 6 riders in the race, defending Landis in the yellow jersey.
Mark Walters of Navigators crashed on the first descent of Woody Gap and left the course in an ambulance.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 22, 2005 in Christian Vande Velde, Dave Zabriskie, Saul Raisin, Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Tour de Georgia Stage 4: Dalton to Dahlonega
Today's stage is a near-repeat of last year's Stage 5, rolling from the carpet capital of the world to a Georgia gold-rush town set in the Appalachian foothills.
Last year, Jason McCartney, then riding for Health Net, put 53 seconds into the field on a stage with 19,000 feet of climbing and 5 King of the Mountains lines. VeloNews later named his stage the 2004 Ride of the Year, and it helped catapult McCartney onto Team Discovery Channel this year.
It's not a mountaintop finish, so the field will have 14 miles to regroup after the last climb of Woody Gap (the peloton climbs it twice today) near Suches.
The big question: Is Discovery riding for defending Tour de Georgia champion Lance Armstrong, who lost 1:46 to leader Floyd Landis yesterday, or do they try to break Tom Danielson, placed 42 seconds ahead of Armstrong, and get him some attention as the future of American cycling?
Also look for CSC and Phonak to fight it out, with CSC looking to place Bobby Julich and Dave Zabriskie, and Phonak trying to defend Floyd Landis' race lead. Meanwhile Levi Leipheimer sits 50 seconds back, about midway between Landis and Armstrong.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 22, 2005 in Bobby Julich, Dave Zabriskie, Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Tom Danielson, Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 21, 2005
Armstrong gets underway
Lance Armstrong
Originally uploaded by Frank Steele.
One of the motorcycle cameramen told us Armstrong wasn't really pushing the pace, but I don't see why Landis, Julich or the other strong guys in front of Armstrong would have taken a lot more risks than Lance.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 21, 2005 in Lance Armstrong, Photo galleries, Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Flickr photo set of today's ITT
Floyd Landis warming up
Originally uploaded by Frank Steele.
I still may post a couple of the other shots individually.
ThePaceline.com (free reg. required) | Casey Gibson ITT photo gallery
CyclingNews.com | Stage 3 photo gallery
Posted by Frank Steele on April 21, 2005 in Bobby Julich, Christian Vande Velde, Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Photo galleries, Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Landis smacks the competition at Tour de Georgia time trial
Phonak's Floyd Landis "ran like he stole something" at today's Rome time trial.
Landis came in at 39:58 on a wet 18.6-mile course.
Lance Armstrong, who won this stage last year in 39:51, came in 9th on the day, at 41:44, trailing two of his own teammates, Tom Danielson, 7th at 40:58, and Viatcheslav Ekimov, at 41:19.
Top 10:
1) Floyd Landis, Phonak, 39:58
2) Dave Zabriskie, CSC, 40:17
3) Chris Baldwin, Navigators, 40:20
4) Bobby Julich, CSC, 40:26
5) Nathan O'Neill, Navigators, 40:41
6) Levi Leipheimer, Gerolsteiner, 40:48
7) Tom Danielson, Discovery, 40:58
8) Viatcheslav Ekimov, Discovery, 41:19
9) Lance Armstrong, Discovery, 41:44
10) Brian Vanborg, CSC, 41:45
The heat is on if Armstrong is to repeat as the overall winner. He's brought a very good climbing team, so he's not out of contention.
Dave at Operation Gadget has a stage recap up, as well, with quotes from some of the riders. He told me afterward that Landis will have a press conference this evening, as well.
Pictures to come.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 21, 2005 in Bobby Julich, Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Top Stories, Tour de Georgia, Viatcheslav Ekimov | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Tour de Georgia Stage 3: the ITT
Today's shortish (18-mile) time trial with a short steep climb up Rome's Mount Alto should provide an early-season fitness check for Lance Armstrong, Floyd Landis, and Levi Leipheimer -- the American Tour de France hopefuls.
Last year, Armstrong took the race lead during the time trial, as he finished up a morning-afternoon double victory, taking the morning road race and the afternoon time trial.
I'll be leaving for the race within the next hour, and should be posting from Rome this afternoon. I'm going to meet Operation Gadget's Dave Aiello, who is blogging from the race. Also blogging from the TdG is Velogal, who also has a smugmug gallery posted.
ThePaceline.com has members-only (free registration) diary updates from Tom Danielson (7th yesterday) and Michael Barry, who is sporting Hincapie shades, and a notebook by Dan Osipow, who notes Discovery Channel's start times for today.
Tour de Georgia | Stage 3: Rome Time Trial
Posted by Frank Steele on April 21, 2005 in Lance Armstrong, Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 20, 2005
Di Luca takes Flèche Wallonne
VeloNews.com | Flèche Wallonne win gives Di Luca ProTour lead
Danilo Di Luca rode smart and strong to win Flèche Wallonne today.
With CSC strongman Jens Voigt (2nd at last year's Tour de Georgia) whittling down a seven-man break, Di Luca's Liquigas squad, led the peloton in chasing Voigt, who had been with the leaders for 150 km, and spent 40 kms on his own. Voigt was reeled in with 4 kms to ride.
"It was only when we reached the foot of the last climb that I thought of winning," Di Luca finally said. "The strongest riders were all at the front and I knew what I had to do. I made a mistake last year on the steep [19 -percent] turns and I finished second to Rebellin."
Top 5:
1) Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas-Bianchi)
2) Kim Kirchen (Fassa Bortolo)
3) Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner)
4) David Etxebarria (Alkorta), at :04
5) Oscar Freire (Rabobank), at :04
Di Luca takes the ProTour lead away from Tom Boonen, who he now leads by 19 points.
Eurosport | Di Luca hits the Wallonne target
Posted by Frank Steele on April 20, 2005 in Danilo Di Luca, Davide Rebellin, Oscar Freire, Tom Boonen, Top Stories | Permalink | Comments (0)
Gerolsteiner's Wrolich takes TdG stage 2; Armstrong plays sprinter
Just as he did last year, Lance Armstrong figured in the finish in downtown Rome today.
Last year, Armstrong won in a bike toss, coming off the wheel of Ivan Dominguez.
This year, Gerolsteiner's Peter Wrolich took the sprint, with Saunier Duval's Manuel Quinziato 2nd, and Armstrong 3rd.
Team Discovery Channel powered through downtown Rome on the finishing circuits, closing down Saunier Duval-Prodir's Andrea Tafi, who was caught with about 5 miles/8 kilometers to ride. Tafi will take the early King of the Mountains lead for his trouble.
Preliminary top 10:
1) Peter Wrolich (Gerolsteiner)
2) Manuel Quinziato (Saunier Duval Prodir)
3) Lance Armstrong (Discovery)
4) Ivan Fanelli (LPR)
5) Bobby Julich (CSC)
6) Sven Krauss (Gerolsteiner)
7) Tom Danielson (Discovery)
8) David Canada (Saunier Duval-Prodir)
9) Juan Jose Haedo (Colavita)
10) Tim Larkin (Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada)
Wrolich takes the overall lead, so will start tomorrow's TT last. Health Net's Greg Henderson leads the sprint classification.
VeloNews.com | Tour de Georgia: Wrolich wins in Rome
Posted by Frank Steele on April 20, 2005 in Bobby Julich, Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Top Stories, Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Tour de Georgia Stage 2: Tafi in the lead
Andrea Tafi, of Saunier Duval-Prodir, is nearing retirement. The 38-year-old was expected to exit the pro peloton after Paris-Roubaix, but here he is, two weeks later, riding around Georgia.
In Tafi's career he has won, to re-use a joke, everything but Italian Idol, including the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, the Italian national championship, two stages at the old Tour of the Americas, although never a stage win in a Grand Tour. He's started 6 Tours de France.
I'm going to pull for him because a) he's one of very few guys left in the peloton older than I am, and b) he shares a birthday, May 7, with my son.
It's going to be close for Tafi this afternoon -- the lead is about 4.5 minutes with 40 km to ride. The rule of thumb seems to be that a motivated peloton can put 1 minute per 10 kms into just about anybody, so Tafi is riding right on that ragged line.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 20, 2005 in Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (1)
April 19, 2005
Robbie Hunter takes Tour de Georgia stage 1
Phonak kicks off their Tour de Georgia with a win, as South Africa's Robbie Hunter wins a sprint finish in downtown Macon.
Dan Bowman of the TIAA-CREF team spent most of the day on a suicide break, while the peloton was cruising at tourist speeds.
Unofficial top 5:
1) Robbie Hunter (Phonak)
2) Ben Brooks (Jelly Belly)
3) Michele Maccanti (LPR)
4) Daniele Napolitano (LPR)
5) Greg Henderson (Health Net)
Posted by Frank Steele on April 19, 2005 in Top Stories, Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (1)
Tour de Georgia underway
Stage 1, Augusta to Macon, is on the road.
The only live coverage I see anywhere on the web is here at VeloNews.
Post in the comments if you find others.
Update: Bruce from AMD Pro Cycling's website suggested the Tour's own live updates page, which combines CyclingNews.com commentary and a peloton tracker from iTrak. As eye candy, the tracker rocks, but I'm not totally sold on the implementation just yet.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 19, 2005 in Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (6)
Hamilton will appeal racing ban
CBC Sports | Cycling's Tyler Hamilton to fight doping ban
Unsurprisingly, Tyler Hamilton says he'll take his case up with the international Court of Arbitration for Sport after receiving a two-year suspension yesterday.
"The fight's far from over," said Hamilton ... "I'm certainly not a quitter and I'm not going to give up until I'm vindicated," he said. "My chances of racing in this year's Tour de France are slim to none. That's what got me out of bed every morning."
Again, if you really want to get into the new test, and the potential for it to be incorrect, you should check out the summary by Jeff Jones at CyclingNews.com.
Update: Meanwhile, the Australian Olympic Committee will seek to have Hamilton's gold medal stripped, which would move Australia's Michael Rogers up to the bronze medal (and Viatcheslav Ekimov to gold and Bobby Julich to silver).
Posted by Frank Steele on April 19, 2005 in Doping, Tyler Freaking Hamilton, Viatcheslav Ekimov | Permalink | Comments (0)
April 18, 2005
Hamilton receives two-year suspension
There's no deus ex machina for Tyler Hamilton: The US Anti-Doping Agency announced this afternoon that it was unmoved by his presentation, and he's been suspended for two years.
You can read the decision or the press release through the magic of PDF.
Date of the suspension is today, April 18, 2005, to continue through April 17, 2007. Given that Tyler's birthday is March 1, 1971, I don't see him coming back at 36.
Interesting to note that there's a lengthy dissent as part of the decision. One of the arbitrators, Chris Campbell, didn't sign on to the decision, and explains why.
I may work up another "What we know now" post about the case, but if you're really interested in the case, you owe it to yourself to read Campbell's dissent, pages 14-20 of the decision linked above.
Update: Never mind. Just check out the excellent summary by Jeff Jones over at CyclingNews.com.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 18, 2005 in Doping, Top Stories, Tyler Freaking Hamilton | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
It's official: Armstrong to retire after Tour
BBC SPORT | Armstrong to bow out after Tour
ThePaceline.com | Press conference full transcript
Lance Armstrong made it official on Monday: He'll bow out of pro cycling after this year's Tour de France.
That leaves just three stage races — this week's Tour de Georgia, the Dauphiné Libéré in June, and the Tour in July — in Armstrong's pro career, which has included 6 Tour victories, a world championship, and a number of other pro wins.
"If I was to win it this year, I would be the oldest champion in modern history and my dream is to go out on top."
"We'll see if I can do it - no promises."
"But this will be a different year for the Tour with Jan Ullrich looking better and a host of young riders coming up."
Armstrong also said he might race again in the US after the Tour de Georgia, but suggested it would be more like his impromptu appearance in Ojai last week, where he showed up at a regional race.
Armstrong said he wants to spend more time with his children and rocker-girlfriend Sheryl Crow.
"My children are my biggest supporters but at the same time they are the ones who told me it's time to come home."
Armstrong saddles up for the Tour de Georgia tomorrow through Sunday.
sportinglife.com | Armstrong's career highlights
Posted by Frank Steele on April 18, 2005 in Lance Armstrong, Top Stories | Permalink | Comments (7)
Open thread: Armstrong press conference
So the latest speculation at Eurosport and the BBC is that Lance Armstrong will retire from the sport after this year's Tour. No US farewell tour, no Giro d'Italia, no hour record.
Of course, until 2:30 this afternoon, there's no reason to think their speculation is any better than yours, so use the comments link to go on the record with what you think Armstrong will announce.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 18, 2005 in Lance Armstrong, Tour de Georgia, Tour news | Permalink | Comments (0)
Chris Horner will miss Tour de Georgia, Giro d'Italia
VeloNews.com | Horner to miss Tour de Georgia
Saunier Duval-Prodir's Chris Horner, who won the 2003 Tour de Georgia and finished 3rd last year, will miss the 2005 edition of the race.
Horner fractured his left hip at Tirreno-Adriatico in early March, and had initially been told it would heal in time for this week's TdG. A follow-up visit suggested the risk was greater than initially thought, and Horner has been "confined to his couch." He's expected to also miss the Giro d'Italia, and thinks he's missed his chance at the squad's Tour de France team.
"The Tour team is more or less picked out, but I'm planning on returning for [the USPRO championships in] Philadelphia and the Tour de Suisse. If I have a great Tour de Suisse, I could still make the Tour team."
Horner said missing this year's Tour de Georgia is especially painful:
"This is going to be the showcase of the top Americans," Horner said. "I'm sorry to miss it, but there's nothing I can do about it."
CyclingNews.com | First Edition Cycling News: Saunier Duval for Georgia
Here's the CyclingNews final roster of Saunier Duval riders for the Tour de Georgia:
David Canada
Rafael Casero
Juan Jose Cobo
Nicolas Fritsch
Marco Pinotti
Manuel Quinziato
Andrea Tafi
Here's the preliminary roster listed at the Tour de Georgia site -- I'm pretty sure they'll have 8 riders, not 7:
Marco Pinotti
Andrea Tafi
Manuel Quinziato
David Cañada
Rafael Casero
Juan Jose Cobo
Angel Gomez
Angel Edo
Posted by Frank Steele on April 18, 2005 in Chris Horner, Top Stories, Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (0)
April 17, 2005
Tyler Hamilton doping case gets weirder and weirder
latimes.com | Hamilton Presses His Case (free reg. required)
So the LA Times has gotten its hands on some of the documents from Tyler Hamilton's case before the US Anti-Doping Agency.
For those joining us late, Tyler Hamilton won the 2004 time trial gold medal, but his blood sample there, and at the Vuelta a España, tested positive for "mixed populations," or the presence of someone else's red blood cells. His Phonak team dropped him, but he was allowed to keep his gold medal because his "B" sample couldn't be verified. His teammate Santiago Perez was caught by the same test, at the same race, and has been suspended for two years. Hamilton faces the same suspension.
Here's a few of the details that come out in the LA Times story:
Part of Hamilton's defense is that he had a "vanishing twin." Somewhere around 8 percent of pregnancies start out as multiples, but in many cases, one or more fetuses will be reabsorbed by the mother and the other fetus or fetuses. Hamilton witness David Housman, an MIT professor, pointed out that "cells can pass from one twin to another during the time that they shared a womb together," and that the vanishing twin might be the source for the other genetic signature found in Hamilton's blood:
"The truth of the matter is they can get there certainly from a fraternal twin who has a different genetic identity and bone marrow stem cells can persist for life. So that's the deal."
Hamilton's test scores were suspicious. On April 24th, at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Hamilton's "off score", a formula based on hemoglobin and reticulocytes (immature red blood cells), was 123.8 (The UCI medical director says its riders average about 90). Then at the Tour de Romandie, only five days later, Hamilton's score had jumped to 132.9, doubly suspicious since the limit is 133. Above that, riders aren't allowed to start a race. His hematocrit was just about pegged, as well: 49.7, where 50.0 is an automatic disqualification, although no presumption of doping is attached to either limit.
UCI officials pointed out that the two numbers are incompatible: The low number of reticulocytes at LBL means that Hamilton was not producing that many new red blood cells, yet five days later, he had a significantly higher red blood cell count.
These results got Hamilton put on the watch list of riders that the UCI monitors more closely. It's worth noting, too, that the UCI didn't perform the test in question on these samples: The homologous blood doping test premiered during the 2004 Tour in July. I would love to know if Hamilton's blood was tested for doping before he dropped out during Stage 13, or if the Olympics were his first test.
USADA witness Ross Brown, who co-developed the doping test, said a transfusion or transfusions were the "only reasonable explanation" for Hamilton's test results, and suggested that he had one around the beginning of 2004, another sometime around midyear, and then might have topped up throughout the year.
Hamilton's legal attack on the doping test's validity rested on two points: 1) There's no threshold in the test: it only shows the presence, not the amount, of someone else's blood cells, and 2) That it proves only the presence of someone else's blood cells, not of a transfusion, and may be subject to false positives, as the "vanishing twin" argument suggests.
The Tugboat defense reappeared, as Haven Hamilton points out to the LA Times reporter that Tyler would never have risked a transfusion after Tugboat's death, which immediately followed a transfusion.
Occam's Razor doesn't look to be cutting Tyler's way here.
Update: Tyler addresses many of the issues of his case in his latest (April 18, 2005) diary entry.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 17, 2005 in 2004 Olympics, Doping, Tyler Freaking Hamilton | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Di Luca takes Amstel Gold
The Amstel Gold just finished up, with Danilo Di Luca of Liquigas continuing to move up the podium, edging Michael Boogerd for the overall win. Boogerd is second here for the third consecutive year.
Mirko Celestino of Domina Vacanze was third on the day. Last year's winner here, Davide Rebellin, was fourth overall, while Oscar Freire was back aound 10th. Discovery Channel's George Hincapie doesn't appear to have factored in the last two hours of the race, although race reports are a little sketchy because of heavy fog on the course.
Live reports:
www.cyclingnews.com | Amstel Gold Live
VeloNews.com | The Amstel Gold Race: Live Coverage
DailyPeloton | Amstel Gold Live Report
Posted by Frank Steele on April 17, 2005 in Danilo Di Luca, Davide Rebellin, George Hincapie | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 16, 2005
OLN will carry Armstrong press conference live
OLNTV.com | LANCE ARMSTRONG PRESS CONFERENCE - LIVE
Outdoor Life Network will be carrying live coverage of Lance Armstrong's press conference on Monday. They expect it will immediately follow their coverage of the Boston Marathon.
AJC.com | Some say Lance set to retire (free reg. required)
The local fishwrap quotes Phil "the man himself" Liggett on the press conference:
"Knowing Lance, I think [the news conference] will be very brief, 10 or 15 minutes," Liggett said. "Like everyone else, I'm thinking he's saying, 'At the end of the tour and the end season' [he will retire].
"I have no inkling at all. I think he's had a change of attitude. The sport is very hard. He said it himself since he turned pro in '92 that the pressures are different now."
The article also notes, erroneously I think, that Armstrong is under contract through the Tour. I believe his contract runs through 2006, but requires him to race the Tour in either 2005 or 2006.
IHT.com | The big tease: Armstrong fuels intrigue on his future
Samuel Abt weighs in with a few quotes from people around the pro peloton, including Paul Sherwen, Bjarne Riis, Lars Michaelson, Rolf Sorensen, and George Hincapie.
Hincapie's line:
"If I were to guess, he'll say he's running for governor of Texas."
I suppose Texas has had worse governors.
Update: I switched the link to the International Herald-Tribune version of the story, because, a) it has more sources, b) I don't think IHT expires its links, and c) it doesn't suggest the press conference is in Macon.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 16, 2005 in Lance Armstrong, Television, Top Stories, Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tyler Hamilton to ride Tour de Georgia?
cyclingnews.com | Hamilton decision expected on Monday
Looks like, even with no racing, Monday's going to be a big day for US cycling. Lance Armstrong will announce, well, something, in Augusta, at the pre-event press conference for the Tour de Georgia. Speculation is that he'll announce that 2005 will be his last shot at the Tour de France, with 2006 focused on the US calendar.
Now cyclingnews.com reports that the US Anti-Doping Agency is very likely to counter with a little announcement of their own: The long-awaited results of Tyler Hamilton's appeal of his suspension for blood doping.
Hamilton presented his case in the week of February 27th, and reportedly attacked the credibility of the homologous blood doping procedure, which was first used in cycling during the 2004 season.
Does the long delay mean the tribunal was swayed by Hamilton's case? The cyclingnews.com story quotes an unnamed but "prominent US rider" that Hamilton is expected to "get off" and to take the start at the Tour de Georgia on Tuesday.
Even if the USADA clears Hamilton, the UCI might take separate action, appealing the USADA action to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 16, 2005 in Doping, Top Stories, Tour de Georgia, Tyler Freaking Hamilton | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 15, 2005
Amstel Gold previews
cyclingnews.com | Amstel Gold preview: Rebellin back for another crack at gold
BBC Sport | Hincapie targets Amstel triumph
Davide Rebellin is the returning Amstel Gold champ, the first in his 2004 three-run of Amstel, Fleche Wallone, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. This season, he was second at the Tour of the Basque Country to Danilo Di Luca, both of whom bear watching on Sunday.
Discovery Channel DS Johan Bruyneel says George Hincapie is good to go:
"George is in great shape, both mentally and physically," said Discovery director Johan Bruyneel.
Other riders to watch include Paolo Bettini, Oscar Freire, and Michael Boogerd. Tom Boonen, who is seemingly winning at will, won't be racing, nor will Peter Van Petegem, who's hurt.
Update: VeloNews has posted a preliminary start list for Amstel Gold.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 15, 2005 in Danilo Di Luca, Davide Rebellin, George Hincapie, Oscar Freire, Paolo Bettini, Tom Boonen | Permalink | Comments (0)
April 14, 2005
Hondo suspended, dropped by Gerolsteiner
BBC SPORT | Hondo sacked by team Gerolsteiner
Gerolsteiner sprinter Danilo Hondo, who twice tested positive for the stimulant carphedon at the Vuelta a Murcia, has been fired by his team.
Hondo's B sample, tested by a lab in Madrid, confirmed the initial findings. Gerolsteiner, a German mineral-water company, issued a press release (in German):
Gerolsteiner's statement added: "We're sorry that it has involved Danilo Hondo, but we support all measures against doping. It is one of the pillars of our contracts."
Hondo will most likely be suspended for two years by the Swiss cycling federation.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 14, 2005 in Danilo Hondo, Doping, Top Stories | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 13, 2005
Bergman suspended 2 years for EPO
Former Jittery Joe's rider Adam Bergman, who (to keep the day's theme alive) finished 11th at last year's Tour de Georgia, had his 2-year suspension upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport today.
The US Anti-Doping Agency has both the CAS ruling and a press release from Bergman's case, both as PDF files.
Bergman's sample was taken April 6, 2004, in preparation for last year's Tour de Georgia. His suspension is through July 22, 2006, and he loses his results at the Tour de Georgia, USCF time trial nationals (he was 5th) and the Olympic Trials, where he was 2nd.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 13, 2005 in Doping | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Team CSC roster for Tour de Georgia
Lars Bak
Michael Blaudzun
Bobby Julich
Christian Müller
Andy Schleck
Brian Vandborg
Christian Vande Velde
David Zabriskie
CSC won the Team award at last year's Tour de Georgia, while CSC's Jens Voigt took 2nd overall.
Reason number 537 the Tour de Georgia is so awesome: Above, the Team CSC squad standing around before Stage 7, while 150 people cluster around Lance Armstrong's motorhome about 75 feet to the left.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 13, 2005 in Bobby Julich, Christian Vande Velde, Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Discovery Georgia squad announced
team.discovery.com | Midweek Musings - Tour de Georgia Roster Announced
With all the injuries and illness on the Discovery Channel squad, it's been a little up in the air who would be in Augusta for the start of the Tour de Georgia. Dan Osipow lists the likelys in his latest column:
Lance Armstrong (2004 TdG overall champ)
Viatcheslav Ekimov
José Azevedo
José-Luis Rubiera
Antonio Cruz
Tom Danielson
Michael Barry
Jason McCartney (2004 TdG King of the Mountains)
This is a team that can climb with anybody. We'll see in a couple of months, but this looks like the core of the 2005 Discovery Tour squad, as well.
Missing will be George Hincapie, who lives just a bit up the road from Augusta in Greenville, S.C.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 13, 2005 in Lance Armstrong, Tom Danielson, Tour de Georgia, Viatcheslav Ekimov | Permalink | Comments (0)
HealthNet, Phonak squads for Tour de Georgia announced
www.cyclingnews.com news and analysis | First Edition Cycling News for April 13, 2005
The stage is set for America's premier stage race, kicking off Tuesday, and Phonak and HealthNet have announced their squads.
HealthNet will be bringing 2004 TdG sprint champ Gord Fraser. The squad also took the King of the Mountains last year, with Jason McCartney, who is likely to race at Georgia for Discovery Channel, his 2005 squad.
Phonak (press release):
Niki Aebersold
Aurélien Clerc
Kike Gutierrez
Robert Hunter
Floyd Landis
Tomaz Nose
Sascha Urweider
HealthNet (press release):
Ivan Dominguez
Justin England
Gord Fraser
Greg Henderson
John Lieswyn
Scott Moninger
Mike Sayers
Chris Wherry
Posted by Frank Steele on April 13, 2005 in Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (0)
Peña doubtful for Tour
Yahoo! Sport | Tour de France doubts for Pena
Victor Hugo Peña's freak accident in the neutral zone of Sunday's Paris-Roubaix may keep him out of the Tour de France.
Peña cracked two vertebrae, and abandoned soon after the race start. He's expected to wear a back brace for a month or so.
"I am worried about my preparations for the Tour de France," he said. "I will have to rest the injury for two weeks and then we will see how much time it will take me to fully recover."
Now riding for Phonak, Peña was one of Lance Armstrong's most reliable mountain specialists over the last few years at US Postal.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 13, 2005 in Tour news | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Armstrong press conference countdown
So, speculation continues as to what we'll hear Monday at the pre-Tour de Georgia press conference. Lance Armstrong told Euro journalists in March that he would "have something important to say" here.
What's the consensus on the announcement?
Continental Drift with Andrew Hood: So, what's he gonna say?
Andrew Hood, the European correspondent for VeloNews, looks at all the possibilities, and comes down on "This is my last Tour, and next year, I'll spend more time racing in the U.S."
GrahamWatson.com | Graham's View
Graham Watson leans toward retirement, but in this week's installment, he mentions that Italian journalists are "praying he is to announce a ride in this year's Giro," and adds "I feel sure Lance has one more surprise up his sleeves for all of us."
Posted by Frank Steele on April 13, 2005 in Lance Armstrong, Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (2)
Klöden modifies Tour prep
VeloNews | Wednesday's EuroFile: Klöden shifts gears; Galdeano recovers; Going to Glasgow
Andreas Klöden, runner-up at last year's Tour de France, is tweaking his training with an eye toward this year's Tour.
He'll still race the same races he had pencilled in, including next weeks's Fleche Wallone and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but his abandon at last week's Tour of the Basque Country showed that Klöden's program wasn't where it needed to be. Physical testing on Monday confirmed that Klöden is behind in his fitness:
Klöden said he simply didn't feel good at the demanding Basque Country tour and opted to abandon rather than push too hard.
"It wasn't yet the way I imagined it to be," Klöden said. "So, to be on the safer side, I abandoned the race in Spain. I'm glad the test is behind me. Now I know on what I need to work on."
Posted by Frank Steele on April 13, 2005 in Andreas Klöden | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Next to go: Hondo or Hamilton?
Eurosport | Hondo, Hamilton await verdicts
Shouldn't be long now -- results on Danilo Hondo's B sample are expected by week's end. He twice tested positive for Carphedon, a stimulant that increases endurance and cold resistance.
By the way, here's a Google search for Carphedon: The Hondo story is the subject of the top 10 links, all in German. About the only link that's not directly sports-related is this journal abstract, which is looking for a urine test for carphedon.
Tyler Hamilton still doesn't have the results of his hearing conducted back in February. He, too, is expecting news soon.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 13, 2005 in Danilo Hondo, Doping, Top Stories, Tyler Freaking Hamilton | Permalink | Comments (0)
April 11, 2005
Paris-Roubaix in pictures
GrahamWatson.com Paris-Roubaix photo gallery
CyclingNews Paris-Roubaix photo gallery
Posted by Frank Steele on April 11, 2005 in George Hincapie, Magnus Backstedt, Tom Boonen | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Boonen takes Paris-Roubaix, Hincapie second
Eurosport | Boonen paves way to historic double
Tom Boonen was the odds-on favorite going into Paris-Roubaix, but in a bicycle race, like a golf tournament, the favorites are never prohibitive. On a day when Tiger Woods took his fourth Masters championship, Boonen showed why they both were favored.
As with Tiger, this Paris-Roubaix went the distance, with Boonen just edging out Discovery Channel's George Hincapie and Fassa Bortolo's Juan Antonio Flecha.
Boonen, who also won the Tour of Flanders earlier this month, takes over the lead of the ProTour from Alessandro Petacchi, who has never started the Hell of the North. The 24-year-old, formerly a US Postal rider, has firmly established himself as one of the world's best one-day riders.
Sunday's big move had 2004 winner Magnus Backstedt, Boonen, Flecha and teammate Fabian Cancellara, Hincapie, and CSC's Lars Michaelsen -- everything but a big sign that said "Winning break departing now."
Cancellara flatted, then as the pace increased, Michaelsen and then TDFBlog favorite Magnus Backstedt were dropped about 16 km out. From Yahoo! Sport:
"I was on the last wheel and as we went round a corner Mickaelsen swung out and left a bit of a gap," explained Backstedt who finished fourth. "I tried to close it but just couldn't. The front three were just far too strong for me."
Boonen said he had most feared Backstedt and Michaelson in a finishing sprint over the roleurs Hincapie and Flecha. Left with Hincapie and Flecha, Boonen picked their pocket, holding third position into the Roubaix velodrome, choosing his attack, and outkicking Hincapie for the win.
Hincapie becomes the first American to make the Paris-Roubaix podium.
Top 10:
1) Tom Boonen (Quick-Step), 6:27:31
2) George Hincapie (Discovery Channel), same time
3. Juan Antonio Flecha (Fassa Bortolo), same time
4. Magnus Backstedt (Liquigas), at 1:09
5. Lars Michaelsen (Team CSC), at 2:43
6. Leon van Bon (Davitamon - Lotto), at 3:49
7. Florent Brard (Agritubel), same time
8. Fabian Cancellara (Fassa Bortolo), same time
9. Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole), same time
10. Arnaud Coyot (Cofidis), same time
CSC's Andrea Tafi, who won Paris-Roubaix in 1999, made his last career start, but withdrew early, as did Peter Van Petegem, among others. Former US Postal rider Victor Hugo Peña crashed in the neutral zone, before racing even got under way, and DNF'ed.
procycling.com | Boonen realises Roubaix dream
With his early season goals achieved, Boonen said he'll concentrate on the Tour de France green jersey and the World Championships in Madrid:
"This is a dream for me," said Boonen. "Flanders and Roubaix are the two races I've wanted to win the most, and I've now won them both. This gives me a huge amount of confidence for the rest of the season. I'm going to go on holiday now and try to find new motivation for my remaining two goals this season, which are to win the points title at the Tour de France and the Worlds."
Fassa Bortolo's supersprinter, Alessandro Petacchi, has previously announced he won't ride the 2005 Tour, to focus on worlds, and Oscar Freire is bound to target world's, since they're in Spain, so it looks like the stage is set for a major showdown in Madrid.
Daily Peloton | Paris-Roubaix race report
VeloNews | Oh so close: Boonen takes Roubaix ahead of Hincapie
"I'm satisfied, yet disappointed at the same time," said Hincapie, who couldn't counter when Boonen shot away high off the final turn in the velodrome. "This gives me even more motivation to come back here and win next year."
The Paceline | Paris-Roubaix, Team Report
Why did Hincapie let it go to a sprint against Boonen?
[Discovery assistant DS Dirk] Demol added, "it wasn't possible to attack in the final 20 kms." On Boonen, he added, "every kilometer closer to the finish, we kept thinking 'how can we beat him?'"
The second place finish moved Hincapie up into fourth place in the ProTour standings.
CyclingRevealed | Flahute and "The Lion of Flanders"
CyclingRevealed.com offers a look at the Belgian Classics, and Johan Museeuw, who won Paris-Roubaix three times.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 11, 2005 in Alessandro Petacchi, Fabian Cancellara, George Hincapie, Johan Museeuw, Magnus Backstedt, Tom Boonen, Top Stories | Permalink | Comments (1)
April 06, 2005
Mattan wins Ghent-Wevelgem; will he keep it?
VeloNews | Mattan charges in for Ghent-Wevelgem win
At Ghent-Wevelgem today, Davitamon-Lotto's Nico Mattan took the win, but the win is still being examined by officials.
Mattan led by 20 seconds with a little more than 5 miles to ride, but was caught by a small group including Fassa Bortolo's Juan Antonio Flecha. Flecha took advantage of the letdown that usually happens when a break is caught to launch his own attack, and Mattan dropped his compatriots to try to chase back on to Flecha over the last few kilometers.
During that chase, Mattan reportedly drafted two cars and two motorcycles, part of the race caravan. He caught and passed Flecha in the final 300 meters, to win, at least for now, on a circuit he rides as part of his everyday training.
"Any sportsman couldn't be happy with this," said Fasso Bortolo director Giancarlo Ferretti. "I saw the pictures on television and I said to myself: what on earth is going on here!"
Mattan denied receiving any unauthorized help.
"You can't say it was down to the motorbikes that I won the Ghent-Wevelgem. I did the pedaling," he said.
Sometimes during big races with crowds in the streets, it's almost impossible for the riders to stay completely clear of the draft coming off the leading motorcycles. Here, it sounds like the support crew may have been complicit in helping local boy Mattan take the race.
VeloNews also reports that Discovery Channel's former Ghent-Wevelgem winner, George Hincapie, dropped out of the race with about 50 kilometers to race. In an interview in CyclingNews, Hincapie mentions:
"In years past, I might have done too much [at Gent-Wevelgem] and not saved enough energy for Paris-Roubaix. But hopefully I'm getting my form back after being sick, so I'm going to race hard [at Gent-Wevelgem] and do what I can there."
Cycloblog mentions that Discovery's Roger Hammond, who crashed and broke his arm on the race, and that one of Shimano's "neutral" service drivers was fined 400 Swiss francs for not clearing the course at the end of the race.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 6, 2005 in George Hincapie, Top Stories | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Gerolsteiner confirmed for Tour de Georgia
SI.com | Tour de Georgia could be Lance's last in U.S.
Race organizers announced the final team roster (.pdf file) for this month's Tour de Georgia, kicking off April 19th.
The biggest addition is Levi Leipheimer's Gerolsteiner squad.
Recapping, the 6 ProTour teams in the field are Discovery Channel, Gerolsteiner, Phonak, Team CSC, Saunier Duval-Prodir, and Credit Agricole.
Navigators Insurance, Team LPR, USA Cycling's national team, HealthNet-Maxxis, Jittery Joe's (the pride of Athens), Jelly Belly-Pool Gel, Colavita-Sutter Home, TIAA-CREF, Symmetrics, and Kodak EasyShare Gallery/Sierra Nevada (and doesn't THAT roll right off the tongue) will round out the field.
The stage is set for the top US riders to face off wheel to wheel, with Lance Armstrong, Bobby Julich, Floyd Landis, Chris Horner, and Levi Leipheimer all on hand. The only other American I would have loved to see in the field who isn't is Freddie Rodriguez.
Also, I noticed there's already a Tour de Georgia tag set up over at Flickr; I'll post some pictures from last year's race over there, and encourage everybody coming this year to use it, too.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 6, 2005 in Bobby Julich, Chris Horner, Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Top Stories, Tour de Georgia | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 04, 2005
Armstrong suing Anderson again
CBS SportsLine.com | Armstrong: Ex-assistant's claim below tabloid journalism
I waited to post this, since I wasn't sure if the story referred to Armstrong's initial suit against his former assistant Mike Anderson, or a new suit. It's a new suit, for $125,000, for harassment, inconvenience, legal fees, and other expenses, in response to Anderson's Thursday filing (.pdf file).
Anderson claims to have seen banned substances in Armstrong's Girona apartment, and to have seen two Armstrong associates help Armstrong avoid an unannounced drug test when Armstrong was unexpectedly away from his house (he's supposed to keep the anti-doping folks apprised of his movements, for just such a situation). Anderson says he never saw Armstrong take anything illegal.
It's getting to the point where I'd like to put up a site just to track Armstrong's ongoing lawsuits, but I only get 5 gigabytes of transfer a month. Let's see, there are libel cases still active in France and England, the Simeoni affair in Italy, a possible drug inquiry in France, Armstrong's initial suit against Anderson, Anderson's countersuit, and now, Armstrong's second suit against Anderson.
Anything I'm forgetting, or have any of these cases been officially closed?
Posted by Frank Steele on April 4, 2005 in Lance Armstrong | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
GrahamWatson.com Tour of Flanders photo gallery
CyclingNews.com | Ronde Van Vlaanderen photo gallery
Posted by Frank Steele on April 4, 2005 in Photo galleries | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Homeboy Boonen wins Flanders in a breakaway
procycling.com | Boonen comes of age at Flanders
Tom Boonen won perhaps the biggest race of his stellar career Sunday, and established himself as more than Belgium's outstanding sprinter in a dramatic win at the Tour of Flanders.
At the first Belgian classic of the year, Boonen animated a six-man breakaway group, then rode away from a class bunch, including two-time Flanders winner Peter Van Petegem, Erik Zabel and his T-Mobile teammate Andreas Klier, Fassa Bortolo's Roberto Petito, and Lampre-Caffita's Alessandro Ballan, the only survivor of an earlier break, to which the strongmen bridged with less than 40 kilometers to ride.
Boonen has won race after race in his 3-year pro career with a killer finishing kick, but Sunday, he didn't want to risk dicing it out with Zabel, Klier, and PVP:
"I didn't want to wait," he explained about his late attack. "I couldn't win against Zabel and a team-mate, I had to attack. I simply couldn't risk a sprint with Zabel and Van Petegem."
Instead, Boonen countered one of Van Petegem's attacks, and immediately got a 10-second gap on the breakaway, which pretty quickly started racing for second, letting Boonen win by 33 seconds.
Team Discovery Channel has to be a little disappointed. Lance Armstrong flew the flag in a late but futile chase of the leaders, and George Hincapie, Stijn Devolder, and Viatcheslav Ekimov were in the chasing group in the last 10 kilometers, but none of the Discos covered Boonen, van Petegem, and Zabel's decisive move. Hincapie led the field sprint, taking 7th on the day, but that's small comfort. CyclingNews has Johan Bruyneel telling "Belgian TV tersely that 'for the team, it was a big disappointment.' "
TDFBlog favorite Magnus Backstedt was in the longest break of the day.
Top 10:
1) Tom Boonen (QuickStep), 6:22:49
2) Andreas Klier (T-Mobile), at :35
3) Peter Van Petegem (Davitamon-Lotto), at :40
4) Erik Zabel (T-Mobile), same time
5) Roberto Petito (Fassa Bortolo), same time
6) Alessandro Ballan (Lampre-Caffita), same time
7) George Hincapie (Discovery Channel), at 1:42
8) Leon van Bon (Davitamon-Lotto), same time
9) Sergei Ivanov (T-Mobile), same time
10) Vladimir Gusev (Team CSC), same time
Cycling4all.com | Full results
VeloNews.com | Big, big win for Boonen at Flanders
ThePaceline.com | Chris Brewer's Tour of Flanders Race Report
Posted by Frank Steele on April 4, 2005 in Erik Zabel, George Hincapie, Lance Armstrong, Magnus Backstedt, Tom Boonen, Top Stories | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 02, 2005
Danilo Hondo positive for stimulants, awaits B sample
Eurosport | Hondo tests positive
Gerolsteiner sprinter Danilo Hondo tested positive -- twice -- for as-yet-unnamed stimulants at the Tour of Murcia last month.
The team has suspended him pending results of the B samples.
Hondo won two stages at the Tour of Murcia, and came second at Milan-San Remo. He'll be suspended for two years if the B sample comes back positive.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 2, 2005 in Danilo Hondo, Doping, Top Stories | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Armstrong: 'not going to pay blackmail'
Guardian Unlimited Sport | Armstrong denies former assistant's drug claim
Lance Armstrong's lawyer has responded to charges made by a former personal assistant to the six-time Tour winner, calling them "blackmail or extortion money on something that's not true."
Mike Anderson's filing in the case is online (.pdf file), and offers a few surprises I haven't seen covered elsewhere.
Anderson claims Armstrong was still working actively with Dr. Michele Ferrari in the 2004 preseason, and that Ferrari accompanied Armstrong to the Canary Islands when Armstrong unexpectedly shifted training there soon after Anderson saw the box in the bathroom.
Anderson's discussion on doping occurred after Johan Museeuw tested positive. According to the filing, Armstrong's attitude toward Anderson changed when Anderson didn't reassure Armstrong that he was cool with Armstrong saying "Everyone does it," which Anderson took to mean that Armstrong was doping.
And you get a look at what it's like to ride with Lance:
The Guardian story is based on this story in the Austin American-Statesman (free reg. required), where Tim Herman says the assistant, Mike Anderson, "should have worn a ski mask" when he asked for $500,000. "It's precisely what they threatened to do, unless we paid them the money."
Anderson's lawyer countered, saying the $500k was a settlement proposal, not a demand.
Suzanne Halliburton, the Austin reporter, also interviewed a University of Texas professor, John Hoberman, who pooh-poohed the utility of androgens:
"It's not a drug you find turning up in the hotel rooms of professional cyclists," Hoberman said, referring to drug raids police have frequently conducted in Europe during big cycling events, especially the Giro d'Italia.
The banned drug of choice with cyclists is artificial erythropoietin, or EPO, which is used to increase the number of red blood cells carrying oxygen. Cyclists have used testosterone, a naturally-produced male hormone, to better recover during long stage races such as the 23-day Tour.
That, to me, is total crap. Obviously, strength is one component in racing; that's why riders lift weights. If you were going to use steroids, you would do so early in your training program, which is when Anderson claims he saw them. When Stuart Stevens used performance-enhancing drugs for a story in Outside, he said the steroids helped him recover faster, and kept him from feeling joint pain, both a big help on big-mile days.
Posted by Frank Steele on April 2, 2005 in Doping, Lance Armstrong, Top Stories | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack


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Olympian Scott Miller has been granted bail after spending more than a week in jail, and has vowed to get help for his drug addiction.
The 38-year-old appeared via audio-visual link at Central Local Court on Tuesday afternoon from Silverwater remand centre, with messy black hair and wearing a green track suit.
He has been in custody since police searched him in Potts Point about 11pm on Saturday, July 20, and allegedly found 7.75 grams of methamphetamine or ice.
He was taken to Kings Cross police station where he was charged with "supply an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug". Miller was on bail for other drugs charges at the time.
His solicitor, Greg Goold, told the court the drug analysis may show a lesser weight, and Miller would be prepared to plead guilty to possession.
"Scott really needs rehabilitation. He's got a few issues that need resolving and he thinks that drug rehabilitation is right for him," Mr Goold told reporters outside court.
"He certainly denies that he's a drug dealer."
Mr Goold said Miller was more likely to change his ways now, because he realises he's "running out of chances".
"He's pleased and confident that he'll turn his life around."
Magistrate Les Mabbutt granted bail on several conditions, including a curfew that would confine him to his Edgecliff home between 8pm and 7am.
Mr Mabbutt said Miller's need for "liberty" in order to go into rehabilitation outweighed prosecutors' concerns about him re-offending.
The charge came less than two weeks after Miller, a former swimmer who won a bronze and a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, pleaded not guilty to a number of drug and stolen property charges.
He's pleased and confident that he'll turn his life around.
On Wednesday, July 10, Miller appeared in Waverley Local Court on charges relating to an incident in June where he was allegedly found in a car with with three bags of ice and $14,700.
In 2008, Miller was charged after police searches found him in possession of ecstasy tablets and a commercial pill press. It was later found there was no evidence Miller had used the press.
He was sentenced to 100 hours community work and a two-year good behaviour bond.
Miller won gold in the 100 metres butterfly at the 1995 swimming world championships, but was beaten for the gold in the event at the 1996 Olympics by Russian swimmer Denis Pankratov.
Miller also won a bronze medal as part of the Men's 4 x 100 metre medley relay team at the 1996 Olympics.
Stephanie Gardiner is a reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald. Email or tweet her with your news tips.
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text:
Tremendous forces come into play when two large tectonic plates collide. This image of the Anti-Atlas mountains of Morocco shows some of the results of the collision between the Africa and Eurasia plates that began about 80 million years ago. This image overlaps with AntiAtlas1. The numerous folded belts of sedimentary rocks attest to the strength of this collision. The differing degrees of erosion of these rocks are due to differences in hardness of the rocks. Compare this view with a photograph taken by astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle.
The area covered by this image is approximately 106x90 miles. A full-resolution crop of the image file is available here that shows the detail present in the full image print.
|Copyright 2011 - Remote Sensing Art and Photographs by Larry P. Ammann, Digital Artist and Photographer. All Rights Reserved. No image or photograph may be reproduced without the artist's express written permission.


text: Adeodato Simó wrote: > Hello, > > For those following testing, this is just a quick mail to let you know > that KDE4 will become available in Squeeze with tonight's mirror pulse. > (It's KDE 4.2.2, I'm told 4.2.3 will shortly be uploaded to unstable.) > > A note for compiz users: unfortunately it hasn't been possible to migrate > to testing the new compiz, useable with KDE4, because it also depends on > a newer GNOME. In order to upgrade to KDE4, you will have to temporarily > uninstall compiz-kde, or grab compiz-kde and dependencies from unstable. > > Cheers, > Yes, but sadly 4.2 is not hitting squeeze all at once. I got about 6 4.2 upgrades today with the results that a lot of my kde apps are no longer functional. The menu items along with their associated icons are gone: kpat, amarok, k3b are 3 of many apps to be affected. I guess this will get sorted in a couple of days but WHY?!? would they release packages piecemeal this way? Cheers, Jonathan -- Registerd Linux user #445917 at http://counter.li.org/


text:
Does this interior spy shot of the Audi R8 e-tron show the interior of the upcoming Audi R8 facelift?
The most obvious change here is a much bigger center console. We're not sure whether this will be an e-tron only affair or all upcoming R8s but it's substantially bigger than that of the current-generation R8.
One major change is the disappearance of the traditional e-brake lever in favor of the pull switch found in most modern Audis. Interestingly, for tech fans, we also note an MMI control cluster identical to what's been seen in the new MQB A3. If that's so then it suggests the facelifted R8 could make use of Audi's latest NVIDIA Tegra2 powered MMX infotainment module. If that's the case then this means AudiConnect, Google voice search, Google maps, touchpad on the main MMI rotary knob and more.
It appears the R8 gets an updated steering wheel more inline with current Audi sport wheels, though elements like the upper dashboard and door panels remain the same.


text:
Neighborhood watch captain shoots innocent black youth and doesn't even get arrested
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Rain Man
NFL's #1 Ermines Fan
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: My house
Casino cash: $43038
Out of curiosity, let me ask two questions.
Question 1. If you're the parents, which sentence would you prefer?
A. Long murder sentence or death penalty or whatever - essentially remove the murderer from society.
B. Intermediate sentence for manslaughter or some lesser murder charge - call it five years - but with blood money payments to you for the rest of his life. (Assume something like $7,000 a year for discussion's sake, maybe 20% of his gross salary if he's joe sixpack murderer.)
C. Short sentence for manslaughter - call it 1 year - but with blood money payments to you for the rest of his life. (Assume something like $15,000 a year for discussion's sake, maybe 40% of his gross salary if he's joe sixpack murderer.)
Question 2. What sentence should society in general prefer from the ones above?
These cases always interest me. Is the guy dangerous? Obviously he is to 17 year-old black kids. Should he be in prison forever, or should he earn a living to at least pay something back to the family of the murdered child? It gets down to whether his motive was malice or stupidity.
Either way the kid is dead and what he did was inexcusable, so don't paint me as an apologist for the guy. I can see arguments going both ways, and if I was the parents I'd probably want to see the guy on death row.
My ancestors fought giant cave ermines so I could make this post.
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text:
Mistress Gunnvor of the Kingdom of Ansteorra reports that she has created a playlist of music familiar and appealing to members of the SCA in hopes that more will learn the "old songs." The list is available on YouTube.
Gunnvor writes:
Many are the songs that Bjornsborg folk have sung around the campfires. Here are most of the songs sung from the Olden Times. If you know of a better video, or have a superior MP3 version that you can send me, I can update the list or create a new video with the MP3.


text:
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Работодатель, вероятно, уже нашел нужного кандидата и больше не принимает отклики на эту вакансиюПоказать описание вакансии
Требуемый опыт работы: 1–3 года
Полная занятость, полный день
Deloitte is seeking to hire a Consultant for the Audit department's Enterprise Risk Services group at our Moscow office.
Deloitte's Enterprise Risk Services group is a leading provider of Internal Control, Internal Audit and Risk Management in the CIS, with over 110 dedicated professionals across 14 offices, serving clients in the CIS and abroad.
As part of this team, you will work with high-profile clients, including owner-managed businesses, multinationals and public companies in a variety of industry sectors. You will have the opportunity and support to take on responsibility early on, making a real contribution from day one.
The role will involve:
We are looking for individuals with a desire to grow and who welcome the challenge of working at a well-established and constantly growing firm. You will join us at an exciting stage of our development and will have the opportunity to reach your fullest potential. We offer exciting opportunities for professional growth and development, supportive and friendly work environment, challenging tasks and a competitive compensation package.
Please note that you will be asked to provide your passport details in order to complete the application process.
Вакансия опубликована 18 января 2017


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About Pinkiepieswear
PinkiePieSwear is located in Australia, where he makes fan music for the television show "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic". PinkiePieSwear most popular for songs like Flutterwonder and Sunshine and Celery Stalks. PinkiePieSwear has not made a song in over eight months, and it is unlikely that he will make another song. None the less, the music the he has made will be around in the brony community for a very long time, and most likely not forgotten. Read more about PinkiePieSwear on Last.fm.
Bio taken from Last.fmIs this bio wrong? Tell us about it.
Pinkiepieswear's Songs
Thomas Alvarez Vilchez and 1 more
david_m and 1 more
coma and 2 more


text:
I have a small fitpc with pure Gentoo and cups installed that I use as my central print server.
I have various boxes with Sabayon 5.1 that use this little server for all their printing activities. Works out of the box with cups - in most cases...
I have on machine (this one here) that, after an upgrade two weeks ago, simply has stopped seeing the printers. All other machines work perfectly well. I have copied the cupsd.conf file from one of the working PCs to this one - no avail.
There is no entry in the /var/log/cups/error_log (there are quite a few from the time the connection still worked but nothing recent).
I can see the printers perfectly well in my browser with http://fitpc:631.
What can I do? What additional info is required?
Thanks for help,


text:
Hayley Fearnley
Cruelty Free Beauty and Fashion Blogger
I am a 21 year old cruelty free beauty and fashion blogger in the West Midlands. I was originally born in Bradford, West Yorkshire and often travel between the two as well as Ipswich. Alongside beauty and fashion, I also post vegan recipes and a few lifestyle posts. For PR requests, send me an email at email@example.com, I'd love to work with you!
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text:
Only Two Topshop Denim Collabs Coming to New York
Of the three Topshop's denim capsule collections, only two are hitting the Broadway store in October. Find out which ones.
Of the three Topshop's denim capsule collections, only two are hitting the Broadway store in October. Find out which ones.
Retailers aren't interested in carrying men's jeans designed by Posh, so she can't launch the line for a while.
Whether or not they realize it, J.Crew is rubbing their real-estate success in the face of foodies across the city.
Customers are shopping less and gravitating toward better-known labels, giving retailers little reason to support designers like Alexander Wang.
Takeshi Kaneshiro has been called the Johny Depp of Asian cinema, and now he's modeling skivvies for fall '08.
Rumor has it the 'Gossip Girl' star is in talks to design for a label associated with his 'Vanity Fair' photo shoot.
The affordable clothes retailer just announced what everyone knew was coming.
They'll start by opening the first freestanding Derek Lam store on Crosby Street next year.
See the couture shows by Anne Valérie Hash, Jean Paul Gaultier, Givenchy, and more on video with designer commentary.
He's the first big name to sign on to design "limited edition homes" for Dubai's fashion island. Yes, it's a real place.
The Pulitzer Prize–winning fashion critic turns her sights on 'Vogue,' where she once used to work.
Even worse, the controversial cover with LeBron James and Gisele Bündchen is on the worst-selling April issue since 2001.
The economy is in the bucket (news flash!), so he won't get the kind of dough he wants.
Get your calendars ready, people! A three-day window has been announced.
The Shanghai-based designer's knitwear pieces were inspired by cave photos.
Ever wonder if the vintage clothes you're eyeing are legit? A test scam of a few local consignment shops had some interesting results.
Veronica Webb and Elite's Neal Hamil hit the talk-show circuit to talk about the hot topic du jour.
In a giant interview with 'WWD,' the designer put the lid on rumors that he's giving up the biz . We picked the choicest bits for your reading pleasure.
Celebrate America with fashion.
Adidas opens a huge flagship in Beijing, Rowley heads to Hong Kong. And there are more luxury consumers than ever before in China.
The Last Conversation You'll Ever Need to Have About Eating Right
Nobody Is Left to Save the World From Trump Now
What's New on Netflix: March 2018
Everything You Need to Know About the March for Our Lives
Every Wes Anderson Film, Ranked
At Last! Matt Damon Breaks His Silence on Ben Affleck's Back Tattoo
The Rise and Rise of Mindy Kaling
9 Things We Learned From the Deadpool 2 Trailer
White House Says Cutting Meals on Wheels Is 'Compassionate'
RuPaul's Drag Race Season Premiere Recap: Dime-store Girls


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Oct 06
MATTHEWS SOUTHERN COMFORT – "Woodstock"
In the whole Popular project so far, "Woodstock" represents my biggest turnaround in opinion between hearing and writing about it. On first listen it sounded dreary, sappy and self-satisfied – I had it earmarked for a 2, or even a 1.
I don't know what exactly changed my mind. Hearing it one hungover morning in late Summer and letting it soothe me? The acquisition of such CDs as The Best Of Bread giving me a taste for wet but beautiful seventies dreampop? Repeated exposure to the Glastonbury Festival? Maybe I just listened a bit harder and felt the fear in the song. "Woodstock" isn't self-satisfied, or not in the way I thought. It's full of the dread of a moment passing, energy dissipating, opportunities slipping away. You don't have to be a hippy to recognise that feeling. It doesn't come across in the lyrics, particularly, just in the sorrow-laden singing and drifting melodies: the repeated triads in the guitar break being particularly effective at conveying this air of desperate futility.
Learning that Joni Mitchell wrote the song after missing Woodstock explains a lot of this dread. It explains the song's spiritual vibe, too: legends always grow more in the minds of people who weren't 'there', and this song helped shape and transmit the Woodstock legend, and by extension the legend of the hippy era and movement, turning the Festival (and in some ways the 60s itself) into a sacred, doomed, unrepeatable moment. The song's sadness becomes self-fulfiling and defeatist – those who came after Woodstock could never recreate it; no route back to the garden ever existed. If you've ever given part of yourself to a scene – whether major or minor, vast or tiny, whether you called that lost moment "punk" or "rave" or "The Round Table" or "old ILM" – you might know that defeatism too well.
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I was away at school camp at Marchants Hill, Hindhead when this was going up the charts and this is my association with it. Marchants Hill was tucked away in a wooded area of outstanding natural beauty and was a lovely retreat for inner city council high-rise kids, of which I was one. I thought the song was wonderful and magical and spoke of dreamland and safety and places other than Stockwell. Yes, comfort. Believe me, that's quite sufficient to be able to claim my love for it.
"And I dreamed I saw the bombers / Riding shotgun in the sky / Turn to butterflies / Above our nation."
It's a dream.
This record is godawful. As limp as a wet noodle. And far from one of Mitchell's best songs.
I dunno, something about the limpid arrangement's complete lack of oomph suits the blissed out hippy vibe: or at least it does in retrospect: as a time capsule of a short-lived cartoon utopia. Joni's, iirc, more impassioned reading probably suited it better at the time when there was still something to win. The intro also has a pleasing sort of sheeny perfection to it: reminds me of a less coked-up Eagles but in a nice sort of way.
I've only heard this because it's the closing track on a three-track (!) compilation CD I bought in a charity shop for the other two tracks: Born To Be Wild and Eve Of Destruction.
PS, Tom if you're reading this, do you still like Bread? I'd always had them down as the Travis of the 70s but this was (probably unfairly) based on hearing them briefly, once, while drunk. So happy to have my mind changed if you have some recommendations (beside, David Gates once wrote a song for Captain Beefheart so he can't be all bad!)
Always loved this fine song, easily in my life Top Ten, wistful but beautiful and never tired of 5~6 replays at any time..eases the mind always..next all along the watchtower by Bob and Jimi, both GGGreat.. then another 1000 songs to beam in on… growing a beard here …
love the site, for all the Free Spirits everywhere…


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Tales From The Open Roads & Salty Seas
Canadian Rockies to The Great Lakes & Beyond
Drive to Dryden
Aug 31, 2011
We leave Manitoba behind & cross into Ontario.
Winnipeg is a lovely city and we wouldn't mind staying a little longer but, as Arnold said, we'll be back. It's a little over 400 miles to Thunder Bay so we decided to split the drive as evenly as possible over two days.......that makes the destination today Dryden, Ontario.
So, we bid good-bye to Winnipeg and hit the Trans Canada. Not too far east, a sign told us we were crossing the longitudinal center of Canada. The terrain was relatively flat and lots of harvesting going on. By the time we got to the Ontario border, it was seriously raining. We stopped at the visitor center for a lunch break and I wanted to pick up some touristy stuff for Thunder Bay. I snapped a quick picture of the Ontario sign.
The terrain changed a good bit in western Ontario; the roads were better, more paved pull-outs, and the roads were more curvy with more elevation changes. We made our home for the night at the Northwestern Tent & RV Park, a family owned operation, in Dryden. The owner escorted us to our site, set up our picnic table, had a nice wooden pallet to place by our steps, and told us to come to the office to pay at 7 o'clock..."when the money lady would be home"....obviously, his wife is the treasurer. Even though we were right on the highway, it was amazingly quiet, shaded by nice tall pine trees.
Tomorrow, we have our sights on Thunder Bay.
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- Posted August 17, 2014 by
- rickdembow77
sedona, Arizona
Editor's Pick!
Team iReport featured this story
Hot Air Balloon Hits Roadway
- hhanks, CNN iReport producer
A hot air ballon from Red Rock Balloon Adventures in Sedona AZ landed in the middle of Dry Creek Road early this morning blocking traffic and spooking the tour passengers aboard. The ballon narrowly missed a high tension line. No injuries were sustained when the ballon set down on the roadway as the pilot navigated a heavily forested area after loosing lift.