That pressure came not from the outside world but from myself, and I was disappointed to finish second in the omnium. I always want to win but I messed up the points race, which had a knock-on effect, and there was no way I was going to catch up. I had been unbeaten for over a year but you realise eventually that you have to lose.
The team pursuit went amazingly well, given it was not even our Olympic line-up, and Elinor Barker rode superbly. But when it came to the omnium I lost 10 points to Sarah Hammer in one race and it was too great a gap. After the two golds in London you could say that I had more of a target on my back, but there were four or five of us in that field who felt the same way. I still regarded the omnium as my event and I wanted to win it again.
I found the atmosphere around Minsk more relaxed, purely because everything we had been doing in the lead-up to London had felt so intense. It was a relief just to go out on the final evening with my boyfriend, Jason Kenny, and my parents. Jason had been there for the entire week although I was cheering him on from the team hotel when he won gold in the keirin.
Now it is time for me to go out on the road. I have not been setting myself hard and fast targets – I will compete at the European Under-23 Championships on the track, but besides that I will just be learning how to ride the road. I am not sure my love of racing will ever go away. I do this because I love it, not solely because I am good at it. I will do almost all the races with my sister Emma, and while we are not going to be on the same team I will see her out there all the time.
I definitely want to race at the next Olympics in Rio, but beyond that I just do not know. It is hard to think about doing this forever or until I have as many gold medals as I could ever have dreamt of. It is the sheer practical burden of committing yourself to another four years. I would like to think that I would go to two more Games, but ultimately I will only decide when I reach that point.
IF, like me, you have always fancied the idea of cycling to work but have been too terrified to do it — help is at hand.
I often admire the courage of cyclists who whiz past me on their commute to work, but assume it is just for fitness fanatics.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TFGM), however, is keen to convince people like myself that cycling is the way forward, and with spring just around the corner, I thought I would give it a try.
TFGM has a team of cycling instructors offering free one-to-one sessions, lasting two hours, to people of all abilities. My instructor, Steve Owen, also known (in his blog) as the Sacred Rider, is an expert in all things to do with wheels and scary traffic. We start off in Queens Park in Bolton, a safe place away from roundabouts, drivers and, my biggest fear, lorries and buses.
Steve, from Wigan, starts off by taking me through the basics, such as the correct seat height.
I instinctively want mine nice and low so I can put my feet flat on the floor, but that’s a no-no in cycling, apparently.
2013年2月28日星期四
who was unable to deliver the speech in person
Leaders of the cancer charity founded by Lance Armstrong struck a determined, sometimes defiant tone on Thursday as they declared the organization will persevere in the wake of the cyclist's admission that he used performance-enhancing drugs.
"I am on safe ground to say that the past year did not go as planned," Livestrong's executive vice president Andy Miller said at The Livestrong Foundation's annual meeting in Chicago. "Things happen that we cannot control - cancer has taught us that. What do we do? We adapt."
He added later, "This is our message to the world: The Livestrong Foundation is not going anywhere."
The meeting, its first such gathering since Armstrong's troubled departure in October, comes amid a swirl of uncertainty about whether donors could back away or whether people worldwide will stop showing their support by purchasing the foundation's trademark yellow "Livestrong" bracelets.
Addressing some 500 people in his 30-minute keynote speech, Miller mentioned Armstrong by name only four times. But there was no mistaking what he meant by the foundation being "caught in the crossfire of the media frenzy."
"We faced headwinds that were not only stiff, but heartbreaking," Miller said, without getting more specific.
Armstrong won seven Tour de France titles - all of which were stripped in August. He also is banned for life from sports. He stepped down as chairman of the charity in October, saying he didn't want his association to damage the foundation's ability to raise money and continue its advocacy programs on behalf of people with cancer.
Livestrong's president, Doug Ulman, echoed Miller's sentiments in prepared remarks.
"Our success has never been based on one person," said Ulman, who was unable to deliver the speech in person because of travel delays. "Will the Livestrong Foundation survive? Yes. Absolutely, yes. Hell, yes."
A common theme Thursday was disappointment in Armstrong's actions but gratitude for how he parlayed his fame into raising cancer awareness.
"We were deeply disappointed when we learned along with the rest of the world that we had been misled during and after Lance's cycling career," Miller said. "We accepted the apology ... and we remain grateful for what he decided to create and helped build."
Among the steps the organization is taking to establish a new identity is to change its day of action each year from Oct. 2 - the date in 1996 that Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer - to May 17, the group announced Thursday.
On that day in 2004, the charity launched their yellow bands. Since then, 87 million have been sold to raise $87 million, said Katherine McLane, the group's executive vice president for communications.
The charity will monitor the sales of the bracelets this year to see if fundraising will be affected by Armstrong's departure, she said. Though she didn't have immediate figures, she noted that sales of the bracelets peaked in the few years after their launch.
"I am on safe ground to say that the past year did not go as planned," Livestrong's executive vice president Andy Miller said at The Livestrong Foundation's annual meeting in Chicago. "Things happen that we cannot control - cancer has taught us that. What do we do? We adapt."
He added later, "This is our message to the world: The Livestrong Foundation is not going anywhere."
The meeting, its first such gathering since Armstrong's troubled departure in October, comes amid a swirl of uncertainty about whether donors could back away or whether people worldwide will stop showing their support by purchasing the foundation's trademark yellow "Livestrong" bracelets.
Addressing some 500 people in his 30-minute keynote speech, Miller mentioned Armstrong by name only four times. But there was no mistaking what he meant by the foundation being "caught in the crossfire of the media frenzy."
"We faced headwinds that were not only stiff, but heartbreaking," Miller said, without getting more specific.
Armstrong won seven Tour de France titles - all of which were stripped in August. He also is banned for life from sports. He stepped down as chairman of the charity in October, saying he didn't want his association to damage the foundation's ability to raise money and continue its advocacy programs on behalf of people with cancer.
Livestrong's president, Doug Ulman, echoed Miller's sentiments in prepared remarks.
"Our success has never been based on one person," said Ulman, who was unable to deliver the speech in person because of travel delays. "Will the Livestrong Foundation survive? Yes. Absolutely, yes. Hell, yes."
A common theme Thursday was disappointment in Armstrong's actions but gratitude for how he parlayed his fame into raising cancer awareness.
"We were deeply disappointed when we learned along with the rest of the world that we had been misled during and after Lance's cycling career," Miller said. "We accepted the apology ... and we remain grateful for what he decided to create and helped build."
Among the steps the organization is taking to establish a new identity is to change its day of action each year from Oct. 2 - the date in 1996 that Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer - to May 17, the group announced Thursday.
On that day in 2004, the charity launched their yellow bands. Since then, 87 million have been sold to raise $87 million, said Katherine McLane, the group's executive vice president for communications.
The charity will monitor the sales of the bracelets this year to see if fundraising will be affected by Armstrong's departure, she said. Though she didn't have immediate figures, she noted that sales of the bracelets peaked in the few years after their launch.
2013年2月27日星期三
His rant last night was pitched at both the fans
All the angst of Rafael Benitez came spilling out last night and if some of it was understandable enough as it reflected the pain generated by one of the worst ordeals ever endured by a leading football man, there was too an inevitable response.
Did you anticipate a bed of flowers as you came racing out of exile and into the shoes of a manager much respected, and even adored by some sections of the Chelsea support? Did you think that Roberto Di Matteo's extraordinary contribution to the affairs of a club which had repeatedly broken the normal operating rules of a successful football organisation, which had treated its managers with not much more dignity than might have been accorded a series of errant office boys, would be buried in the welcome for a man so widely disliked on the terraces of Stamford Bridge?
It would have been an improbably huge ask in any circumstances and of course it was impossible to imagine any that could have been worse when Benitez was introduced to his new club against a background of hostility quite unprecedented even in the turbulence of today's high pressure football.
There was even the savage irony of Benitez's arrival coinciding with the death of one of the great figures of Chelsea, the tough and beloved manager Dave Sexton.
Last night Benitez produced echoes of the American president Richard Nixon when he believed his political career was over long before his Watergate denouement. "You wont have me to kick around any longer," he told his worst critics," and that was the substance of Benitez's outburst after another night when Chelsea supporters reminded him that he was still so far anything like acceptance.
Chelsea won their Cup-tie at Middlesbrough but there was always the sound of anti-Benitez sentiment.
It was plainly breaking point for the man who believed that his power to transform Chelsea would sooner rather than later win him a new and more tranquil phase of a career which, after success at Valencia and the extraordinary Champions League success with Liverpool in Istanbul, ran into serious trouble at Anfield and then the humiliation of a swift ejection at Internazionale in the wake of his bitter foe, and Chelsea hero, Jose Mourinho.
Benitez can now hardly conceal his bitterness towards Roman Abramovich and the Chelsea hierarchy who made it clear that his reign at Stamford Bridge would never be more than a brief holding operation.
Unfortunately, Benitez was unable to hold together a situation always threatening to break at the seams.
He says that the club's refusal to grant him any more than interim status was a massive mistake but then there is something of a pattern in Benitez's attempts at crisis management. He has a tendency to apportion blame some way from his own direct responsibilities. At Liverpool the problem was the club's errant American ownership, yet never satisfactorily explained that he was still unable to improve and re-animate the team with not inconsiderable spending power.
His failure to communicate with key players – notably the ramrod Xabi Alonso – was a factor which was never acknowledged from the manager's office and, of course, his relations with the Chelsea players has been wrapped in controversy over recent days.
His rant last night was pitched at both the fans and the ownership and at no point was there any concession that his promise of renovating ￡50m Fernando Torres, which may saw as the key reason for his summons to London, and a new level of team efficiency had fallen to the point where his performance record had slipped below the mark which provoked the sacking of Di Matteo.
Indeed, there was a powerful case to believe that the truly massive mistake was not in granting him temporary powers but allowing his style of management to take any root at all.
It has not, after all, ever been marked by the kind of professional compromise adopted by Di Matteo when he was parachuted into the challenge of repairing, in any kind of fashion, the vertiginous collapse of the project of Andre Villas-Boas.
Di Matteo did it with the astounding short term effect of winning both the Champions' League and the FA Cup. He also created a sense that he would conjure the best he could from players of great experience but uncertain futures. He had the nous to live in the moment and when that time came to an abrupt end, when Chelsea failed to defend their European title, he left the arena with a philosophical shrug.
Benitez doesn't do such gestures. He imposes his will and his theories and there is not much sense of accommodation with old pros who had in their time achieved a few things perhaps worthy of some respect. It will always, you have to believe, be the Benitez show, good or bad, win or lose, but last night it seemed that even he had grasped that he had been selected for the wrong stage.
Did you anticipate a bed of flowers as you came racing out of exile and into the shoes of a manager much respected, and even adored by some sections of the Chelsea support? Did you think that Roberto Di Matteo's extraordinary contribution to the affairs of a club which had repeatedly broken the normal operating rules of a successful football organisation, which had treated its managers with not much more dignity than might have been accorded a series of errant office boys, would be buried in the welcome for a man so widely disliked on the terraces of Stamford Bridge?
It would have been an improbably huge ask in any circumstances and of course it was impossible to imagine any that could have been worse when Benitez was introduced to his new club against a background of hostility quite unprecedented even in the turbulence of today's high pressure football.
There was even the savage irony of Benitez's arrival coinciding with the death of one of the great figures of Chelsea, the tough and beloved manager Dave Sexton.
Last night Benitez produced echoes of the American president Richard Nixon when he believed his political career was over long before his Watergate denouement. "You wont have me to kick around any longer," he told his worst critics," and that was the substance of Benitez's outburst after another night when Chelsea supporters reminded him that he was still so far anything like acceptance.
Chelsea won their Cup-tie at Middlesbrough but there was always the sound of anti-Benitez sentiment.
It was plainly breaking point for the man who believed that his power to transform Chelsea would sooner rather than later win him a new and more tranquil phase of a career which, after success at Valencia and the extraordinary Champions League success with Liverpool in Istanbul, ran into serious trouble at Anfield and then the humiliation of a swift ejection at Internazionale in the wake of his bitter foe, and Chelsea hero, Jose Mourinho.
Benitez can now hardly conceal his bitterness towards Roman Abramovich and the Chelsea hierarchy who made it clear that his reign at Stamford Bridge would never be more than a brief holding operation.
Unfortunately, Benitez was unable to hold together a situation always threatening to break at the seams.
He says that the club's refusal to grant him any more than interim status was a massive mistake but then there is something of a pattern in Benitez's attempts at crisis management. He has a tendency to apportion blame some way from his own direct responsibilities. At Liverpool the problem was the club's errant American ownership, yet never satisfactorily explained that he was still unable to improve and re-animate the team with not inconsiderable spending power.
His failure to communicate with key players – notably the ramrod Xabi Alonso – was a factor which was never acknowledged from the manager's office and, of course, his relations with the Chelsea players has been wrapped in controversy over recent days.
His rant last night was pitched at both the fans and the ownership and at no point was there any concession that his promise of renovating ￡50m Fernando Torres, which may saw as the key reason for his summons to London, and a new level of team efficiency had fallen to the point where his performance record had slipped below the mark which provoked the sacking of Di Matteo.
Indeed, there was a powerful case to believe that the truly massive mistake was not in granting him temporary powers but allowing his style of management to take any root at all.
It has not, after all, ever been marked by the kind of professional compromise adopted by Di Matteo when he was parachuted into the challenge of repairing, in any kind of fashion, the vertiginous collapse of the project of Andre Villas-Boas.
Di Matteo did it with the astounding short term effect of winning both the Champions' League and the FA Cup. He also created a sense that he would conjure the best he could from players of great experience but uncertain futures. He had the nous to live in the moment and when that time came to an abrupt end, when Chelsea failed to defend their European title, he left the arena with a philosophical shrug.
Benitez doesn't do such gestures. He imposes his will and his theories and there is not much sense of accommodation with old pros who had in their time achieved a few things perhaps worthy of some respect. It will always, you have to believe, be the Benitez show, good or bad, win or lose, but last night it seemed that even he had grasped that he had been selected for the wrong stage.
2013年2月26日星期二
Riding to the finish line next to the Eiffel Tower
Stacy Harper, head of customer contact at Leeds-based Sky Betting and Gaming, on her passion for cycling.
I STARTED cycling in January 2011 when myself and a few colleagues put our names down for the chance to cycle the ninth stage of the Tour de France, the Central Massif stage, with the support of Sky Cycling.
I had never taken on a cycling challenge before, let alone a stage in the world-famous Tour de France, so I was terrified when I received news that I’d been successful in gaining a place on the programme.
I thought I would never be able to achieve the level of fitness required to complete a 130-mile ride through tough terrain.
While I was training there were a lot of tough moments, including being overtaken by a man on a mountain bike in a Hawaiian shirt and cycling into the back of a Jeep!
I had some very nice bruises and scars from falling off several times but it was all worth it.
In the run-up to the race I completed a total of 22 weeks’ training and in the weeks before the event I was cycling for about 14 hours a week. I was definitely the fittest I’ve ever been.
Unfortunately, the Central Massif stage of the Tour de France didn’t go to plan.
The weather on the day was unseasonably horrendous, but everyone was wearing their summer cycling gear.
I, along with many other riders, was ill-equipped to deal with harsh weather conditions so I was only able to complete half the ride.
There were tales of riders being wrapped in silver foil blankets at the top of one of the main hills, and in the end the officials decided to close the route for safety reasons.
I was disappointed with how things had turned out at the Tour de France but had been bitten by the cycling bug and continued riding and taking part in various cycling events. I got back in the saddle for a Sky Ride event in Ireland in August 2011, riding 80 miles on closed roads with some stunning scenery to help me along.
Last year I completed the London to Paris Bike Ride, which involves cycling 300 miles over three days.
Riding to the finish line next to the Eiffel Tower with an amazing group of people was fantastic, as was watching Bradley Wiggins’ triumph in the Tour de France from ‘Brit Corner’ on the Champs Elysee the following day. Through some of the cycling events I’ve participated in I’ve had some unforgettable experiences and have even been lucky enough to get snapped with some of Britain’s cycling stars, including Bradley Wiggins and Victoria Pendleton.
I can honestly say I think I will always love being on the bike and I’ve already signed up to be a Tour Maker for the Tour de France 2014. The Sky Cycling programme for this year is now out so I’m just working on what the challenge will be for 2013!
I STARTED cycling in January 2011 when myself and a few colleagues put our names down for the chance to cycle the ninth stage of the Tour de France, the Central Massif stage, with the support of Sky Cycling.
I had never taken on a cycling challenge before, let alone a stage in the world-famous Tour de France, so I was terrified when I received news that I’d been successful in gaining a place on the programme.
I thought I would never be able to achieve the level of fitness required to complete a 130-mile ride through tough terrain.
While I was training there were a lot of tough moments, including being overtaken by a man on a mountain bike in a Hawaiian shirt and cycling into the back of a Jeep!
I had some very nice bruises and scars from falling off several times but it was all worth it.
In the run-up to the race I completed a total of 22 weeks’ training and in the weeks before the event I was cycling for about 14 hours a week. I was definitely the fittest I’ve ever been.
Unfortunately, the Central Massif stage of the Tour de France didn’t go to plan.
The weather on the day was unseasonably horrendous, but everyone was wearing their summer cycling gear.
I, along with many other riders, was ill-equipped to deal with harsh weather conditions so I was only able to complete half the ride.
There were tales of riders being wrapped in silver foil blankets at the top of one of the main hills, and in the end the officials decided to close the route for safety reasons.
I was disappointed with how things had turned out at the Tour de France but had been bitten by the cycling bug and continued riding and taking part in various cycling events. I got back in the saddle for a Sky Ride event in Ireland in August 2011, riding 80 miles on closed roads with some stunning scenery to help me along.
Last year I completed the London to Paris Bike Ride, which involves cycling 300 miles over three days.
Riding to the finish line next to the Eiffel Tower with an amazing group of people was fantastic, as was watching Bradley Wiggins’ triumph in the Tour de France from ‘Brit Corner’ on the Champs Elysee the following day. Through some of the cycling events I’ve participated in I’ve had some unforgettable experiences and have even been lucky enough to get snapped with some of Britain’s cycling stars, including Bradley Wiggins and Victoria Pendleton.
I can honestly say I think I will always love being on the bike and I’ve already signed up to be a Tour Maker for the Tour de France 2014. The Sky Cycling programme for this year is now out so I’m just working on what the challenge will be for 2013!
2013年2月25日星期一
stretched across many different types of racing
When Makayla Smith was first dragged along to the Invercargill Velodrome as a 12-year-old she wasn't all that fussed about what she saw.
The track was a daunting sight and she admits to initially putting a halt to any prospect of hopping on a bike and riding around the wooden boards.
Smith had first ventured along to the velodrome as part of the Community Breakout programme at Southland Girls' High School.
Her teacher, Shona Skelt, had kept at her about having a go at cycling and it led to her first day at the track.
"I remember it very clearly, I wasn't going to do it, I wasn't too keen. The teacher said ‘Come and sit here and watch' and I did. Eventually I got on [the track] and it was awesome, I love it," she said.
Three years on from that daunting first taste of track cycling, Makayla is part of a strong group of junior Southland track cyclists bracing themselves for the New Zealand age-group championships starting in Invercargill today.
It will be the 15-year-old's third shot at a national age-group event and one she is excited about.
It will also be her second year in the under-17 grade.
"Previously in under-15 I've always been pretty consistent. I was fourth in every event in under-15 and nearly 9th in every event in under-17 last year."
Smith will be spotted in almost every under-17 event this week as she tries her hand at a host of disciplines - but she does have some favourites.
"I really enjoy the points race, purely because they're strategic and exciting but I think the scratch race could be good as well."
Cycling Southland coaching co-ordinator Dayle Tye said Smith had shown impressive development in her short time in the sport.
"She's taken massive, massive strides in improvement in the last couple of years. She's a force to be reckoned with now, I guess, in the under-17 girls. She goes up to under-19 next year so there's opportunities at under-19 age-group for junior worlds."
Tye agreed with Makayla's assessment that the points race was a strong point but said her skills stretched across many different types of racing.
"She's a really good all-rounder, but I think strategically she can ride a very good points race," he said.
"She's also got a great turn of speed and she can ride really consistently in a pursuit as well.
The track was a daunting sight and she admits to initially putting a halt to any prospect of hopping on a bike and riding around the wooden boards.
Smith had first ventured along to the velodrome as part of the Community Breakout programme at Southland Girls' High School.
Her teacher, Shona Skelt, had kept at her about having a go at cycling and it led to her first day at the track.
"I remember it very clearly, I wasn't going to do it, I wasn't too keen. The teacher said ‘Come and sit here and watch' and I did. Eventually I got on [the track] and it was awesome, I love it," she said.
Three years on from that daunting first taste of track cycling, Makayla is part of a strong group of junior Southland track cyclists bracing themselves for the New Zealand age-group championships starting in Invercargill today.
It will be the 15-year-old's third shot at a national age-group event and one she is excited about.
It will also be her second year in the under-17 grade.
"Previously in under-15 I've always been pretty consistent. I was fourth in every event in under-15 and nearly 9th in every event in under-17 last year."
Smith will be spotted in almost every under-17 event this week as she tries her hand at a host of disciplines - but she does have some favourites.
"I really enjoy the points race, purely because they're strategic and exciting but I think the scratch race could be good as well."
Cycling Southland coaching co-ordinator Dayle Tye said Smith had shown impressive development in her short time in the sport.
"She's taken massive, massive strides in improvement in the last couple of years. She's a force to be reckoned with now, I guess, in the under-17 girls. She goes up to under-19 next year so there's opportunities at under-19 age-group for junior worlds."
Tye agreed with Makayla's assessment that the points race was a strong point but said her skills stretched across many different types of racing.
"She's a really good all-rounder, but I think strategically she can ride a very good points race," he said.
"She's also got a great turn of speed and she can ride really consistently in a pursuit as well.
2013年2月24日星期日
Sharing the road with increasing numbers of cyclists
why a grand jury recently failed to hand up an indictment against a driver suspected of vehicular homicide in last summer’s death of 41-year-old rider Alexander Motsenigos? Bicycle advocates believe so — fervently. And Wellesley Police Chief Terrence Cunningham and Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey aren’t far behind.
Many accidents involving bicycles and motor vehicles can be traced to road design, inclement weather, or attention lapse. But law enforcement traced Motsenigos’s death to truck driver Dana McCoomb, a man with an extensive history of driving infractions who fled the scene after striking the Wellesley cyclist from the side. Witness statements, video footage, and subsequent police analysis of the scene suggested that the deadly collision was more than an unavoidable accident.
Sharing the road with increasing numbers of cyclists can be frustrating for drivers. But disregard for the safety of cyclists has reached pathological levels among some drivers. And this contempt, whether conscious or subconscious, may well have played a role in the minds of grand jurors. There are widespread misconceptions that cyclists should ride on sidewalks — which is dangerous for pedestrians — or that it’s up to cyclists to stay out of motor vehicles’ way.
No matter one’s opinion of cyclists or their riding habits, they are practically defenseless against the smallest sedan, never mind an SUV or a truck. Drivers simply have to take the high road — not only around cyclists who abide by the rules of the road, but even around selfish cyclists who don’t. Shaving a few minutes along the way can’t possibly outweigh the risk of maiming or killing a fellow human being.
Police and prosecutors shouldn’t be dissuaded from pursuing similar cases. And cyclists shouldn’t lose heart. As disappointing as this case may be, it is an opportunity for public officials to review road engineering, enforcement policies, and public education campaigns that all play important safety roles. Planners may find that physical barriers between roadways and bike lanes are the best approach wherever feasible. But softer approaches, such as publicizing “best routes’’ for cyclists, also help drivers to stay alert or avoid such routes altogether.
Judges and attorneys who are exquisitely sensitive to the prejudices of prospective jurors should come to terms with a new problem — deep-seated bias based on mode of transport. Cycling, meanwhile, will continue to expand. The key question is whether public education and awareness can keep up.
Sarah Hammer of the United States earned her sixth career gold medal and second one this week by winning the women's omnium event Sunday, while Stefan Botticher won the men's sprint title and his second gold medal at the track cycling world championships.
Hammer, who won the individual pursuit Wednesday, scored 20 points in the overall omnium standings after six events, four points better than defending world champion Laura Trott of Britain, who beat the American for the Olympic gold in the discipline in London. Olympic bronze medalist Annette Edmondson of Australia was third.
Botticher beat Russia's Denis Dmitriev in two races in the sprint final to claim his second gold medal this week. Francois Pervis of France edged Sam Webster of New Zealand to win his second bronze medal and third overall in five days.
Rebecca Angharad James of Britain made history by winning the women's keirin, becoming the first British woman to win four medals at one championships. She took bronze medals in the women's 500-meter time trial and team sprint and added gold in the sprint on Saturday.
James led the keirin from the start and edged Gong Jinjie of China by 0.116 seconds. Lisandra Guerra Rodriguez of Cuba was 0.121 seconds back in third.
"I can't believe it ... That final was so hard. Just to come away with a gold medal is just unbelievable," James said. "Just the adrenaline got me through it today. I had a pretty good sleep last night. I woke up this morning and I didn't feel that tired. It's the last day of racing and I just wanted to get everything out of the tank here."
James wrapped herself in a British flag and crossed the track to embrace her parents in the stands.
"In the final I just got every single little bit out of the tank," she added. "I'm coming away with the gold."
Kristina Vogel of Germany crashed on the last turn as she tried to challenge the pack.
Many accidents involving bicycles and motor vehicles can be traced to road design, inclement weather, or attention lapse. But law enforcement traced Motsenigos’s death to truck driver Dana McCoomb, a man with an extensive history of driving infractions who fled the scene after striking the Wellesley cyclist from the side. Witness statements, video footage, and subsequent police analysis of the scene suggested that the deadly collision was more than an unavoidable accident.
Sharing the road with increasing numbers of cyclists can be frustrating for drivers. But disregard for the safety of cyclists has reached pathological levels among some drivers. And this contempt, whether conscious or subconscious, may well have played a role in the minds of grand jurors. There are widespread misconceptions that cyclists should ride on sidewalks — which is dangerous for pedestrians — or that it’s up to cyclists to stay out of motor vehicles’ way.
No matter one’s opinion of cyclists or their riding habits, they are practically defenseless against the smallest sedan, never mind an SUV or a truck. Drivers simply have to take the high road — not only around cyclists who abide by the rules of the road, but even around selfish cyclists who don’t. Shaving a few minutes along the way can’t possibly outweigh the risk of maiming or killing a fellow human being.
Police and prosecutors shouldn’t be dissuaded from pursuing similar cases. And cyclists shouldn’t lose heart. As disappointing as this case may be, it is an opportunity for public officials to review road engineering, enforcement policies, and public education campaigns that all play important safety roles. Planners may find that physical barriers between roadways and bike lanes are the best approach wherever feasible. But softer approaches, such as publicizing “best routes’’ for cyclists, also help drivers to stay alert or avoid such routes altogether.
Judges and attorneys who are exquisitely sensitive to the prejudices of prospective jurors should come to terms with a new problem — deep-seated bias based on mode of transport. Cycling, meanwhile, will continue to expand. The key question is whether public education and awareness can keep up.
Sarah Hammer of the United States earned her sixth career gold medal and second one this week by winning the women's omnium event Sunday, while Stefan Botticher won the men's sprint title and his second gold medal at the track cycling world championships.
Hammer, who won the individual pursuit Wednesday, scored 20 points in the overall omnium standings after six events, four points better than defending world champion Laura Trott of Britain, who beat the American for the Olympic gold in the discipline in London. Olympic bronze medalist Annette Edmondson of Australia was third.
Botticher beat Russia's Denis Dmitriev in two races in the sprint final to claim his second gold medal this week. Francois Pervis of France edged Sam Webster of New Zealand to win his second bronze medal and third overall in five days.
Rebecca Angharad James of Britain made history by winning the women's keirin, becoming the first British woman to win four medals at one championships. She took bronze medals in the women's 500-meter time trial and team sprint and added gold in the sprint on Saturday.
James led the keirin from the start and edged Gong Jinjie of China by 0.116 seconds. Lisandra Guerra Rodriguez of Cuba was 0.121 seconds back in third.
"I can't believe it ... That final was so hard. Just to come away with a gold medal is just unbelievable," James said. "Just the adrenaline got me through it today. I had a pretty good sleep last night. I woke up this morning and I didn't feel that tired. It's the last day of racing and I just wanted to get everything out of the tank here."
James wrapped herself in a British flag and crossed the track to embrace her parents in the stands.
"In the final I just got every single little bit out of the tank," she added. "I'm coming away with the gold."
Kristina Vogel of Germany crashed on the last turn as she tried to challenge the pack.
2013年2月20日星期三
Boasting of proven performers and exciting youngsters
While the obvious reason for this non-stop supply of 'super quicks' is the fast and bouncy wickets Down Under, it has perhaps also got to do with their basic nature. Aussies are aggressive and spirited sportsmen who don't yield easily, two qualities that go into the making of a fast bowler. Even during their recent decline, Australia kept churning out quality pacers.
Ironically, very few Australian fast bowlers have done well in the subcontinent, unlike the West Indian pacemen of yore who would succeed on any wicket.
Lillee, for example, managed just three wickets in three Tests in Pakistan during the 1980 tour. The failure of Aussie fast bowlers on unhelpful wickets has largely been responsible for Australia's poor record in India. The exception was the 2004 tour, where McGrath, Jason Gillespie combined beautifully to help the Aussies breach the 'final frontier' after 35 years.
Boasting of proven performers and exciting youngsters, the present Aussie pace attack is one of the best to have toured India. It has the potential to match the exploits of the 2004 batch, which relied on frustrating the Indian batsmen to procure wickets.
If this attack fails, Australia would be left searching for answers, because their spinners aren't likely to do what Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar did to India. Even though the conditions may not aid their art, this bunch has plenty of firepower to blow up the fragile Indian batting order, and reopen the wounds of India's 4-0 rout in Australia on their last tour.
Cricket Australia's recent implementation of the 'rotation policy' may have come under criticism but it has helped this group stay fresh and eager to hunt.
It would be a huge relief for these pacers that they won't have to bowl to the likes of likes of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, two batsmen who have tormented Australia for more than a decade. They would also hope that the two others from that awesome bunch in the Indian team, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, continue to fight their own demons.
Amongst the youngsters, the Aussies will be a little wary of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, two men who can make them slog for long hours in the field. They would need plenty of perseverance and willpower to keep bowling under a hot sun on unresponsive wickets.
The biggest test would come in the first Test in Chennai, where they would encounter stifling humidity. Kasprowicz' match-winning spell in Bangalore in 1998, when he took five for 28 to win Australia the Test, should serve as inspiration.
The 'pace party' will be led by 31-year-old left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson, who has picked 21 wickets in the six Tests he has played in India. Whether Johnson turns out to be average or brilliant depends more on him than the conditions. On a good day, he can run through a side, but when off-colour, he struggles with his line and length.
Partnering Johnson would be Peter Siddle who made merry against India at home in 2011-12. Siddle made his debut in India in 2008, bagging Sachin Tendulkar's wicket as his first Test scalp. Since then, Siddle has flowered, showing an ability to swing the ball at high pace.
The other three fast bowlers in the Aussie armoury are all young, inexperienced but full of talent and raw pace. Their performance, when confronted by conditions alien to them, would be the yardstick by which bowling coach Ali de Winter, who has filled in the big shoes of McDermott in that position, would be judged.
Mitchell Starc boasts of speeds that can touch 150km/hour, and is probably the best left-arm fast bowler in the world right now. He could leave India bleeding with his lethal, full-length deliveries that remind one of the 'Sultan of Swing' Wasim Akram.
The ultra-quick James Pattinson has played just seven Tests, but an average of 22.09 while taking 31 wickets reflect his talent. Jackson Bird is a bit of an unknown commodity but Matthew Hayden feels he could be the star of the tour.
Much of the success of this Aussie pace attack would depend on how well they are able to reverse the ball and also on how quickly they come to terms with low, slow tracks.
Ironically, very few Australian fast bowlers have done well in the subcontinent, unlike the West Indian pacemen of yore who would succeed on any wicket.
Lillee, for example, managed just three wickets in three Tests in Pakistan during the 1980 tour. The failure of Aussie fast bowlers on unhelpful wickets has largely been responsible for Australia's poor record in India. The exception was the 2004 tour, where McGrath, Jason Gillespie combined beautifully to help the Aussies breach the 'final frontier' after 35 years.
Boasting of proven performers and exciting youngsters, the present Aussie pace attack is one of the best to have toured India. It has the potential to match the exploits of the 2004 batch, which relied on frustrating the Indian batsmen to procure wickets.
If this attack fails, Australia would be left searching for answers, because their spinners aren't likely to do what Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar did to India. Even though the conditions may not aid their art, this bunch has plenty of firepower to blow up the fragile Indian batting order, and reopen the wounds of India's 4-0 rout in Australia on their last tour.
Cricket Australia's recent implementation of the 'rotation policy' may have come under criticism but it has helped this group stay fresh and eager to hunt.
It would be a huge relief for these pacers that they won't have to bowl to the likes of likes of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, two batsmen who have tormented Australia for more than a decade. They would also hope that the two others from that awesome bunch in the Indian team, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, continue to fight their own demons.
Amongst the youngsters, the Aussies will be a little wary of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, two men who can make them slog for long hours in the field. They would need plenty of perseverance and willpower to keep bowling under a hot sun on unresponsive wickets.
The biggest test would come in the first Test in Chennai, where they would encounter stifling humidity. Kasprowicz' match-winning spell in Bangalore in 1998, when he took five for 28 to win Australia the Test, should serve as inspiration.
The 'pace party' will be led by 31-year-old left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson, who has picked 21 wickets in the six Tests he has played in India. Whether Johnson turns out to be average or brilliant depends more on him than the conditions. On a good day, he can run through a side, but when off-colour, he struggles with his line and length.
Partnering Johnson would be Peter Siddle who made merry against India at home in 2011-12. Siddle made his debut in India in 2008, bagging Sachin Tendulkar's wicket as his first Test scalp. Since then, Siddle has flowered, showing an ability to swing the ball at high pace.
The other three fast bowlers in the Aussie armoury are all young, inexperienced but full of talent and raw pace. Their performance, when confronted by conditions alien to them, would be the yardstick by which bowling coach Ali de Winter, who has filled in the big shoes of McDermott in that position, would be judged.
Mitchell Starc boasts of speeds that can touch 150km/hour, and is probably the best left-arm fast bowler in the world right now. He could leave India bleeding with his lethal, full-length deliveries that remind one of the 'Sultan of Swing' Wasim Akram.
The ultra-quick James Pattinson has played just seven Tests, but an average of 22.09 while taking 31 wickets reflect his talent. Jackson Bird is a bit of an unknown commodity but Matthew Hayden feels he could be the star of the tour.
Much of the success of this Aussie pace attack would depend on how well they are able to reverse the ball and also on how quickly they come to terms with low, slow tracks.
2013年2月18日星期一
What might seem to be a healthier
Wellington coroner Ian Smith is calling for high-visibility clothing to follow helmets and become mandatory for cyclists. Reckons it's a no-brainer if we're serious about reducing cycling accidents. Unfortunate choice of words, really, given most credible studies utterly contradict his mantra. In fact, according to the New Zealand Medical Journal, compulsory helmet wearing has reduced, not improved cycling safety since its introduction in 1994.
And yes, you read that correctly. Far from making cycling less dangerous, the NZMJ last year published results from studies showing our smugness about the effectiveness of the helmet law is wildly misplaced. Average cycling hours have plummeted (halved) yet risk of injury remains the same. Overall, the law making helmets compulsory has resulted in 53 more premature deaths per year. Helmet wearing legislation has reduced public health.
No brainer? The only no-brainer is that, based on some of the most rigorous scientific studies, forcing cyclists to wear special clothes and funny helmets doesn't work. As pointed out in the NZMJ, making cycling less convenient, less accessible, and increasing the potential for parents to have to pay fines for non-compliant dependents, is actually counter-productive. The fewer cyclists on the road, the greater the danger for them.
Put it this way. According to the survey data, there were better outcomes when we had more cyclists and less protection. Scoff if you like but the numbers are fairly unambiguous. More cyclists meant safety in numbers; that is, road users were more used to sharing with bikes when it was the norm. Fewer cyclists, however, meant motorists were less familiar with their presence and behaviour. And with that unfamiliarity comes increased dangers and risks.
What might seem to be a healthier, safer landscape is more like a fool's paradise. At a time when so many of us are wringing our hands over the country's obesity problem and all its associated conditions and costs, we're also actively discouraging people from enjoying one of life's great therapies. And all for a flawed concept. Researchers estimated the life years gained by cycling outweigh the life years lost in accidents by a factor of twenty to one.
Instructionally too, most western nations, including the UK, have resisted the "no-brainer" Mr Smith speaks of. In fact, one of the chief objections to introducing helmet-wearing legislation in the UK is the way such laws have negatively affected cycling in countries such as New Zealand. British evidence is consistent with that published in the NZMJ - mandatory helmets are likely to both reduce cycling levels, and lead to more premature deaths than they save.
Yes, some of us will have experiences of a helmet saving their life, or the life of someone dear to them. Fair enough. No-one's suggesting helmets should be made illegal. Just discretionary. Let people choose for themselves. Numerous population-based studies agree that making helmets compulsory has proved a failed experiment. No wonder "helmet lady" Rebecca Oaten has rushed to dismiss them. Her law's costing more lives than it's saving.
Coroner Ian Smith would have cyclists not only made to wear high-vis vests, he'd also have them restricted to certain lanes and parts of the road for their own safety. He misses the point by some distance. As noted in the UK study, "if transport professionals wish to save the lives of cyclists, our focus should be on other measures that will encourage more people to cycle by making the bike a safer and more attractive transport option."
And yes, you read that correctly. Far from making cycling less dangerous, the NZMJ last year published results from studies showing our smugness about the effectiveness of the helmet law is wildly misplaced. Average cycling hours have plummeted (halved) yet risk of injury remains the same. Overall, the law making helmets compulsory has resulted in 53 more premature deaths per year. Helmet wearing legislation has reduced public health.
No brainer? The only no-brainer is that, based on some of the most rigorous scientific studies, forcing cyclists to wear special clothes and funny helmets doesn't work. As pointed out in the NZMJ, making cycling less convenient, less accessible, and increasing the potential for parents to have to pay fines for non-compliant dependents, is actually counter-productive. The fewer cyclists on the road, the greater the danger for them.
Put it this way. According to the survey data, there were better outcomes when we had more cyclists and less protection. Scoff if you like but the numbers are fairly unambiguous. More cyclists meant safety in numbers; that is, road users were more used to sharing with bikes when it was the norm. Fewer cyclists, however, meant motorists were less familiar with their presence and behaviour. And with that unfamiliarity comes increased dangers and risks.
What might seem to be a healthier, safer landscape is more like a fool's paradise. At a time when so many of us are wringing our hands over the country's obesity problem and all its associated conditions and costs, we're also actively discouraging people from enjoying one of life's great therapies. And all for a flawed concept. Researchers estimated the life years gained by cycling outweigh the life years lost in accidents by a factor of twenty to one.
Instructionally too, most western nations, including the UK, have resisted the "no-brainer" Mr Smith speaks of. In fact, one of the chief objections to introducing helmet-wearing legislation in the UK is the way such laws have negatively affected cycling in countries such as New Zealand. British evidence is consistent with that published in the NZMJ - mandatory helmets are likely to both reduce cycling levels, and lead to more premature deaths than they save.
Yes, some of us will have experiences of a helmet saving their life, or the life of someone dear to them. Fair enough. No-one's suggesting helmets should be made illegal. Just discretionary. Let people choose for themselves. Numerous population-based studies agree that making helmets compulsory has proved a failed experiment. No wonder "helmet lady" Rebecca Oaten has rushed to dismiss them. Her law's costing more lives than it's saving.
Coroner Ian Smith would have cyclists not only made to wear high-vis vests, he'd also have them restricted to certain lanes and parts of the road for their own safety. He misses the point by some distance. As noted in the UK study, "if transport professionals wish to save the lives of cyclists, our focus should be on other measures that will encourage more people to cycle by making the bike a safer and more attractive transport option."
2013年2月16日星期六
The Spanish agency has to wait until the trial
Spain's sports authorities have vowed to maintain their campaign to end the country's reputation for widespread doping as the long-awaited Operation Puerto trial reaches its midway point.
Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes and four other defendants are facing charges that they endangered the health of cyclists by allegedly helping them to cheat through blood transfusions. But anti-doping watchdogs are also interested in the large amounts of evidence not being presented at Madrid's Criminal Court.
Spain's anti-doping agency says it will follow the World Anti-Doping Agency's lead by also requesting that the court finally hand over the more than 200 blood bags discovered in police raids in 2006 so they can be analyzed and help identify athletes who doped.
"When the trial finishes, this is not over. We will go to work," Ana Munoz, the head of Spain's anti-doping agency, told The Associated Press. "I am very aware of the doubts that exist abroad about Spain's anti-doping fight. I spend 80 percent of my time trying to change this image, not just with words, but with acts."
The Spanish agency has to wait until the trial is over to request the evidence since it was founded in 2008, after the police investigation began.
For years Spanish courts have denied WADA access to this evidence that could possibly open a floodgate of doping suspensions and reveal to what extent doping practices have spread beyond cycling and into other sports.
The Italian Olympic Committee, one of the trial's other plaintiffs, was the only sports body able to get access to some samples, leading to doping bans for Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde and Italian cyclist Ivan Basso. The other 50 cyclists implicated, including two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, have never been punished.
The trial is limited to the health risks involved in blood transfusions because doping was not illegal when the police began their investigations in the operation that Fuentes supposedly masterminded. Spain has since strengthened its laws and an even tougher anti-doping law is working its way through parliament.
The decision now resting in the hands of presiding judge Julia Santamaria on whether or not to release the massive hold of evidence to WADA and its Spanish counterpart could go a long way to improving Spain's image as a country that is lax on fighting the use of performance-enhancing drugs and procedures.
Any refusal would be a huge blow to Spain and Madrid in particular as it seeks the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games, in the hope of providing a boost to the country's weakened morale and slumping economy.
WADA president John Fahey said earlier this week that if the bags were not released a "monumental cloud" of doubt would remain over "hundreds of athletes in Spain."
The president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco, shares WADA's concern.
"We hope along with the rest of the sports world that the conclusions that come out of the trial serve to clear up and investigate the indications of past doping," Blanco said.
Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes and four other defendants are facing charges that they endangered the health of cyclists by allegedly helping them to cheat through blood transfusions. But anti-doping watchdogs are also interested in the large amounts of evidence not being presented at Madrid's Criminal Court.
Spain's anti-doping agency says it will follow the World Anti-Doping Agency's lead by also requesting that the court finally hand over the more than 200 blood bags discovered in police raids in 2006 so they can be analyzed and help identify athletes who doped.
"When the trial finishes, this is not over. We will go to work," Ana Munoz, the head of Spain's anti-doping agency, told The Associated Press. "I am very aware of the doubts that exist abroad about Spain's anti-doping fight. I spend 80 percent of my time trying to change this image, not just with words, but with acts."
The Spanish agency has to wait until the trial is over to request the evidence since it was founded in 2008, after the police investigation began.
For years Spanish courts have denied WADA access to this evidence that could possibly open a floodgate of doping suspensions and reveal to what extent doping practices have spread beyond cycling and into other sports.
The Italian Olympic Committee, one of the trial's other plaintiffs, was the only sports body able to get access to some samples, leading to doping bans for Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde and Italian cyclist Ivan Basso. The other 50 cyclists implicated, including two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, have never been punished.
The trial is limited to the health risks involved in blood transfusions because doping was not illegal when the police began their investigations in the operation that Fuentes supposedly masterminded. Spain has since strengthened its laws and an even tougher anti-doping law is working its way through parliament.
The decision now resting in the hands of presiding judge Julia Santamaria on whether or not to release the massive hold of evidence to WADA and its Spanish counterpart could go a long way to improving Spain's image as a country that is lax on fighting the use of performance-enhancing drugs and procedures.
Any refusal would be a huge blow to Spain and Madrid in particular as it seeks the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games, in the hope of providing a boost to the country's weakened morale and slumping economy.
WADA president John Fahey said earlier this week that if the bags were not released a "monumental cloud" of doubt would remain over "hundreds of athletes in Spain."
The president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco, shares WADA's concern.
"We hope along with the rest of the sports world that the conclusions that come out of the trial serve to clear up and investigate the indications of past doping," Blanco said.
2013年2月5日星期二
welcome the little reminders of my American life
A common sentiment amongst people who’ve spent time abroad is that small things make the biggest difference. I mean the interactions with strangers, the random comments your roommates make and the small reminders of home that help get you through a rough day.
Germans are stereotyped as being closed off and cold. But some of the most touching random acts of kindness I’ve experienced have occurred here in Germany. For example, a friend’s nice black shoes got stained with salt as a result of walking the streets in the middle of winter. This left him understandably upset. Yet when we were in a crowded train station, with people rushing past us in all directions, a man paused, came up to us, and gave him a tissue to rub the salt off. But what’s funny about this act is it might’ve been easily interpreted as a snarky comment regarding the state of his shoes — such is the German culture.
The Germans also like to call me out on my stereotypical American "personality." While waiting for class to start, I started making small talk with some of my classmates. One mentioned — in a pleasant way — how typically American my friendliness is. Its weird – I’ve always thought my personality is my own and not a mere national stereotype.
Finally, though I love German culture, there are times when I welcome the little reminders of my American life. It’s hard to describe the feeling you get when biting into a BLT after being deprived of them for months or the feeling of stumbling across your favorite cold medicine at the drugstore. I’ve never enjoyed the disgusting licorice taste of NyQuil more than I have this past week. It still tastes gross, but also a bit like home.
Shoobees developed from my need as a parent to have safe, non-slip affordable pre-walkers for my son Jack, who’s now four. He was slipping on floors in his socks and what I found on the market was quite expensive. I went in search of a soft, safe leather that would allow movement and growth of the feet and would give the barefoot feeling so that feet weren’t restricted.
I needed the soles to be non-slip to negotiate wooden floors and tiles; I needed elasticated ankles to keep the shoes and socks on; and I wanted them to be attractive. But the most important thing was that I needed them to be affordable.
Although it is an online business, there is a high level of customer care through emails, phone and face-to-face contact. Customers can phone and ask about sizing, I love to hear from them.
Bountiful Police have posted a "missing and endangered person" advisory for 46-year-old Sharon Ann Chatwin.
The five-foot, one-inch tall woman was last seen Jan. 31. She weighs about 115 pounds and has green eyes and long brown hair.
Her family and friends haven’t seen or heard from her and tell police that its very unusual for her to be gone so long, said Bountiful Assistant Police Chief Ed Biehler.
Her bank and Facebook accounts have also been untouched since the end of January, police said.
On Facebook, a man claiming to be her son-in-law has started a campaign to look for her. That man, Devon Bell, and Chatwin's daughter, Jamie Bell, report online that she left her shoes and jacket behind. She talks to her four grown children regularly, they posted.
Chatwin may be with 49-year-old Ector Martinez Medina, a neighbor she may have had a relationship with, Biehler said.
Medina was “last known to have plans of traveling to Wendover, Nevada for the Super Bowl,” according to the police department. He may be in a blue 1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport with the Utah license plate C899HS.
Police visited Chatwin’s home after her family called and found that “some of the things you would normally take are still there,” Biehler said. “She hasn’t packed a bag to leave or anything.”
Germans are stereotyped as being closed off and cold. But some of the most touching random acts of kindness I’ve experienced have occurred here in Germany. For example, a friend’s nice black shoes got stained with salt as a result of walking the streets in the middle of winter. This left him understandably upset. Yet when we were in a crowded train station, with people rushing past us in all directions, a man paused, came up to us, and gave him a tissue to rub the salt off. But what’s funny about this act is it might’ve been easily interpreted as a snarky comment regarding the state of his shoes — such is the German culture.
The Germans also like to call me out on my stereotypical American "personality." While waiting for class to start, I started making small talk with some of my classmates. One mentioned — in a pleasant way — how typically American my friendliness is. Its weird – I’ve always thought my personality is my own and not a mere national stereotype.
Finally, though I love German culture, there are times when I welcome the little reminders of my American life. It’s hard to describe the feeling you get when biting into a BLT after being deprived of them for months or the feeling of stumbling across your favorite cold medicine at the drugstore. I’ve never enjoyed the disgusting licorice taste of NyQuil more than I have this past week. It still tastes gross, but also a bit like home.
Shoobees developed from my need as a parent to have safe, non-slip affordable pre-walkers for my son Jack, who’s now four. He was slipping on floors in his socks and what I found on the market was quite expensive. I went in search of a soft, safe leather that would allow movement and growth of the feet and would give the barefoot feeling so that feet weren’t restricted.
I needed the soles to be non-slip to negotiate wooden floors and tiles; I needed elasticated ankles to keep the shoes and socks on; and I wanted them to be attractive. But the most important thing was that I needed them to be affordable.
Although it is an online business, there is a high level of customer care through emails, phone and face-to-face contact. Customers can phone and ask about sizing, I love to hear from them.
Bountiful Police have posted a "missing and endangered person" advisory for 46-year-old Sharon Ann Chatwin.
The five-foot, one-inch tall woman was last seen Jan. 31. She weighs about 115 pounds and has green eyes and long brown hair.
Her family and friends haven’t seen or heard from her and tell police that its very unusual for her to be gone so long, said Bountiful Assistant Police Chief Ed Biehler.
Her bank and Facebook accounts have also been untouched since the end of January, police said.
On Facebook, a man claiming to be her son-in-law has started a campaign to look for her. That man, Devon Bell, and Chatwin's daughter, Jamie Bell, report online that she left her shoes and jacket behind. She talks to her four grown children regularly, they posted.
Chatwin may be with 49-year-old Ector Martinez Medina, a neighbor she may have had a relationship with, Biehler said.
Medina was “last known to have plans of traveling to Wendover, Nevada for the Super Bowl,” according to the police department. He may be in a blue 1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport with the Utah license plate C899HS.
Police visited Chatwin’s home after her family called and found that “some of the things you would normally take are still there,” Biehler said. “She hasn’t packed a bag to leave or anything.”
2013年2月3日星期日
which represents doctors in the state
As physician assistants and other midlevel health professionals fill growing gaps in primary health care, turf battles are erupting in many states over what they can and can't do in medical practices.
One of the bitterest fights is in Kentucky, where physician assistants are lobbying the state legislature to repeal a law that says that for the first 18 months after certification, physician assistants are allowed to treat patients only when a supervising physician is on site. Being in phone contact isn't deemed sufficient.
The Kentucky Medical Association, which represents doctors in the state, says it is still evaluating the bill. But it helped push for an on-site requirement in 2003 and helped block two previous attempts to rescind the 18-month rule, on the grounds that physician assistants have far less experience than physicians and benefit from more supervision.
PAs, as they are known, are licensed to practice medicine as part of a physician-led team. Their "scope of practice" rules vary from state to state, but PAs can generally do whatever tasks the doctor delegates to them within those rules, including examining patients, prescribing medications, conducting rounds in hospitals—even closing surgical incisions—as needed. About 80% have master's degrees, with an average of 27 months of classroom and clinical work after college.
Demand for PAs has grown, particularly in primary care and rural areas, as more doctors choose to specialize and work in urban settings. That demand is expected to increase further when the federal health law next year extends coverage to millions more Americans, likely prompting many of them to seek care.
"Our focus is on the safety of the public," says David Bensema, the Kentucky Medical Association's board chairman, who likens the training PAs receive to that of third-year medical students. The doctors' group has also opposed attempts by nurse practitioners, optometrists and other nonphysicians to expand their scope of practice in Kentucky. A 2011 flier from the Kentucky Medical Association told state residents, "Not everyone in a white coat is a medical doctor."
The Kentucky Academy of Physician Assistants argues that no other state requires PAs to have 18 months of on-site supervision. (Colorado, the state with the next-longest mandate, requires supervision only for the first 1,000 hours). The Kentucky group also says the rule needlessly complicates patient care, especially in rural areas where doctors are stretched thin. The Kentucky Academy of Physician Assistants is planning a rally at the state capitol this week and has hired two lobbyists to make its case to hospitals, insurers and medical practices.
Some Kentucky physicians agree with the PAs. Naren James is the only primary-care doctor for two central-Kentucky clinics, 25 miles apart. He and his four PAs handled a total of 25,624 patient visits or calls at the two clinics last year. Two of the PAs can treat patients at one clinic while Dr. James is at the other. But the other two PAs can only work when and where Dr. James does, because they have been on the job less than 18 months.
If Dr. James is out sick, on vacation or treating patients elsewhere, he says he has to hire another doctor to fill in—not easy in rural Kentucky. If not, the two PAs have to stop working until he returns. "None of this makes clinical sense," says Dr. James.
"We're here to help distribute the workload," says Jeremy Caudill, a former pro football player who graduated from a PA program in June and works with Dr. James. But if the doctor is away, he says, "I can't even refill a prescription for blood-pressure medication that someone has been on for 10 years."
Across the country, such skirmishes are increasing, as nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, psychologists and podiatrists seek more autonomy and authority—and often meet opposition from physician groups. In the past two years, more than 1,795 scope-of-practice bills were proposed, but only 349 were enacted, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Some states are expanding what PAs can do. Ohio now allows them to prescribe physical therapy for patients, for example, and insert and remove chest tubes. Massachusetts allows PAs to bill patients and insurers directly for their services, generally at 85% of a doctor's rate. All 50 states allow PAs to write prescriptions, though not for controlled substances in Kentucky or Florida.
Many health-care experts say PAs will be in even greater demand when the Affordable Care Act expands insurance to 30 million more Americans next year. The Association of American Medical Colleges has warned that the supply of new doctors can't keep pace, due to limits on federal funding for medical residency programs, and estimates that the U.S. will face a shortage of more than 90,000 physicians by 2020, particularly in primary care and in rural areas.
The number of licensed PAs, meanwhile, has doubled in the past decade, to 86,500, and is likely to grow another 30% by 2020, according to the American Academy of Physician Assistants.
One of the bitterest fights is in Kentucky, where physician assistants are lobbying the state legislature to repeal a law that says that for the first 18 months after certification, physician assistants are allowed to treat patients only when a supervising physician is on site. Being in phone contact isn't deemed sufficient.
The Kentucky Medical Association, which represents doctors in the state, says it is still evaluating the bill. But it helped push for an on-site requirement in 2003 and helped block two previous attempts to rescind the 18-month rule, on the grounds that physician assistants have far less experience than physicians and benefit from more supervision.
PAs, as they are known, are licensed to practice medicine as part of a physician-led team. Their "scope of practice" rules vary from state to state, but PAs can generally do whatever tasks the doctor delegates to them within those rules, including examining patients, prescribing medications, conducting rounds in hospitals—even closing surgical incisions—as needed. About 80% have master's degrees, with an average of 27 months of classroom and clinical work after college.
Demand for PAs has grown, particularly in primary care and rural areas, as more doctors choose to specialize and work in urban settings. That demand is expected to increase further when the federal health law next year extends coverage to millions more Americans, likely prompting many of them to seek care.
"Our focus is on the safety of the public," says David Bensema, the Kentucky Medical Association's board chairman, who likens the training PAs receive to that of third-year medical students. The doctors' group has also opposed attempts by nurse practitioners, optometrists and other nonphysicians to expand their scope of practice in Kentucky. A 2011 flier from the Kentucky Medical Association told state residents, "Not everyone in a white coat is a medical doctor."
The Kentucky Academy of Physician Assistants argues that no other state requires PAs to have 18 months of on-site supervision. (Colorado, the state with the next-longest mandate, requires supervision only for the first 1,000 hours). The Kentucky group also says the rule needlessly complicates patient care, especially in rural areas where doctors are stretched thin. The Kentucky Academy of Physician Assistants is planning a rally at the state capitol this week and has hired two lobbyists to make its case to hospitals, insurers and medical practices.
Some Kentucky physicians agree with the PAs. Naren James is the only primary-care doctor for two central-Kentucky clinics, 25 miles apart. He and his four PAs handled a total of 25,624 patient visits or calls at the two clinics last year. Two of the PAs can treat patients at one clinic while Dr. James is at the other. But the other two PAs can only work when and where Dr. James does, because they have been on the job less than 18 months.
If Dr. James is out sick, on vacation or treating patients elsewhere, he says he has to hire another doctor to fill in—not easy in rural Kentucky. If not, the two PAs have to stop working until he returns. "None of this makes clinical sense," says Dr. James.
"We're here to help distribute the workload," says Jeremy Caudill, a former pro football player who graduated from a PA program in June and works with Dr. James. But if the doctor is away, he says, "I can't even refill a prescription for blood-pressure medication that someone has been on for 10 years."
Across the country, such skirmishes are increasing, as nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, psychologists and podiatrists seek more autonomy and authority—and often meet opposition from physician groups. In the past two years, more than 1,795 scope-of-practice bills were proposed, but only 349 were enacted, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Some states are expanding what PAs can do. Ohio now allows them to prescribe physical therapy for patients, for example, and insert and remove chest tubes. Massachusetts allows PAs to bill patients and insurers directly for their services, generally at 85% of a doctor's rate. All 50 states allow PAs to write prescriptions, though not for controlled substances in Kentucky or Florida.
Many health-care experts say PAs will be in even greater demand when the Affordable Care Act expands insurance to 30 million more Americans next year. The Association of American Medical Colleges has warned that the supply of new doctors can't keep pace, due to limits on federal funding for medical residency programs, and estimates that the U.S. will face a shortage of more than 90,000 physicians by 2020, particularly in primary care and in rural areas.
The number of licensed PAs, meanwhile, has doubled in the past decade, to 86,500, and is likely to grow another 30% by 2020, according to the American Academy of Physician Assistants.
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