SAFE PASSING 101

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Mr President , YOU'VE BLOWN IT !

Executive Orders are the preserve of Presidents ! I am led to believe , that the US President , can use these  " Executive Orders " to send US Troops , to WAR , for about a Hundred Days , without the permission of Congress ?

Is there not a war on US streets , at present ? CNN News , after showing that News conference you spoke at , creating the " Joe Biden Panel of Experts ", advised the viewers of several pertinent stastistics .That Press Conference , i was led to believe , WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT " GUN CONTROL " , but became more a discussion , about the " fiscal cliff",  showed Alarming statistics about Annual Shootings !

 There are CNN stated , an average of 268 " Shootings " , each day in the USA , more than 97000 in a year ! Is that not a WAR ? In YOUR Neighbourhoods , on YOUR streets , amongst your VOTERS and Families ! Guess what ? Those that are shot , in the most part , are Innocents ! They got up in the morning not knowing how their day would finish . Few of those 268 each day , until Joe Biden reports , will be thanking you , for the unfortunate situation , they will find themselves in , that is , if they LIVE ! At a guess you will be innaugerated on the 21st january , shall we say 35 days time ? If you acted on that day , then about 19400 more shootings will have taken place . The State of the Union speech will follow some days later and by that time School will be back .

Tuesday we were advised that a Neighbouring School to Newtown , went into " Lockdown ", nervous reaction to a report to the Police ? But even before you arrived in Newtown , some " Fool " called in a " Bomb Threat " , disrupting the Church Service and distressing those in the congregation ! How much more mischief will take place whilst the USA , awaits Joe Biden's recommendations ? How many LIVES will be LOST ?

GUNS are flying off the shelves , every type , including Assault Weapons . The only glimmer of sense in the last days , are " Reports "of one enterprise " Dick's Guns " , removing Stock from display , perhaps , that means from Sale , also ? Another encouraging matter , was the report that a " Teachers Investment Fund , has caused a large Gun  Manufacturer's owner / investor to divest themselves of that investment .

Whilst there are certain controls in place , to ensure ONLY those that meet " Legal  Requirements ", can obtain weapons , there has to be occasion for ALARM ! Last year CNN reports , 16,484,000+ background checks were conducted on those involved in a Gun Purchase ! To November this year , the report says , 16,800,000 Background checks  have been conducted ! So with the current " Outrage " fresh in their minds , purchasers are buying at " inflated prices " , any " ASSAULT Weapons " that are still available  for walk away purchase ! Could it be new sales records will be made in December 2012 ?

Senator Feinstein is currently seeking to reintroduce the " Legislation " that was repealed in 2004 , that same legislation Joe Biden , introduced in1994 ! What did Vice President Biden say to you about this Legislation before you arrived on the Podium today ? Could it be , that he , Vice President Biden in your shoes , would have used " EXECUTIVE ORDERS ", to reintroduce that Legislation , effective TODAY ?

When i wrote the blog post , "  http://skippi-cyclist.blogspot.com/2012/12/if-i-were-president.html " on Monday , i tweeted @whitehouse with the link . AS an Australian , i was Proud of OUR Prime Minister , donning a " Bullet Proof Vest " to make his Point with Parliament . Within 16 days of that incident , Parliament enacted Laws , banning many Weapons . Laws that the Australian Public demanded , which the Port Arthur Tragedy made necessary !  Before this " outrage " , there had been others , but the use of those Assault Weapons  at Port Arthur  was the catalyst of this Legislation , that has seen , NO REPEATED " Outrages "  SINCE !

Congress is a " Funny Creature " , we only need to look at the " Fiscal Cliff Problem " , just saw the " Speaker " toss the Gauntlet , to see that the behaviour there , can be irrational !  However , even though YOU do not need to worry about being " Re elected " , YOU have the need to create a Legacy ! Medicare , in my mind is commendable , but sitting by for the next weeks , whilst Gun Stores are emptied of Stock , is not the Legacy that ANY Rational Politician would want ? As a Parent , you have displayed your feelings for the Grief Stricken . Aurora was another occasion that you displayed your compassion , but there also , you promised action ?

Congress , supposedly rises on Friday for the " Holidays " , can be caused , to reintroduce the " Assault Weapon Legislation " effective IMMEDIATELY ! As president , i should have thought , you have the Political Markers required to get the Legislation Re enacted !

With Respect Mr President , NO ACTION is NOT AN OPTION , for those that will become statistics in the next weeks . In your speech today , you spoke of a Mother , a Law Enforcement Officer , Killed since last Friday , of several other L.E.O. killed in service to their communities during the past days . None of these would have been saved had you acted on Friday , BUT , how many of the nearly 20000 , mentioned before CAN BE SAVED , if you Act ?

Christmas , is a stressful period for so many people , with Stress and Alcohol and unresolved  Family problems , this period  is like a tinder box where  unresolved issues flare . Weapons in the home now , that need not be there , even Assault Weapons , unsecured perhaps , will find their way into the hands of the " Conflicted . Any Legislation that removes them , will  ensure a safer future !

  Can YOU make Christmas 2013 , safer by ACTION NOW ?



NB Just found this Petition created by 4th Graders at NewTown, CT.USA :

http://www.change.org/petitions/president-obama-and-congress-ban-semi-automatic-weapons-and-large-capacity-magazines#

My Petition :

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/president-of-united-states-of-america-repeal-the-2nd-amendment

Sunday, December 16, 2012

CNN Personnel , GUTLESS and APPATHETIC ?

24 hours has passed since i created this Petition :

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/president-of-united-states-of-america-repeal-the-2nd-amendment

Having done this , i Tweeted some of CNN's , supposed " Movers & Shakers " :






With their being involved in the " Newtown Tragedy " , there is the possibility , that they do not read " Tweets "? Maybe they are so busy , trying to find " Stories " and interview " Participants " in the " Incident ", that " Social Media " is irrelevant to their needs ? So far there has been extensive coverage of this " Needless Outrage "! All Major  News Networks are pouring resources into reporting the events surrounding the " Victims " .

Every avenue is being explored , BUT , apart from reporting PAST events caused by " America's Gun Culture " , there is NO EFFORT , to turn America's Collective Memory , into a FORCE to CHANGE the PRESENT , into a SAFER FUTURE !

The CNN Personnel reporting on this latest Gun Outrage , mention " NRA " as a force in the " GUN CONTROL DEBATE ". However they do not point out the CONTROL they exert over those Politicians , that choose to ATTEMPT to create Controls on the OWNERSHIP of GUNS ! With the Huge War Chest of Financial Resources , NRA ( National Rifle Association ) , are able to threaten any Politician , that attempts to make OWNING a Gun more difficult .

President Barack Obama , will tonight visit the Families of the Bereaved and the " First Responders " in Newtown . Had the News Media caused the " Collective Anger of the American Public " to be VISIBLE , President Obama would feel it necessary to make known his PLANS to tackle this " Cancerous Growth " that the GUN LOBBY has created .

As an outsider , i have NO RIGHTS to tell the Citizens of the USA , what path they should take ! I can tell you that as an Australian , I applaud the former Prime Minister of Australia , John Howard , for acting after the Port Arthur Tragedy , in introducing the Legislation that curtailed many parts of the rights to possess a GUN in Australia ! Even in the U.K. , after the Hungerford and Dunblane Tragedies , Legislation was introduced .

WHAT THEN , is the difficulty that CNN has in creating a means for the American Public to EXPRESS NOW , their revulsion of the HORRORS continually foisted on them by those preventing " GUN CONTROL "? Regretably , there have been several " Outrages " such as tthis in recent months , they seem to be happening every few days recently , another example this weekend ?

For those that want to join the ONLY other signature to date , on my attempt to help make a difference , here is the link :
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/president-of-united-states-of-america-repeal-the-2nd-amendment

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/president-of-united-states-of-america-repeal-the-2nd-amendment

Friday, December 7, 2012

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES !

With " Jacintha " committing Suicide today , two Sydney Radio Journalists will be wondering whether  they have a job to go to on Monday ! Frankly a " DCM " is the least that they deserve for their " childish prank "!

Did they really think that their audience , thought that the mischief they perpetrated , was " GOOD FUN "?

How much did their audience's reaction on Tuesday , have to do with their behaviour , the following day ? I have seen on the Sky TV Network , footage of their " Apology on Air " , more like justification than an apology , from my perspective ? Who viewing that footage could accept it as an apology ?

That the Duchess of Cambridge was " under the weather " caused her to be hospitalised , was bad enough , but instead of her state of Health being Good News to ALL ! It is now the subject of even more discomfort to that Lady ? Can you imagine how this Fine Lady is feeling ? She must be thinking , that she has contributed to the loss , by the Children and the Husband of their " Dearly Loved Wife and Mother "?

What is going over the Airwaves in Australia , i have yet to follow but it is continually being mentioned on AlJazeera , Russia Today , BBC World News , Sky News and many of the Continental Networks .

My Tweets on this Subject :


2day FM Hoaxers responsible for SUISIDE in London ? Sky News pussyfooting with speculation ! Wonder when " pranksters will get some justice?



 Suiside in London reported on Sky News , connected to Oz Pranksters ? Will you see that there are "just deserts" for these clowns ?



   Pranksters should receive " DCM " ! Less unacceptable to True Aussies ! Royalty deserve respect, not THIS !
  Whole World now aware of Aussie Shameful behaviour! A " DCM " for the Pranksters is NOT ENOUGH ! Too bad for Jacintha

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Letter to the Australian Governor General

Preamble for the Change.org Petition :


Currently Australia , a nation that leads in many Sports , has found that there are some "Athletes " with a "Tainted Background " . It is necessary for discovery and reconciliation rather than retribution ! This proposal may not be the " IDEAL WAY FORWARD " but , i hope it creates the impetus that generates the result !

SPORT Stars are " Idolised " in Australia , but , recently we are seeing " Tainted Results " and now there is "Suspicion " , perhaps unfounded , in many cases , regarding Sport Results .

Letter ;


Your Excellency

Cycling Australia is now at a crossroad ! Senator Lundy , as Minister for Sport , is working on trying to establish a way forward . As a Race Cycling Fan , with countless efforts of riding the routes of the “ Le tour , Giro & Vuelta “ , over 15 seasons I believe that what I propose here has a chance of assisting an early resolution of the quandary /quagmire into which  the “ UCI “ has led professional cycling !

As the representative of the Queen and thus Head of the Australian Federation , I would ask that you direct your Government to set up a facility for All Sports Athletes to declare their Past and Present usage of “ PED Products “! To enable this to take place , I would suggest that you appoint a panel that would operate with the laws governing “ Statuatory Declarations “ and perhaps the “ Official Secrets Act “

What I envisage is that “ Sports Australia “ will declare ALL Athletes require a NEW Licence from the 1st January 2013 , should they wish to participate in any Sport activity at Top level for their State , National or Internationally ! Most of these Athletes will already be subject to “ Out of Competition “ Doping Testing & whereabouts reporting requirements .

What will be required for a 2013 Licence will be a signed “ Stat. Dec. sworn before a “ JP “ or such other  person . This “ Stat Dec “ will be passed to the “ Panel of the Commission established where they will note , in secret session , the “ Have not “ or “ Have Done “ declaration in respect of their History in relation to “ Doping /PED usage “. The panel will file the “ Stat.Dec. “ for the date that the WADA Amnesty is implemented . That WADA will have to eventually call an “ Amnesty “ is a given , when you read the “ Donati Report “ , it will become apparent how deeply Criminal Elements influence the careers of too many Sports People .

Because what this “ Commission “ will be doing is so unusual and the ongoing “ peace of Mind of the Athletes “ will be at risk , I believe that the “ Official Secrets Act “ will be required to warn off the Media and any others from snooping and revealing the information .

Those sighting the “ Sworn Stat. Decs.  “ should be limited to people such as the “ Head of the Secret Service , Head of Armed Forces OR people of that stature . That their secretarial staff are involved in the tabulation of the information is a given , but storage of the “ Hard Copy “ will require considerable thought .

Each Athlete , both past and present , will be aware that their Sport has “ suspicious people “ that they choose to avoid . They may well wish to voice their misgivings , and report these suspicions . Thus there should be a facility available to accept and deal with matters raised in confidence with no risk to those raising the suspicion .

As stated earlier the  “ Stat. Dec.” should be specific to be of any value , I suggest a sample :

                                    ####

 “ I the undersigned ………. State , at risk of the 4 years Imprisonment , that I

DID NOT USE PED Products .  That I will not USE any in the future .

DID USE PED Products .  Will when called on at a later date , provide ALL relevant info to the Panel .


Signed by Athlete

Witnessed  by “ JP ( other ) “.         “

                                 ###

When those Athletes subject to “ Whereabouts & Out of Competition testing provide these “ Stat.Dec. s “ to the Panel , their Sports Federation will be advised to issue the 2013 Licence . There will be no disclosure of any facts ascertained . Those living Overseas will have to be considered also , since I am unsure of the arrangements that will be necessary to enforce compliance .

I would suggest that the “ Panel “ created will be from areas outside the Australian Olympic Committee since I believe that a “ Fresh Approach “ is required to solve the problems Sport has encountered up to now .

As regards the Cycling side of this matter , may I suggest that you call on Steve Hodge and Matt White for their imput . Both stepped away from their positions before they were called to do so , and to me it demonstrates credibility and transparency . That they have encountered the problems to which All Top Professional Sports People have been subjected is a factor worth consideration .

When WADA announces their " Amnesty for ALL SPORT or whatever " , the panel of the Commission can then decide HOW they will disclose their " Evidence "! May i suggest that they advise each individual that has " admitted Wrongdoing " a course of action that would be most appropriate for their individual circumstances ? Should " Steve Hodge " been one of these , the Panel would suggest he announce resignation from his Posts before the next Election to the Committees of which he was a member . No point pointing the finger and revealing 20 year old info , unless he was actively coaching /training Elite Athletes . With " Matt White " , my suggestion would be that the Panel ask/tell  him to step into a less direct role that allowed less direct influence on the day to day racing . Perhaps a " role "similar to that Alain Peiper has just taken up recently ? Should Alain Peiper have declared a " I Doped Stat. Dec. " , he would be required to avoid taking a future job as a " Director Sportif " .

Treating people with respect , even though they made bad choices in their racing career , can only be to the future benefit of Cycling Australia . Knowing their backstory , allows people to glean the knowledge that they acquired as they pursued their career ! Any Administrative personnel in the Hierarchy of Cycling Australia , at ALL levels , State, National & International , need to declare their  Cycling Race history , to ascertain their past and thus remove them from areas of contention in decision making , such as " Imposition of Sanctions " against Racers found wanting through " PED Product " usage .

So many things to be considered , many beyond my competence to discuss let alone offer an opinion .

TIME is passing and ACTION IS URGENT !

With respect Your Excellency , you are the ONLY Australian that can create what is required to solve this continuing problem that too many Athletes , both Past and Present , have had to endure to make their mark in their chosen Profession !

Australia as a “ Sporting Nation “ , gets results far above it’s place in the World . It has a Sporting Legacy , second to none , and when Australia leads in “ Cleaning House “ , other Nations will employ the same tactics to achieve a similar result .

The People of the “ Armed Forces “ are HEROES “ , but , the general public “ idolise “ their Sports Stars ! Let’s make them PROUD of the 2013 Results , rather than wonder “ who is Tainted and what result lacks lustre ?

The petition is to be found with this link : http://t.co/BU3r7126

Sincerely

Skippy Mc Carthy

Addendum on 24th July2013 :

Today Stuart O'Grady announces his Back Story to the Media !

My blog on this :  www.Skippyaus.blogspot.com/Stueyogrady  link :  http://t.co/jZwpBnJOxP




Found this item on SBS/cyclingcentral :


Jenene 14:03 AEST, Sun 11 Nov 2012
I am not against Kluas being re elected, in fact I think there is a lot of merit in him suggesting an amnesty. This could allow everyone involved in doping to own up, we then have the slate wiped clean. Then any one caught doping after that gets a life ban.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Fat Cyclist on LiveSTRONG & Lance


Those of you that follow my blogs will know that I read and recommend “ Fatcyclist.com “ principally because of the Fund Raising efforts that benefit a number of Charities .  Mostly these fun Fundraisers are related to fighting Cancer and in the recent times have diversified , but in the past the emphasis was on Live Strong !

This week the USADA released it’s report on Lance Armstrong and so as he has done in the past Fatty released his take on the situation :

http://www.fatcyclist.com/2012/10/11/reasoning-on-the-reasoned-decision/comment-page-3/#comment-577164

There have been a variety of comments and I have selected a few for those that do not have time to read his blog post in full ! Personally I think the effort would be worth making as you will only see those that struck a chord with me .


104 Comments »

Comment by Paul Guyot | 10.11.2012 | 11:18 am

Once again, you’ve done it better than any so-called journalists at ESPN, Bicycling, VeloNews, or anywhere else.
I stand with you, LiveStrong, and the fight against cancer, now and always.


Comment by SENichols | 10.11.2012 | 11:31 am
I will always support lance and also the other causes you support because it it the right thing to do.
As far as Lance and the USADA, there are a few things we need to keep in mind. One, he had to dope, the competition did, they just weren’t as good at it. As with all aspects of cycling, Lance wanted to be the best. Best bike, best training, best eating regime and naturally best doping. If you take away his Jerseys, who do you give it to? You can’t retractively test all the guys who now get placings.
What bothers me most is this is the way the evidence was gathered and presented. Virtually all of what we see was testimony from active or recently active riders who were given substantial accomodations in return for their testimony. Hence, it is by definition tainted. The other really bad thing is we see ONLY what the USADA wants us to see. We have no idea what testimony they are NOT using. We know they have to have talked with virtually everyone Lance rode with in the last 25 years. It is certainly a number far higher than 25. What did all the other people say. Selective testimony is dishonest and misleading.
The last point is this. Why do we have drug testing and statutes of limitations if anecdotal(i.e. non factual) testimony is now valued more and used to try and convict Lance. Not a great idea.
Did he dope. Yes. Has USADA met even the thinest burden of legal proof that would be required in a court of law.


Comment by Flahute | 10.11.2012 | 12:03 pm
Fatty — I stopped donating money to LiveStrong a long time ago … but I believe in your mantra of doing good things. For this reason, my cancer-related donation dollars have been directed to the Huntsman Cancer Foundation for the past few years, primarily because a) 100% of the money donated goes directly to research to find a cure (rather than trying to raise awareness through marketing), and b) most, if not all, ofmy dollars stay in my community (i.e. Utah).
Huntsman’s overhead & expenses are covered by their endowment from the Huntsman family, so donations are not used for anything other than research. This is my definition of doing good things.
I hope that you will encourage your other readers to look at supporting local causes as well as national organizations.
I love Huntsman’s. it’s on my list of organizations to support in ‘13. – FC



Comment by Tony B | 10.11.2012 | 12:26 pm
Following professional cycling and it’s antics are a sideline. The real riding is happening whenever the regular guy or girl gets out on the road or trail, either solo or in a group and justs enjoys the sport for the sake of its self.
Personally, I am dissappointed at the continued level of denial, given my original belief in the overcoming of great obstacles.
Unfortunately, the next individual who will rise above shall be met with a greater skepticism that the last.


Comment by Rich | 10.11.2012 | 1:32 pm
I agree with the heart of your post. But it’s stuck with me for a while now…
1 quick(ish)question (or two):
Don’t you think your friend, Lance, owes his former friends a lot of apologies? Doesn’t the fact that he was a manipulative, bullying, unrepentent, cheating liar to his FRIENDS worry you at all about his character? Shouldn’t the important voices in cycling (you are one btw) demand that he come clean and apologize to those whose carreers were ruined by his actions?
His work with cancer is awesome, and you wrote a classy response, and no one is below forgiveness…
But he hasn’t even asked for forgiveness and, even worse, he continues to spew vitriol at those whom he bullied…
Would you please mention to your friend that he owes a lot of people an apology (Zabriskie’s testimony was heartbreaking)?
I hope that doesn’t sound snarky. It’s not meant that way.
Thanks for all the good you do for so many.

For myself, I feel better when I apologize to others for having wronged them. Sometimes it helps the person I’ve wronged; sometimes it doesn’t. I’m pretty sure, though, that any time someone has gone to me and demanded I apologize to someone else, I have either refused to apologize or have offered an insincere apology. In other words, telling anyone to apologize doesn’t help. If the need to apologize doesn’t come from within, the words “I’m sorry” don’t mean much. – FC



Comment by Terry | 10.11.2012 | 2:27 pm
I must be a lot more cynical than most, because I have always thought the odds of a clean rider decimating a field chock full of admitted dopers were astronomically tiny. Possible, I’m sure, but so highly improbable.
I can understand the pressure in the sport to cheat. I can imagine how hard it would be to resist doing what everyone else is doing, to be the best at the sport you love. I can easily believe that Lance wants to destroy cancer as much as he wanted to destroy his competitors, and is truly genuine in his efforts to help cancer victims. The part I have trouble with is this: if Lance really believes his mission is to fight cancer, and if there is any reasonable chance that his use of HGH/testosterone/steroids pre-1998 contributed to the growth or severity of his cancer, then why doesn’t he feel compelled to disclose this? To warn kids to stay away from the stuff, because look what happened to me? I don’t believe there is research that directly links steriods to testicular cancer like the ones that exist for prostate cancer, but isn’t it worth mentioning as a real risk? I think if he is really as committed to serving the cancer community as he says, he would feel obligated to speak to this in some manner.
Here’s what I tell my kids when they ask about the “cheaters”: even good people make bad decisions. It’s how you make up for (and learn from) those bad decisions that really matter.




Comment by aussie kev | 10.11.2012 | 2:29 pm
Its a sad sad day for cyling – its big george that upset me most, but i hope it will make cycling a safer place for the juniors i coach. i can only hope !!!
i donated to livestrong last night, as you say its a fantastic organisation so
ALLEZ LIVESTRONG !!



Comment by Pete McPhedran | 10.11.2012 | 3:30 pm
I like your post Fatty, I don’t 100% agree with you, but that’s what’s great about this forum and our little Internet thingy, I can do that and I don’t have to make you wrong about your position. I respect you and I respect your position. Heck, I respect that you have a position.
As for what to do with the jerseys, medals, trophies, etc… Here’s my $0.02 CDN:
1. Leave the standings as they are, the dreaded “*” should be beside all names that are admitted or in the case of Lance, found guilty in absence or whatever it is called. The shame of the act shouldn’t be erased, but it can not, as you said, be determined with any acceptable measure of accuracy who did in fact win honestly.
2. Indicate that no jersey/winner was recorded for those years
3. All prize monies awarded should be voluntarily returned to the organization that made the award. It would be good if they then awarded the money to a charity of their choice.
4. It should be recorded that George Hincapie rode in 17 Tours, it should also be indicated that he had doped for X of them. He still rode them, just not honestly.
If the UCI wants to regain a fan base, they need to get serious about doping. There needs to be a house clearing at the UCI as well. I read the 200+ pages, there is strong evidence of wrong doing and other improprieties within the UCI.
As for monies paid to athletes, whether for salaries, bonuses or “sponsorship”, I think the US courts (and maybe others too) will be the final say in that.
As for LiveStrong, I have donated in the past, I hope they do not crash and burn, it sounds like they have done and will continue to do great things given the opportunity, but my donations will go to other cancer charities in the future.
I feel for each of these athletes, doctors and other witnesses, many lives have been made miserable, many are going to start getting miserable. I hope they all can pick themselves up and DO GOOD from now on.
I’m a cycling fan and hope the sport can turn itself around.
–Pete



Comment by nate | 10.11.2012 | 3:31 pm
I’ve been a (silent) reader of your blog from some of the earliest days and have always admired your lighthearted approach and consistent focus on open-mindedness and support for good causes. For the most part, I appreciate your response to the USADA reasoned decision — particularly the reminder to those disillusioned with LiveStrong that there are other causes worth supporting in the fight against cancer.
I also appreciate your openness to considering the implications of the USADA case, given your understandable affinity for LiveStrong and the people involved. But it also made me hopeful that you might offer a bit more reflection than just the assertion that it doesn’t much matter. The issue of the USADA case is not just that Lance doped, or that Bruyneel facilitated, but that the two orchestrated a sophisticated team-wide doping program and intensely pressured previously-clean cyclists into doping, while aggressively bullying those who raised suspicions. Those aspects are far more troubling, to me at least, than whether or not Lance used PEDs.
You’ve interacted with Lance and Johan extensively; been the direct beneficiary of their generosity on a number of occasions; and had the opportunity to grow the blog in small part due to their support of your contests and donations. I certainly can’t complain about any of these things. But casting them in a uniformly positive light burnished their images and gave ammunition to those who would rubbish Lance skeptics. So given the personal connection, I have to imagine that your feelings on the issue and the implications of the USADA case extend a bit beyond those you expressed in the post — anything you feel worth discussing? Anything we should take away from it?



Comment by Meredith S | 10.11.2012 | 4:53 pm
Fatty, I appreciate your perspective and also agree with it mostly. I don’t agree with USADA’s tactics in general and question their authority, I want to leave the past in the past, and I do believe Livestrong has done a lot of good that will hopefully continue. I just can’t get past what appears to be systematic bullying by Lance, though. Last year at the US Pro Challenge I couldn’t figure out why Lance only showed up once during the race in Aspen when he was effectively the father of the race. This year, he wasn’t seen at all, even in Aspen, and he was home in Aspen during the race week according to his Tweets. We followed the race the whole week around Colorado. If Lance had left a positive legacy with the teams and current cyclists, I feel like he would have been at that event. I know when cyclists are interviewed they are tired about doping, but they almost all seem to shut down at the mention of Lance’s name. It has been a long while since I have heard a professional cyclist say anything positive or interact with him on Twitter like many of the other cyclists seem to do with one another. There are be so many written testimonies of him treating people he has worked with in the past poorly. The sad truth is I’m not sure how many friends he still has in the world of professional cycling. I’ll reuse your statement with the world bully instead of doper: “I hate writing ‘Lance is a bully,’ but to continue presuming innocence now flies in the face of my personal philosophy every bit as much as presuming guilt prematurely does.” Either there are a lot of people exaggerating and lying or the accounts of bullying are true. That makes it hard to continue supporting the man. It makes sad. I wanted to believe. Now I have to figure out what to do with that giant Lance poster in my garage…



Comment by Irnldy | 10.11.2012 | 6:53 pm
I have read all the testimonies from the witnesses. Before I just thought LA a cheat. Now I see the bullying, the blackmailing, the goon tactics. I can’t separate Lance the rider from the champion for cancer. I just can’t. You said that Susan was treated and treated wonderfully by Huntsman, and I hereby challenge that you ask us to fundraise directly for Susan’s hospital. Furthermore, I am strongly inclined to donate towards the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto for their ground breaking research programs. I believe we all can do good, and we can avoid those we disagree with in the process. I appreciate that you are now providing options for us to donate to other than Livestrong or Johan’s World Bicycle Relief. The truth is, if I could donate to WBR without it going through Johan, I would still actively choose to do so. So please Fatty, continue to bring us wonderful fundraisers and give us options as to where our many can be allocated. I believe I am the first to challenge all to a Huntsman fundraiser – perhaps the next 100 miles to nowhere? I will be the first to sign up.
Best,
Irnldy.



Comment by Barton | 10.12.2012 | 6:50 am
I typed in your blog address, then went to fill up the tea mug as I unthaw from the ride to work. I have a very large computer screen at work. I come around the corner, take a sip of tea, see your (very large, and very frightening) photo at 200% actual size and the tea gets spit across the desk top. Honestly funny as I look back on it (and now that the photo has scrolled past). Thanks for that morning fun (not sarcastic, honestly serious).
I have been (stupidly) reading a lot of the comment sections on other articles. It’s amazing to me what people say (including some saying LA didn’t have cancer, and came up with that as an excuse to use masking agents. wtf?).
I appreciate your comments most sincerely. Now that we have the report, I am hoping the sport aspect of cycling can resume (better than before, cleaner than before, more honest than before) and move forward. I think LiveSTRONG will survive, and the work they do will continue.



Comment by Skippydetour | 10.13.2012 | 5:31 am
Disappointed to see that my comments are getting the ” Duplicate Comment message when i ONLY PRESS ONCE
Really disappointed to see the news that Johan Bruyneel finished with Team Radio Shack today !
Both Lance & Johan knew what they were doing in Cycling , was ” Borderline at best ” , and my thinking is that this is why they worked so hard in the charities that they set going ! Perhaps naive of me to think this way ! People on the edge , do try to give back to their community do they not ?
LiveSTRONG is deliberately attacked by the naysayers due to the ” Lance Envy ” factor BUT in doing this these people defeat themselves as ” Any Publicity , is Good Publicity “!
Whether or not Lance remains in the ” LiveSTRONG Spotlight ” during the next months remains to be seen , personally i think that LiveSTRONG will be able to continue regardless . THose people working in the organisation , do good work as they are ably led and well motivated .
Anyone can Google Info on any subject , but i bet Google does no follow up or hand holding ? This is why LiveSTRONG is so necessary and even if it was 10X larger , there would still be people in need of that help !
Regarding all those Cycle Racers that stopped doping in 2006 , give it a rest Guys , no one believes that fairy tale ! You were Adults when you stepped across the line ! You are lucky that ALL the bad bags of blood that those shifty Docs were handing out to you did no more than cause you temporary discomfort , you will know many Racers like Jiminez , who woke up dead through sloppy doping practices !
Emma O’Reilly & Betty Andreu need to be congratulated for their fortitude over the years and i am sure they would enjoy helping Charities with the benefits likely to be going to them .
Spare some cash for the ” Paul Kimmage Defence Fund ” since he was at the forefront of the battle against ” Doping “!
Only an ” Amnesty for ALL SPORT ” will bring this sorry mess to an end !
Fatty , you together with your 100’s & 1000’s of readers can persuade the IOC & WADA to call for this ” AMNESTY in ALL SPORTS “, so that the Youth of today will avoid the pitfalls , those that held up their hands this week , willingly jumped into !



LiveSTRONG will continue to grow regardless of any involvement of Lance in the future ! Those working within that organisation are doing a good job for those in need of their assistance .

Should it be that Lance only set up LiveSTRONG to cover up his character defects , then some good things will have come of this ,  if he set it up to help others , then he is to be admired , regardless of the other side of his personal life !








Wednesday, October 10, 2012

MEDIA PRIORITIES

!4yo shot in Pakistan rates NO mention amongst  the front page headlines of the Telegraph.co.uk website ! Not British so doesn't matter it seems ? Saville's gravestone rates front page news though , yes i know , he was a famous figure , according to the police , controversial ,  but is that news worthy ? Finally buried below Mitt Romney , there is a reference to a shooting incident , so easily overlooked

Malala Yousafzai, an Internationally acclaimed teenage activist of girls education, has been shot and wounded in the Swat Valley . On Austrian Radio ORF FM4 , this incident rates the headlines , with hourly bulletins  within hours of this outrageous  incident .

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/9597961/Shot-Pakistan-girl-successfully-operated-on.html

Quoting from this news item :


 "  Malala won international recognition for highlighting Taliban atrocities in Swat with a blog for the BBC three years ago, when the Islamist militants led by radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah burned girls schools and terrorised the valley.
Her struggle resonated with tens of thousands of girls who were being denied an education by Islamist militants across northwest Pakistan, where the government has been fighting local Taliban since 2007.
She received the first-ever national peace award from the Pakistani government last year, and was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize by advocacy group Kids Rights Foundation in 2011.

That the Government has an aircraft on standby to fly this young person  to another country for more advanced treatment , should the need arise speaks volumes for the sense of outrage generated by the perpetrators of this monstrous deed ! Public feeling towards the " Taliban " has never been so strong than now , particularly since she was a targeted victim . The Taliban has always behaved with no regard towards human life and women in particular but crossed the line when they chose to attack this " Child "!

This is an American's reaction to the shooting :


“Pakistan’s future belongs to Malala and brave young girls like her. History won’t remember the cowards who tried to kill her at school,” Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said on Twitter.




Contrast the Pakistani outcry towards this incident with that of an incident in the USA over the past days !

Recently the USA marked the anniversary of the Invasion of Afghanistan . To highlight this event , many Veterans came together in New York to remember Americans who gave their lives whilst serving there in the Armed Forces ! This gathering was broken up BY FORCE , when the NYPD forced these veterans from the park where they had gathered . Unbelievably  strange behaviour for Police Officers to treat veterans in this way since large percentages of Policing Authorities are recruited from the Military ? How must the Police Officers have felt about being called on to act in this way ? Would any of these Police Officers known or served with even one of the 2115 persons lost during the Afghanistan  Campaign ?

Here is a link to the story that was buried by the media :


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/07/1141486/-Breaking-NYPD-Arrests-Veterans-Reading-the-Names-of-Afghan-War-Dead

One pertinent comment on the article :

 "   If the police were reading a list of police officers slain in the line of duty, who would arrest them?
The National Guard? "

Susan Rice would no doubt comment on this , HAD IT BEEN an incident outside the USA ! Can anyone advise if a NOTABLE Federal Administration Official chose to comment on this incident ?

Let me guess ? 

NONE !

The following comment sums up a lot of the thoughts of the many that responded to the article :

 "  A municipal decision. The city council needs to be challenged to change its ordinances. The argument advanced will be that they don't have the money to hire adequate security patrols. Given the millions the city is paying out in civil judgements, that's not an argument that has legs. However, the Bridget needs to be addressed at budget hearings. All police budget lines need to be questioned, especially the amount of overtime, training and the acquisition if munitions and crowd control equipment. For instance, all those barricades should never have been purchased. (one hopes they weren't made in China).
The rate of serious crime (never mind if reports are accurate) has been dropping all over the country. This is upsetting to law enforcement agencies because history has shown that when crime statistics drop, cops get laid off. So, they have an incentive to keep the numbers up, even if they have to invent the crimes. On the other hand, authoritarians are also distressed by the falling crime rates because they are convinced that impoverished people are prone to crime. So their austerity agenda to impoverish people will end up justifying their intensive domination and incarceration. In other words, keeping people poor is supposed to drive them wild and then that wildness will justify locking them up. The ulterior motive is to exercise dominion. It's not unlike enraging a bull with a red flag to justify killing him.
Bullies exhibit the behavior of bulls lacking manufactured weapons. Which means that, since humans should know better, men that behave like bulls are beneath the beasts.
Mother Nature makes mistakes.
We organize governments to provide benefits and prevent abuse. "

Occupy Wall Street celebrated One year of action in Mid September and i see many tweets about what is taking place . Seems to me that the Elections on November 6th will be the " SAME OLD " but judging by the headlines the Media are trying to keep people in suspense as to the result .






Saturday, September 22, 2012

People of Character


Anna Zimmermann writes the Blog “ 150 Watts of awesome “ since Feb 2011 and posted “ Two thousand Wrongs “ last Monday the 17th Sept . About 6.39am that day , an “ anonymous comment appeared signed by a “ lauralyn “! Later that same day , someone queried that signature and several days later “ Lauralyn in reply , began her monologue regarding the Clinic of CNF !

Since then there have been 40+ comments , in the main, anonymous , which has sent the thread on CNF ballistic .

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=18623


Coming out of this furore is a “ Man of Principle “ , who as you see shown here  , below , believes in people knowing who he is , not an “ anonymous “ IP Address “! Since he formerly posted Comment as “ Scienceiscool “ , a total of 90+ posts since July 2009 , demonstrates Character .

Would be too much for any other “ Clinic member “ to introduce themselves in this way , wouldn’t you say ? Certainly a am aware of Jon Vaughters CNF avatur , and perhaps others also , but generally speaking , the other posters  hide from public scrutiny !


20.22 21/09/12


My name is John Swanson. I live in Vancouver, BC. Nobody can impersonate me, because I am not anonymous.

There are a very small number of people in the cycling community that have an agenda counter to the truth. They are few. We are many.

I am John Swanson and I ask you to stand with me. An attack against one of us is an attack against all of us. We are individuals, who are ultimately not anonymous. Together we can and should stand against those who will subvert the truth and intimidate those who will expose it.

I love cycling, and it has been a very big part of my life. I believe in fair competition. I believe in honor.

I am angered by the duplicity of Joe Papp. I deplore the actions of "Laura Lyn". I can not abide what Lance Armstrong and those around him have perpetrated against our sport. Dopers everywhere should be vilified. The fact that "Laura Lyn" has impersonated this forum's members is sickening.

John Swanson





21.25 21/09/12

Good lord, man. Stand up and dare those sons-of-b*tches to attack you. Name yourself and make it known that there is one more person in this world that will stand against the evil that has attacked our sport.

Frankie Andreu, Greg Lemond, Mike Anderson, Jonathan Vaughters (if you dare stand up), Monsieur Bassons, Race Radio, all others for fair sport; we stand with you. You can *not* attack us all and win!

I am John Swanson and we will take back our sport. Stand with me, or be defeated.

John Swanson
__________________

21.46  21/09/12

Gah. So much anger.

Jonathan Vaughters: you admitted to doping and cheating. That's it. You are not fit to lead. You have forfeited the sport of cycling to those who did not cheat. If you have *any* integrity you will resign and go back to school to learn accounting or get an MBA. Mea Culpa. Goodbye. That's just how it is. I reach into the till and steal, I get fired. Confess as you leave and make sure to close the door.

Bjarne Riis: WTF. You are 100% part of the problem. Leave. Just resign and leave.

Team Sky: You have damaged any new beginning we may have had this year. Do some soul searching and start over.

UCI: Declare yourselves defunct, incompetent and complicit in the whole sorry affair. Dissolve and commission an inquiry into how to rebuild. Ask WADA to join. Leave the IOC because it is beyond repair.

The entire sport: The amount of cleansing that needs to be done means that thousands of clean athletes have been left behind. There is no compensation. We need to move forward somehow.

ASO: Let's go back to national teams only for the next three to five years while the sport reorganizes. National federations are on notice and under the authority of WADA. No dopers are permitted to participate. I'm sorry. That's very painful, but you have taken the bread from the mouths of everyone who had failed to bend to the demon of doping.

Truth and Reconciliation: Yes. It must happen. And afterwards, all complicit need to leave the sport. A fund needs to be set up to re-train and educate those affected. That's more than you gave the clean athletes you f*cked over.

John Swanson

21.57   21/09/12
You risk nothing. Therefore, you have no impact. If you're okay with that then so am I.

John Swanson
22.22    21/09/12

...and? Hardly anonymous, am I? Braveheart, nothing. Stand together and dare the "machine" to retaliate. They already are picking us off one by one. The system is rotten and needs to be rebuilt. We are many. The dopers and enablers are few. What are you afraid of?

John Swanson

22.27  21/09/12

No. I agree. But it does lend power to those who can not be anonymous. If we are all public, legion, then how can the PR machine touch us? Tyler, we believe you and lend our name to your truth.

Go ahead Lance. Impugn me. Impugn all of us.

John Swanson
__________________

AT 22.52    21/09/12  we have this comment from “ AcademyCC “!

 “  I’m in 100%. Ready to go. I literally cannot handle anymore **** from these corrupt fools. No more. Given the situation happening around us right now it would be stupid to not have one big united push towards clean cycling.

This chance may never come about again. This forum can make a difference. Fact.

Drive the process with facts and competent discussion. No arguing with each other. Honest and 'clinical'. Keep the threads clean and to the point. No ****ing about.

John - I’ve had enough.

Daniel Morgan

BRAVO Daniel !

ChewbaccaD joined in at 23.46 on 21/09/12 with the following :

Well, my name is Trey Walters and I live in Charlotte, NC...but everyone already knew that.

I do have to say that for the years I tried to hide who I was, I was always worried someone would find out. Posting my true identity was actually a bit freeing if I'm being honest.
__________________
Proud member of the Clinic 12

OF COURSE there are some knuckleheads lurking as “sitting bison “ demonstrates at 23.49  21/09/12 :

Just checked out AnnaZ blog.

Yay!!! Ive become one of the "serious" clinic denizens lol. In fact made TWO posts hehe. who'd a thunk it.



“Texpat “ , known to have sued Lance ,weighed in on the thread , today , with :

 "  I've decided to apply for a name change.
I am now John Swanson.

Those of you who fear the repercussions of outing yourselves, you're welcome to come hide with me in New Zealand. A very large moat surrounds us here.

BTW Race Radio's real name is Dweezil Zappa ".

Followed through with this  comment :

 "  Don't worry John--I'm with you on this one. Everybody knows who I am!
Sadly, Canada wouldn't let any more Amerikans in, so we emigrated to NZ.
Wellington is a lot like Vancouver, but far, far away from the US.

Mr Mike Anderson, Esq."

AFTER these “ comments “ above , the thread descends into a kintergarten farce , as the infants try to outdo themselves with childishness ! Could it be the “ Mods “ have to sleep and these “ mushrooms “ know their habits and thus choose to play whilst the " Mods " take a break ?

Those that put their hands up , I congratulate ! The others ? What can you say ?

Another of those with Character :

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/opinion-michael-ashenden-on-omerta-101

Sunday 22/09/12

Seems i should add to the list with the breaking news that David Millar has added momentum to the " Sack Phat campaign ! Seems he is at the World Road Races as a commentator for BBC TV . Saturday he had a few pertinent questions for " phat " . You can see below , his reaction to some questions posed recently .



Articles referring to this press meeting :


http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/other-sports/millar-tackles-sports-president-over-doping.18951813



http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/09/news/millar-uci-should-own-up-to-cyclings-doping-past_239502/2

Some of you will recall that i suggested a possible replacement for " Phat " early last year :


http://skippyblogging.blogspot.co.at/2011/01/pat-mc-quaids-new-posture.html



Nearly two years later Rochelle looks more and more attractive as an alternative :




Of course with David Millar weighing into Phat , last Saturday as a Commentator for BBC TV , and being on the Athletes Comm. at WADA , could he be thinking about promotion within the UCI when they cleanup their house ?

Getting on with his new life , through being treated as a pariah for his contributions to the Anti Doping Debate , Jorg Jaksche , has been mentioned several times on the Clinic Threads . Wonder when his thoughts on the current events will surface ? He had been living in Kitzbuhel area but with doing an University Degree could be elsewhere now , UCI detectives must have him under surveillance ?

Debate is now raging about Mike Ashenden not being aware and thus not commenting on some of the " Doping Procedures " that have become visible in recent years . That he contributed to the " Paul Kimmage Defence Fund would demonstrate where his allegiances lie and his resignation from UCI when they tried to muzzle him nails his colours to the mast ! His recent views can be read here :

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ashenden-armstrong-may-have-been-blood-doping-at-2009-tour-de-france




























Sunday, July 8, 2012

Letter to Jacques Rogge , IOC !


As the leader of the “ Sporting World’s No 1 Event “ you will be aware of the Cycling Communities problems and particularly those surrounding the current edition of “ Le Tour “! If the newspaper reports are to be believed there are some competing who have withdrawn from selection for the London Olympic Games . This must be good news to your organisation but it appears that there are a number of issues being raised which will be troublesome to “ Fair Minded People “?

Last month I again raised the question of a “ SPORTING MORATORIUM “ in a number of places but it appears that this is TOO HARD for so many vested interests .

YOU and WADA are capable of “ Outing “ all the “ Skeletons in the Closet “ which have been rattling around for years . Even the fact that the Great Britain team HAD a ban on “ Sporting Fraudsters “ competing has now been overturned .

When is the Olympic Committee going to “ Clean House “?  So many serving the Olympic Committee have been “ slandered “ in a variety of Forums and Media Outlets that one wonders if there is the will for the Olympic Committee to see that Future Generations of youngsters are trained and encouraged by those with “ Clean / Known records “?

Coming from a Sailing Sport background you will be familiar with the competitive instincts of Sports People and no doubt will recall efforts by competitors to gain unfair advantages of the prevailing winds . Amusing incidents will no doubt come to mind ! I am sure that supplements may have been used in some situations but not to the same extent as in Cycling or other Endurance Sports !

By issuing a “ Sports Moratorium “ with an effective date backed by Life time Sanctions imposed for Non Disclosure on both the Competitor and their Support Team , a line can be drawn and ALL Sport can move forward with confidence .

IF you impose a date and the Athlete fails to disclose relevant sanction able errors then ONE MONTH later their Support Team risk “ Life Time Sanctions “ if they do not reveal their knowledge or participation in these events . Can you imagine the Coach , Mechanic , Director Sportive or Team Owner , allowing a Cycle Racer to conceal their Wrongdoings even a generation ago to jeopardise their current employment ? I think not !

Generations of youngsters have been gradually influenced since before the fall of the “ Iron Curtain “ by appeals to their “ patriotism “ by family , friends and sporting advisors . These days “ Celebrity and Lifestyle “ are great influences . Families even , benefit from  the success of their offspring , so the impetus to excel continues and even at a young age , advantage is sought .

In most countries there are now policies in place to detect “ Paedophiles “ since this is perceived as the greatest threat to a child’s safety ! When the “ Moratorium “ is in place “ Sporting Influences “ will be also disclosed . I am not suggesting that a Coach /trainer is as dangerous to the child’s wellbeing , but am suggesting that a parent can discover any questionable background and thus make an informed decision on those they allow to train their offspring !

No doubt these issues have been raised with you by better people than I , but , as the Pontiff can dictate to the Catholic Church and the Dalai Lama to his Brethren , so should You to the SPORTING WORLD !

Great things are expected at the London Olympics but do we want the future Sporting World to be run by “ Hasbeens  , Lawyers and Concealed Impediments “?

SPORTING FRAUD will continue whilst GOOD MEN do nothing !

Friday, June 22, 2012

Letter to David Cameron MP

The right Honorable Gentleman may recall his earlier years when he would like the common man use a bicycle as a means of transport . Those days , we cyclists would find that getting about was less stressful . In the comfort of the limousine you are required to use by the " Security Services " you will be unaware of the " Battlefield " that the roads have become in recent years . No doubt most of your journeys are spent dealing with important paperwork or in conversation with Dignatories and advisers . The time will have passed quickly since you will have had the road cleared by the escort , but even more to the point you will not have seen cyclists along these routes .

"The Times " campaign " Cities fit for Cycling " may have prompted you to allocate £15m to London projects , earlier this year , some cynics may have observed this as an attempt to buy votes for Boris Johnson in his bid for re election , who knows ?  Fact is your Government in slashing " Budgets " removed a great many Cycling Initiatives last year that would have influenced many people  to use the bike as transport . As a Government desperate to balance the Budget , a key weapon,  is the way it taxes Fuel . Progressive rises mean that " Jo Public and his family " are being unfairly squeezed in the race to fill Government Coffers ! Amusing to see those who can afford the Fuel receiving Tax Reductions in the latest budget !

When you go on your holidays this year , you will no doubt , try to act like a normal family , and perhaps you will ride a bike . That experience will not compare to that experienced on a daily basis by those you govern . Where you will have a security cordon to protect your family , " Jill Public " will be surrounded by those ensconced in a " ton of metal "  with scant regard for anything other than getting to that appointment that they set out for , far too late , as usual ! Cyclists have become " Mobile street furniture " to many , and " Road kill " to others . Indeed if you were to read " The Cycling Silk " blog , you would see that the Judiciary regard the " Sun was in my eyes , your honor " as an acceptable excuse for running down and even killing Cyclists !

You will see my comment there , suggesting that ONLY when you , or , your ministers suffer personal loss will there be a change in the Governments attitude to the dangers Everyday Cyclists are surrounded by on a daily basis .  In fact i read recently that one woman feels that she would prefer to risk " The Taliban " rather than ride English roads , since she feels the real terrorists are in vehicles . With Families struggling to make " Ends meet " how many will have considered Cycling as an alternative mode of transport and rejected this since they do not wish to leave their family destitute when they are struck down ?

In the near future , after the Olympics , you will see the Paralympics . There , will be many competing from a variety of Nations whose Service Personnel saw action in Yugoslavia , Iraq & Afghanistan . Many of these competitors , having served their nation in " Harm's Way " , will have used sport and Cycling as a means of Rehabilitation and reached such a high standard that they met the qualification standards and are now serving their country once again in the Sporting Arena  . Currently there are many from " Help4Heroes of the UK and Wounded Warrior Project engaged in the " Race Across America " ! Doing very well compared to " Able bodied Competitors according to the Media !

Do you realize that there are  many Adaptive Athletes that met the Paralympic Standards but due to the lack of " Funds / Sponsors " they will not be at the London 2012 Paralympics ? Should any of these be from the British Armed forces , then this is a disgraceful and neglectful way to repay the dedication of those that served their nation . War has only one winner ! Those who invest their money in the " Armaments Industries "! It serves their purposes to see conflict in a world , that has no need for Conflict ! Fact is if you follow the money trail you will see that some of these people or corporations are reinvesting their Ill gotten Profits in the " Rehabilitation Industries " ! For them a " Win Win situation "!

With people taking the attitude that a Cyclist is an accident awaiting a disaster scenario  it is a time , long overdue for you and your Government to ACT ! Yes we ALL heard you express your concerns in February when " Cities fit for Cycling was launched , but in examining your conscience , can you really point to anything that caused a change of attitude by the Motoring Lobby ?

Words mean nothing to " Mr White Van Man " or those that drive with the " mobile phone " glued to the ear as they eat their lunch . Nor do they mean anything to those drivers that regularly exceed the 30mph even in 20mph zones or around schools . Revision of the " Highway Code " and " penalties " for striking Vulnerable Road Users , implementing New Driving Licence Standards and Renewing the Licence after 5 years use could be a step in the right direction but this takes time and resources . However it will create jobs and perhaps produce revenue where people choose to continue to drive with disregard to others !

As an Interim measure the introduction of 20MPH limits in ALL urban areas will force vehicles to be more careful around Vulnerable Road Users and perhaps there will be less of the " Sun was in my Eyes Nonsense"!

Cyclists have a right to LIFE and consideration as Human beings that share the roads rather than as the nuisance that disrupts the traffic when so many were already late leaving for their " Important Appointment " !

Time you put Road Safety higher on your list of concerns ! ACTION please , not more words !

As a volunteer at ATHENS 2004 Events , i enjoyed the novelty of riding their roads BUT i am not looking forward to August in London ! How anyone can enjoy London Roads is beyond my comprehension !

Thursday, June 14, 2012

LANCE ARMSTRONG again ?

Round and around we go , where this story will end , nobody knows !

Will post my comments to various blogsites here :

Charles Pelkey writes a balanced view of the current issues and here is his site :

http://redkiteprayer.com/2012/06/the-explainer-just-when-i-thought-i-was-out-they-pull-me-back-in/comment-page-1/#comment-345604

then my comment :

  "  EVERY US Cycle Racer must be " pissed " about their " Annual Licence Fees " being used by " USADA & others " to persue " Ancient History "!
An unknown . "tyrant spelt tygart " is grandstanding for whose benefit ?
Lance has won and placed in several Triathlons so we aLL know he has the abilities he has claimed over the years .
Jealousy comes in many forms and if i was Lance i would walk away and ignore these poor specimens of humanity .
My blog post relates the news about this latest traversy of justice but personally i wish he would " Sue the ass off all involved " , it would win him Millions , though i doubt it would contribute to his wellbeing as a person !
Lance you are a role model for many , so ignore the hate and vilification coming your way ! As a service to those accusers , send them a copy of " IF " that poem that many use to calm the outrages they suffer in their lives ! "

Went onto the Mushroomers thread on this subject at cyclingnews with this comment :


  "  As i stated in " Skippyblogging " , if i were Lance i would send ALL his accusers a copy of " IF "!

Having won a 70.3 and podiumed several times there is nothing more to prove !
http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?p=902815#post902815

  "  Lance walk away , head held high ! Certainly you are head and shoulders above the accusers and regardless of what you do , there will always be those " mushrooms " that reek of jealousy ! "


Received this reply amongst many :

 "  Yeah, I love that poem!

  "  IF you can keep your red blood cell count high when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on three weeks of racing,
If you can trust your hemotologist when all in The Clinic doubt you,
But scorn and demean them for their doubting too;
If you can storm up an HC col and not be tired,
Or lie about your friends' testimony, what's one more lie?
Or being hated, don't give way to haters,
And yet don't show compassion, nor kindness:
If you can dream big, and believe in miracles;
If you like your credibility, even though you have none;
If you can meet with Ferrari and Bruyneel
And treat those two cheats just the same;
If you can bear to hear your doctor
retroactively produce a TUE;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one night of hookers and blow,
And test positive for PED's,
And never breathe a word about your payment to the UCI;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To accept testosterone, HGH, and EPO,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except these drugs and an extra litre of blood which says to them: 'Chaarge!'

If you can talk to the crowds in Paris and keep a straight face,
' Or ride up mountains with domestiques holding a GC man's pace,
if neither foes nor so-called friends can stand you,
If all men work for you, but none deserve your respect;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of lying to cancer patients,
Yours is a special kind of evil,
And - which is more - you'll be a cheating, lying, disgraced so-called 7 time Tour de France winner, my son!

This guy must have spent the last generation dreaming this up !

FATCYCLIST.com spends a lot of time raising monies for a variety of causes , including LiveSTRONG and World Bike Relief . With these events " Fatty " has become friendly with LANCE and Johan Bruyneel and holds them in high esteem . In Fatty's most recent blog he posted the following Quote : " By their Fruits you will know them " ( matthew 7:16 ) ! Very appropriate since both these Guys have done Astonishing Work for others whilst busy with their " Day Job "!

My Comment to " Fatcyclist.com ":


  "  My 100MON  this year ,was on L'Alpe d'Huez , once again ,with the Dutch Cancer Fundraiser ! This year on both the Wednesday & Thursday and i exceeded my own expectations simply because i was inspired and motivated by a GREAT CYCLIST !
 I was there in 2005 when Lance won the ITT race up this climb  , even caused the " Clown " that pushed him to be detained by the Gendarmerie ! Lance chose not to press charges .
 Even more to the point , whilst Fatty rode as a guest with Lance and the Team , i on so many occasions over the years , have ridden uninvited , alongside Lance . Never once did he complain and in fact deflected team mates who would have acted on his behalf . Always found him gracious towards others when time allowed BUT time management was one of his secrets !

Meticulous in the extreme , he was known as " Mr Millimetre " since he was always looking for improvements in every aspect of his Equipment , Training and Team ! One hard task Master that would not accept a lower standard than 110% !
 Little wonder that there are those that fell by the way side since they were unable to keep pace . We all think we are better than we are , some take it badly , others recognise their short comings .

 Tall Poppy syndrome is alive and well throughout the world BUT particularly in SPORT ! Nobody likes to come in second and there are so many out there that feel " Short Cuts " are the way to go !WRONG !

Currently "The Fox " guarding the " Hen House " seems to be that ALL SPORT suffers from and until there is a " Moratorium " when ALL past and present Athletes can come out of the closet we will continue to see " finger pointing " !

Lance has returned to Triathlon and has succeeded through effort and training in gaining the top step of the Podium , being not the best runner in the world , he has trained hard for his success >

To those doubting him " SHAME ON YOU " , to those in the Government Agencies " WHAT DO YOU DO TO MAKE THIS A BETTER WORLD "?

To those racing against him " WHAT IS YOUR TRAINING REGIME "? Try harder and believe in your selves !

As regards Lance's Past , who gives a fig , as regards his work with LiveSTRONG , do not let the naysayers interrupt the GOOD WORKS there !

LiveSTRONG works will be remembered long after the " Le Tour " fades into obscurity !

Fatty as usual you post from the heart and the road you have chosen will not sit well with those that i call " Mushrooms "!  "

39 Stone Cyclist has contributed to Fatcyclist on several occasions and i have added the above comment to his blog post on the  " USADA star chamber , travesty of Justice " !


Monday, May 28, 2012

Blogger now a Joke

What a Feckup that blogger has become ! When I started using this series , all I had to do was callup the Home page , click on the “ open a new tab “ for each of the blogs to get the statistics , revise the content of a post or create a new post !



NOW I have to open a separate window for each blog to do any tidying that is needed , or to even add “ photos “ to the blog content added elsewhere .



Blogger “ boasts “ each time you open the dashboard , that they have created an even better situation for the user !



WRONG , WRONG , WRONG !!!
Now I am not only using 3 times more MB to do posts , I am even having trouble to get to the relevant blog to do posts . Now I have to go through the dashboard , and their empty promises , to “ new Post “ , enter the words and then publish . After I go back to try to post the photos where I want them . BUT the current system will not allow me to do so .




How come I had several years of trouble free access and now GOOGLE has reinvented the wheel , and I am not only inconvenienced but frustrated ? Do I look at the Ads ? NO WAY JOSE ! The bastards think they are improving the service BUT I am now worse off and looking at GOING ELSEWHERE !



Must be easier to work with another system than being treated like a meal ticket by a corporation that is only looking at their bottom line ! As regards their “ Ad sense ( you know the ads you click on ) , FORGET IT ! Not one cent from day one !
 
THIS POST took so long i thought about giving up and going to read a book !

Friday, May 11, 2012

GREENEDGE at the GIRO D" ITALIA

Since 2000 i have been promoting the idea of an Australian Cycling Team to many people , as i am sure has every other Aussie Cyclist !


It was a pleasure to meet Gerry at Herning with his " Pride and Joy " " GreenEDGE " the Ozzie Cycling Team , making their Grand Tour debut !

I


As the photos show there is a VERY Professional approach to the Team !



Following photo of a Greenedge Racer after finishing the ITT course , to say that they gave their All to win the Podium would be an understatement !



Already predicting that GreenEDGE will be a force here at the Giro as is shown by Gossie^s win but the Tour de France will see a VERY strong presentation by this team of " Aussie Battlers " !