SAINT OR SINNER

Controversy was created by SI article this week whilst Lance was in Adelaide ! Does anyone remember how many times these same accusations have done the rounds ?

SSDD(same shit, different day) certainly applies when the media get going . Do the hacks get paid by the word or article?

Below is a link to an article i saw this week and i think it is worth a read :

http://www.cbssports.com/general/story/14577379/lances-good-works-matter-above-all-else-even-steroids


Books have already been written but more are certainly in the works.

Much is made of flandis who having concocted his version of past events is hoping that paying out a few bucks to start a furore thinks he is now on easy street . Retirement from the Peleton was long overdue but i would caution him not to think about let alone spend any money he thinks is coming from the US Treasury.

Addition from Cyclocosm 9/2/2011

This item regarding USPostal Team ownership came to my attention :

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/armstrong-willing-to-co-operate-with-doping-investigation

http://bicyclespokesman.com/the-case-for-lance-armstrong/

Hope you will take the time to read Fatcyclist.com & Cyclocosm.com for their views and the commentary of their followers .

BRISBANE FLOODING

"It's breaking our hearts but it will not break our will", the words of Anna Bligh, Queensland Premier as reported on Austria Radio today !

Watching CNN , BBC World , etc , i have seen in the past fortnight reports of the Police demanding people not to drive into flood waters and yet daily i see this activity shown. What is it with these people that decide they know better ?

Awoke to the news of Flash Floods in Toowoomba and flooding in Brisbane and the possibility that they will reach the same level as 1974 .


That there were lessons to be learnt then is a certainty but that there was no application of this knowledge is a crime that current residents will pay the price and unfortunately it will be a heavy burden to many. When this flood is over will the building codes be changed to avoid a repeat in the next flood which Mother Nature will send as surely as night follows day.Vested interests have obviously been in play and of course "She'll be right mate" got in on the act also.

Just watched BBC World News report of the devastation in Toowoomba which included a live interview with a resident that shot video of the little creek behind his office . Anyone thinking that they can defeat the power of nature are out of their mind .

Seeing the creek flowing like a torrent reminded me of the Boxing Day Tsunami which took in excess of 250000 lives several years ago. Doubtlessly the authorities were unaware and certainly ill prepared for an event such as this but Mother Nature (Anna Bligh's description) behaves as she chooses and overwhelms man's puny defences at will. David Jutson's video demonstrated this as the creek rose and flushed cars and vans downstream and parked the vehicles like toys that a petulent child had finished playing with , littering the area where they came to rest stacked on their noses or rears like dominoes . Insurance companies will have nightmares sorting out the claims from this incident alone , would not like to be a "Name" at Lloyds currently.

QUEENSLAND FLOODING

Queensland floods are reaching the point where Mass Evacuations should be considered, Helicopters should be ferrying in supplies and taking out Elderly and Women & children certainly those who have relatives that are able to take them in and give them some quality of life whilst away from home.

Whilst flood levels were projected at 9.5m there was an expectation that the community could cope with being cut off for 10 days or so. But now there are thoughts and concerns being voiced in the media of 14m which if the images we are seeing at 8m levels will mean that so many more houses will be submerged. Brad Carter , Rockhampton's Mayor, is saying that a 9.4m flood will go over the floorboards of 400 houses, so how many more houses will be ruined if the flood / river levels rise further ? Presently the authorities say that 10 days of impassable roads will be the result at 9.4m but should the levels go higher then how much longer will this crisis take to be resolved and how many more homes inundated.

Already we are seeing residents saying they are unwilling to leave their homes for fear of looting and this is the same reaction to leaving home during bush fire emergencies. The authorities have already moved to reinforce the Police contingent but the legislature needs to draft Draconian Penalties for those caught with Loot during emergencies. That people can stoop so low as to behave like this is unthinkable, Australia is not a third world country as are Haiti or Pakistan. Miscreants can be found in any walk of life or country but Life on a Penal colony for Looters would be too good for them.

Not being an Engineer i wonder about the current building codes since the media are showing modern single story brick built homes awash but the older wooden homes where you have to walk up the external staircase are in many cases well clear of the flood waters, seems that modern life styles overlooked the dangers posed by nature. Those currently building homes enjoy the convenience of walking out the door getting into their vehicle but in earlier days they built knowing the risks that nature posed to their way of life. How many of the modern homes are insured for Flood Risk ?

Each of the Broadcasters that i have access to , CNN , BBC World , Al Jazeera and RT.com take their feed from Australian Networks which deliver "Sound Bites" but to date i have not seen any stories of Wheelchair Users difficulties. Each of use value our independence so it would be difficult to understand their additional difficulties posed by the current situation.



Being in Europe I wonder how I could assist, should Qantas offer a return seat and there were facilities to provide bed, board and reasonable facilities for a three month period I would be happy to offer help. There must be plenty of tasks that could be handled not requiring qualifications. Naturally my preference would be to assist those “Wheelchair Bound” but given the scale of the disaster I would willingly pitch in where needed. One thing I am certain of , is that there are many like myself who given the opportunity would consider lending a helping hand. I have “Tweeted” and added requests to my “Comments on SBS/cycling central” to find a suitable contact point but so far to no avail.

Doubt that the physical work will match the several hours of “Ski touring “ that I do most days , but would be a change to the rowing mce and tacx trainer.



Any offers of contact points to help ,please email skippi@ausi.com

Thursday 6/1/2011

There are reports of the flood cresting at 9.2m which could be good news, however the weather for the next week sounds bad. What i had not realised is that the flood waters from S/W Queensland will flow through to Sth Australia arriving in 4 to 6 weeks time and does this mean flooding there also. Can the experts find a way to create dams along the way to save water for later use. All that empty area and some of the water can't be diverted into empty terrain ? Who thinks about water conservation outside the River Murray Agreement ? How long has there been this disagreement among the states that the focus has only been on this supply system ?

Premier Mike Rann tweeting today reminded me of this ongoing saga but the locals surely have plans that could be turned into reality.

Railway facilities in Queensland have been destroyed in the past by flooding and yet we are back there again. No doubt the Ore has to be dried out before shipment but will the rest of the world allow "Force Majeure" to be invoked continually, "Just in Time" is practised in the factories as a way to save money but not upgrading the infrastructure after previous floods could mean billions of dollars lost to the economy. Many other nations must be dusting off their plans with the view to either competing or taking away the captive market that Queensland has again let down.

LIVESTRONG FUND RAISING

ADDITION ON WED 1700gmt 5/1/2011

Having made a comment on CyclingNews Forum i see that LIVESTRONG has "ORG" & "COM" branches and this is something i was not aware of before, certainly that there were ownership issues !

Posting to CNF is a nightmare as i wsh to reply to "Bighog" as i used his entry to offer my ideas and he is due the courtesy of a reply since he has already answered my entry.

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Being a junior member allows "post reply" facility but i fail to see it attached to "Member" or "Senior Member". The Administrator also weighed in and is due the courtesy also. Should a "senior Member" read this "Item" please convey my email to either of these two so that i can reply to their postings : email address skippi@ausi.com

Doug a commenter at fatcyclist.com offered a site worth visiting, and in time i will

http://www.charitynavigator.org/

The statistics he offered sound favourable to Livestrong (Org or Com , i have yet to check).

Remember Toyota last year had problems with recall of product ? Well Livestrong also had a recall problem with their "Spinning Machines", out of 500 i am led to believe some have issues. However some wag has asked how the Head of Toyota can be compared to the Head of Livestrong ? Each offers a product and that was the only point i was trying to make. Should the Head of Toyota have a Charitable trust then i apologise for others bringing it into the discussion as i had no idea of that taking place.

Flandis is aware of a US Government Treasury procedure where you collect 10% of ANY recovery of funds either by your or the Government efforts. Any Us citizen can question how US Taxes are expended and get an investigation underway then the Government treasury can step in and take over and you still benefit if there are grounds for recovery of funds paid out in any fashion. Flandis initiated this procedure last year and there are reports that Government Officials are flying hither and thither and some of these involved have "Reputations" for kicking over anthills.

Who knows where the story will end but i have met flandis on bike several times and really did not take a liking to his personality. He more than likely felt the same way about yours truly, for many riding with a 65yo aussie is not the best way to pass time. There are others who call for me to join them even if only for the entertainment. Still others recognise my efforts to help "Adaptive/Physically Challenged/Para Sports Athletes"

This story has grown legs so more will follow.