Tour of the Gila Levi Leipheimer LIVESTRONG

 SRAM Tour of the Gila 2010 on the way. It started  April 28 and it will see the end this Sunday, May 2 with the GILA MONSTER ROAD RACE and Levi Leipheimer wants to defend his title winning it.

Jesse Sergent from Trek-LIVESTRONG cycling team won today's time trial leaving most of us in awe, since we were expecting Levi to own it. But this did not affect Leipheimer's leading position in the general classification. He still remains the king!

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION after stage 3, April 30

1	Jesse Sergent (Trek-Livestrong)	0:34:09
2	Levi Leipheimer (Mellow Johnny's)	0:00:14
3	David Zabriskie (DZ Nuts)	0:00:26
4	Tom Danielson (DZ Nuts)	0:00:46
5	Lance Armstrong (Mellow Johnny's)	0:01:50

Lance Armstrong is number 16 in the GC with 4:02 minutes behind Levi. Armstrong commented yesterday to reporters:

“It’s probably a good thing,” Armstrong said. “I’m definitely missing race days and this is an opportunity to not only get some race days but do some work to compensate for all the things that I’ve missed. If you sit back and look at the year so far, between bad luck and illness, I’ve pulled out of a few races and now is the time to make up for that.

“People can talk about domestic or American races, but I don’t think that’s necessarily accurate,” Armstrong said. “The field is fast and American pros are strong. The other key thing here is that it’s an altitude race and there are a lot of guys that live at altitude so it’s not a big adjustment for them. Us lowlanders come up here and definitely pay the price for being at five, six or seven thousand feet and making efforts, it’s difficult.”

Greece Spain Portugal Egypt Financial Turmoil

All this financial chaos in these countries will make the Euro crash, the US dollar will rally -even though its economy stinks and it's collapsing- but not for long. There are no fundamentals to support continued growth in the US. Corruption is rampant and governments are losing grip on their economies around the world.
I hope you all have been doing your homework, reading newspapers, data, facts, breaking news and events from Asia, Europe, Latin America, not only from the US and Canada. We need to be WELL and PROPERLY informed so we can act accordingly to protect our assets...and eventually our safety and dignity as human beings.

Good luck everyone and read on.

"Europe is a mess and the sovereign issues have not been addressed with clarity," Mr Smith told journalists in Sydney today.
"The uncertainty has continued and that's probably going to get worse. The contagion issue is now very real."

Greece demonstrations against government

"The downgrade of Spanish government debt by S&P is another alarming sign that the effects of the Greek crisis are spreading," said European economist Ben May at research firm Capital Economics in London."

Spain financial turmoil

"The ratings agency said it expected Portuguese “economic activity to stagnate in 2010,” adding that its “growth potential will likely remain subdued, constrained by weak international competitiveness, low productivity gains, stagnating investment growth, and falling domestic credit as the highly leveraged private sector reduces debt." 

Portugal debt downgraded

"Investors are abandoning the euro at a rate not seen since the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. as Europe’s worsening fiscal crisis threatens to splinter the 16-nation currency union."

Investors abandoning the Euro

"Using an emergency law that allows arrest without charge and restricts the ability to organize, the Egyptian government and the ruling National Democratic Party have for decades blocked development of an effective opposition while monopolizing the levers of power. The open question — one that analysts say the government fears — is whether the workers will connect their economic woes with virtual one-party rule and organize into a political force."

Egypt protesters, low salaries, unemployment

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Silly Study About Soft Drinks

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

When stupid "scientific studies" like this one are suddenly reported one has to question them seriously and ask why.

"ScienceDaily (Apr. 28, 2010) — Here's another reason to kick the soda habit. New research published online in the FASEB Journal shows that high levels of phosphates may add more "pop" to sodas and processed foods than once thought. That's because researchers have found that the high levels of phosphates accelerate signs of aging."

Sodas have been in the market for long time. Coca Cola was invented in 1886 and Pepsi Cola in 1903. It's been over 300 years that the consumer all over the world has been enjoying soft drinks, but now, just now in 2010, M. Shawkat Razzaque, M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Medicine, Infection and Immunity at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, decides to conduct a study on soft drinks and discovers that phosphate in sodas accelerates the aging process.

In my personal opinion this is time wasted. I knew, long, long time ago, when I was in medical school (30 years ago) that phosphates cause kidney, cardiovascular, muscle and skin problems, calcification and atrophy. But why this publication and sudden media frenzy against sodas?

There are many things in life that we do that ages us faster, and living in constant FEAR is one of the worst reasons we age. So, why don't we stop worrying about the phosphates in sodas, moderate the amount of food and sodas we eat and drink, increase the quality of our meals, increase the quality of our lives, exercise, study, educate ourselves, try to be happy and have good relations with the people who surround us.

In the meantime, I'm stopping writing this post because I am going to the kitchen to get me a cold Diet Coke.

Cheers!

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US National Debt Clock

There is no doubt that the American Citizen owes so much money now there is no way this money can be ever paid in our lifetime. Take a look at the US National Debt Clock -Real Time- which has lots of interesting information and live data. You can click on the link below the picture and go directly to it.

US NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK Website

Cycling the Mountain Like a King

Climbing long steep mountains and getting to the top is the dream of every fanatic cyclist out there. But even if we are in very good physical condition sometimes we all need a little reminder of some excellent climbing techniques.

This video is supeb, I think.

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Cycling Motivational Video Johnny Cash Song

Cycling is my passion, my way of life...cycling IS my life, my preferred activity of the day, is what makes me get up everyday at 4:30 am every morning so I can start my daily training early before traffic, cycling is what gives me hope for a better tomorrow, what makes me feel better, what makes me appreciate nature, what makes me stronger physically, mentally and spiritually. I love cycling with all my heart, I love my bikes, bike mechanics and anything related to cycling, anything. I love cyclists, I love people who love and respect cyclists and cycling. I am in fact, absolutely and totally in love with cycling.

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Francisco Mancebo Vuelta Mexico Telmex

Francisco Mancebo is the leader of la Vuelta Mexico Telmex edition 2010. Today, stage 6, the riders will start in Cuernavaca, Morelos and will finish in Metepec. I bet you all we will have beautiful pictures to post tomorrow coming from the Cuernavaca-Metepec, Morelos paradise.

General classification

1 Francisco Mancebo (Spa) Rock Racing 19:00:48
2 Edwin Arnulfo Parra (Col) Boyaca Orgullo de America
3 Valeriy Kobzarenko (Ukr) Team Type 1 0:00:04
4 Huberlino Mesa (Col) Boyaca Orgullo de America 0:00:19

5 Francisco Matamoros (Mex) Arenas Alubike
6 Ignacio Sarabia (Mex) Rock Racing 0:00:25
7 Oscar Sevilla (Spa) Rock Racing 0:00:32
8 Florencio Ramos (Mex) Chiapas Tequila Afamado
9 Victor Manuel Garcia (Spa) Chiapas Tequila Afamado 0:00:37
10 Fredy Emir Montaña (Col) Boyaca Orgullo 0:00:41 

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English Cyclist Explains Recession for Brits

This a great video because you can enjoy road cycling and economy at the same time. This Great Global Recession has affected United States and the whole world for that matter. Britain has certainly not escaped from this and its residents are trying to still find comfort and pleasures they have been used to, but closer to home.

Detroit Destroyed in Ruins Video

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million words. God Bernanke and Saint Geithner need to perform a miracle in Detroit and in many other cities of the United States of America...soon, before things get worse.
Is this how hundreds of other cities in US could look in the near future?

Vinokourov Wins Giro del Trentino Time Trial

Alexandre Vinokourov pedaled to victory today to crown himself as the number one after finishing 16 seconds ahead of Stefano Garzelli in 12.5 km time trial.
The 34th edition of the Giro del Trentino is an international professional race that is held in Italy every year in the month of April. It's first edition started in 1962.
This year started today, April 20th and it will last until April 23. Honestly, 12.5 kilometers is a little bit pathetic. At least for me. I would not win this one since I am a true long distance rider and hard core climber. This kind of short TT is for fast sprinters who can keep a real hard and fast cadence maintaining at the same time a very high cardiac rate in a very short period of time.

Congratulations, Vino!



Full Results 

1 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana 0:15:07
2 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone 0:00:16
3 Matteo Montaguti (Ita) De Rosa - Stac Plastic 0:00:18
4 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Androni Giocattoli 0:00:23
5 Piet Rooijakkers (Ned) Skil - Shimano 0:00:25
6 Timon Seubert (Ger) Team Netapp 0:00:27
7 Evgeny Petrov (Rus) Team Katusha 0:00:28
8 Riccardo Ricco' (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia 0:00:30
9 Alessandro Bertolini (Ita) Androni Giocattoli 0:00:32
10 Jose Rodolfo Serpa Perez (Col) Androni Giocattoli 0:00:32

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Tulare Co California Unemployment Rises

That person who does not know how dire the situation is in California, United States and the whole world for that matter, either has a serious deficit attention problem or s/he is in terrible denial. Either way, I feel sorry for anybody who is/has not prepared and hope they wake up soon and accept reality.

The unemployment rate in the Tulare County was 19.4 percent in March
The jobless figures in March are up from 18.8 percent in February and above the year-ago estimate of 16.6 percent.
This compares with an unemployment rate of 13 percent for California and 10.2 percent for the nation during the same period. 

Source

Florida US Unemployment Rises Again

While the talking heads of mainstream media keep blabbing about financial recovery, real data cannot be denied.

Florida's unemployment rate hit 12.3 percent in March, a new record from the previous 12.2 percent posted in February, the state work force agency said. It's the highest since records began to be kept in 1970. More than 1.14 million state residents are out of work.

Jobless rates in Broward and Palm Beach counties declined in March: 10.6 percent compared with a revised 10.9 percent in February for Broward, and 12.1 percent compared with a revised 12.5 percent in February for Palm Beach.

Miami-Dade County's unemployment rose to 12.0 percent in March from 11.3 percent in February.

Florida's rate is up 2.7 percentage points from the March 2009 rate of 9.6 percent.

By Marcia Heroux Pounds, Sun Sentinel

Philippe Gilbert wins Amstel Gold Race 2010

The Amstel Gold Race is a road bike race that is held in the Netherlands since 1989, and it is a very important race included in the UCI-ProTour.

Watch Philippe Gilbert in this video taking glory today:

"I started as a favourite, so it's just beautiful to be able to win it and live up to the expectations," said Gilbert, who has been living inside a pressure cooker of Belgian expectation throughout the Classics season so far.

"From Milano-Sanremo on my form constantly improved. During the winter I said these are my races. I wanted to be good in Flanders but especially this week. I'm on schedule, right on time. It's not easy [to get it right]," he continued.

Goldman Sachs Charged with Mortgages Fraud

This is big news today in the investment markets. Goldman Sachs is being sued by the SEC with fraud.

By Alistair Barr, MarketWatch 

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday charged Goldman Sachs & Co. and one of its vice presidents for defrauding investors by misstating and omitting key facts about a financial product related to subprime mortgages.

The SEC alleged in a lawsuit that Goldman /quotes/comstock/13*!gs/quotes/nls/gs (GS 158.93, -25.35, -13.75%) structured and marketed a collateralized debt obligation that hinged on the performance of subprime residential mortgage-backed securities. However, it failed to disclose the role that a major hedge fund, Paulson & Co., played in the portfolio selection process as well as the fact that the hedge fund had taken a short position against the CDO.

"Goldman wrongly permitted a client that was betting against the mortgage market to heavily influence which mortgage securities to include in an investment portfolio, while telling other investors that the securities were selected by an independent, objective third party," said Robert Khuzami, director of the division of enforcement, in a statement.

Read rest of the article

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Cycling Video Insane Incredibly Steep

This video is AWESOME. Simply because it is insane, crazy, barbaric but painfully attractive, with some killer hills that we, cycling fanatics, love to climb and are always looking for.
What's closer to heavenly pain than going up on an 18-20% gradient mountain? NOTHING!
That is pure pain, pure joy, real POWER of the mind, the heart, the lungs, the legs, the arms and the core of the body, all of them together clipped to the bicycle to become a powerful climbing machine.

Alberto Contador Loses Stage 2

Today was a stage to celebrate. "El Pistolero" (Alberto Contador) didn't win the stage and did not have the opportunity to do his vulgar hand-shooting thingie. HA!
Theo Bos of the Netherlands sprint beautifully to win the Vuelta de Castilla and Leon second stage and remains overall leader on Thursday.
Bos y D BOSS! Good for you Theo Bos!

GENERAL RESULTS AFTER STAGE 2

1 Theo Bos (Ned) Cervelo TestTeam 4:45:55
2 Graeme Brown (Aus) Rabobank
3 Oscar Grau (Spa) Burgos 2016-Castilla
4 Pablo Urtasun (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
5 Enrique Mata (Spa) Footon-Servetto
6 Filipe Cardoso (Por) La-Rota Dos Moveis
7 Alberto Contador (Spa) Astana
8 Stefan Denifl (Aut) Cervelo TestTeam
9 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank
10 Tiago Machado (Por) Team RadioShack

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President Obama Lies in 2 Minutes

Mr. President Barack Hussein Obama, graduated from the University of Harvard but cannot give a single speech without reading the teleprompter, and if interviewed -no teleprompter available- he just cannot talk without constantly pausing (which is absolutely annoying).
Anyways, Mr. President Obama is a mediocre speaker and a terrible liar, you know, since he gets caught lying...and here's a video to prove it.

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China's Qinghai Hit by 6.9 Earthquake

More earthquakes continue to shake the globe. China's turn now with a 6.9 magnitude earthquake. This just happens. It is breaking news -USGS-

By Myra P. Saefong

TOKYO (MarketWatch) -- China's Qinghai province suffered a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday at 7:49 am local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The region is 1,190 miles west by southwest of Beijing.

Marketwatch

Roster Vuelta Ciclista Castilla y Leon 2010

It is brewing hot hot hot, boiling time will be 14 of April when la Vuelta Ciclista Castilla y Leon will start, and it will last until 18th of April.

This is the roster:

Play your bets!

These are the stages:

1st. Stage
Belorado(Burgos) - Burgos 157,7 Km
Wednsday 14 of April

2nd. Stage
Burgos - Carrión de los Condes(Palencia) 209,9Km
Thursday 15 of April

3th Stage
León - Ponferrada - Alto del Morredero 158,8 Km
Friday 16 of April

4th Stage
Ponferrada - Ponferrada CRI 15,1 Km
Saturday 17 of April

5th Stage
Samos - Santiago de Compostela 171,6 Km
Sunday 18 of April

NWO New World Order not a Conspiracy Theory

When you have several presidents, prime ministers and high up politicians of the world calling for a new world order and global constitution -financial global constitution...whatever, same thing, one thing will lead us to the next: control of the masses-, it is impossible (and it would definitely be ignorant) for anyone to deny that the powers that control the financial, political and social issues of the world WANT, in fact, to implement a New World Order as soon as possible.
In my personal opinion, the New World Order has started already to be implemented in the 90's, and they continue to do it. Will they succeed?

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Gordon Brown Proposes Global Constitution

Listen carefully to this video provided by BBC News, a main stream media TV channel. No conspiracy theory here. BBC is a reputable TV channel. Gordon Brown the Primer Minister of the UK is openly proposing a New World Constitution for financial globalization CONTROL.

This video has so few little views because people do not bother to do research about what is going on in the world and they are happy and content as long as daddy government gives them "free" health care, American/Mexican/British/American Idol, big humongous hamburgers and some occasional manipulated news.

Fabian Cancellara Wins Paris-Roubaix 2010

Tom Boonen couldn't crown himself today at the Paris-Roubaix 108th, one of the most famous cycling classic races of the year.
Fabian Cancellara was D' ONE. He just went ahead the peloton 50 km before the finish, gave it all, didn't care that dozens of riders were behind him following like if he was a prey to get. Cancellara didn't care. He knew he wanted to win this one and wasn't going to let anybody go ahead of him. He did it!

Here is what he has to say:

"Boonen's attacks didn’t bother me and I didn't want to play his game. He tried to do his race and I did mine," said Cancellara afterwards of Boonen's moves.

"I hadn't planned to attack in that moment," said Cancellara, echoing his comments after Flanders a week prior. "But that's racing, it's important to seize the right moment and I got it exactly right. When I went, the gap was there and it was increasing, so I went full gas but with a little left just in case because there was a long way to go. But I made it."

"I wanted the double, I wanted to do something that left a mark in the history of cycling," said Cancellara after his win. "Many great riders have won this race and it’s an honour for me to now have won it twice like the late Franco Ballerini did. That's just one of the reasons why I wanted to do the double."

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank 6:35:10
2 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team 0:02:00
3 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Sky Professional Cycling Team
4 Roger Hammond (GBr) Cervelo Test Team 0:03:14
5 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step
6 Björn Leukemans (Bel) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team 0:03:20
7 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Team Katusha 0:03:46
8 Leif Hoste (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:05:16
9 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) Ag2R La Mondiale 0:06:27
10 Hayden Roulston (NZl) Team HTC - Columbia 0:06:59

Awesome video of Fabian Cancellara entering the velodrome and crossing the finish line, YOU GOTTA WATCH IT It's uplifting!

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NC Cyclists Promote Safe Riding

Cyclists in North Carolina are promoting safe riding. I applaud their love for bicycling and support them fully.

"Just last summer, 56-year old Bruce Rosar was killed while riding in Apex.

Rosar was well known in the cycling community as big advocate for riding safely.

His death has led to other cyclists making a concerted effort at promoting safety, with a new organization called The Peloton Project.

"We have the right to be on the road as a vehicle, and we have to behave like one," Terry Ryan said.

Ryan was friends with Rosar, and said his death last July made everyone in the cycling community take notice.

"It reinforced the idea that to the extent we can, we need to ride predictably," Ryan said.

That predictability is vital; ideally, cyclists never want to catch a driver by surprise.

"If there's an accident, the cars are usually going to win," Ryan said. "The bicycles aren't."

Read full article

End Canadian Seal Clubbing Massacre

I am ashamed to be part of the human race. Clubbing seals in Canada is criminal and a horrific act that should not be allowed to happen.
Any society that permits this kind of butchery should be banned from civilization. Shame on them!

"The Canadian government announced the 2010 quota: sealers will be allowed to kill 388,200 seal pups...leaving few survivors. However, conditions this year will result in the killing of far fewer seals than this quota."

"Harp seals give birth to their pups on solid sea ice. So, in 2007, when temperatures were so warm that little sea ice formed, and what did form was thin and unstable, many seal pups drowned before they were old enough to swim. In fact, most pups born in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence suffered this fate. This year appears to be a repeat of 2007 - or even worse."

Boycott Canadian Tourism
Boycott Canadian Seafood

Incredible Ride for Bicycle Coalition Leader

Thank you, Sir, for 18 years of great service! My hat is off to you and I am sure you will continue to do great things for the cycling world in the years ahead. 

"After 18 years, we've accomplished a lot, and it's time to move on to other things," Raburn said. "There is never a good time to quit. I wanted to go out on top. This has been an incredible ride."

Raburn became vice chair of the group in 1992, then chair a year later. He became executive director in 2002 and later expanded the group's reach into Contra Costa County and nearly three dozen East Bay cities. He also encouraged the coalition to open an office in Oakland's Fruitvale district in 2007 and hire staff to help bolster its profile.

"Instead of just meeting out of his garage, we didn't have a physical existence anywhere except in his garage and in our minds," Ayres said.

Coalition members count Raburn's leadership as critical to the group's accomplishments during the last two decades. Raburn, who once held board meetings in his garage, helped grow the group from 300 to its current 2,500 members, who are a loud voice for safer and expanded access for bicyclists on roadways, in open spaces, on transit systems and in the general public consciousness.

Read entire article

Ashtabula County Ohio Judge "Arm Themselves"

The rampant unemployment in Ashtabula County, Ohio, is so bad that a judge tells the residents to "arm themselves"

JEFFERSON -- In the ongoing financial crisis in Ashtabula County, the Sheriff's Department has been cut from 112 to 49 deputies.  With deputies assigned to transport prisoners, serve warrants and other duties, only one patrol car is assigned to patrrol the entire county of 720 square miles.

"I did the best with what they (the county commissioners) gave me. If it wasn't enough, don't blame me, don't blame this department," said Sheriff Billy Johnson. 
Johnson said he is suing the commissioners to get a determination of whether he should use his limited budget to carry out obligations defined by law or put more patrol cars on the streets.
"I just can't do it anymore," he said. "I have to have the court explain to the commissioners and to me what my statutory duties are."
The Ashtabula County Jail has confined as many as 140 prisoners. It now houses only 30 because of reductions in the staff of corrections officers.
All told, 700 accused criminals are on a waiting list to serve time in the jail. 
Are there dangerous people free among the 700 who cannot be locked up?
"There probably are," Sheriff Johnson said, "but I'm telling you, any known violent criminal, we're housing them. We've got murderers in there."
Ashtabula County is the largest county in Ohio by land area. 
Ashtabula County Common Pleas Judge Alfred Mackey was asked what residents should do to protect themselves and their families with the severe cutback in law enforcement.
"Arm themselves," the judge said. "Be very careful, be vigilant, get in touch with your neighbors, because we're going to have to look after each other."
Ashtabula County gun dealers and firearms instructors tell WKYC their business has really picked up since the Sheriff's Department cutbacks began some months ago.
"That's exactly why they are coming, so that they can protect themselves," says Tracy Williams, a certified firearms instructor in Jefferson. "They don't feel that they are protected. They want to be able to protect themselves."
Williams says interest in his classes has doubled recently, and many of those coming are people who he would not normally expect to have interest in obtaining a concealed carry permit.
"And as far as him (Judge Mackey) telling you to arm yourselves and protect yourselves, you don't have any other option," Williams told WKYC. "We don't have the law enforcement out here to handle it right now."

Ashtabula County, where unemployment is higher than the state average, is asking voters to approve a one half per cent sales tax increase in May.
The tax hike would raise the tax in the county to seven percent.

Source

Unemployment Benefits Claims on the Rise Again

The number of people who are being left without a job and are joining the unemployment lines is increasing again. Tsk, like we didn't know the number really never went down.

By Ruth Mantell, MarketWatch 

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The number of people applying for unemployment benefits rose 18,000 to a seasonally adjusted 460,000 in the week ended April 3, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected a result of 442,000. The four-week average of initial claims -- a better gauge of employment trends than the volatile weekly number - rose 2,250 to 450,250.

A Labor Department official said interpretation of the data now is clouded by the timing of the Easter holiday, which makes it difficult to properly adjust for seasonal factors.
Still, initial claims are down almost 30% from the same period of the prior year. While economists say recent data indicate that job destruction has moderated, claims would have to fall to about 400,000 to indicate a strong hiring trend.
For March, the Labor Department reported that the U.S. economy created 162,000 jobs, boosted by hiring for the Census and a rebound from bad weather. It marked the largest seasonally adjusted increase in nonfarm payrolls in three years.
For the week ended March 27, continuing claims fell 131,000 to 4.55 million. The four-week average of these ongoing claims declined 36,000 to 4.65 million, the lowest level since January 2009.
In the week ended March 20, about 5.8 million people were receiving extended federal benefits, down 223,000 from the prior week. The data on extended benefits are not seasonally adjusted.
The federal government has offered extended benefits for up to 99 weeks for workers in the hardest-hit states who cannot find jobs. Regular state unemployment benefits run out after 26 weeks.
Altogether, 11.1 million people were collecting some type of unemployment benefits in the week ended March 20, down about 373,000 from the prior week.

Ruth Mantell is a MarketWatch reporter based in Washington.

Article source  

Schleck Crashes Vuelta al Pais Vasco Apologies

Frank Shleck apologizes after crash. Française des Jeux team accepts apology.

"Nasty crash at 10km to go, fdj took me out!! Scary contusions everywhere and 4-5 stitches in the back of my head. I think I'm going to have to take a break," he Tweeted after the crash.


"It was supposed to be a peaceful stage but it did not turn out like that. A rider in front of him made a sudden move and Fränk lost his balance and was swept off the road and ended in a deep ditch,” Anderson said yesterday evening. “Apparently, he has a wound in his neck that needs stitches but we are still waiting for the doctor’s judgment.”


Schleck went on to say that "sh*t happens" in the peloton, acknowledging that yesterday's incident wasn't intentional. "fdj I'm sorry it had nothing to do with you guys, it was silly to think and blame it on another rider," he added.

 I didn't know that Frank Schleck knew bad words. He's a bad boy, but I love him like that.

Kyrgyzstan Riots Clashes Government Down

The US has a military base in Kyrgyzstan. The Russian government claims they did not intervene helping the opposition to overthrow the government. Kyrgyzstan is close to Afghanistan -where the United States is fighting yet another war- and President Barack Obama is in Prague right now.
Make your own conclusions with this information, links and videos. What do you think is happening? Chess game. Kings and queens moving fast with the power, money and information they have in advance, but the peons are hungry and desperate and fight back with what they have in hand.

Stay Smart Avoiding Memory Loss

Taking care of our capacity to think, rationalize and memorize should be one of our priorities in life. If we keep our brains healthy, we will have a healthier, longer and more fulfilling life.

There are many ways to prevent memory loss and mental confusion as you age. It is true that there is some predisposition in certain type of patients who carry an specific genetic risk factor, but that does not mean that the patient HAS to suffer from memory loss, not if we put our mind to it and work hard to avoid it and keep our brain matter healthier and sharper as long as we live.

I put these simple steps we all can follow to stay smart:

1. You are what you eat. Eating less saturated fat and more antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables is excellent for the brain.

2. Avoid excessive alcohol consumption. Each time someone gets drunk some around 100 thousand brain cells are killed by ethyl.

3. Do not smoke cigarettes. Smoking diminishes the amount of oxygen delivered to the brain cells by regular breathing. Make yourself a favor, if you love yourself, stop smoking and live longer and live smarter.

4. Exercise your mind. Keep your mental sharpness by making decisions of all kind,  play games, dare to win, read, write, invent, be creative, learn new things (languages, history, geography, etc), do crossword puzzles, play scrabble and chess...and dare yourself to win!

5. Exercise your body. Run, jog, get a bicycle and sweat, aerobics, dance. Physical activity keeps the blood flowing, brings more oxygen to the brain encouraging brain cell growth.

6. Do not stay lonely. Connect with others, engage in talking, sharing experiences, participate in different leisure activities, be social. Pets are also great for us, in many positive ways.

7. Control your blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose levels and body fat.

8. When you drive your car use your seat belt and wear a helmet when you bicycle.

9. Be happy, love and please yourself. You have the right to live long and healthy.

10.Don't take everyday problems too seriously. The past is gone, tomorrow will never come, today is all we have.

7.2 Earthquake Hits Baja Mexico California

UPDATES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST

Destroyed streets in Mexicali

Mexicali house damaged!

Oh man, it just happened 32 minutes ago, at 3:40 pm Pacific Time. It felt so strong and like it was never going to end. I was sitting watching the movie Contact with Jodie Foster when suddenly I felt like the couch was moving back and forth, then the walls started rolling and dishes fell. The car alarms went off and the palm tress of my yard were rocking.

Mexicali Store via Twitpic

According to the USGS, it was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, 175 km away from Tijuana, the epicenter was in Guadalupe Victoria, Baja California, Mexico.
We have had several aftershocks in Tijuana. It was pretty scary, but nothing happened to us, our cats nor our property.

Our neighbors are still playing ball, cooking carne asada and drinking beer. I don't think they felt the shaking very much not cared about it. I guess drinking Corona has its benefits in earthquake time, well, as long as the earthquake does not devastate the city. Thank goodness, our properties are well built and pretty resistant.

UPDATES:

1. 7.2 located in Baja California
2. Better location data:
* 26 km (16 miles) SSW (211°) from Guadalupe Victoria, Baja California, Mexico
* 61 km (38 miles) SW (227°) from San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico
* 64 km (40 miles) SW (225°) from San Luis, AZ
* 173 km (108 miles) ESE (106°) from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
3. The quake began at 3:40 p.m. California time, felt like it wobbled for close to a minute.
4 There's now also been a 4.1 quake near The Geysers in Napa-Sonoma wine country.
5. And a 3.1, possible aftershock, in San Diego County 3 miles WSW of Julian.
6 There is no water nor electricity nor phone in Mexicali and the aftershocks
continue.
7. LAFD (Los Angeles Fire Department) out checking key places in the city.
8. 4.5 magnitude quake at 4:09 pm closer to the border, 21 miles south of Ocotillo,
CA and 32 miles west southwest of Mexicali.
9. 5.1 mag quake at 4:15 p.m. along the border one mile from Imperial, CA.

Bloodbath Shooting at Los Angeles Restaurant

Just like I have been blogging lately, Los Angeles, CA  is going through out a severe financial crisis and social incivility with high crime rates. Shooting and killing 4 people at a popular restaurant in the Valley (North Hollywood) of Los Angeles, when the place was completely full with customers, it's a terrible scary act and it inspires me to go tomorrow to the market and cook my own meals at home from now on.
No more dinning for quite a while at Los Angeles area. Not until civility can be re-stablished. I am not going to put my family in danger, no way!

My heart goes out to all family and friends of those 4 people killed. Innocent victims of a mad man.

"A gunman opened fire at a mom-and-pop restaurant in Valley Village on Saturday afternoon, killing four people and wounding at least two others, Los Angeles police said.

The Hot Spot Cafe, a Mediterranean restaurant on Riverside Drive, was packed with customers when a man walked in and opened fire around 4:40 p.m., according to police officials.

He remained at large late Saturday.

Police officials said the shootings occurred in a matter of moments.

After shots were fired, the customers ran out of the restaurant and scattered on foot and in cars, they said.

The killer was a white male in his 30s, said Los Angeles police officer Rosario Herrera.

Three people were declared dead at the scene, Herrera said. Several more victims were taken to a hospital, where one later died, she said.

Police officials investigating the incident described the scene as a "blood bath." They are examining evidence to see whether there was an accomplice, according to officials.

"At this moment, it is an ongoing investigation," Herrera said. "We are unsure of the motive and we don't know exactly how it occurred."

Law enforcement sources, who asked not to be identified because the investigation is ongoing, said they believe the shooting might have involved Armenian gangs.

But they also said that they have no evidence that the victims were involved in gangs, noting that the case is in its early stages.

Several hours after the killings, police cordoned off Riverside Drive near Colfax Avenue."

Source to complete story

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Widget of the Week Ask Me Anything

This is a new way to interact with people across the Internet. It's in its infancy stage and sometimes has its glitches but I will give it sometime and try it out.
I personally like it and I hope the network grows just like Twitter did.
So far, I have noticed that Formspring.me people like to solve all technical issues promptly.
You can connect this great online form builder with your Twitter, Blogger, Tumblr and Facebook accounts.

Miguel Indurain Trhibute Cycling Inspiration

Gosh, I don't know if some of you guys feel sometimes quite weak and fatigued like I do now. This morning I could hardly pedal without puffing and hurting. My heart beat barely reached the lows of my power zone for 40 minutes in a 2 hour ride. Pathetic, wasn't it, when my normal is at least 1:30:00 hour in a 2 hr work out.
The rare thing is, that I do not feel tired performing my regular daily activities, like working, performing surgical procedures, vegetable gardening, etc. I feel this sense of physical exhaustion only when I'm training. And this is not my regular self. I can usually go and gp on flat, false flats and steep hill/mountain roads for long time without caring about the overload of acid lactic in my muscles. But not for the last 2 weeks, and this morning I almost cracked and felt like dismounting my bike and give up.
Then I remembered several cycling moments of my favorite riders, like Lance Armstrong, Jan Ulrich, Mark Cavendish, Miguel Indurain, Mercx, Marco Pantani, and so many others. I remember their glory and how they never gave up. So I continued and came back home...on my bike!

If some of you out there need some cycling inspiration (like I do now), here there's a video. I hope you like it and motivates you to go out tomorrow to kick some butts on the road or on the mountains.

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