text:
Tom Danielson
Chris Horner
Alexandre Vinokourov interview
A-Team of Alexandre and Andrey
Rest Day 2 wrap
Janez Brajkovic interview
Francisco Ventoso interview
Mario De Sarraga interview
Caisse d'Epargne goals
Foreigners need not apply
Discovery preview
61st Vuelta a Espa�a - GT
Spain, August 26-September 17, 2006
Main Page Results Overall standings Stage Details Live report Previous Stage Next Stage
Stage 2 - August 27: M�laga - C�rdoba, 167 km
Success for The Cricket and the Thunder God
Stage to Bettini, maillot oro to Hushovd
By Shane Stokes in C�rdoba, with additional reporting from Hernan Alvarez
Paolo Bettini (Quick.Step)
Photo ©: Unipublic
As was the case eight weeks ago, Norwegian rider Thor Hushovd finds himself in a Grand Tour leader's jersey thanks to his blistering turn of speed. A storming prologue ride earned him the maillot jaune last month, while today strong placings in bonus sprints plus a close second behind Italian champion Paolo Bettini at the finish saw him leap into the race lead of the Vuelta a Espa�a.
The final sprint was a chaotic affair, with riders lined right across the road on C�rdoba's Avenida Rep�blica Argentina. The wide boulevard meant that it was as much about timing as position; Erik Zabel's Team Milram hit the front too soon, as did Robbie McEwen's leadout du jour Fred Rodriguez. The Australian pumped his legs and wrenched his arms, fighting to get every bit of speed out of his bike, but cracked with fifty metres to go as Hushovd moved alongside and then started pulling away. But it was Bettini who read the gallop to perfection, making his move at precisely the right time to beat the pure sprinters and nab his second ever Vuelta stage win.
"This is a very important victory for my morale," beamed a positively chirpy Italian national champion at the post-race press conference. "The world road race championships on the 24th of September is a big goal for me and so to win here boosts my motivation. It helps me to relax and head there with strong morale.
"It is a big pleasure to take this victory ahead of all the specialists who are here. I have beaten them in the past in one-on-one sprints but to do so in a big bunch finish is special. I am not a pure sprinter, I normally do better on harder stages, but today my positioning was very good and I was able to make the most of that."
'Il Grillo' Bettini said that he is fully focused on being ready for the World's in a month's time. "I will try to arrive at the world championships in top form. It is a course that I like - a very nervous one, a course like the classics. It is not guaranteed that the bunch will arrive together in the sprint, but instead everyone will have to ride hard. It could also suit riders such as Freire, Valverde or Vinokourov.
"Selecting the leader for the Italian team always tends to be a complicated process but I am hoping that I will be given that position."
New leader Thor Hushovd was pleased with how his day went, although he said he'd have exchanged Bettini's success for his own. "Today I would have preferred a stage win because I am a sprinter and the most important thing for me is to win a stage. But I am really happy to have the jersey here in the Tour of Spain," he said. "I had it in the Tour de France and now I have it in another big stage race, so I am really happy with that. Anyway, for sure I am going to have many opportunities to get a stage victory later on in this Tour of Spain."
Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole)
Heading to the line it looked like it was Hushovd who was going to land the win, but he was outfoxed by the crafty Olympic champion, who edged past to repeat his success of stage 16 last year. He was surprised by this. "I did not expect that Bettini was going to win the stage. I know that sometimes he can do a good sprint, he just has to come out of a good position like what he did today. I just wanted to sit on Milram's wheel because I knew they had a strong team leadout. When Robbie went I jumped as well and we did the sprint side by side against each other. I beat him, which was good, but Bettini surprised us both when he came by in the last few metres."
Hushovd also finished second in the two intermediate sprints, collecting eight seconds in bonuses. Although a stage win was his primary goal, he confirmed that taking the maillot oro was also a target. "I was thinking to at least try to get this jersey. It is always good to lead a big race and have the leader's jersey. So that is why I tried in the intermediate sprints."
Now that he's on top of the general classification, what are his thoughts on what happened in the Tour de France when he was leading there? "At the Tour I had that problem on the first sprint stage when I had the yellow jersey [he suffered a very bad cut to the arm after a mishap in the sprint]. First of all, when I saw all the blood I was scared, but afterwards when I went to hospital and got it stitched together, it wasn't too bad. I was thinking that maybe I have bad luck with the yellow jersey because in 2004 I had it, but crashed as well. But afterwards I got it back two days later so it is just something that can happen in the sprints, especially in the Tour de France."
Final question for him: when he was heading to this Vuelta, was his main aim to win a stage, prepare for the worlds or finish in Madrid? "First of all it was to win a stage," he answered. "Now I have taken yellow so that is one small goal I have achieved. After this my goal is to get a stage win, and then after ten days I will see how I am fixed for the points classification. If I am well placed then I am going to go for that.
"For sure I am going to try to do everything to try to finish this Tour and arrive to Madrid. If I am in good condition I will certainly go to the World's. That is one big ambition in this Vuelta, to get good form for the World's as well."
Carlos Sastre (CSC)
Race leader Carlos Sastre looked likely to lose the maillot oro due to his lack of a finishing kick, but whatever tiny chance he had of taking a time bonus disappeared when he punctured with two clicks to go. The UCI rule governing mishaps in the final three kilometres made sure he would get the bunch time, but he had no such insurance against the finishing speed of Hushovd, who finished the day two seconds ahead of Bettini and seven up on Sastre. The Spaniard won't be too worried, though, as he knows that the mountains are where his efforts will count.
"I had a puncture with two and a half kilometres to go, he told Spain's radio Cadena SER after the stage. "So, as might be expected, I arrived behind the peloton. There weren't any other problems."
"Today the team did what we planned to do. We will have three more steady stages and then we will start in the mountains."
He also commented on the early start. "It was strange," he said. "We finished yesterday a bit late and we woke up today very early. But when you end early you have the afternoon and the whole evening to recover yourself, to have massage, to stay calm. For us that is much better".
As for McEwen, he said before the start that he was targeting at least one stage win in the race but eased back when he knew today would not be the day. As a result of that, Luca Paolini (Liquigas) was third over the line while the Australian took fourth, one place ahead of Uros Murn (Phonak). However tomorrow's 219 kilometre northwestward trek to Almendralejo is another mainly flat affair and so the sprinters who missed out today could well have another shot at Vuelta glory. That's presuming another surprise isn't in store; lightning never strikes twice, but could the Cricket?
How it unfolded
The peloton
Cordoba is a city in Northern Andalusia that has been heavily influenced by Arabian culture, like other Andalusian cities such as Granada or Seville, due to the long Arab occupation centuries ago. Cordoba's famous mosque is known worldwide. Italy's Leonardo Bertagnolli won in the last year's Vuelta in Cordoba, then being the fourth Italian to do so in seven finishes here.
The 189 riders who finished stage 1 yesterday in Malaga took the start today at the city of Pablo Picasso. s Raul Garcia De Mateo Rubio (Relax-GAM) was the first rider to attack, and when he was brought back after 3 km, his teammate Mario De S�rraga made the move that stuck. He was briefly joined by Saunier Duval's David De La Fuente, who had mechanical problems and had to drop back.
On the first climb of the day (Alto de Casabermeja, Cat. 3, 530 m above sea level, km 20.5), the Relax rider had a 6'50 lead. On the second climb (Alto de las Pedrizas, Cat. 3, 780 m, km 29.5), De S�rraga extended his gap to around 10 minutes to the peloton at that point, and got the mountain jersey after passing both climbs in first place. Mario De S�rraga continued his solo attack and increased the difference as he led by 13'05 at km 65. That prompted some teams like Milram to start to pick up the pace in order to catch the lone rider.
Mario De Sarraga (Relax-Gam)
The Relax rider resisted the efforts of the bunch, but the odds were now against him as a lone rider, and his lead dropped to 10'19 at km 78. However, he had a long way to go to get home. At km 96, the peloton had cut a couple of minutes and the difference was 8'24. At the first intermediate sprint of the day (Monturque � km 109) the peloton had cropped the gap back to 7'07. Meanwhile, Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) and Magnus B�ckstedt (Liquigas) were second and third respectively at that point, picking up 4 and 2 bonus seconds for their efforts.
The bunch decided to go breakaway and reduced the lead to 5'50 at km 115. The big group was getting closer and 16 km later, it was just 3'03. De S�rraga's time as solo leader was about to end. At the second and last intermediate sprint (Fernan Nu�ez � 38 km to go), the rider in red was just 2'04 ahead of the peloton with Hushovd and B�ckstedt again second and third.
Benoit Joachim (Discovery)
With 34 km to go, other two riders, Beno�t Joachim (Discovery Channel) and Thierry Marichal (Cofidis) joined the lone leader. It didn't take long for Joachim and Marichal to leave the tired De S�rraga behind, but they themselves were only ahead by 50 seconds. The pair was easily caught by the peloton with 13 kilometres to go, and the bunch sprint was set.
Credit Agricole with Thor Hushovd and Davitamon Lotto with Robbie McEwen were ready for the final kick, while Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) preferred to sit it out, but Milram still had three men for Erik Zabel in the final kilometre and a half. But Zabel didn't get a chance, as Davitamon's Fred Rodriguez anticipated the sprint with 400m to go, with captain McEwen on his wheel. Unfortunately for McEwen, he was left on his own too early, and ran out of legs in the last 50 metres to see Bettini, Hushovd and Paolini pass him in that order.
It was a great sprint by Bettini against the specialists, and Hushovd's second place was enough to put him in gold.
Stage 3 � August 28: Cordoba-Almendralejo, 219km
The Vuelta a Espa�a will arrive in Almendralejo, Extremadura tomorrow after many years. It is a pretty flat stage with just two category 3 climbs, both at the very beginning: Alto de Villaviciosa (550 m. above sea level, km 6) and Puerto del Aire (750 m., km 30). It's a non-decisive stage, and the sprinters should reign again. The climbs are small, and the sprinters teams fresh, so a result similar to today can be expected.
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Unipublic
The queue to sign on
Daniele Nardello (T-Mobile) signs a t-shirt
Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) chats to Inigo Cuesta (CSC)
Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) waiting for the start
Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) sits in the start village
Di Luca and Petacchi don't look impressed
Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) smiles at the start
Carlos Sastre (CSC) smiling at the start
Cutting the ribbon to start stage 2
Race director Victor Codero blows the whistle to start stage 2
The peloton rides through the barren Spanish countryside
Ra�l Garc�a De Mateo (Relax) was the first attacker of the day
The peloton still relaxed
Chente Garcia Acosta (L) chats to Pedro Horillo (R)
That looks dark
Denis Menchov (Rabobank) looking cool
Over another small climb
Easing into it on stage 2
The bunch on its way
Carlos Sastre (CSC) chats to Cyril Dessel in the peloton
Iban Mayo (L) chats to a teammate
Look out for the flag
Mario De Sarraga (Relax-Gam) working hard
Mario De Sarraga (Relax-Gam) on his own for much of the day
Relax-Gam boys at the back
Lars Bak (CSC) working for Sastre
Carlos Sastre (CSC) chats to his director
Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d'Epargne) in the bunch
Davitamon-Lotto in command of the chase
Mario De Sarraga (Relax-Gam) passes an intermediate sprint
Mario De Sarraga (Relax-Gam) looks back to see Joachim and Marichal coming
Benoit Joachim (Discovery) and Thierry Marichal (Cofidis) after catching De Sarraga
The peloton strung out on the run into Cordoba
Paolo Bettini (Quick.Step) wins the stage with a great sprint
Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) puts on the maillot oro
Paolo Bettini (Quick.Step) in the points jersey
Images by Shane Stokes/Cyclingnews.com
Vladimir Karpets and Iban Mayo at the start in Malaga
Olympic champ Paolo Bettini is building form before the World's.
So too Alexandre Vinokourov who, along with Bettini, was in the middle of the fight for gold last year until Tom Boonen stole the show
Vinokourov's BH bike
He topped the podium twice in the Tour and now Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) is looking for a stage success here.
Davide Rebellin had very bad luck yesterday, the Gerolsteiner rider crashing during the TTT
The effects of that crash were very visible today
Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) is trying to top the podium on at least one stage here, thus taking a victory in each of the Grand Tours this season.
1 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic                    4.19.31 (38.61 km/h)
2 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole
3 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas
4 Robbie Mcewen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto
5 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems
6 Francisco Jos� Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir
7 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
8 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Fran�aise des Jeux
9 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance
10 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram
11 Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone
12 Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Astana Team
13 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC
14 Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
15 Claudio Corioni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
16 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team CSC
17 Aaron Kemps (Aus) Astana Team
18 Franck Renier (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
19 Mauricio Ardila (Col) Rabobank
20 Andr� Greipel (Ger) T-Mobile Team
21 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team CSC
22 Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
23 Aur�lien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems
24 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto
25 Rony Martias (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
26 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
27 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Credit Agricole
28 Dario David Cioni (Ita) Liquigas
29 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
30 Ren� Haselbacher (Aut) Gerolsteiner
31 Pedro Horrillo (Spa) Rabobank
32 Christophe Detilloux (Bel) Fran�aise des Jeux
33 Marco Velo (Ita) Team Milram
34 Nicki Sorensen (Den) Team CSC
35 Pablo Lastras (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears
36 Rub�n P�rez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
37 Nacor Burgos (Spa) Relax-Gam
38 Michael Barry (Can) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
39 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas
40 Jos� Ange Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir
41 Samuel S�nchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
42 Francesco Failli (Ita) Liquigas
43 Thomas Ziegler (Ger) T-Mobile Team
44 Davide Vigano (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic
45 Miguel A. Mart�n Perdiguero (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems
46 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic
47 Kevin De Weert (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic
48 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
49 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
50 Lorenzo Bernucci (Ita) T-Mobile Team
51 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval-Prodir
52 Luis P�rez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone
53 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
54 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Credit Agricole
55 Kevin Van Impe (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic
56 Nicolas Jalabert (Fra) Phonak Hearing Systems
57 Jos� Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance
58 Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic
59 Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Credit Agricole
60 Serguei Yakovlev (Kaz) Astana Team
61 Alexandre Usov (Blr) AG2R Prevoyance
62 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone
63 Robert F�rster (Ger) Gerolsteiner
64 Alessandro Spezialetti (Ita) Liquigas
65 J�r�me Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
66 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank
67 Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank
68 Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
69 Andrea Moletta (Ita) Gerolsteiner
70 S�bastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone
71 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
72 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank
73 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team CSC
74 Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto
75 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Lampre-Fondital
76 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
77 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team
78 Theo Eltink (Ned) Rabobank
79 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance
80 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) T-Mobile Team
81 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance
82 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Phonak Hearing Systems
83 Carlos Barredo (Spa) Astana Team
84 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team
85 Fr�d�ric Finot (Fra) Fran�aise des Jeux
86 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
87 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
88 Luis Le�n S�nchez (Spa) Astana Team
89 Andr� Korff (Ger) T-Mobile Team
90 Juan Jos� Cobo (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir
91 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
92 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir
93 Aketza Pe�a (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
94 Xabier Zandio (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears
95 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
96 Ian Mcleod (RSA) Fran�aise des Jeux
97 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears
98 Alberto Ben�tez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir
99 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Credit Agricole
100 Steve Morabito (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems
101 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears
102 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears
103 Joan Horrach (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears
104 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
105 David Navas (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance
106 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
107 Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Credit Agricole
108 �ngel G�mez G�mez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir
109 David Ca�ada (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir
110 Bastiaan Giling (Ned) T-Mobile Team
111 David Loosli (Swi) Lampre-Fondital
112 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears
113 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Team Milram
114 Jorge Garc�a (Spa) Relax-Gam
115 Bingen Fern�ndez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone
116 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas
117 Herv� Duclos-Lassalle (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone
118 William Walker (Aus) Rabobank
119 Markel Irizar (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
120 Luis Fern�ndez Oliveira (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems
121 Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance
122 Pieter Mertens (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto
123 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Lampre-Fondital
124 S�bastien Rosseler (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic
125 I�igo Chaurreau (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance
126 Charles Wegelius (GBr) Liquigas
127 Xavier Florencio (Spa) Bouygues Telecom
128 I�igo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
129 Jos� Miguel Elias (Spa) Relax-Gam
130 I�igo Cuesta (Spa) Team CSC
131 Pierre Drancourt (Bel) Bouygues Telecom
132 Ra�l Garc�a De Mateo (Spa) Relax-Gam
133 Stephan Schreck (Ger) T-Mobile Team
134 Beno�t Joachim (Lux) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
135 St�phane Goubert (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance
136 Josep Jufre (Spa) Davitamon-Lotto
137 Marco Marzano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
138 Florian Stalder (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems
139 Dario Andriotto (Ita) Liquigas
140 Fabien Patanchon (Fra) Fran�aise des Jeux
141 Sergio Paulinho (Por) Astana Team
142 Markus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner
143 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank
144 Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Team CSC
145 David George (RSA) Relax-Gam
146 Eric Leblacher (Fra) Fran�aise des Jeux
147 Steve Zampieri (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems
148 J�r�my Roy (Fra) Fran�aise des Jeux
149 Wim De Vocht (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto
150 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir
151 Torsten Hiekmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner
152 Beno�t Poilvet (Fra) Credit Agricole
153 Scott Davis (Aus) T-Mobile Team
154 Daniele Nardello (Ita) T-Mobile Team
155 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner
156 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC
157 Freddy Bichot (Fra) Fran�aise des Jeux
158 Fr�d�ric Bessy (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone
159 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank
160 Jos� Vicent Garcia Acosta (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears
161 Jes�s Hern�ndez (Spa) Relax-Gam
162 S�bastien Joly (Fra) Fran�aise des Jeux
163 �ngel Vallejo (Spa) Relax-Gam
164 Daniel Becke (Ger) Team Milram
165 Kjell Carlstr�m (Fin) Liquigas
166 Jos� Antonio Redondo (Spa) Astana Team
167 Daniel Moreno (Spa) Relax-Gam
168 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Gerolsteiner
169 Jos� Antonio Garrido (Spa) Quick Step-Innergetic
170 Alberto Ongarato (Ita) Team Milram
171 Addy Engels (Ned) Quick Step-Innergetic
172 Sven Montgomery (Swi) Gerolsteiner
173 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone
174 Mathieu Claude (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                         0.25
175 Volodymyr Dyudya (Ukr) Team Milram                            0.58
176 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC
177 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Team Milram                         1.16
178 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears
179 Bj�rn Leukemans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto
180 Mads Kaggestad (Nor) Credit Agricole                          2.02
181 Marcel Strauss (Swi) Gerolsteiner
182 Anthony Charteau (Fra) Credit Agricole
183 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Team Milram
184 Thierry Marichal (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone
185 Sebastian Siedler (Ger) Team Milram
186 Christophe Kern (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                        3.04
187 Olivier Kaisen (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                          3.19
188 Bart Dockx (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                              3.21
189 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam                              6.39
1 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic                         25 pts
2 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole                                20
3 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas                                       16
4 Robbie Mcewen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto                               14
5 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems                            12
6 Francisco Jos� Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                 10
7 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                9
8 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Fran�aise des Jeux                            8
9 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance                           7
10 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram                                      6
11 Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone             5
12 Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Astana Team                                   4
13 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC                                     3
14 Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                           2
15 Claudio Corioni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                             1
Alto de Casabermeja - Cat. 3, km 20
1 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam                                   6 pts
2 Rub�n P�rez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                4
3 Jos� Antonio Garrido (Spa) Quick Step-Innergetic                   2
4 Beno�t Joachim (Lux) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team            1
Puerto de las Pedrizas - Cat. 3, km 30
Monturque - km 109.2
2 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole                                 2
3 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas                                    1
Fern�n N��ez - km 138
1 Team CSC                                                    12.58.33
2 Euskaltel - Euskadi
3 Bouygues Telecom
4 Liquigas
5 Phonak Hearing Systems
6 Credit Agricole
7 Astana
8 Quick Step - Innergetic
9 Saunier Duval - Prodir
10 Lampre - Fondital
11 Davitamon - Lotto
12 T- Mobile Team
13 Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
14 Rabobank
15 Fran�aise des Jeux
16 Cofidis, le Credit Par Telephone
17 Ag2r Prevoyance
18 Team Milram
19 Gerolsteiner
20 Caisse D'Epargne - Illes Balears
21 Relax - GAM
General classification after stage 2
1 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole                           4.27.00
2 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic                       0.02
3 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC                                   0.07
4 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team CSC
5 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team CSC
6 Nicki Sorensen (Den) Team CSC
7 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team CSC
8 I�igo Cuesta (Spa) Team CSC
9 Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Team CSC
10 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC
11 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC                               0.11
12 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas                                    0.12
13 Pablo Lastras (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears             0.14
16 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears
17 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears
18 Jos� Vicent Garcia Acosta (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears
19 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram                                   0.15
21 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Team Milram
22 Daniel Becke (Ger) Team Milram
23 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team         0.16
31 Beno�t Joachim (Lux) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
32 Joan Horrach (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears              0.17
33 Andr� Greipel (Ger) T-Mobile Team                              0.18
38 Bastiaan Giling (Ned) T-Mobile Team
39 Stephan Schreck (Ger) T-Mobile Team
40 Scott Davis (Aus) T-Mobile Team
41 Daniele Nardello (Ita) T-Mobile Team
42 Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Astana Team                                0.19
49 Sergio Paulinho (Por) Astana Team
50 Jos� Antonio Redondo (Spa) Astana Team
51 Francisco Jos� Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir              0.20
61 David Ca�ada (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir
63 Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Credit Agricole
64 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas
65 Charles Wegelius (GBr) Liquigas
66 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir
67 Beno�t Poilvet (Fra) Credit Agricole
68 Davide Vigano (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic                      0.22
74 S�bastien Rosseler (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic
75 Jos� Antonio Garrido (Spa) Quick Step-Innergetic
76 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team     0.23
77 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                            0.25
89 Markel Irizar (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
90 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears
91 William Walker (Aus) Rabobank
92 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank
93 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank
94 Ren� Haselbacher (Aut) Gerolsteiner                            0.26
96 Markus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner
97 Torsten Hiekmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner
98 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Gerolsteiner
99 Sven Montgomery (Swi) Gerolsteiner
100 Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                       0.28
101 Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
102 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Lampre-Fondital
107 Francesco Failli (Ita) Liquigas                               0.29
110 Franck Renier (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                          0.31
111 Rony Martias (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
112 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
113 J�r�me Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
114 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
116 Robbie Mcewen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto                           0.32
117 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto
118 Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto
121 Pierre Drancourt (Bel) Bouygues Telecom                       0.33
122 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems                        0.34
123 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance
124 Aur�lien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems
125 Miguel A. Mart�n Perdiguero (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems
126 Jos� Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance
127 Alexandre Usov (Blr) AG2R Prevoyance
128 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Phonak Hearing Systems
129 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance
130 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance
139 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Fran�aise des Jeux                       0.35
140 Christophe Detilloux (Bel) Fran�aise des Jeux
141 Fr�d�ric Finot (Fra) Fran�aise des Jeux
145 Nicolas Jalabert (Fra) Phonak Hearing Systems                 0.36
146 Aketza Pe�a (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
147 Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone         0.37
148 Luis P�rez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone
149 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone
150 S�bastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone
154 Claudio Corioni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                         0.40
155 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
156 Fabien Patanchon (Fra) Fran�aise des Jeux                     0.41
157 Wim De Vocht (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                            0.43
159 Nacor Burgos (Spa) Relax-Gam                                  0.44
166 Ian Mcleod (RSA) Fran�aise des Jeux                           0.45
167 Robert F�rster (Ger) Gerolsteiner                             0.47
168 �ngel G�mez G�mez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                  0.48
170 Alberto Ongarato (Ita) Team Milram                            0.51
171 Addy Engels (Ned) Quick Step-Innergetic                       1.01
173 David George (RSA) Relax-Gam                                  1.15
175 Fr�d�ric Bessy (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone         1.29
176 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears             1.30
178 Bj�rn Leukemans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                         1.59
179 Sebastian Siedler (Ger) Team Milram                           2.17
182 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Team Milram                            2.42
183 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner                            2.57
184 Thierry Marichal (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone       3.22
188 Marcel Strauss (Swi) Gerolsteiner                             4.59
Points classification
8 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam                                   8
10 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance                          7
16 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas                                   2
Mountains classification
1 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam                                  12 pts
Combination classification
1 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam                                 198 pts
Teams classification
2 Caisse D'Epargne - Illes Balears                                0.07
3 Team Milram                                                     0.08
4 Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                              0.09
5 T- Mobile Team                                                  0.11
6 Astana                                                          0.12
7 Liquigas                                                        0.13
10 Quick Step - Innergetic                                        0.15
11 Euskaltel - Euskadi                                            0.18
13 Gerolsteiner                                                   0.19
14 Lampre - Fondital                                              0.21
15 Bouygues Telecom                                               0.24
16 Davitamon - Lotto                                              0.25
17 Phonak Hearing Systems                                         0.27
19 Fran�aise des Jeux                                             0.28
20 Cofidis, le Credit Par Telephone                               0.30
21 Relax - GAM                                                    0.37


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Grid, An App That Helps You Organize Ideas And Projects, Announces A Seed Round From Jerry Yang, Phil Libin And Others
Billy Gallagher	7 years
Grid, an "Excel minus the equations" app that helps you plan and organize more effectively and beautifully, announced today that it has raised a seed round. The app, made by a former Microsoft Excel designer, is an interesting take on the way many people use Google Docs or Excel spreadsheets.
Investors in the round are Phil Libin (CEO of Evernote), Jerry Yang (founder of Yahoo), Yuri Milner (founder of DST Global), Innovation Endeavors, Founders Fund Angel, General Catalyst, Dan Rose (VP of Business Development at Facebook), Joshua Reeves (CEO of Zen Payroll), Jared Friedman (Founder of Scribd), John Suliman (Managing Partner at Step Partners), and Salesforce.com.
While Grid founder Josh Leong tells me he raised the round shortly after finishing Y Combinator Summer 2012, he didn't announce the round until today. Terms of the round, including the amount raised, were not disclosed.
Leong says the money will go toward engineering talent, as the team is currently Leong and three engineers. He adds that users will probably see monetization features, likely a premium version available on a subscription basis, by the end of the year.
We covered Grid when it launched last summer in beta, but the version that went live in the App Store a couple of weeks ago looks much more user-friendly. You can see a video for one of Grid's most practical uses, planning the logistics of a trip with friends, below.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home > Predictions And Tips > Manchester City V Manchester United Betting Tips Predictions Previews
predictions-and-tips
Manchester City v Manchester United Betting Tips, Predictions and Previews
Etihad Stadium - Premier League
The Manchester derby has an added spice this weekend, as Manchester City can seal the Premier League title with a win over their rivals Manchester United.
City won 2-1 at Old Trafford earlier this season, with Nicolas Otamendi's second half goal securing all three points for Pep Guardiola's side.
United's last Premier League win over their big rivals was in October 2016, with Marcus Rashford scoring the winner in a 1-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola is likely to wait until closer to kick off to make a decision on the fitness of striker Sergio Aguero, who missed their Champions League defeat to Liverpool with a knee injury.
Other than Aguero, City have no fresh injury problems, with Bernard Mendy still a long term absentee, but Guardiola could opt to rest some of his stars for their second leg match against Liverpool next week.
Defensive duo Phil Jones and Daley Blind are both back in training for United, but Jose Mourinho is unlikely to start either of them in this game.
Manchester City v Manchester United Preview and Predictions
City will be keen to clinch the title against their arch rivals, and Guardiola's first league title in England, but the Liverpool defeat has changed the dynamics of this tie.
The former Barcelona boss will now alter his line up, as he knows that his players will need to give everything to beat Liverpool next week, whilst the title can be wrapped up at a later date.
He will not alter things massively, but the likes of Vincent Kompany, David Silva, Fernandinho may not be in a position for three games in seven days.
This will play into Mourinho's hands, who is in a position to name a full strength side, and frustrate City's title quest - for at least another week.
Given the surrounding factors, a draw priced at 13/5 looks to be the best option here.
Despite the strong attacking talent available to both managers, do not expect this to be a goal fest, as just two their last five Premier League goals have had a total of over two goals.
With that in mind, an under 2.5 total goals bet is available at around Evens.
A 1-1 draw at 13/2
Under different circumstances a City win would be the option here, but Guardiola will be stung by the Liverpool result and he will need to cut his cloth accordingly and with the title essentially secured his focus could be swayed slightly for this game.
Marcus Rashford to score first at 17/2
Rashford has scored twice in his last six appearances in the Manchester derby, more than any other player in that run of meetings and he is in form. He has twelve goals across all competitions this season, and his double against Liverpool last month proves he is coming into form ahead of the season run in.
Switzerland v Republic of Ireland Predictions,...
Bulgaria v England Predictions, Betting Tips and...
Wales v Croatia Predictions, Betting Tips and...
Scotland v San Marino Predictions, Betting Tips...


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Lindsay Lohan Calls Out Cody Simpson for 'Settling' With Miley Cyrus
Cindy Ord/Jean Baptiste Lacroix, Getty Images
Lindsay Lohan isn't a fan of Cody Simpson's new girlfriend Miley Cyrus.
After correctly guessing he was the celebrity behind the robot mask on The Masked Singer Australia, the Mean Girls actress took a swipe at Simpson's relationship in a since-deleted Instagram post on Monday night (October 22).
According to screenshot posted to Twitter, Lohan shaded the new couple and said the Australian singer had "settled for less" by dating Cyrus. To make things more awkward, she called out Simpson with a photo of him and her younger sister, Ali Lohan, who he briefly dated last year.
"When you realise you failed. And you settle for less @codysimpson," the caption read. "Family is everything you won the masked singer but you lost on your future."
But that's not all. During the final episode of The Masked Singer, Lohan brought up Simpson's relationship with her sister as well and even claimed to have furnished his home in Los Angeles.
"I'm thinking it's Cody Simpson," she said of the robot character. "It would be a really big throw-off if it was Cody cause he dated my sister for a long time... I feel like I know you and that's what scares me the most."
"If it is you, we have a lot to talk about, and this is not the arena for it," Lohan added. "I want my furniture back! Because I bought your furniture for your house in Venice!"
Simpson later explained the furniture jab in an interview with Punkee:
"I had this kind of beach shack there near Venice Beach, and I had been living there for a couple of years and I was seeing her sister for a short period at that time and she was staying there with me," he said. "I was sleeping on a mattress on the floor because that was the vibe of the house and I loved it."
He continued, "And she [Ali] was like 'you can't be sleeping on a mattress, you need to have a bed frame' and I was like 'nah, I'm cool, I like this.' She was like 'Lindsay is going to order you this stuff' but it never ended up coming and we didn't know where it went."
Musicians Who Have Called Out Other Artists
Source: Lindsay Lohan Calls Out Cody Simpson for 'Settling' With Miley Cyrus
Filed Under: Cody Simpson, Lindsay Lohan
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Prof. Dr. Andreas Freytag is a Senior Research Associate at SAIIA, Senior Research Fellow at ECIPE, Professor of Economics at the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Honorary Professor at the University of Stellenbosch, and Director of Tutwa Germany.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Freytag is Professor of Economics at the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena and Honorary Professor at the University of Stellenbosch. He is also Director of Tutwa Germany, a Senior Research Fellow at ECIPE, Brussels, and a Senior Research Associate at SAIIA, Johannesburg; he is associated to the G8 Research Group at the University of Toronto.
Freytag has obtained his diploma from the University of Kiel, his doctorate as well his Habilitation from the University of Cologne. Prior to his appointment in Jena, he worked at the Kiel Institute for World Economics, the University of Cologne, Cambridge University (as Visiting Scholar), and the Eesti Pank, Tallinn, Estonia. He has been consultant for the EU-Commission, the OECD, the IMF, the World Bank and various public and private clients in Germany and abroad.
Freytag was a member of the executive board of the European Public Choice Society from 2006 to 2009 and SAIIA's Bradlow Fellow 2008. He has published a number of books and articles in first-class peer-reviewed journals on economic policy, international trade policy, development economics and international policy coordination. He contributes to blogs and has a weekly column on wiwo-online, a German magazine.


Trial cultivation Project "Cherry Tomato"
The cherry tomato cultivation project has started since April 2017.
The house itself is 300 tsubo, but now we are proceeding with the test cultivation.
The test cultivation is called the coral sand method that has never been used until now, and we will test whether thesweet and delicious cherry tomatoes can be cultivated.
I've been researching for more than 10 years, but I can't get fruit that is more than 10.
Although capital investment is a big necessity for this purpose, we are planning to take the final challenge tothe management.
I would like to use a nondestructive sugar meter to find the fruits that are harvested from the next spring.
The image processing is now possible in the image processing, so I hope you can show the results.
By proposing the efficient operation of idle farmland in the aging society, we hope to cope with theproblem of underpopulation and aging.


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Q: wordpress url correction I have my wordpress site in a root folder like this "www.mysite/myblog/"
so to get to the blog you have to go to "www.mysite/myblog/"
I'm wanting to make it so that a user can go to "www.mysite" and it hits the blog. What do I need to do. All my images and everything have the ".../myblog/" path. I don't want to have to go through and correct all this because I'm sure that I'll mess something up.
so basically wanting some help on how to do this.
any advice would be great!

A: Copy the index.php and .htaccess file(Just copy it , do not move it ) from myblog directory to root directory.
Open index.php file in any text editor and find the following code in the file.
/** Loads the WordPress Environment and Template */
require('./wp-blog-header.php');

Replace it with the following code and save the file.
/** Loads the WordPress Environment and Template */
require('./myblog/wp-blog-header.php');

Go to the General Settings page from settings section in the back end and change Site Address (URL) field to http://wwww.mysite.com as shown below in screenshot.

You can get more information on this settings from this page.
You can access backend of site from this URL : http://www.mysite.com/myblog/wp-admin
If you face any problem then let me know..

A: I case of an Apache HTTP server you can try this:
RewriteRule ^/$ /myblog/ [QSA,L]

This will take care of the home page.

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text:
Delhi-dirty, loud, frustrating, poor & congested
The India Gate is the most famous landmark in Delhi, built in 1931, to honor more than 70000 soldiers killed in World War I; drivers will honk constantly even when in bumper to bumper traffic (as if that will help!)
Built starting in 1562, the tomb of Humayun (the second Mughal emperor) is considered a prototype for the Taj Mahal; it is estimated that 49% of locals live in slums while almost 22% of the people do open defecation
Swaminarayan Akshardham is the world's largest comprehensive Hindu temple (it measures 356 ft long, 316 ft wide and 141 ft high); we had to check our backpacks and no phones or cameras were allowed on the grounds
We searched for 2 days to find a place to catch the Delhi Hop On, Hop Off bus with no success; we never saw a single bus but had hoped to use the service to more easily navigate the crazy traffic here
My sense of personal space did not mesh with the habits of Indians as they insisted on squeezing up against me; this was the norm no matter where we were so wearing backpacks on the front was safer
With an estimated 2016 population of more than 35 million people, Delhi is the world's second-largest urban area; the air pollution is horrendous and there is trash everywhere
Qutub Minar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a 73 m tapering tower of five stories that was begun in 1192; the mosque complex is one of the earliest that survives in the Indian subcontinent
The Iron Pillar of Delhi is 24 ft high, weighs 13000 lbs and was constructed in 402 AD; it has attracted the attention of materials scientists because of its high resistance to corrosion
The Lotus Temple is open for prayers and meditation by people who follow any religion; the lotus symbolizes 4 religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Jainism
The Parliament House, conceived in the Imperial style, has an open verandah and 144 columns; being driven around Delhi seems like a near death experience and it's best to just not watch
This was as close to the official residence of the President of India as we could get; with 340 rooms covering 5 acres on an estate of 330 acres, it is one of the largest residences of any head of state in the world
When Humayun died in 1556, his wife was so distraught over her husband's death that she dedicated her life thenceforth to a sole purpose: the construction of the most magnificent mausoleum in the Empire
I mistakenly thought most Indians would speak English but that was definitely not the case; even when locals could speak some English it was extremely difficult to understand them
The Red Fort was plundered of its artwork and jewels during Nadir Shah's invasion of the Mughal Empire in 1747; most of the fort's precious marble structures were subsequently destroyed by the British following the Revolt of 1857
The Pearl Mosque (1659) at the Red Fort is a small, three-domed structure carved in white marble, with a three-arched screen leading down to the courtyard; it is no longer open to the public
The Hall of Public Audience at the Red Fort, built completely of marble, had a platform for the emperor's throne; we paid a little extra to get the helpful audioguide here
The residence of the sultan's main wife at the Red Fort; the Fort has an area of 255 acres enclosed by 1.5 miles of defensive walls,punctuated by turrets and bastions and varying in height from 59 ft on the river side to 108 ft on the city side
The Hall of Private Audience at the Red Fort is built completely of marble; this is where the emperor received special visitors; stray dogs were everywhere in Delhi
We stayed at a modern hotel near Indira Gandhi Intl Airport (48 million passengers per year); the subway was clean and inexpensive but stops were not always near tourist sights
This structure (1842) at the Red Fort stands in the middle of a pre-existing water tank; made out of red sandstone, which was cheaper than white marble, it originally had a red sandstone bridge, which was probably lost after the Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Red Fort was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (who also built the Taj Mahal) as his ruling palace in 1648; it is in the center of Delhi and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Security is tight everywhere in Delhi with metal detectors and pat downs required at sights, metro stations and hotels; the Red Fort was the scene of a terrorist attack in 2000 that killed 3 people
Qutub Minar served as the pit stop of the second leg of the second series of The Amazing Race Australia; on December 4, 1981, the staircase lighting failed with between 300 and 430 visitors stampeding towards the exit, and 47 were killed
Qutub Minar; Jonathan and I stood out as two of only a handful of Caucasians in Delhi and were constantly harassed by tuk-tuk drivers, beggars and scam artists
Alāʾ ud-Dīn Khaljī was the second and most powerful ruler of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1296-1316; he set out to build a tower twice as high as Qutub Minar but he died after only 24.5 m was built
The Alai Darwaza, built in 1311, is the main gateway from the southern side of Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque (Delhi's first and grandest); this is the first building in India to employ Islamic architecture principles in its construction and ornamentation
The Lahore Gate of the Red Fort, the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal dynasty for nearly 200 years, until 1856
The tomb of Iza Khan was built 20 years before that of Humayun; the complex is one of the three UNESCO World Heritage SItes in Delhi
India's version of the National Mall with the India Gate where the Washington Monument is and the President's residence where the US Capitol is; we thought the pollution was bad but it gets much worse in the winter
Jonathan is laughing at the thought that he would like visiting India; this pool is on their national mall but behind me are men doing their laundry in it
Raisina Hill houses India's most important government buildings which were constructed by the British in the 1910s after the capital was moved to Delhi from Calcutta; I suspect the British are glad to have left
One of two gateways to the tomb of Humayun; significant restoration work of the complex occurred from 1997-2003 and, when illuminated at night, the monument looks truly magnificent
Every year on Indian Independence Day (15 August), the Prime Minister hoists the Indian tricolor flag at the main gate of the Red Fort and delivers a nationally broadcast speech from its ramparts
Entrance to Qutub Minar is 15 rupees for Indians but 500 rupees for foreigners; the one good thing is that the ticket lines were separate and the foreigner line had no wait


Create your own ICO token based on ERC20 standard. It's an extended version of the Custom Token dApp.
Initial supply - number of tokens that will be issued immediately, before the token sale starts.
Token fund deposit - an Ethereum address that get initial token supply.
ETH deposit - an Ethereum address that will get Ether after ICO successfully finish.
Token exchange rate - how many tokens a customer can buy for 1 ETH.
Token creation cap - the maximum number of tokens for issue.
Token creation min - the number of tokens that must be issued before the ICO ends.
Start funding block - the Ethereum block number after which ICO starts.
End funding block - the Ethereum block number after which ICO stops.
Refund (if ICO failed - the Token cration min was not reached before the End funding block).
Withdrawing ETH (for ICO organizer if ICO successfully finished).


Michigan, in an effort to have the oldest coaching staff in the country and lure recruits with offers of Werther's Caramels, has hired Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison to lead the much maligned Wolverines defense. By now, you probably know his history: Mattison served as Michigan's defensive line coach and defensive coordinator from 1992-1996 before shipping off to Notre Dame and Florida, and then finally to the NFL to lead one of the fiercest defenses in the league.
Mattison was already firmly entrenched at Notre Dame before 1999, the earliest year that I can find stats for. He took over the defensive coordinator position in 1997 and served until 2001. From 2002 to 2004 (in blue), Mattison served solely as the defensive line coach for the Fighting Irish.
Toward the end of Mattison's reign as the defensive coordinator, Notre Dame's defense was shaping into something fierce. If the defensive progression is uniform over his first two years (that we don't have stats for) it's safe to say that Mattison took over a fairly defunct defensive unit and took only a few years to morph it into a solid group.
The exciting data point here is the rushing defense when Mattison took over as defensive line coach. In his first year as DL coach, Notre Dame's rushing defense jumped into the top 10 nationally and had only a slight speed bump in his second year before returning to a top-five unit in 2004.
In contrast to Brady Hoke's performances, these numbers show a coach that has crafted a defense (or defensive line as it may be) into a top-notch unit. Hoke struggled for years to develop a quality defense and maintain that production, but Mattison seems able to do so in relatively little time.
From Notre Dame, Mattison went to Florida where he served alongside Charlie Strong as co-defensive coordinator.
Mattison served as the Florida defensive coordinator between 2005 and 2007 (in blue). All three years, Mattison was listed as co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. Like his last gig, when he took over the defensive line, it quickly turned into a top-10 unit. Mattison took a middle-of-the-road rushing defense in 2004 and immediately turned them into a dominating group. Part of that comes on the strength of a few incredible recruiting classes (about which more later), but for the most part, Mattison turned Florida's defense into an unquestioned power.
The Baltimore defense's reputation precedes it, and if you didn't already know that it's one of the stingiest in the NFL, you haven't watched a single NFL game in the last 10 years. While I don't want to read too much into NFL production because it's not necessarily an indicator of college success, this is just more evidence that Mattison's defenses are routinely great.
Not all of Mattison's success can be attributed to his schemes, necessarily, especially at Florida where a number of legendary recruiting classes helped the Gators to an unbelievable run in the '00s. Mattison's haul in 2006 includes four 4-stars, a 3-star, and a little known 5-star recruit named Tim Tebow. In 2007 (the only other year that Rivals has a record of his commitments), Mattison brought in two 4-stars, a 3-star, and another 5-star.
This isn't meant to take away from Mattison's schemes, but rather highlight that he's not only a good schmatic coach, but he also appears to have some recruiting chops. And that was before he was able to tell recruits he was in charge of one of the best defenses in the NFL.
On paper, Mattison looks like a great hire. Unfortunately, he has one obvious flaw: He's 60 years old. This is yet another coach under Hoke's command that is nearing retirement age. It's hard not to look at the staff that Hoke is compiling and not think that it's being built only to be uniformly scrapped in three to five years.
In the immediate future, this will appease the masses, but the sustainability of these coaches is slim at best. But that's something I'll complain about when Michigan has to replace them. For now, if Mattison can repeat the performances his resume is filled with, Michigan should be in good shape in the coming years.
"Hoke struggled for years to develop a quality defense and maintain that production, but Mattison seems able to do so in relatively little time."
Can't ignore personnel - Hoke had Ball State players while Mattison had Notre Dame players.
I'm not even a huge Hoke proponent. I think Rodriguez is a better coach. I'm just saying his resume isn't as bad as people are making it out to be. Maybe he doesn't "deserve" the Michigan job based on resume, but as MWC coach of the year, he probably deserves a BCS job somewhere. His ties to Michigan and passion for it do count for something.
Hoke is unproven as a BCS coach, obviously. But he's significantly improved the 2 places he's been and we all hope he can make it 3.
The concern with Mattison, IMO, is how he'll do without elite personnel. While M's defense should be dramatically improved, the talent and experience mix on the roster are only average for the Big10. At Baltimore, Florida, Notre Dame, and Michigan (in the 90s) Mattison had a decided advantage in personnel. How much of his success is due to scheme and play calling remains TBD? If Mattison can get this D into above average production, I'll be very impressed.
The exciting bit about Mattison (besides the long resume) is that he has an excellent reputation for player development and recruiting. He's a great hire to get the defensive coaching pointed in the right direction.
Your point about staff age is a good one, but for what Hoke's trying to do, I think its OK.
Hoke wants to reestablish an identity. Established coaches who he can trust to develop what he wants are not a bad idea. For Mattison this is his last job and he knows it. Whether he's here for 3 years or 5 - it doesn't matter. If he can get Michigan "back to being Michigan" like Hoke wants, then hand over the reigns to an assistant, we'll all be happy.
Thats why I'm very interested to see who the next couple of assistant coaches are. I'd like to see a younger "DC in waiting" type, rather than another one of Hoke's buddies with a meh resume. Someone who can learn from Mattison and then fill his shoes.
"Can't ignore personnel - Hoke had Ball State players while Mattison had Notre Dame players."
This is a little problematic: Hoke had BSU personnel but he also had BSU's schedule (against similar talent levels). Hoke's resume, especially for his first few years at BSU, is the biggest strike against him. It's bad, and there's no way to argue about it.
Your point about Mattison's Ravens personnel is noted though. I thought about mentioning that Michigan doesn't have Ray Lewis etc., but as I said above, I don't want to read too much into his NFL success.
Its safe to say that, even with early season MACrifice games and ND's service academy fetish, Notre Dame plays a much more difficult schedule than Ball State.
My point was that ND had a talent advantage nearly every game it played. Ball State had a talent disadvantage, especially in the early seasons before Hoke could establish his influence on the program.
I don't think anyone is arguing Hoke is a brilliant strategist or defensive mind. His purported strengths are managing a program, recruiting, and his overall passion/intensity/personality. It makes sense this would take a few years to kick-in at Ball State.
Got it, that makes more sense. Though I still don't know (I haven't looked at the numbers) that you can argue that BSU was playing at a noticeable talent deficiency with respect to its conference opponents. It's too much work to investigate, though.


For those of you who are interested in pot collecting, and Japanese and Chinese bonsai pot information, I produced a short video segment of Michael Ryan Bell talking about some of the differences between cheap pots and pots by a few well-known Japanese makers.
Last year, Ryan accepted my invitation to visit the Houston Bonsai Society in November. Thanks for posting the video - we're really looking forward to his presentation.
Very informative. Have you ever thought about getting into acting?
Yeah, well, I'm actually a somewhat reluctant videographer. It's a format that has a great appeal to people and can convey a lot of good information. I've had to practice a bit to get accustomed to being on camera; it's something that I had never thought I would do.
I find these short (less than 10 minutes) infovideos very helpful in my quest for knowledge. Keep up the good work and thanks!
Great job Eric! Quality video, production, and content. Ryan is really doing a great service to the bonsai community.
Support him as you can; he's making a full run at a career of it.
Great job on the video, lots of valuable info for anyone interested in pots!