COURAGE in the face of Lung Cancer !! REVISITED

SOME BLOG POSTINGS ARE WORTH REVISITING AS THEY SHOW PEOPLE THAT COPE WITH ADVERSITY SO AS TO HELP OTHERS ! I have also posted this item in www.Tourdafrance.blogspot.com since Karen met Lance at TDU in Adelaide this year !


Karen's ride from Adelaide to Melbourne was well supported and had a few diversions as a result of flooding in Victoria . Had requested a link to her blog so that it would automatically appear amongst the blogs that i follow but as yet this has not come about . YOU can go through this link to her website and make your own arrangements : www.ridehardtobreatheeasy.com.au There have been a number of interesting events take place in support of her campaign and make interesting reading , certainly the 500 event was well worth visiting and i congratulate those that took part .







Courage comes in all forms but this story affects us all !

I never was a "Marlboro Man" but had the few puffs at a younger age like most hve done . Even had a puff or two on Cigars but decided not for me .

CANCER strikes in all forms but if there is a way to avoid Lung Cancer most of us decide that it is by not smoking or giving up the habit. Site to visit www.Lungevity.com.au Not so though !

Came across this item on SBS/CyclingCentral , here below are the links :

http://www.ridehardtobreatheeasy.com.au/

http://www.theage.com.au/national/big-c-is-for-cycling-in-the-ride-of-karens-life-20110122-1a0o9.html

When i had the Pumonary Embolisms after the 2009 TDF i was tested and prodded extensively , including a MRI scan then and again after the 2010 Giro d'Italia , so hope that recent ackes and pains are only the onset of old age protesting that the 65yo body doesn't wish to respond to the urgings of a 25yo mindset .

Hopefully people will follow today this young Lady as she rides home to Melbourne. Worldwide we all face the same health hazards and there is a growing "No Smoking" movement but for many regretably it is already too late.

Wearing the "Ribbon" for Cancer Awareness is also becoming more visible !

To honour Karen's ride i have changed the Blog photo during the duration of their ride to Melbourne , hope you all agree that it is appropriate !

SENT THE FOLLOWING COMMENT TO RADIO SHACK, did not go through though :

"Communication is an important part of the team's equipment and UCI are trying to send Cycling back to the dark ages when Adam was a boy !
Training is also a key ingredient to success as demonstrated by my bumping into Wayne Rooney & Wes Brown as they were leaving the training ground near Manchester this morning.
Sunday and two of the top flight Soccer players were demonstrating their commitment to maintaining the supremacy of their team in the English Soccer Premiership !


Checkout my thoughts on the importance of Race Radios by this link:

http://tourdafarce.blogspot.com/raceradios

Looked like Horny was back at the car for his Mars Bar supply ! "


Follow my blogging with www.twitter.com/skippydetour where blogs are advised as they are published

BRISBANE FLOODS

"It's breaking our hearts but it will not break our will", the words of Anna Bligh, Queensland Premier as reported on Austria Radio today !Watching CNN , BBC World , etc , i have seen in the past fortnight reports of the Police demanding people not to drive into flood waters and yet daily i see this activity shown. What is it with these people that decide they know better ?

Awoke to the news of Flash Floods in Toowoomba and flooding in Brisbane and the possibility that they will reach the same level as 1974 . Hard to imagine people being washed out of their homes by raging flood waters although cars being washed off the road does not bear thinking of either.


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

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

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

There is a Twitterer of the designation @the_womble who chooses to send me messages from time to time . Obviously he reads my blog as he raised/queried the point that people are taking chances, IF TV stations broadcast a video showing people in washed away cars , i can only conclude that at least some ignored Police /Authorities directions not to cross flooded roadways.

Whilst Queensland suffers , those in Murray Bridge area in Sth Australia need to prepare for the run off that will head their way. Can you believe the misery suffered in Sth Queensland will arrive on Adelaide's doorstep in about a month or so.

However Mother Nature is not alone creating mayhem , West Australia south of Perth has been visited by some lunatics causing Bushfires, see the story on this link:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/homes-destroyed-as-hundreds-flee-bushfire-20110111-19msd.html

Hope the forensic evidence is found to put the miscreant away FOR LIFE ! Nothing else will serve as this behaviour is the reason many refuse to be evacuated when the Authorities deem it necessary . Over the years many lives have been lost because people feel compelled to safeguard their property , not really a rational decision when you only live once and possessions can be replaced even though the "sentimental value" is lost.

Earlier post contained a request to put me in touch with someone with the "savvy" to see how i could be ferried in to add my hands to the task ahesd of clearing up the homes of "Disabled / Infirm" residents. I am well aware of People flying in at their own expense to help their relatives, but i am sure there are others like myself with time on their hands but without the financial resources or accomodation to be able to assist. Frankly without proper coordination i would just be in the way but working with others in a coordinated way , an effective resource.



Australia this year has been devastated by Fire ,Locusts , Cyclone , Flood and drought, hard to continue calling it "THE LUCKY COUNTRY" ?

FATCYCLIST and BLOGGING

Fatty as good as his word went to Livestrong and got answers !

Cycling News Forum as is their way have been "Lance Bashing" to the point that if "Sports Illustrated's Article" does not come out this week they may well starve to death regurgitating the innuendo and rumour that they have been feeding on the past week since i saw reference to them in "Fatty's comments".

Posted to their thread last week and got a few laughs at their expense, being thick skinned, they can say what they like ! Never considered my opinion was worth much, i prefer to let the pedals do the work.

Posted advice on cnf , that Fatty's latest posting was up and so as to avail themselves of the facts they should visit. Not sure how long it was available there but a "moderator( read buddy)" stepped in and removed the entry as you can see from visiting the link. Did suggest that the "moderator" was working with a mushroom farm and if the financial figures provided by Livestrong were too difficult then they could resort to counting on their fingers and toes !

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=11749&page=6

Posted to Fatty's comment this AM mentioning this fact and was pleased to see i am not the onlt person with a dim view of their efforts at entertaining each other. The moderator removed another entry posted at the same time and castigated me for their inability to see both made before their awareness of my entries. That "race radio" goes on Fatcyclist with another neme was highlighted by several other commenters. Will post links of examples of it's duplicity as time allows. The bully boys obviously know they are repellent examples of humanity and thus hide behind sundry aliases

Cycling News Forum

AFTER posting my comment to Cycling News Forum I received a few comments which I immediately sent through to the Blog Posting WITHOUT interference. Some of those posting to CNF suggest I interfered with these comments , they were of two types ,supporting me for an attempt to participate and another suggesting I read all 46 pages of the comments before joining in their discussion.

My comment went in on page 42 , below is the link:

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=11579&page=42

I copied the following comment because when you read it carefully you see that the phrase “Friends like these, who needs enemies” certainly applies !

Originally Posted by skippy 
So many comments to my attempt to join the thread that i felt it necessary to do a blog entry:
Some of you will enjoy reading my input others will take issue, please use the email address offered if you wish to debate.
Those that wish to pour more vitriol carry on as you usually would:

HERE IS A REPLY ON THE CYCLING NEWS FORUM THREAD, good effort , others not so good , but enjoyed the laugh they provided.

http://parrabuddy.blogspot.com/2011/01/laf-cnf-comments-and-statistics.html
I tried reading your blog entry. I'm not trying to deliberately insult you, but I found it painful to read. You start making a point, fail to finish, and then just move on to the next unfinished point. To put it mildly... You ramble.

I can see that you think that former Armstrong employees that sue are merely in it for the money. I can only think of one employee who sued Lance, and it was actually a countersuit. And the only reason he became persona-non-grata is because he found some "secret sauce" in Lance's cabinet and then failed to offer him an "All's cool". Perhaps Ms. Crow also discovered the same.

You probably are not aware of it, but the company you're keeping here is a diverse group. And by diverse, I mean people who have raced WITH Lance, worked FOR Lance, been friends OF Lance, etc. Not to mention the hordes of individuals here who personally have decades of experience in the peloton. We're not exactly idiots. We're not blind and if you think we're merely a bunch of angry losers, you're quite wrong. This is the best educated group of people I've ever encountered on the subject of doping, and I've been closely following the topic for 15 years now.

Perhaps the membership on this particular forum is a bit elitist for your tastes. I can understand that. But you'll have to do better than "Landis is a proven liar", because, quite Frankly, Landis' revelations are only news to us in the sense that an insider finally came clean. Everything he's said since May are things that we've long known about. And the case being built against Armstrong today? Quite Frankly, it probably will not depend on the credibility of Floyd Landis.

You've got a LOT of homework to do if you want to seriously challenge this group on the facts.



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##418
##Today, 16:50 #






Not good at transferring material so hope this item has come out clear enough.

Page 46 had a few amusing items









These guys certainly have a sense of humour.

Last days there have been no further comments on this thread but i guess they have started up on another with the same old same old or "SSDD" !


Regrettably I am still awaiting emails from these people on how to comment to the threads that do get the job done.

Tried not to Ramble in this post !

LAF : CNF comments and statistics

Tiger Woods was elected the “Sportsman of the decade” with Lance Armstrong as a runnerup, we have now seen “ Tiger‘s” fall from grace through a series of events leading to his divorce. Sponsors have dropped him to the extent the last year’s income dropped from $US120m to $US90m. Hard to believe that he had enough hours in the day “to play away” let alone count the money. When you are famous ALL expect you to act as a role model but each of us live our lives as we choose rarely caring about what others expect of us , certainly we do not wish to be forced in to being a role model.

Lance as a sportsman has been around for 20+ years , first in Triathlon then Cycling each a sport where he has been successful and regarded as a benchmark. Along the way he has had paid employees whether personal or Team employees and like all of us there have been “falling outs” and there have been acrimonious departures. Some of these people I have met whilst they have been employed by the teams. Some have been quite kind and helped me whilst I have been riding the routes of the Grand Tours and for that I was grateful. How they came to separate from the teams only they and the team would really know all the details but like any other event there are so many shades of grey when reported to the public.

Having been an Employer in the past I recall giving correct notice to some that either failed to perform or refused to abide by the company rules. Some went quietly and there were occasions that a statuary authority became involved to establish both versions of the event. So many of Lance’s ex employees have chosen to speak to the media and there have been benefits to them from the disclosures. In fact books have been written as a result of the half truths(fiction in some cases) and a variety of investigations have been attempted as a result . Ne’ erdowells will always seek a benefit for their “perceived grievances”, but would not even attempt to seek a benefit from an unknown “Joe Public” in whom the media would have no interest. Everybody seeks their 15min of fame and the media is all too happy to help if it fits their agenda.

Cycling News Forum was set up so that people had a chance to interact and enjoy discussing their various interests within the Cycling Fraternity. Using “Nom de plumes” these people in the last 20 months have developed a social hierarchy . They take a position on a subject and protect their version of the truth with dedication. One such poured vitriol on my recent comment based on their rank of senior member, whether that position comes from a contribution of about 3700 comments in 1 ½ years or some other criteria I have yet to learn. Seems to me that the forum is their only interest as my maths indicate a comment every 4 hrs since joining, another has over 7000 in less than two years. I was accused of not reading the 37 pages of the thread before commenting, well they were right.

Based on a few comments I sought to add to the thread, but found I came up short as those reading my effort thought I was referring to them. I had in fact been referring to a cyclist who having drunk too much beer one night beat the other races to the line the next day. Too much has been made of that incident since not only did he proclaim his innocence of the findings of the drugs , control he collected money from the public to mount legal challenges , wrote a book about it all and then after being shunned some more declared all his efforts void as he then said “I had been lying all along” . Slapped the public in the face and next he said “believe me when I say that “lance” taught me how to cheat” !

We all know the public can be fooled some of the time but saying you are a “Cheat” and been indulging in “Sporting Fraud” for years does not win you friends . Is there a conspiracy of silence in the Cycling Community ? Secrets are no longer a secret when there are more than two involved ! Do you think that a team of 25 plus racers could keep secret the events that this miscreant claims as a truth ?

Cycling News Forum commenter’s have some colourful names and “Botany Bay” sounds like an Australian and had an interesting encounter with Gino B.. I rode with Moser, Mota and others from St Peters to the church where his body was lying prior to his burial in May 2000. It was the Thursday prior to the Giro d’Italia and I had come on the event by chance. “Yourwelcome” makes interesting points about guidelines for the forum and I agree with him that charitable activities have nothing to do with “Doping” ! Innocent until “proven guilty” does not appear to be considered as a fact in this forum.

“Ferminal” can focus on some of the information I have tabulated below which has come from “Charity Navigator”, that is if she is an Aussie that believes in fair play ? Ferminal would also like Lance to put his hand in the LAF treasury and donate to the Queensland Floods Fund, he is reported to have shown knowledge of the situation and it is not unreasonable to expect he will say more when he is in Adelaide as in some 4 to 6 weeks some of the floods will arrive in Murray bridge, an area he may have cycled through in past seasons. Anyway should you twitter @PremierMikeRann you will be able to pass your thoughts along. Mike has already tweeted recently about Lance and the LAF investment in Sth Australia , if you can get away from your commenting you could get lucky and shake hands with Lance whilst he is in Adelaide. I have always found him very approachable, but then I am mostly there when on the bike.

“Merckx Index asked how to get the 10% that flandis is trying to win by suggesting “Lance and his USPS team” obtained funding by “Devious means”. Doubt there are any irregularities but when you throw copious amounts of mud there can be hope that a little might stick. For information my comments were not directed at CNF users but those outside supporting the LA v GLeM & Trek event which was settled . Toyota produces and sells cars which were subject of recall and so was the case with some Livestrong cycle trainers.

A Kiwi with the moniker of “I watch cycling in july” weighed in with some opinions of others and as for “Bro Deal” whilst he has been around for a while how he will find time to read the awaited article by SI( Sports Illustrated?) between his 7000 comments defies imagination. “Race Radio” uses the “IF” word in one of his 4000+ comments. “Anything but Kestrel” corrected my “Ne erdowell” and I would ask him to read “LAF Mission Statement” and note that since I use “Blogger” I finish up with “Adsense” simply to get more exposure as I feel sure Google want to try and earn money even if I get none. As regards a uniform that I wear occasionally, I am proud to wear it as it is the uniform of Pierangelo Vignatti”, Paralympian and World Champion Para Cyclist who gave it to me in 2007 as I was on my way to the start of the Giro. Notice the bib shorts sport the logo of “Unicef” !
“Granvill57” asks why I did not read the previous 36 pages of the thread. Mate you are right, I would prefer to read American History !

“The Hog” was kind enough to reply to my comment and gives me the feeling that he remains open minded to substantial input but I doubt that others are like him as I feel some already have an agenda that brooks no rearrangement of their fixed position. Thanks to him I was able to enjoy the SMH article which was not apparent when I checked the front page as I do daily . “R.O.t.O.” is totally annoyed with corruption in Sport and feels that Cycling has let him down? Would agree there is a blurring of the lines between “Org and Com” activities. When LAF started out I wonder who was in too much of a hurry and thus overlooked the possibility that there would be those with an agenda and take advantage of the situation. “Velocentric” also agrees on these blurred lines issue.

Professional input is possible if “MD,FACG,FACP” are credentials, and again there is support for the idea that “Org & Com” need separation. “Polish” is correct about the supposition that Lance was one of the first Sports personalities to tweet , I have yet to receive a reply to any of my offerings , how he gets through all the tweets that arrive defies imagination.

Any of the “CNF” commenters mentioned should feel free to email me on skippi@ausi.com so that I can correct any “mis interpretations I may have arrived at in reading pages 36 to 41 on the thread.

Below are some of my findings when comparing “LAF” with “Susan G.Komen” a charity suggested by a “Fatcyclist” commenter.





Some Statistics to compare:

Accounting
Year end 03/09 12/08


SGK LAF

% %

Admin Expenses 10.2 3.6

Fundraising Expenses 5.8 8.6

Excess of funds collected 3.1 13.9


Each organisation allocates expenses in a different way which may account for the above variance and it may be some of LAF projects were carried over into 2009. Charities have different reporting regulations so unable to guess what has taken place since Charity Navigator posted this information.



Charities Performing Similar Types of Work
Highly Rated
Most Viewed
Charity Name Overall Score Overall Rating
Lance Armstrong Foundation - TX 53.40 
Gilda's Club Grand Rapids - MI 60.71 
Kidney Cancer Association - IL 63.32 
Gilda's Club Westchester - NY 59.74 
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation - PA 68.33 

Top of Form 1
Compare These Charities (Highly Rated) 
Bottom of Form 1
#Charity Name Overall Score Overall Rating
Lance Armstrong Foundation - TX 53.40 
American Cancer Society - GA 52.84 
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - NY 53.16 
Cancer Fund of America - TN 44.65 
National Cancer Coalition - NC 62.26 

Top of Form 2
Compare These Charities (Most Viewed)
Bottom of Form 2



Charities Performing Similar Types of Work
Highly Rated
Most Viewed
Charity Name Overall Score Overall Rating
Susan G. Komen for the Cure - TX 63.34 
Living Beyond Breast Cancer - PA 68.90 
The Rose - TX 63.80 
National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund - DC 63.60 
SHARE - NY 61.84 

Top of Form 1
Compare These Charities (Highly Rated)

Bottom of Form 1

6/1/2011 19.15gmt

Noted that there are comments: had asked that "Those with an issue email, Note i am well known and Googling Skippydetour, SkippyAus or Parrabuddy will throw out a whole lot of info confounding those who claim i am anonymous. Botany bay , i recall the treky episode, but still jealous of the Gino episode, recall visiting Bianchi shop in Florence and then the next year finding it closed down, would enjoy an email convo!
Seriously folks my knowledge does need a little tweaking but claiming to be mates with Lance whilst burying an axe in his back is so Roman (shakespeare, i think(Et Tu Bruti) )!

LIVESTRONG #2

Livestrong comparison to Susan G. Komen

Went to the Fatcyclist commenters  recommended source :

  http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=6570

searched for Livestrong.com & livestrong.org and then LAF and found the following :

  Mission Statement
The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) believes that in the battle with cancer, unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything. Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist, Lance Armstrong, the LAF inspires and empowers people with cancer. We provide the practical information and tools people with cancer need to live life on their own terms. We take aim at the gaps between what is known and what is done to prevent suffering and death due to cancer. We unite people to fight cancer and pursue an agenda focused on: prevention, access to screening and care, improvement of the quality of life for cancer survivors, and investment in research.

CEO :  Doug Ulman : Salary $258000

FROM the same site i checked out "Susan G. Komen "

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4509

Mission Statement

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure, we have invested more than $1.2 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

CEO : Hala Moddelmog : Salary $532000

 

NO WAY i can compare these separate organisations but there are reports that LAF reduced their expense % in recent reports. Visibility makes it easier to encourage "Donations" even in adverse economic times.

Lance did an interview over the phone recently in preparation for the "Tour Down Under" , check it out after you read this item from CyclingNews Forum: 

 " Originally Posted by thehog

Armstrong was not in a position to elaborate on the FDA investigation yesterday, but nonetheless broke his silence on the matter to say the probe had not impacted his day-to-day life.

"I don't let it affect me," Armstrong told the Herald. "I have five kids to raise. I have a foundation to help run and lead. I still have, theoretically, a job - I ride my bike and train every day. It has no effect in what I do on a daily basis."

 http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/...105-19gbq.html

Stellar article by Rupert Guinness!!!

Let the TDU freak show continue. "

This Livestrong story has developed legs, 40 pages of Forum comments so far , i guess more will follow.

 

LIVESTRONG FUND RAISING

Fatcyclist.com is as many know a popular blog that I read and to whom I post comments. Not sure that the humour is always to my liking as everyone has their own likes and dislikes and that is reflected in the comments that arrive and the blogs that are linked there. Today I was disappointed to read some comments that reflect badly on those posting them. Lance has been compared to another Charitable Foundation ( Susan G.Komen for the cure ) that has been in operation since 1982 and deals with Breast Cancer. I was aware of the Pink run from seeing people running at an event in Hyde Park , London some years ago. I was on my bike on that occasion so saw a few water refreshment tables on their route in the Park. Until today I was unaware of the background and profile of this important and popular charity.

People following Fatty are inspired to set about fundraisers of their own thus raising monies which they give credit to Fatty and Livestrong as an umbrella entity. Many charities are out there competing for the attention of the public and it can be more likely that good luck  rather than successful organisation that brings the charity  to the attention of the general public. Each of these charities are structured in a different way and so is their method of seeking publicity. Some sell Badges or Poppies, others pay agents a % age of the take and still others use Media Marketing in a variety of ways.

Livestrong uses the Yellow Wristband which started out at $US1 each but by now I would have thought they could be charging more since people were Ebaying them at £4 to £6 each with postage.  In buying 10 wristbands people were able to pass some to their friends and others used Ebay as a profitable distribution point. Why Livestrong did not build a client mailing list to follow up and so sell other items surprises me, because when someone has bought from you they are easier to approach at a  later date and thus sell additional items. Livestrong does have email marketing but I have yet to see follow up on the wristbands that I have bought. This wristband idea has now been copied by a plethora of fund raising organisations.

Comments on Fatty’s blog today reflected a couple of people’s take on how Charities should be organised and how the funds raised should be utilised, comparisons of how each organisation operates do not always have the full facts so as to make effective comparison. Again where “Tall Poppy Syndrome” enters the arena some will look for the negatives and try to make them compare to the positives of another organisation thus creating a disparity with reality. One of the comments was from a Blogger who was about to start fundraising to the benefit of Livestrong and the negatives posed caused her some misgivings.  My comment I hope reassured her a little since she had declared to all and sundry in her sphere of influence how committed she was to these ventures.

Copied is the comment:

 “ Arlenna
GO AHEAD with your fund raiser, do good, remember that your heart is in the right place !
Too many out there are jealous of “Tall Poppies” , one is called “flandis” and there is a US Gov. scheme” where if you cause a ruckus and the treasury gets any benefit then you get 10%, not bad for dobbing in your friends and mentors? Oh you also get to stand on your box and sound off about what you know best, CHEATING !
Most Charities have operating expenses, that is why readers of this blog encouraged “Fatty” to continue Ads so as to cover some of his expenses.
In 10 years Lance has raised the Profile of Livestrong to international level and doing that cost money, as time passes the %’s will change, nowhere do i see him say !00% will go to Cancer research, no charity will ever be able to do that. Could more be done or Costs be reduced, who knows and this is not the forum to discuss pros & Cons.
Hopefully you will be successful and encouraged to plan more events with Fatty, Livestrong and other Charities you know ! ”

Salvation Army is the only charity I know where 100% of the funds collected in the tin at the pub or on the street get to the person doing the counting. From there who knows what is defrayed for salaries and upkeep of full time staff  but be sure they work hard at keeping those expenses under control.

Lance and his team flying by Private Jet may be the only way to meet the time constraints and movement of baggage required to operate in this busy world. I am sure the Naysayer’s would have been down on Admiral Mike Mullen taking Lance And Robin W. and others to Iraq & Afghanistan or Oprah W. her entourage to Australia.

To those Naysayer’s  I say “Check your facts, then check them again or keep your opinions to yourself ”!

 

Queensland Floods

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

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

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

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

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



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

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



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