| Wanted: Bums on seats in velodromes
On paper, track cycling is one of the greatest spectator sports around. It's fast, exciting and dangerous... not so different in that vein to its crowd-drawing "big brothers" - Formula One and motorcycle Grand Prix. Like its engine-powered siblings, it happens on short, steep tracks with adrenaline-pumping tactics and often devastating crashes. And it's an activity that requires great mental toughness and an even greater amount of sheer physical power. It doesn't matter whether you've had any experience as a bike racer yourself or not. While knowing how it feels (ouch!) to be out there on the track helps, the nature of this sport is that it can be equally as attractive to armchair athletes. With the after-market industry tuning into logos like "Campagnolo" and "Cannondale" just as surfing became trendy with the advent of "Billabong" and "Quicksilver", spectators can wear the gear, read the form guide to discuss competitors with their mates around the bar and easily become familiar with - not to mention passionate about - the different types of event.
Reporting: Los Angeles
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- In early May, at MacArthur Park, after Los Angeles police officers battled demonstrators marching for worker and immigrant rights, the walking wounded probably had the same destination: Langer's Delicatessen Restaurant, the noted corner deli across the street from MacArthur Park famed for making "the finest hot pastrami sandwich in America." Eyebrows were raised at the immense cost more than a decade ago, when the city's subway was put in, amid complaints that the bus system (which carries far more passengers) was being shortchanged, as it probably was. And when the subway reached 7th St. and Alvarado then, completing the first 4.4-mile segment and a stop across the street from Langer's, transit gadfly John Walsh of Hollywood offered this unforgettable assessment: "We spent a billion dollars to get a corned beef sandwich." But even that controversy wasn't the battle - this one was personal! - that came to mind on my seeing the headline about Langer's.
Wall Street, PTC 2008, High Surf and Trans-Pacific Internet
Buckle your seat belts, it could be a bumpy ride on Wall Street this week. No fewer than four giant financial companies report earnings and losses this week, including JP Morgan Chase and Merrill Lynch. New York media think Merrill Lynch will write off another 15 billion dollars -- and this morning CNBC says Citicorp will write down 24 billion. That's big money even on Wall Street! The Pacific Telecommunications Council annual conference is underway at Hilton Hawaiian Village. Telecoms executives from around the world convene here every January to discuss the future and make announcements. One of those announcements is a new fiberoptic network coming to Hawaii. I'll have details later in this half hour. High surf has meant high economic times for the top side of Oahu. I went to the North Shore yesterday morning to check things out and saw busy restaurants and shops.
SPEARS & ARROWS
Us Weekly has Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt of MTV's pseudo-reality show "The Hills" dishing on why they called off their sham wedding. We all know the show is fake, so the mag is just playing along with the charade. The two blame their breakup on disagreements over the wedding planning, but it's obvious they're just hamming it up for fans. One point of contention: she wants family and friends to attend; he doesn't. Um, yeah. The most ridiculous part is where the mag asks the two to play the "Newlywed Game." Heidi lists her celeb crush as - get this - Spencer. Elsewhere, we get a super advance on the Oscars and learn that Keira Knightley ("Atonement") is the front-runner among the actresses, while George Clooney ("Michael Clayton") is leading the wolf pack. But if it's Jamie Lynn dish you're looking for, look elsewhere.
EU brings in compulsory food labelling to curb obesity
But Ruairi O'Connor, policy and public affairs manager at the British Heart Foundation, said: "We believe the European commission should have gone a step further and backed mandatory colour-coded traffic lights on food labels. Research shows that these are more effective than GDA labels in helping people see what's in the food they buy." Phaedra Neal, of Diabetes UK, said: "The commission is right to recognise the importance of clear, front-of-pack labelling to help consumers make healthier food choices. "But it has ignored evidence which shows the traffic light system works better than the GDA percentage system in allowing people to assess nutrient content and compare different products." The Food Standards Agency said it was launching consultations with all "stakeholders" in Britain on the plans.
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