cool, a price reduction for a change

Netflix's Profit Jumps,
Plans to Cut Monthly Fee
A WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE NEWS ROUNDUP
October 15, 2004; Page A11
Netflix Inc.'s profit and sales surged in the third quarter as the online DVD rental company continued to add new subscribers at a rapid clip.

The Los Gatos, Calif., company said it plans to lower the monthly fee for its unlimited DVD rentals to $18 from $22 starting in November. The company had hiked prices earlier this year.

In a move to blunt the expected entry of Amazon.com Inc. into the business of renting DVD movies by mail, Netflix said it's slashing its subscription prices and postponing a plan to expand overseas so it can focus on a coming battle with the Internet retail giant in the U.S.

Shares plunged on the news, down 40% to $10.51 in early morning trading Friday on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
In an interview, Netflix Chief Executive Reed Hastings said the company has heard from "several sources" he declined to identify that Amazon is preparing to enter Netflix's business, through which customers pay a flat monthly fee, order DVDs online and receive them through the mail. As a result of Amazon's expected moves, Mr. Hastings said Netflix is cutting its monthly subscription fee to $18 from $22 and shelving plans to expand its service to the United Kingdom. Mr. Hastings, who also discussed the plans in a conference call with investors, said the changes are an effort to gain more subscribers before Amazon gets into the market.

The price drop is a reversal of past actions by Netflix, which increased its subscription fee earlier this year to $22 from $20 even as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Blockbuster Inc. got into the DVD-by-mail market. "Amazon is a more serious competitor," Mr. Hastings said. "They're the gold standard in e-commerce. We take the threat seriously."

Patty Smith, a spokeswoman for Amazon of Seattle, said the company's "customers have encouraged us to offer low-price online DVD rentals but we have nothing to announce at this time." Amazon already has a sizable audience of customers who purchase DVDs through its Web site.

For the third quarter, Netflix reported net income of $18.9 million, or 29 cents a share, compared with net income of $3.3 million, or five cents a share, in the same quarter last year. Revenue nearly doubled to $141.6 million from $72.2 million in the year-earlier period.

Results beat the company's own raised forecast. Earlier this month, Netflix raised its guidance, saying net income could reach as high as $17.5 million. At the time, it said its subscribers in the period were up 73% from a year ago to 2.23 million total subscribers.

However, Wall Street was expecting even higher earnings. Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call were expecting a profit of 32 cents a share on revenue of $140.6 million.

When the company raised its guidance earlier this month, it attributed the brighter outlook in part to lower-than-expected movie rentals in the quarter, which may have resulted from interest in the Olympic games. Since Netflix customers are allowed to rent an unlimited number of movies for a monthly fee, fewer movie rentals means lower expenses.

At the time, Netflix also announced plans to change how it accounts for its back-catalogue DVD library. Without those changes, earnings would have been $14.9 million or 23 cents a share, the company said Thursday.

Netflix has enjoyed surging revenue growth as its subscriber base soars. Still, the company has paid dearly in costly marketing tactics to recruit customers, which weighed heavily on profitability until recently.

--Wall Street Journal reporter Nick Wingfield contributed to this article.

Write to the Online Journal's editors at newseditors@wsj.com

Interesting use of funds for a secretary and a garbage man...

Fairy-Tale Fifteenths
The 'Quince' Marks a Big Rite
For Latin Teens and Marketers;
Coming of Age at Disneyland
By AMY CHOZICK
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
October 15, 2004; Page B1
Yessenia Franco got the royal treatment for her 15th birthday: a horse-drawn, pumpkin-shaped crystal carriage with liveried servants in powdered wigs, a silver tulle ball gown and a gala at which 260 guests danced until dawn in the shadow of Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland. "My daughter always wanted to be a princess," says Mabel Franco, Yessenia's mother.

Like an increasing number of Hispanics in the U.S., Ms. Franco, a San Francisco office assistant, and her husband, Ismael, a sanitation worker, decided to spare no expense for their daughter's quinceanera, or 15th birthday party. The cost: $30,000. It was "a dream come true," says Mabel Franco. The Francos, both of whom immigrated from Mexico, have told Yessenia's 11-year-old sister that if she wishes, they will book the Walt Disney Co. theme park for her, too.

In Latin America, the quinceanera, a celebration dating back to the Aztecs that commemorates the spiritual and physical coming of age of a 15-year-old girl, is typically observed with a ceremony in a Catholic church and a backyard party for family members. Piety and a priest's blessing are the main ingredients for the usually modest events.

On this side of the border, the tradition has taken on a momentum of its own, melding cultural pride with conspicuous consumption. Savvy marketers with an eye for the growing Hispanic population are starting to catch on. The result: homemade dresses are giving way to designer gowns, streamer-festooned patios to Royal Caribbean cruises.

"To Latinos in the U.S., the quinceanera serves as an important tool to preserve culture," says Cordelia Candelaria, editor of the Encyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture in the U.S. That hasn't stopped it from evolving from an intimate religious ritual toward a lavish secular celebration, often costing more than a wedding. "A lot of times it's a simple case of outdoing the Joneses," Ms. Candelaria says. Or, in this case, the Garzas.

A girl celebrating her quinceanera (keen-seen-yerah) typically invites six to 10 damas, or single female friends, to serve as her attendants, plus dozens -- sometimes hundreds -- of other guests. That means marketers have the chance to target not only the birthday girl and her family, but a slew of teenage girls planning their own quinceaneras.

In California, Disneyland Resort has a team of event planners who craft customized quinceanera events, which it began offering in 2000. The parties, which can feature Mickey and Minnie Mouse dressed as mariachi, can also include park tickets, balloon sculptors, acrobats and fanfare trumpeters, and start at $7,500. With about three high-end quinceanera parties a month, up from just six a year in 2000, such galas are the resort's fastest-growing event category, after weddings.

It isn't a new phenomenon for an ethnic group's spiritual traditions to become more commercial as the group gains economic power, says Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin, author of "Putting God on the Guest List: How to Reclaim the Spiritual Meaning of Your Child's Bar or Bat Mitzvah." He believes Hispanics are confronting the same issues as Jews did in the early 1960s, when bar and bat mitzvahs became increasingly flashy, secular and expensive. "These rites of passage are a way for a minority group to demonstrate that they have succeeded in America," he says.

Daisy Marilyn Vargas, a ninth grader in Dallas, says she has been planning her "quince" for a year. Having already procured a custom $500 strapless gown for the occasion, she is keen to have "all the space I can get" for her 400-plus guests. "We'll serve Mexican food from 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. until everyone drops! Plus an after party at my house!" she squeals. "Oh, we also have a church ceremony at 10 a.m. and I'll just get blessed."

Such quasireligious hoopla helps to explain why marketers are duking it out for any part of the quinceanera windfall. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. works with travel agencies to push its $900 to $1,600 a person quinceanera cruises, which include the use of theaters that hold as many as 1,200 revelers, an ice-skating rink and a disco. This summer, almost all of its cruises embarking from South Florida had a quinceanera group on board.

At David's Bridal, the nation's largest bridal retailer, $200 to $600 frothy, floor-length quinceanera gowns now compete with prom dresses at 41 of the chain's 240 stores. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. now sells specially designed quince dresses for $24 to $30 at 200 of its 3,200 U.S. locations.

Mattel Inc. has a limited edition Quinceanera Barbie (available as a blonde or brunette); Hallmark CardsInc. reports that two of its three top selling Spanish-language cards are quinceanera cards. J.C. Penny Co. is marketing itself as an affordable, one-stop emporium for all things quince, from shoes to jewelry to personalized portraits for the big day.

Despite all the accoutrements, the ritual is hardly limited to the rich. Families of modest means, such as the Francos, save for years to afford the pageant-like parties, often relying on godparents and extended family for contributions. Sometimes, the soirees get priority over other expenditures, including mortgages and college. "Poor or rich, Mexican or Cuban, everyone spends on a quinceanera," says Erika Prosper, director of strategic planning at Garcia360, a San Antonio business consulting firm.

Zenia Sigler, a 43-year-old housewife in Miami and her husband, Carlos, a dragline operator, both born in Cuba, recently gave their daughter, Melissa, a seven-day cruise for her quinceanera. Cost: $1,600 a person. At the moment, Ms. Sigler says she isn't worried about college bills. "Melissa is very smart," she says, "We know she will get a scholarship."

According to the Department of Education, Hispanic students are twice as likely as blacks and three times as likely as whites to drop out of high school, and cite a lack of funding as a major reason for not continuing their education.

"You're always going to see people with their priorities messed up," says Alma Morales Riojas, president of the Mexican American National Association, an advocacy group for Latinas, who says most families don't spend money on the quince at the expense of higher education.

As cultural tastes shift, it is unclear whether the quince will continue to resonate with future generations. Aryani Montes's parents gave her a choice between a big 15th birthday party or a used car when she turned sixteen. Breaking with tradition, Ms. Montes opted for a 2000 Mazda Protégé. "Some girls went all out," says Ms. Montes, who attended several parties in the Austin, Texas, area. "It was fun. But being 17 and reflecting on it, it seems like a big waste of money to go over the top like that."

Write to Amy Chozick at amy.chozick@wsj.com

The local mountain lion

Darlene read a news article last night that a mountain lion has been spotted in our neighborhood.  In fact, it was spotted, DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE!  The location they gave in the article was the corner of Bintliff and Spicewood Springs.  Looks like it enjoys prowling the valleys around our house and can be fairly anonymous in the thick brush.  No incidents with people yet, but makes me a little nervous about heading out to run at 5 a.m. by myself.  I remember what Indy was like pissed off at 20 pounds, don't think I'd like to find out what 100 pounds of hate feels like.

timing

Funny that I was reading earlier this week how Apple is beating up Dell in the music space and how Dell needed to release a smaller version to compete with the mini...

Dell Unveils Plasma TVs
And Mini Music Players,
In Push Beyond PCs
By GARY MCWILLIAMS
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
October 14, 2004; Page D6
Personal computer king Dell Inc., continuing its push into consumer electronics, unveiled Thursday its first plasma-screen televisions, a tiny version of its digital-music player and a photoprinter with built-in display for previewing images.

Dell has parlayed its position as the world's largest personal-computer brand into a new stake in consumer electronics. Market watcher Retail Forward Inc. recently ranked the company as the fourth-largest U.S. seller of consumer electronics, behind Best Buy Co., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Circuit City Stores Inc. Unlike its rivals, Dell doesn't operate stores. Instead, it peddles its flat-screen TVs, digital-music players and cameras over the phone, mail-order catalogs and Web sites.

John Hamlin, senior vice president of Dell's U.S. consumer business, said the consumer-product launch is an outgrowth of its home-PC customers' interest in video and music.

Its first plasma TVs are a pair of 42-inch diagonal monitors with dual analog tuners, connectors that allow them to be used as PC displays and detachable speakers. Dell entered the TV market a year ago with its release of a liquid-crystal display television. It now sells four LCD TVs, ranging from 17-inch diagonal to 30-inch diagonal sets.

"We feel plasma now is at a quality standpoint that we can bring it out," said Mr. Hamlin. The high-definition version of the new pair, the Dell W4200HD, displays 1024 by 768 lines and costs $3,500. A lower-resolution model, which displays 852 by 480 lines, is priced at $2,300. Dell, based in Round Rock, Texas, will take orders beginning on Oct. 27, he said.

Dell also is releasing new versions of its Digital Jukebox music player. The smallest of the two new models weighs 4.4 ounces, stores as many as 2,500 songs and runs about 10 hours on a fully charged battery. A larger version with 20 gigabytes of storage can hold as many as 9,000 songs and run for as long as 12 hours. The music players accept songs in MP3, WMA and wav formats.

While the Pocket DJ is heavier than the 3.6-ounce Apple Computer Inc. iPod Mini, it is priced at $199, 20% less than the iPod Mini, and stores more than twice as many songs. Dell said its redesigned DJ20 will cost $249. Both continue the company's use of a scroll-wheel for flipping among songs, and are available beginning in November.

Dell is also introducing two new printers for the consumer and small-business market. The Dell Photo Printer 540 comes equipped with memory-card slots that allow digital pictures to be printed in 4-by-6-inch formats without involving a PC. The printer is priced at $189 and is available immediately, the company said.

It also is releasing a new device for small businesses and home offices that combines color printer, fax, copier and scanner into one device. The Dell Photo All-in-One 942 is priced at $149 after a $30 rebate, and prints black and white documents at up to 19 pages a minute and color at up to 14 pages a minute. Both are available immediately in the U.S.

Write to Gary McWilliams at gary.mcwilliams@wsj.com

Something to think about now that MP3 and sat radio are going mainstream

Customizing Cars
Gets Complicated
Audio and Other Systems
Installed During Assembly
Become Hard to Untangle
By MICHELLE HIGGINS
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
October 14, 2004; Page D3
When Ricky Harvey bought his new Mazda RX-8 earlier this year he wanted to add one thing that would make it perfect for him: A sophisticated in-dash satellite radio.

He was in for disappointment: There is no way to install a custom radio in the dashboard because the factory radio's unconventional design incorporates the air-conditioning controls into the same panel. "It made me feel like they were trying to inhibit me from doing something I like to do," says Mr. Harvey, of North Little Rock, Ark.

It is as American as baseball and lots of cup-holders: Personalizing a new car with add-ons. But the increasingly sophisticated design of cars is making it harder to make some time-honored modifications.

For instance, on the 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier, removing the factory-installed radio may cause the door chimes, and also the dome light, to stop working. The Infiniti Q45 comes with climate controls, dash vents and a reverse-view camera screen all incorporated into the radio design, making it difficult, if not impossible, to replace the individual parts with custom options.

It is virtually impossible to put anything but factory devices in a number of luxury cars such as the Volvo XC90, Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5 Series. That is because those vehicles use a computer network that doesn't have ports to plug in aftermarket gadgets.

Industrywide, about 40% of car stereos, 10% of speakers and 20% of amplifiers can't be repaired or upgraded by retailers, according to the Mobile Enhancement Retailers Association, a trade organization that markets mobile electronics.

The problem is twofold. In some cases, unconventional dashboard designs that combine multiple features into one panel -- like Mr. Harvey's Mazda -- make replacing individual parts problematic. In other cases, the customization problem lurks behind the panel where specialized computer networks hide. Installing a remote starter (which enables drivers to start their car without being in it) no longer is as easy as splicing a few wires. The changes require expertise in computer programming and engineering, and can cost a great deal more.

Today, 39% of 2005 model cars have integrated radio panels that make it difficult or impossible to replace the factory-installed radio, compared with just 9% of 1996 model vehicles, according to Victory Technologies Inc. of Stoneham, Mass., which supplies an electronics database to automotive retailers and manufacturers.

The increase stems from a combination of factors. To save manufacturing costs, auto makers are linking car entertainment systems with other vehicle functions through onboard computer networks. The most common installation obstacles involve audio systems, which no longer just play music, but double as vehicle control and message centers. Many cars come with a screen in the dash that displays radio stations and CD tracks, but also alerts the driver with a message when a headlight goes out or oil needs to be changed.

This reduces the number of wires and components needed to run such features and allows car makers to add more options, from navigation systems to on-road assistance to integrated cell phones. That makes it more difficult for mobile-electronics retailers to make products that seamlessly will plug into the vehicle.

It used to be that a professional installer could create a remote-start system for a vehicle simply by tapping into some wires. Now, car keys come with imbedded computer chips that send a signal to the vehicle in order to turn it on. These high-tech keys require installers to either mount a special device in the car to mimic the key's computer signal or actually hide the key in the car to get the remote start to work.

Barry Vogel of the Ultimate Edge, a mobile-electronics shop in Oswego, N.Y., estimates 75% of vehicles that roll into his shop require some type of installation interface to get a remote start to work. Such installation kits can cost from $65 to $120.

Car-audio retailers say the trend is cutting into sales by forcing some consumers to opt for factory-installed systems. Sales of car-audio components were $2.18 billion last year, down 7% from 2002, according to market researcher NPD Group.

It usually isn't impossible for consumers to get a different audio system installed in their vehicle; it just costs more. Last month, Bobby Martin III, a 24-year-old from Lemoore, Calif., paid nearly $200 to put a $350 stereo into his 2001 Oldsmobile Alero. Without the $120 "interface module" the car would lose its door chimes and car alarm. "I was either going to have to eat it without a CD player or pay the money," Mr. Martin says.

Write to Michelle Higgins at michelle.higgins@wsj.com

rehab

Finding that the old foam roller treatment prescribed by the physical therapist for working out the knots in the ITBs is not as fun as advertised. In fact, it's right up there with the rack, thumbscrews, or breaking with the wheel (Shannon, Matt, and Darlene will remember that one from the torture exhibit at Balboa Park) in terms of enjoyment. The other exercises are good in that I'm really fatigued and feel like I'm getting somewhere. I'm hopeful that I'll have Arnold Schwarzenegger-quality ITBs by the time I see the therapist Monday and he'll let me resume running again.

I've been riding and swimming a lot to make up for the training shortfall and my long ride is pushing 70 miles. I am finding it mind-numbing to swim 4000 yards at a stretch, especially in a 25-yard pool. I guess that's something I'm going to have to get used to, but I'm thinking about a lake swim in the next couple weekends to get some open-water. We'll see what Sean has to say about it; I'm hesitant to go do it alone.

Still not sleeping well consistently, but hoping that I can continue to exhaust myself so I'm tired enough to get to sleep.

Darlene is leaving me for our anniversary: she is going up to Idaho to help with the business for a couple days and will be back the afternoon of the 27th. We are planning on bugging out of work early on Friday and spending the night at a little B&B in Fredericksburg. http://www.absolutecharm.com/absolute-charm-bed-and-breakfast-fredericksburg-tx.htm. Should be fun!

Finally, an auto maker that gets it

This could be really nice if this actually delivers
Salsa Over Spinach
Honda's New Hybrid Takes New Tack:
It's a Feel-Good Car, Not a Do-Good Car
October 11, 2004
The gas-electric hybrid-car market isn't up to Baskin-Robbins's level yet, but it's about to get some important new flavors.

In December, Honda plans to roll out the next major hybrid entry: a gas-electric version of its best-selling model, the Honda Accord sedan.

The first gas-electric hybrid cars offered in the U.S. market came in one style: Science Project. Honda's Insight and the first edition of the Toyota Prius generated more media buzz than sales, mainly because they were tiny, not very powerful cars once you got past the initial "wow!" of driving a car that promised to go as much as 70 miles on a gallon of gas.

The Accord Hybrid, which I got to drive briefly last week, is another proposition entirely. This time, Honda is using its hybrid technology to make a small, six-cylinder engine feel like a beefy, large-displacement six from Detroit or Munich -- but with the fuel economy of a four-cylinder Honda Civic.

The Accord Hybrid's purpose isn't just to give the Honda brand a green halo. It's to give the midpriced model line -- which trades largely on its reputation for durability and practicality -- some extra prestige with consumers who like action when they hit the gas. The Hybrid Accord will be rated at 255 horsepower, compared with 240 for the regular Accord V-6, and will generate 9% more torque.

Torque is the force that you feel in your fanny when you hit the gas; by adding what amounts to an extra motor and a battery pack to the stock 3.0 liter Accord V-6, Honda has produced a car that has more of it than a 3.8 liter V-6 Buick LeSabre -- the epitome of large-displacement Detroit sixes. This is a difference you can feel. The Hybrid Accord accelerates with far more authority than its nonhybrid sibling. Hey, that thing got a Hybrid in it? Sweet!

The Hybrid Accord delivers this improved performance with an estimated mileage of 30 miles per gallon in the city and 37 miles per gallon on the highway, compared with 21 miles and 30 miles per gallon for a regular V-6 Accord and 20 city miles and 29 highway miles for the 3.8 liter Buick. So there's the pitch: The performance of a big, high-performance V-6 with the mileage of a standard four-cylinder engine.

Get it? Honda sure hopes so, because it's floating a $30,000 price tag for the Accord Hybrid in advance of its December launch. (By comparison, a regular Accord EX is priced at about $26,650.) Getting a quick payback in gas savings for the premium hybrid price isn't a rationale for buying this car, even at current gas prices. Honda's bet is that this won't matter -- at least not to about 20,000 consumers a year.

What's noteworthy is what the Accord Hybrid says about the coming shift in hybrid-car marketing strategies. At first, hybrids were positioned as do-good cars -- their drivers were helping to save the planet from global warming. The next wave of hybrids will be positioned as feel-good cars -- high-tech cars that make owners feel smart and ahead of the pack.

The Accord Hybrid presents gas-electric hybrid technology not as spinach but as salsa -- a way to spice up the ride without carbs or excess calories. If owning a car with more horsepower than a BMW 530i and the mileage of a Honda Civic gives you about $3,000 worth of that "I am much smarter than the average bear" vibe, then this car is for you.

This isn't unprecedented thinking. Lots of car makers charge premium prices for innovative high-performance engines. Just ask Chrysler, which can't keep up with demand for its "Hemi" V-8s.

Just as Chrysler did with its Hemi-powered 300 C sedan, Honda intends to market the Accord Hybrid as the brand's "image leader." The company is aiming the new Accord at an audience that's younger (50 years old compared to 53 for the current V-6 Accord buyer); manlier (60% men vs. 56% for the current V-6); and wealthier (Accord Hybrid buyers should be earning $100,000 or more vs. just under that mark for the current V-6).

Honda has packaged a number of slick technical achievements in its new hybrid. To improve mileage, it's equipped the engine with systems that shut down three of six cylinders when the engine is just cruising -- a shift that's imperceptible, even though a six running on just three cylinders naturally tends to be rough. To fix this, Honda has designed special motor mounts and a noise-cancellation system to maintain quiet.

At a stoplight, the engine shuts off with a soft shudder. When you hit the gas, the engine pops back to life. In the city, this feature accounts for about 25% of the nine-mile-per-gallon difference between the standard Accord's city mileage and the hybrid's. Honda has sprinkled small improvements throughout the car: An aluminum hood cuts weight, as does a magnesium intake manifold.

Over the next year, consumers are going to see gas-electric hybrid cars arriving in several other forms. Ford's Hybrid Escape SUV, already on sale, is designed to prove that SUVs can get 30 miles to the gallon. Toyota's Lexus RX400 hybrid SUV is expected to use hybrid technology to boost performance without sacrificing mileage. Toyota said recently it wants to sell as many as 100,000 of its Prius sedans in the U.S.

General Motors and Chrysler, which have been slower than Toyota, Honda and Ford to jump on the hybrid bandwagon, are now showing more interest. Both GM and Chrysler plan to use hybrid systems to pump up the mileage of some of their least fuel-efficient vehicles. Their rationale is that it makes more sense to invest in improving the fuel economy of heavy vehicles that get below-average mileage than it does to stretch for incremental gains on relatively efficient small cars.

GM is starting to roll out a version of its Chevrolet Silverado with a so-called "mild hybrid" system. This is basically a beefed-up starter motor-generator system that gives the truck an electrical boost from a stop. GM says the system improves fuel economy by 13% compared with its standard pickup. The hybrid Silverado will be offered in small numbers to consumers in California, Florida, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Nevada. GM has outlined plans for more hybrid trucks and SUVs in coming years. Chrysler, meanwhile, plans to offer a diesel-electric hybrid version of its big Ram pickup to fleet customers later this year.

Within two or three years, it should become clear what kind of legs hybrid technology will have in the U.S. market. Within that time, European auto makers will have to deliver on promises to make their diesel engines comply with tough U.S. clean-air rules. If they succeed, hybrids will face stiff competition from that technology.

But in the meantime, the Accord Hybrid is making a bet that its hybrid-for-power technology is better positioned not as a shade of green, but as the new black.

Some useful info...

Testing Ways to Kill
Shower-Curtain Mold
By SAM SCHECHNER
October 12, 2004; Page D7
It's easy to spot mold on a shower curtain -- but is there an equally fast way to get rid of it?
Big household-cleaning companies like Clorox and SC Johnson offer assorted sprays that promise to eradicate these black splotches with a minimum of elbow grease. Meanwhile, the Internet abounds with do-it-yourself advice for cleaning up mold. Some companies even sell mold-resistant shower curtains, with antifungal agents baked into the vinyl.

For those who don't want to replace their shower curtains every few months, which of these options works the best? We tested five methods, using five different slices of the same disgustingly moldy vinyl shower curtain. We tried a spray with bleach (Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover) and one free of chlorine (Seventh Generation Shower Cleaner). We also tried dumping a strip in a washing machine along with bleach and white towels (for friction). We soaked another slice in a bathtub with a bottle of distilled vinegar. Finally, we scrubbed one slice with a mixture of water, dish soap and tea tree oil.

The worst result came from bleaching the curtain in a washing machine, a method that two different microbiologists had recommended to us. It may have killed all the mold and bacteria, but it left behind visible rust-colored stains, even after running the 30-minute hot-water wash cycle twice.

The NOW tea-tree oil, a natural fungicide that we bought at a local health-food store, seemed to be an intriguing option. It smelled like a new-age mountain spa as we poured three teaspoons of the oil into a washbasin. After soaking and sloshing the curtain around in the soapy tea tree solution for five minutes and then scrubbing hard for another 10, much of the mold was gone. But there were still large yellow stains and gray specks left behind. NOW doesn't market its tea-tree oil for mold per se, but many Web sites suggest using it to kill and clean fungus.

The best of the five by far was the $3.29 bottle of Tilex. We were skeptical at the outset because the label instructed us only to "spray, wait until stains disappear and rinse." But three minutes after applying the spray to the dry strip of curtain, the mold started to disappear. After 10 minutes, and a rinse, it was gone, apart from two very faint yellow stains that resisted a second spray and scrubbing. The downside: The smell eventually burned our nose (and drew tears to our eyes), even in a well-ventilated bathroom.

For those averse to chlorine, a bleach ingredient that can contaminate groundwater, Seventh Generation "natural citrus scent" shower cleaner ($4.99 a bottle) is a workable alternative. Using hydrogen peroxide, which kills germs and then breaks down into water, the cleaner got rid of most of the mold stains. It left behind only subtle, gray stain remnants. Unfortunately, it required a good deal of scrubbing, which is mitigated slightly by its pleasant Orangina-like aroma.

Soaking the curtain in a solution of bathwater and distilled vinegar didn't wow us. After an hour, the mold looked unchanged -- but some of the stains yielded to sustained scrubbing. Still, the gray areas that remained were slightly more noticeable than those left by Seventh Generation.

• Write to cranky@wsj.com

METHOD: Spray with Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover
COST: $3.29 for 32 fl. oz. spray bottle
EASE OF USE: As promised, requires no scrubbing
SMELL: Like a swimming pool
THE RESULT: The curtain came out practically bone-white.
METHOD: Spray with Seventh Generation Shower Cleaner
COST: $3.99 for 32 fl. oz. spray bottle
EASE OF USE: Shoulder felt tender after 14 minutes of scrubbing -- and that was only one section of curtain
SMELL: Sweet lemon soda
THE RESULT: Grayish pattern remained where the black mold had been -- was less noticeable from across the room.
METHOD: Soak in distilled vinegar and water
COST: $1.29 for 16 fl. oz. bottle of Heinz distilled white vinegar
EASE OF USE: Requires slightly less elbow grease than some methods, but takes an hour to soak
SMELL: Like someone had made a salad in our bathroom
THE RESULT: So-so; gray stains still visible
METHOD: Wash with Now tea tree oil and dishsoap
COST: $5.95 for 1 fl. oz. bottle of oil; $1.99 for Palmolive
EASE OF USE: Felt like we had done a fully upper-body workout at the gym
SMELL: Massage parlor
THE RESULT: Minimal payback for all that effort.
METHOD: Bleach in washing machine (hot-water cycle)
COST: $1.29 for 24 fl. oz. bottle of Clorox Ultra Regular Bleach
EAE OF USE: Just let the washing machine slosh around
SMELL: Light bleach odor
THE RESULT: Big rust-colored stains remained. We even tried a second time again, without much improvement.

how to lose a bike race, fantasy league, etc....

Don't show up. That's my best piece of advice.

After struggling all season through the first eight races of the World Cup competition known as the MP3, once leading the series, and most recently trailing the series leader by 18 points with two weeks to go, I let it all slip away. Wanting to get a look at the start list one last time yesterday prior to Sunday's Paris-Tours, I deferred mailing in my entries. Occupied by a 4-hour training ride and a few errands, I missed the entry deadline!

To top it off, my would-be picks ended up third, fifth, and sixth...

Now I will likely drop out of the top five with my big goose egg with no time to recover in the tenth and final leg of the series next Sunday. I could just weep.

Knee stuff

Got in to see the physical therapist this morning to look after the knee.  The doc thought it was IT band tendonitis brought on from overuse and relative weakness in the lateral plane of motion.  The therapist looked at the knee joint and tested to confirm everything was working there.  Next, he had me lay down on my side, raise my straight leg, and resist his pushing down on my leg.  I was able to hold him off pretty well on the right side; I lifted him off the floor trying to push it down.  The left side was another story: I folded like a house of cards.  Diagnosis, tight and weak ITBs.

So he showed me a series of exercises to strengthen my ITBs and increase my flexibility.  It was humbling because I felt like one of those baby giraffes you see on the Discovery Channel taking its first few steps.  Just those exercises was enough to have me shaky-legged and tired.  I am supposed to follow this regimen for the next 10 days before I see him again, then we'll talk about me running again.  He doesn't want me doing any running before the ITB is reining in some of the instability in my knee because he's afraid the same thing will happen, but he does encourage me to keep lifting, swimming, and cycling. 

He's also got me looking for a pool noodle: those foam things kids sit on or the old ladies use for water aerobics.  I'm supposed to roll back and forth over that after my runs to try to massage out some of the tightness.  Little did I know that most sporting goods stores don't carry those.  Looks like I'll have to hit a pool place…

So, I'll just continue logging monster miles in the pool and on the bike, weather and work permitting.  I'm on pace for a 10,000 yard week in the pool, and I'm shooting for a 160-mile weekend on the bike.

Quote of the Day, although I doubt the attribution...

Ninety percent of the time things turn out worse than you thought they would.
The other ten percent of the time you had no right to expect that much.
--Augustine

Sleep

One of these days, I'm going to get some.  A hail of presentations to customers and VPs has kept me from sleeping well, and I seem to have lost the ability to make the 5 a.m. getup to work out.  It seems like both Darlene and I have been dragging ass all week. 

I think part of my problem is not being able to run, so I'm not as tired as I have been.  Couple that with the phenomenon that I seem to get depressed and drink more when I'm injured and can't train, seems like a good recipe for not sleeping.  So, the plan is to cut out the beer, start getting up regularly in the mornings to get back into a semi-normal sleeping pattern.  The short term fix is to get to bed early and pop one of Darlene's famous sleeping pills to kick-start the night.

I also read this morning that Merck is pulling Vioxx from the shelves because of the increased risk of heart attack and stroke.  I just got samples for Vioxx from the doc for my knee and should be taking those for a while.  The good news is that the studies that condemned the stuff showed no adverse effects in the first 18 months, so I should be able to weather it without any problems.  Hopefully the physical therapy will get me away from the need for more.

Shannon

We were able to get together with Shannon last night for dinner.  We met at PF Chang's and then dropped by our place so she could see the house.  Great to see her again; she looks great and seems very happy.  It sounds like everyone is doing well and sounds like Matt had his hands full with retiling the bathroom.  From what I saw when they tiled our place, he's a real trooper to tackle it on his own.  Hope it turns out well.

She was headed out to meet everyone downtown so I hope 6th Street wasn't as disappointing as the night before.  I think Wednesday nights are actually a decent night down there because of all the UT kids nearby.  Sounds like she'll be back in town in November, so hopefully we'll be able to get together again and we will be able to go out with them.  Unfortunately I forgot to take her picture, so nothing to post.

The economics are staggering

Is Three the New Two? Adding Up
The Cost of Having a Third Child
By HILARY STOUT
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
September 30, 2004; Page D1
There is a question that most people with two children eventually contemplate, even if it is only for a fleeting moment: What about a third?

For some, it is a prospect that can be dismissed with a horrified chuckle. But there are signs that more people are deciding to take the plunge. The National Center for Health Statistics shows a modest uptick -- 28% of all births in 2002 were to mothers who already had at least two children, up from 26% in 1996 and 25% in 1984. And some obstetricians say they are noticing an increase in third pregnancies, particularly among affluent women.

"Three is happening more frequently," says Laura Riley, an obstetrician with a private practice in Boston who heads the obstetrics group of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. It's even becoming a joke among some coteries of stroller-pushing moms that "three is the new two."

A confluence of factors appears to be making three more attractive. Advances in fertility treatments mean women can consider a third child well into their 40s, when careers and family finances may seem more secure. (The technology has also led to a surge in multiple births.) The increase in the percentage of mothers staying at home means more women are devoting full-time energy to their kids and may be more interested in having bigger families. Caring for three kids is becoming more manageable for working women, too, as more employers allow flex time and other "family-friendly" policies. And as the economy shows signs of strengthening, having a third child may become a viable option for even more couples.

But no matter how favorable the circumstances, the question of whether to go for three is tough. It isn't just the obvious factors, like a third college tuition to worry about and the fact that the kids will outnumber the adults. Having three kids imposes a number of hidden expenses and logistical challenges, from reshuffling bedrooms to paying for an extra taxi. Just as the world is set up for right-handers, it turns out it is also made for families no larger than four.

To start with, it helps to have an idea of how much more it's really going to cost. Babycenter.com has a calculator that could help you figure this out. Using research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it estimates that a child born in 2005 to two parents who live in the Midwest, have an annual income of more than $64,000, and plan to send the kid to a public college will cost $583,924 from birth through age 22. If that same family lives in the Northeast and hopes to send the child to a private college, the tab jumps to $815,370.

Todd Minear, a certified financial planner in Gladstone, Mo., set out to answer the cost question for himself as he and his wife consider having a third child. Child care in the preschool years is the big expense they worry about. Currently, the Minears pay $310 per week for day care for their three-year-old and one-year-old. A new baby would mean "five more years of day care than we bargained for," Mr. Minear says. The marginal difference, he calculates, is an extra $40,000.

Last weekend, the Minears went house-hunting, since their current home has three bedrooms. Trading up will cost an extra $30,000 to $50,000 where they live, Mr. Minear says. (Of course two of the kids could share, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sharing a room can make kids closer, psychologists say.)

The bank account isn't the only thing to think about. Consider the logistical problems with restaurants. When you become a family of five, you become a large party. Just two of the 21 tables and booths at a Denny's in South Burlington, Vt., accommodate more than four people. Across town at Burger King -- a joint so family-friendly it has a playground inside -- only one of the 30-plus tables has more than four places.

In New York City, taxis allow only four passengers, so a bigger family has to spring for two separate cabs. But that doesn't mean people who live elsewhere are off the hook: There is no way three kids' car seats fit across the back seat of most cars, so grown men who vowed they would never let go of their convertibles find themselves trading in for minivans.

Travel, always a challenge with kids, gets exponentially harder with a third. Try to book a "family suite" with more than four people at The Bellmoor in Rehoboth Beach, Del., and you're out of luck. No more than four allowed -- not even if the fifth is a baby. So instead of paying $400-plus per night for the two-room suite, you are forced to book two adjoining "deluxe rooms," at a cost of more than $700.

Then there are the little things you'd never think about. Tom Donahue, a father of three in suburban Atlanta, went to a fair with his family recently. Since the cars on most of the rides were just big enough for two kids, one of the adults had to squeeze into a second car to keep the third child company.

I write on all this from experience. Almost two years ago, my husband and I welcomed our third child into the world -- little Johnny, with spiky red hair, who joined his 4½-year-old sister and 2-year-old brother in our Manhattan apartment. At first, it was pretty easy. The third time around in babydom, you actually feel like you know what you're doing.

Once he started walking, it got more complicated. Now, as I turn to answer a question from Clare, who is doing her first-grade homework, Johnny darts away and climbs into the bathroom sink. Meanwhile, Michael is loudly demanding assistance in locating his stuffed lion. The stress of getting everyone out the door makes for more family bickering then we otherwise would have had. And with each new child, it gets harder to stay at the office (though more financially necessary to do so).

But there are few things more heartwarming than watching the three siblings play together. And life wouldn't be nearly as rich without John.

• E-mail me at familymatters@wsj.com¹.

URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB109650668134632150,00.html

this is the picture to go along with the story below... 

Now, that's not something that happens all the time...

Unfortunate Whale Speared by Cruise Ship
OTTAWA (Reuters) - It wasn't until the U.S. cruise ship had pulled into port in Atlantic Canada that those on board made a gruesome discovery -- the body of a large whale was impaled on the vessel's bow.

Officials said on Monday that the 60-foot finback whale could have been stuck there for up to two days before "Jewel of the Seas" docked in Saint John, New Brunswick, on Sunday, after a cruise through waters where the giant mammals abound.

"The captain of the vessel was not aware there was a whale basically impaled on the bow ... this is an extremely unusual case," said Wendy Williams, a spokeswoman for Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Coast Guard officials quickly removed the body of the whale and towed it out to sea. The Royal Caribbean ship had been cruising the St. Lawrence river and the Bay of Fundy on the Atlantic coast, an area rich in whales.

Shipping routes through the Bay of Fundy were changed last year to protect the rare right whale. Finback whales are relatively common.

"This is the first ship strike (on a whale) that I'm aware of in the past year," said Williams.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&u=/nm/whale_dc&printer=1

Dinner with Shannon

Shannon is in town tonight and tomorrow night.  I've traded phone messages with her and it looks like we'll get together for dinner tomorrow night at PF Chang's and maybe swing by the house since she didn't get to see it last time.  It will be good to see her again, but that means we have to pick up the house…  That's a good thing though, just don't know where we are going to get the time.

Knee

Had some problems with the knee during Sunday's run.  I got about two miles into it before the tendon on the outside of my left knee got too painful to continue.  It was more pronounced going up and down hill.  I walked back and iced on and off for the rest of the day. 

I just got back from an appointment with Dr. Elenz at Austin Sports Medicine and he said it was inflammation of my IT band from rubbing over one of the bony protrusions on the outside of the knee (can't remember what he called it).  He thought my hips might be a little weak laterally because swimming, biking, running, squats, etc. are all straightforward motions and this might be causing a problem.  He gave me enough Vioxx to poison a horse and a prescription for four weeks of physical therapy to work on strengthening the hips and stretching the ITB.  I will also have my massage therapist focus on my ITBs when I see her.

The doc thought I was okay continuing to swim and lift, and he thought biking was okay as long as it didn't hurt (it didn't on Saturday's 50-miler) and I didn't push big gears.  So I guess I will continue with the really big swim and bike weeks at low intensity to build as much base as possible.  The physical therapist will be able to tell me when I can restart running when I see him or her next Friday.  So it looks like I'm back out again for a while and will have a slow ramp once I do come back.

About time

California Bans Kids from Tanning Salons

Fri Sep 24, 8:05 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California's perpetually buff Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (news - web sites) signed a bill on Friday barring children under 14 from going to tanning salons in his sunshine-filled state.

California lawmakers backed the legislation in May citing concerns by dermatologists who blame the artificial light in tanning booths for contributing to a rise in skin cancer.

Violators could be liable for a fine of up to $2,500. Teenagers between the age of 14 and 18 need a note from their parents to go to a tanning salon.

A tinge of truth, but obviously a little extreme

TRIUMPH OF THE STULTOCRACY
By Ted Rall
NEW YORK--"Kerry doesn't know what the working-class people do; he hasn't done any physical labor all his life," Sharon Alfman, a 51-year-old cook in New Lexington, Ohio, told a New York Times reporter. It's true. Kerry is a rich boy. But then she added: "Bush's values are middle-class family values."

George W. Bush earned $727,000 last year. Estimates of his net worth range between $9 and $26 million. Middle class he most assuredly is not. Working class he never has been. Like fellow Skull and Bones member John Kerry (news - web sites), man of the people he never will be. But it matters that Sharon Altman thinks he is. Unless you too are a voter living in a swing state like Ohio, her vote counts more than yours.

Demonstrating that stupefying ignorance can be bipartisan, another Ohioan interviewed for the same article said she is against the war in Iraq (news - web sites) because, like 42 percent of her fellow Americans, she thinks Iraq was behind 9/11: "We shouldn't be over there building them back up because they didn't build our towers back up." She is wrong on so many levels that it makes my brain hurt.

Both women are entitled to their unawareness. We can't pass a law to force them to read the paper. But neither of these people ought to force their fellow citizens to suffer the consequences of their being so uninformed. Voting should be a privilege earned by an intellectually engaged citizen, not a right given to any adult with a pulse.

All men are created equal, declared the Founders. But as Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in "Democracy in America," universal suffrage counts upon the existence of a responsible, well-educated citizenry in order to result in political equality. If you give the vote to morons, you get the "tyranny of the masses"--a lumpen proletariat prone to manipulation by demagogues and fools--such as that which created chaos and bloodshed in post-revolutionary France. We're all equal at birth, but what we do later determines whether or not our opinions are worthwhile.

At this writing, the world's greatest nation flails under the rule of buffoons and madmen, bogged down in two optional wars we're actually losing. The world's richest economy is shedding jobs, running up debts and building nothing for the future. Voters, offered an election year alternative to the subliterate idiot who single-handedly created this mess, spurn him for a leader even dumber than they are. America has become a stultocracy: government by morons, for morons.

A 2002 poll found that 64 percent of Americans--people whose votes help determine how much you pay in taxes--could not name a single Supreme Court justice. In 2003, 58 percent--people whose votes could elect someone who starts a nuclear war--couldn't identify a single department of the president's cabinet. Voters aged 18 to 24, whose recent schooling ought to inspire confidence in their knowledge of basic facts, are especially ignorant. National Geographic (news - web sites) says that 85 percent of young American adults can't find Afghanistan (news - web sites), Iraq or Israel on a map.

The fact that these yahoos are allowed to vote is an abomination. Their ill-considered ballots cancel or dilute those cast by those who do the heavy lifting that makes them good citizens: keeping abreast of current events, researching issues, studying candidates' positions.

In the Old South, literacy tests were used to disenfranchise blacks. Alternatively, a basic political literacy test should be used to ensure that anyone who picks ESPN over CNN--regardless of race or creed--stays home on Election Day. Prospective voters should be required to answer at least three of the following questions correctly; to give people a fair shot, the test should be published in newspapers a week before an election:

1. Who is the vice president?
2. What is your state capital?
3. Name one of the following: your governor, congressman or one senator.
4. What is the capital of the United States?
5. Name one federal cabinet-level department.
Of course, such a political literacy test would drastically reduce voter turnout. On the other hand, those who pass could take comfort in knowing that they're not competing against the 60 percent of Americans who think we've found Iraq's imaginary WMDs, or the 22 percent who "believe" that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) used such weapons against U.S. troops during the 2003 invasion.

I just can't see this taking root in our house...

Couture Decor
Hats, Purses, Kimonos Hang
As Art On Collectors' Walls;
The Bowling Shirt Problem
By LAUREN LIPTON
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
September 24, 2004; Page W10
Art consultant Barbara Guggenheim, who regularly brokers sales of million-dollar paintings, could display pretty much anything she wanted on the walls of her homes. But, there isn't much fine art in her Paris-area pied-à-terre. Instead, she says, "I have this other passion." One hallway is lined with floor-to-ceiling framed vintage handkerchiefs. In a guest room, a sculpture is an antique mannequin pinned with rhinestone brooches. A bathroom boasts still more hankies -- all with a poodle theme. "My husband won't even go in there," she says.

Now appearing alongside the Picasso: your purse. With vintage fashion becoming an increasingly popular -- and pricey -- collectible, more people are taking wearable items out of mothballs and into the living room to show off as art. Popular display items include kimonos, cowboy boots, military attire, celebrity costumes and designer-label accessories -- anything collectors deem colorful or visually interesting. Even some closets are getting the museum treatment, with backlit, glass-fronted cabinets that set off each Hermes handbag like a priceless Grecian urn.

Collectors call their fashion installations a way to showcase their personal style -- and a home décor unlikely to be duplicated anywhere else. They say period clothing, shoes and hats make great display pieces because they're bright and colorful, with a level of craftsmanship and detail that's rare today. Besides, with prices like these, collectors say, it makes little sense to pack this stuff away. Sales of vintage clothing and accessories are up 80% since 1999 at auction house Doyle New York; the average lot price grew from $542 to $1,187 during the same period. And while prices in the vintage clothing field first started taking off for kimonos and Elvis jumpsuits, in recent years designer couture and accessories have been popular collectibles.

Accessible Art
For some homeowners, the appeal of couture and clothing as art is its accessibility. While a piece of fine art can be off-putting, everybody can relate to a shoe or a jacket, says Eric Lysdahl, an interior designer in New York. Fashion pieces are tactile, sculptural and three-dimensional -- and not that hard to interpret. "There's a comfort level," he says.

But for many, another appeal of vintage fashion -- Princess Diana's party dresses aside -- is that it doesn't have to cost a fortune. Period handkerchiefs can be had for a few dollars; old boots can go for around $125. At any given time on eBay, there are about 57,000 vintage fashion items for sale.

Collector Chryse Paul says she just wants a great conversation piece. The Monticello, Minn., photographer last week bought five outfits at a Sotheby's auction of the estate of Johnny and June Carter Cash, including a $2,400 rose-colored suede tunic and skirt with Native American-style beading that Mrs. Cash wore for a 1982 appearance at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. When she's not wearing them, Ms. Paul plans to display her new clothes on antique mannequins. "They won't be stuck in a closet," she says.

Still, having several hundred Bakelite bracelets or dress forms in Edwardian costume can be a bit off-putting to guests. Daryl Chen, a New York editor, displays over 100 handbags -- including one that's made out of kangaroo fur and plays "Waltzing Matilda" -- on shelves in her living room. "It's a good litmus test," she says. If first-time visitors "don't ask those obligatory, how-many-do-you-have, do-you-use-them questions, I know they're not my people."

Some fashionistas keep their collections in their closets, but that doesn't mean the clothing is not on display. Austin, Texas, architect Bob Wetmore says his firm, Cornerstone Group Architects, works on 50 homes a year with closets that have gallery-like details such as humidity control, ventilation, and glass-and-mahogany cabinets. (There was virtually no demand a decade ago.) One client has a special place to showcase a pair of go-go boots; another, Austin homeowner Jeanne Parker, has glass-fronted cases that house her ball gowns, fur coats and shoes. "It kind of looks like a library," she says.

Outside a museum, though, displaying fashion objects can be risky. One danger: The living room goes out of fashion. Some collectors say they quickly grow tired of their displays and then have to stuff them back in the closet.

In Mothballs
Then there's the matter of taking care of the clothes. The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York fields at least three calls a day from people with conservation questions, says a spokeswoman, up from "sporadic" calls a few years ago. Old fabric is notoriously fragile, and experts say hanging old garments on a mannequin or on the wall can further stress the fabric, causing rips. Leather goods can dry out and crack in a hot room. Then there's the mothball problem. "Nothing's worse than smelling a dress that's been sitting in a box of mothballs for 40 years," says Kristi Paras, co-owner of Zachary's Smile, a New York vintage boutique.

R VanGorden Stedman pairs modern art with his collection of uniform jackets and dozens of pairs of Vans skateboard shoes (they line the baseboard in his Tampa, Fla., home). But he's learned the hard way that you can't display vintage clothing and accessories everywhere. His bowling shirts used to hang in his sunny laundry room, until they started to fade. He sold them for half of what he could have gotten, had they been in mint condition, he says.

Still, he's not parting with the 1950s oversize Wrangler rodeo-clown jeans that are laid out across a bookshelf -- even if they do get in the way. "They cover up part of my reference library," he says. "I have to put the pants on top of my head to peer underneath."

--Amir Efrati contributed to this article.

Write to Lauren Lipton at lauren.lipton@wsj.com

Still not out of the woods

Tyler Hamilton Cleared to Keep Olympic Gold - IOC
By Justin Palmer
LONDON (Reuters) - Olympic time trial champion Tyler Hamilton has been cleared of any doping offence at the Athens Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (news - web sites) (IOC (news - web sites)) said on Thursday.

American Hamilton had been told that he gave a positive test for a blood transfusion in Athens on August 18 but the IOC said in a statement that the result of the B, or second, test was "non-conclusive" because the sample had been destroyed by being deep-frozen.

"The disciplinary procedure has had to be stopped because of the non-conclusive result," the statement said.
"The IOC will not be pursuing sanctions regarding this matter."
Hamilton still faces possible sanctions from cycling's ruling body, the UCI, after he was told he gave a positive test for a blood transfusion following his time trial victory during this month's Tour of Spain. The UCI is yet to officially comment.

Arnie Ljungqvist, head of the IOC's medical commission, told reporters that it had been a mistake to deep-freeze Hamilton's B sample from Athens.

"The blood sample was unfortunately destroyed. It should not have been deep frozen (in the laboratory)," he said in a teleconference.

HUMAN ERROR
"It was human error, caused by the unusual workload that prevailed during the Olympics... because there were three new tests introduced for the Athens Games and because the number of overall samples during the Olympic period was increased by 50 percent.

"Here we have a case where the A sample was deemed clearly positive by a panel of outside experts and was also agreed upon by the chief of the laboratory in Athens.

"But then we have the B analysis... the rules are clear, legally such a case will be deemed negative because the A (test) did not confirm the B."

The rider had faced losing his gold medal if his B test at the Olympics had been positive.
Hamilton, 33, withdrew from the Tour of Spain on Friday citing a stomach upset. He was suspended on Wednesday by his Phonak team, who said in a statement on Thursday that Hamilton's Tour of Spain B test was positive.

The American has maintained he is "100 percent innocent," while Phonak said he would remain with the team until "clarity" was achieved. Phonak also plan to set up a "scientific board" to check the reliability of the test method.

Hamilton could be banned for two years, effectively ending his career, if the UCI officially declares that he is guilty of doping offences in the Tour of Spain. If found guilty he would be the first athlete to be caught having a blood transfusion.

Hamilton finished fourth in the 2003 Tour de France despite breaking his collar bone in a crash at the end of the first stage. He used to support Lance Armstrong on the U.S. Postal team before leaving in 2001 to become team leader with CSC Tiscali.

Interesting since these tests are new...

'I'm 100 Percent Innocent', Says Hamilton
By Mark Ledsom
ZURICH (Reuters) - Olympic champion Tyler Hamilton said on Tuesday he was "100 percent innocent" as the Phonak rider responded to testing positive for blood transfusions.

"I'm devastated to be here tonight. My family, team, friends are all devastated and one thing I can guarantee you is I'm 100 percent innocent," the American told reporters at a news conference held by his Phonak cycling team.

"I've been accused of taking blood from another person. Anyone who knows me knows that is completely impossible.
"I can tell you what I did and did not put into my body. Cycling is very important to me but not that important. If I ever had to do that (doping) I'd hang the bike on the rack."

Hamilton said he was informed by the International Cycling Union (UCI) last Thursday that he had tested positive at the Tour of Spain for having a blood transfusion.

The 33-year-old was told on Saturday by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that he had also tested positive for having a blood transfusion at last month's Athens Games.

"The two tests are alleged to show a similar method of doping," Hamilton said at a news conference.
If found guilty Hamilton would be the first athlete caught for a blood transfusion.
Hamilton won the Olympic time trial gold medal and the eighth stage of the Tour of Spain -- a time trial -- on September 11. He withdrew from the Vuelta on Friday citing an upset stomach.

"I can guarantee you the (Olympic) gold medal will be staying in my living room until I don't have a cent left," said Hamilton. "I've worked hard for it and it's not going anywhere."

PROBABILITY TEST
Blood transfusions are believed to have been widely used in cycling but there has, until now, been no way to detect them.

New tests are thought to have been introduced for the Tour de France but asked to confirm the timing a UCI spokesman said: "We are refusing to comment on this."

Phonak chief executive officer Andreas Rihs, casting doubt on the reliability of the tests, said the team would stand behind Hamilton even if the 'B' tests were positive.

"We don't fire innocent people and if the 'B' test is positive as well we'll still stand behind Tyler. We believe Tyler independent of these results.

"We don't believe the test is reliable. It's more of a probability test. We have scientific papers that question the reliability of these tests.

"We think this test (at the Tour of Spain), or the IOC test at least, were done sloppily. The IOC test is suspect because it (the result) came out one month after it was done."

Hamilton finished fourth in the 2003 Tour de France despite breaking his collar bone in a crash at the end of the first stage. He used to support Lance Armstrong on the U.S. Postal team before leaving in 2001 to become team leader with CSC Tiscali.

Swiss cyclist Oscar Camenzind, who raced for Phonak, was banned for two years after testing positive for EPO shortly before the Athens Games. Camenzind was the 1998 world road race champion and he retired after the positive test was revealed.

hurts so good

Think Wasabi Clears Your Sinuses? Think Again

Mon Sep 20, 1:32

By Alison McCook

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many people believe the sushi-seasoner wasabi clears their sinuses, but new research presented this week suggests that the spicy green paste may do the opposite.

U.S. researchers found that eating wasabi appeared to increase congestion in a small group of healthy volunteers, despite the fact that participants said they thought that the spice had cleared their nasal passages.

"Actually, wasabi is a congestant," study author Dr. David S. Cameron told Reuters Health. "It makes the space of your nasal passages smaller, but it makes you feel more open."

Cameron explained that wasabi probably clogs up sinuses by increasing blood flow to the lining of the nose. That extra blood takes up space, he said, which constricts the nasal passageway.

Wasabi may make the nose feel more open, Cameron noted, by causing changes that increase the cooling effect of air breathed through the nose, or by stimulating flaring of the nostrils, which enables air to flow more easily though the nose.

Cameron and his team will present their findings Tuesday during the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation annual meeting in New York City.

Wasabi is made by grinding the stems of the Wasabia japonica plant into a paste. This plant belongs to the same family of plants as broccoli, cabbage and mustard.

While wasabi may not work as a decongestant, previous research has suggested that it is not without other health benefits. For instance, lab research shows that wasabi may inhibit the growth of cancer cells in test tubes, prevent platelets from forming blood clots, and may even fight asthma or cavities. And, appropriately for a condiment used to season raw fish, wasabi has antimicrobial properties.

During the current study, Cameron and his colleagues from Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, California asked 22 people to dissolve a lentil-sized amount of wasabi on their tongues multiple times at one-minute intervals, and then report whether the spice affected their sinuses. The researchers also used a device to objectively measure participants' nasal congestion before and after tasting wasabi.

Cameron explained that he and his colleagues used the minimum amount of wasabi needed to cause burning in the nose, a hallmark of the ingredient.

Although people believed that wasabi helped open their nasal passages, it actually appeared to increase congestion.

"If you love wasabi, keep eating it," Cameron said. "But if you want to recommend it as a decongestant, think twice."

ah, monday

mondays are such fun aren't they. knee still bothering while heading up or down stairs. doesn't hurt in the gym, although my legs feel a little weak. knee felt fine doing squats.

my back seems to be getting better as well. this was the first time i attempted free squats outside the hack machine. i was also able to add some weight to back extensions. it doesn't hurt at all any longer and it doesn't feel as weak as it did. i can crank up the interferential stimulator quite a bit before it induces twitching. maybe i'll be able to send the shocker back and just be really diligent about hitting the gym.

since i can't run, i've been loggin sick mileage in the pool. i think this will be a seven or eight mile week...

mom and dad head to belgium thursday. i really hope they have a great time.

Computer fun

Finally got the permissions to update Darlene's computer to SP2. That takes forever and I pretty much blew the entire morning. I will have to get the gym and swim in this afternoon. I also downloaded the Firefox browser from Mozilla and it seems pretty nice so far. The tabbed browsing is nice and it's nice to know that it's more secure than IE. Here's an interesting blurb from Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal on the browser:

"Browsing safely: I suggest dumping Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser, which has a history of security breaches. I recommend instead Mozilla Firefox, which is free at www.mozilla.org. It's not only more secure but also more modern and advanced, with tabbed browsing, which allows multiple pages to be open on one screen, and a better pop-up ad blocker than the belated one Microsoft recently added to IE."

Injured reserve

Had a little knee pain last Sunday after the long run. I gave it a couple days of rest to make sure I didn't overdo it because I was coming off a 10-day layoff to get the back healthy. Felt good Wednesday evening on the short run, but about five miles into the Thursday morning workout, the pain along the collateral ligament and meniscus on my left knee got so bad I had to walk.

I talked to the run coach and he said I'd have to take some time off, get some massage and PT and when I start back, to ramp more slowly. Still plenty of time to make Tempe.

I am concerned because I think the root cause of the problem is the new running form he's taught us. One component of the approach is to land more flat-footed. In trying to make this happen I think I might have landed a little more on the balls of my feet and induced some sort of pronation that irritated the ligament. I think as a result, I will let the foot land as it feels most comfortable and just concentrate on not overstepping in front of me.

Interesting and the next week or two will be stressful trying to heal. We'll also see how good my massage therapist and chiropractor are.

Pictures from the visit to see Tammy in CO

Darlene and I headed out to see Tammy over Labor Day weekend and had a great time. It was really beautiful and we had a good time running around during the days, doing very little in the evenings, and sleeping late.

I set up Tammy's new computer while I was up there, so spent the better part of a couple days setting that up, showing her how to use it, the digital camera, and the card reader. I set up a wireless network because there was no cable jack where she wanted to set up the computer (and didn't want a cable running up the outside of the house), only to take it down because the signal sucked and the throughput was worse than dialup. In the end, Curtis and I ran 100' of coaxial cable underneath the carpet...

We got in an evening of gambling in this mining town turned boomtown, called Black Hawk. It was really interesting as it was carved out a of a narrow canyon and really had the feel of a romanticized mining town. Everyone lost their ass (Curtis didn't get killed like the rest of us) but we had a great time.

We stopped on the way to Black Hawk in Boulder because I wanted to visit Excel Sports. I buy all my bike gear from them and their web and catalog operation is amazing. Turns out the storefront is about the size of my garage with about four bikes in it. The warehouse behind it and the server farm in the data center are the heart and soul of the operation.

We also ventured up to Estes Park to take in the sights, feed the squirrels, do a little shopping and a little fishing.

Altogether a great time!