Statement by Secretary Timothy F. Geithner to the Plenary Session of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Annual Meetings, Delivered by Acting Assistant Secretary Mark Sobel
On behalf of Secretary Geithner and the U.S. delegation, thank you to the people of Istanbul and our host country Turkey. It is fitting that we meet today in this great country - a land at the crossroads of history and civilization.
During the Great Depression, the global economy faced a crossroads, and it chose the path of unilateralism and inwardness. Over the last year, we faced the deepest challenge since then. Standing at another crossroads, the international community chose the path of unprecedented cooperation and multilateralism. We took decisive action to restore growth, boost employment, and repair financial systems. We mobilized nearly $1 trillion in support for emerging markets, helping to slow a serious capital drain.
The United States is doing and will do its part. We supported U.S. and global growth through our stimulus plan, restored confidence in the U.S. financial system through our stability and regulatory reforms as well as our transparent stress tests, and helped stem the loss of confidence facing emerging markets through President Obama's successful call for rapidly mobilizing $500 billion through a renewed New Arrangements to Borrow at the IMF.
We are now witnessing stabilization of the global economy and the beginnings of recovery. But we cannot be complacent. Conditions remain fragile. The international community must implement its critical agenda to sustain the recovery and help create jobs, to strengthen regulatory frameworks, and to begin preparing cooperative exit strategies. We also need to pursue additional trade liberalization, including an ambitious and balanced conclusion to the Doha Development Round.
Together, we recognize that the world cannot return to a pattern of uneven growth, characterized by an excessive reliance on a single engine of consumption-led growth, while others relied heavily on external demand. First and foremost, the responsibility for tackling these problems rests with sovereign governments, including my own.
But as we build a strong, sustained and balanced global economy, we must advance a forward-looking agenda so that the IMF and World Bank can enhance their legitimacy and update their missions to meet future challenges.
For the IMF, this means that rigorous surveillance must help us shed light on trends that could lead to the next unsustainable boom. Under the new G-20 Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth, the IMF must provide forward-looking analysis of whether the world's major countries are implementing economic policies, including exchange rate policies, which are collectively consistent with G-20 objectives. The IMF will need to be a truth-teller.
The World Bank will need to focus more on building resilience to crisis and foundations for prosperity. As the world emerges from crisis, the poorest will require strong and sustained support from the multilateral development banks. With concessional financing deploying more quickly, donors must commit to successful and timely replenishments of IDA and the African Development Fund. When considering the MDB capital requests, we must recognize the importance of maintaining the IBRD's financial soundness. As the centerpiece of the multilateral development system, the World Bank is best positioned to address challenges that require globally coordinated action. In particular, the Bank must more actively prioritize work on three emerging global priorities, agriculture and food security, support in the most fragile environments, and facilitating the transition to a green economy.
For the IMF and World Bank to be effective in these tasks, their broad membership must consider them legitimate and representative. We are delighted that the international community is now committed to achieving a 5% shift in IMF quota share toward dynamic underrepresented countries by January 2011 and the call to shift at least 3% of the Bank's voting power to developing and transition countries and the recommitment to reach an agreement by the 2010 Spring Meetings.
The past six months have plainly demonstrated the benefits of stronger Ministerial engagement in setting strategic policies and priorities at the international financial institutions. To sustain this, we must find a way to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of both the IMFC and the Development Committee. Furthermore, we need far more efficient and strategic Executive Boards, which better reflect the realities of the global economy.
In closing, the international community has rarely shared such a sense of common purpose and urgency. All of our countries – developing, emerging, or advanced – want to avoid a repeat of the worst economic crisis in decades. So let us press forward on this path of multilateralism to offer greater hope and prosperity for people in every corner of the world.
Envirofit International and Colorado State University Receive International Design Award FORT COLLINS - The cookstove design and development teams at Envirofit International and the Engines and Energy Conversion Lab at Colorado State University have won a Bronze IDEA for Envirofit’s clean cookstove in the Ecodesign category in the 2009 International Design Excellence Awards. The Bronze International Design Excellence Award is shared with the industrial design groups Red Ingot LLC and Sector 7 Studios, LLC.
The winners of the 2009 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) competition—a celebration of year’s most innovative and exciting product designs and one of the world’s most prestigious and recognizable design competitions—exhibit a focus on sustainability, functionality and, in some cases, breathtaking aesthetics. The Envirofit S-2100 clean cookstove is an example of a recent trend of the IDEA award and its sponsors, BusinessWeek, the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), Target and Autodesk, toward honoring products designed for underserved or underprivileged markets.
The four co-founders of Envirofit all have ties to Colorado State University: Bryan Willson, director of the Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory and mechanical engineering professor; Paul Hudnut, professor in the College of Business; and Tim Bauer and Nathan Lorenz, now Envirofit’s Vice President of Operations and Vice President of Engineering, respectively, who used to be graduate students at the engines lab. Willson started the cookstoves program at the university. The Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory serves as a R&D subcontractor to Envirofit which, with global partner the Shell Foundation, aims to design, build and disseminate millions of cookstoves to emerging markets in the coming years.
Envirofit cookstoves are sold to consumers in India and other emerging markets to address the global health and environmental impacts of Indoor Air Pollution. Unlike most groups designing cookstoves for developing world markets, Envirofit and its partners develop stoves that not only dramatically reduce toxic emissions and biomass fuel use, but also take the stoves’ aesthetics and ergonomics into consideration.
“Historically, emerging market consumers have not been viewed as a valued consumer group. But just because a family only makes a few dollars a day doesn’t mean they don’t want and deserve a beautiful, durable product they can be proud of,” said Ron Bills, Chairman and CEO of Envirofit International. “Envirofit and its partners are pleased that the international design community is recognizing the importance of creating high-quality, aesthetic products for emerging market consumers.”
The Fiat Yamaha Team arrives in the United States this week in stunning form with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo lying first and second in the championship, separated by just five points. Rossi, who clinched his 100th career victory in Assen on Sunday, has three wins to his name so far and Lorenzo has two, while both riders have finished on the podium in six out of seven races this season to leave Fiat Yamaha leading the Teams' standings and Yamaha the Manufacturers'. The Italian and the Spaniard will make a short stopover in Los Angeles for a visit to Yamaha US on Wednesday before heading north to the coastal town of Monterey and the spectacular Laguna Seca track.
Before last year Rossi had just one podium to his name at Laguna since MotoGP returned there in 2005, but he produced one of the performances of his career in 2008 to win an important victory, which went on to prove one of the key turning points of his season. A race-long battle with Casey Stoner threw up some nail-biting moments between the pair but the Italian prevailed to take his first win on American soil. After two wins on the bounce he is heading stateside in flying form and will be hoping to extend his championship lead this weekend with another great result. Thursday sees the now traditional Laguna Seca Superkart race and Rossi this year will make a few display laps in a Superkart before Yamaha legends Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson and Kenny Roberts Senior take centre stage for the real thing.
Lorenzo was a Laguna Seca first-timer last year and a promising showing during practice came to nothing when he high-sided on the first lap. The 22-year-old went on to taste American success later in the season with a podium in Indianapolis and he is determined that he will get to grips with the tricky Laguna track this time around. The youngster has had a brilliant season to date and will undoubtedly be in the mix once again this weekend as he seeks to better his team-mate with a return to the top of the podium.
Laguna Seca is an all-American track where the intense dry heat, unpredictable asphalt and anti-clockwise layout reward the loose and aggressive riding style of the US dirt-trackers. The track boasts some of the most dramatic elevation changes on the world championship circuit as well as fast, sweeping corners, the most notorious of which is the world-famous 'Corkscrew'. Machine set-up is relatively straightforward, with throttle connection a much more important factor than top-end power and a well balanced chassis the key to those elevation changes and diverse corners.
Valentino Rossi - "Back to normal!" "The wonderful memory of the 100th win is still fresh, but now we have just a few days to recover before the next race, which is hard for everyone. We have to try to relax as much as possible and recharge the batteries a little, because Laguna is always a tough weekend and often very hot. Last year I had a great battle with Stoner and for me it was for sure one of the turning points of the championship and a very important win; I have some good memories. I think this year it will be hard again because Lorenzo is in brilliant form and I am sure Stoner will also be back to his best. Laguna is a great place to race and an exciting track, I also have a little trip to Los Angeles and Yamaha US first which I am looking forward to. The championship is very open at this point so we need to keep focus, get back to normal after Assen and try to get another good result this weekend."
Jorge Lorenzo - "Looking forward to the challenge" "Last year Laguna wasn't good for me but I don't think about this. It's the only time I've been there but I don't see that as a problem - until 2008 I'd never won in Portugal before and I won my first race there in MotoGP, and then again this year I won in Motegi where I'd never won before, so I don't consider any track 'bad' for me - the past doesn't matter. We are feeling very strong after the last races and everyone is very motivated to continue in the same way so I am looking forward to the challenge and learning more about the track. I will do my best and hopefully that will mean we can run at the front again."
Davide Brivio - "Focus on the championship" "We still have great memories from Laguna Seca in 2008 and we're happy to be arriving there after two wins and leading the championship. It's a great place to race and the American fans are always brilliant so we hope we can give them another good show! Our package is working well everywhere now so hopefully the case will be the same again this weekend. Now that the 100 target has been reached we can focus on the next target - the championship! Now we race for that."
Daniele Romagnoli - "A consistent package" "After the last great race in Assen this is a very short break for everyone but we have to move straight on to the US for the next round! The high motivation in our team continues after another strong performance from Jorge and we are looking forward to having the chance for another good result. This year our package is much more consistent and we know that we can put up another good fight, despite Jorge's inexperience at Laguna. Everyone in the team enjoys going to Laguna - it's a great place - so we're looking forward to another exciting weekend."
Valentino Rossi : Information Age: 30 Lives: Tavullia, Italy Bike: Yamaha GP victories: 100 (79 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 217 (157 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 53 (43 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc) World Championships: 8 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 5 x MotoGP)
Jorge Lorenzo: Information Age: 22 Lives: Barcelona, Spain Bike: Yamaha GP victories: 24 (3 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc) First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc) First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc) GP starts: 118 (24 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc) Pole positions: 33 (7 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc) World Championships: 2 (250cc, 2006/7)
Laguna Seca: Record Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'21.488
Laguna Seca: Best Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'20.700
Grand Prix Results: Laguna Seca 2008 1. V. Rossi (Yamaha) 44'04.311 2. C.Stoner (Ducati) +13.001 3. C.Vermeulen (Suzuki) +26.609
. J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) NF
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11 a.m. Gov. Ritter will sign Colorado’s version of “Katie’s Law,” SB 241, regarding the collection of DNA evidence. The bill is named in honor of 22-year-old New Mexico murder victim Katie Sepich. Katie’s mother will attend the signing ceremony. Location: West Foyer, State Capitol.
On Monday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates abruptly announced the removal of Gen. David McKiernan as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, saying that "fresh eyes were needed" and that "a new approach was probably in our best interest." McKiernan, "who led U.S. ground forces during the 2003 Iraq invasion," took command of the NATO- led mission in Afghanistan in June and was scheduled to serve in the post for two years. But he will be replaced by Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, "a former commander of the Joint Special Operations Command. He served in Afghanistan as chief of staff of military operations in 2001 and 2002 and recently ran all commando operations in Iraq." Asked if the dismissal -- the first such removal of a top commander since President Truman fired Gen. Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War -- had ended McKiernan's military career, Gates replied, "Probably."
THE NEW COIN OF THE REALM: "If you want a sign of how thoroughly Gen. David Petraeus is taking command of the Afghanistan war," wrote the Washington Independent's Spencer Ackerman, "look no further" than his replacement of McKiernan with McChrystal, who "is known as one of the smartest and least conventional thinkers in the Army, and a counterinsurgent's counterinsurgent." McChrystal was the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) responsible for hunting al- Qaeda in Iraq, employing what he called "'collaborative warfare,' using every tool available simultaneously, from signal intercepts to human intelligence and other methods, that allowed lightning-quick and sometimes concurrent operations." According to Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, "beginning in the late spring of 2007, the U.S. military and intelligence agencies launched a series of top-secret operations that enabled them to locate, target and kill" key insurgent, militia, and terrorist leaders Iraq. "The operations incorporated some of the most highly classified techniques and information in the U.S. government." McChrystal was head of the team that killed Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, leader of al Qaeda in Iraq.
POSSIBLE QUESTIONS: McChrystal may face a few potential roadblocks at his confirmation hearing. Questions could arise over the death in 2004 of Army Ranger and former NFL star Pat Tillman. In April 2004, "McChrystal approved paperwork awarding Tillman a Silver Star after he was reported killed by enemy fire, even though McChrystal suspected the Ranger had been killed accidentally by fellow American soldiers." An investigation cleared McChrystal of any official wrongdoing, but held him "accountable for the inaccurate and misleading assertions" regarding Tillman's death. McChrystal also "oversaw a task force that was criticized in 2006 for abusing detainees and harsh interrogation methods at Baghdad's Camp Nama." But Andrew Exum, a fellow with the Center for a New American Security who served under McChrystal in Iraq and Afghanistan, told NPR that he didn't think that "as savvy a political actor" as Gates "would have let [McChrystal's] nomination go forward if he thought either of these were going to be serious problems."
OWNING THE AFGHANISTAN WAR: The retiring of McKiernan in such a public way is evidence of Obama's serious intention to right a war effort that is, by most accounts, going very poorly. According to a report from the Center for American Progress, the "chronic and unacceptable neglect" of the previous administration "has led to a resurgent Taliban, a fierce insurgency, a weak Afghan government tainted by corruption and incompetence, a booming opium trade, and an increasingly disillusioned Afghan people." The Taliban, al Qaeda, and other insurgent groups "are now stronger than at any time since the 9/11 attacks on the United States, operating out of neighboring Pakistan and Afghanistan and making key inroads in both countries." According to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, the President praised McKiernan's leadership, but said it was time for a "change of direction in Afghanistan" requiring a new military commander versed in counterinsurgency methods. Slate's Fred Kaplan wrote that "McKiernan's ouster signals a dramatic shift in U.S. strategy for the war in Afghanistan. And it means that the war is now, unequivocally, 'Obama's war.'"
House Bill 1312 creates an innovative “Renewables for Schools” program to provide schools access to affordable clean-energy with low-interest loans. By producing energy on-site with wind and solar, schools can reduce their utility bills, create a buffer against future energy price spikes, and put more money toward educating our kids.
The following is a statement by Pam Kiely, legislative director of Environment Colorado, upon passage of the second reading HB 1312 by voice vote. A procedural third reading vote is expected to pass tomorrow. .
“Colorado is on a path to rebuild and repower our economy on a clean, green foundation and House Bill 1312 is another strong step in that direction. This bill gives school districts the opportunity to get on the bus and participate in building the new energy economy.”
“Colorado has proven that we can do it all- save money, grow good jobs, and protect our environment with investments in clean energy, and this bill ensures that Colorado's schools can help us continue down this path.”
“Job growth in the renewable energy industry has been the sunny spot in Colorado's economy. Solar industry jobs have tripled in the past three years because of the 'open for business' sign Colorado lawmakers have put up through smart, innovative policies. And just last week Gov. Ritter announced 1,650 new jobs coming to Colorado, at a time when other industries are lagging.”
“This session legislative leadership and the governor have made a bold commitment to repowering our economy through smart clean energy investments- a commitment that has been reinforced at the federal level as clean energy investments form the core of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed last month in Denver.”
“HB 1312 provides a critical pot of money so schools can get in on the action, and it's a win-win-win. Saving money for districts helps direct more dollars right back into the classroom where they belong, while building this new energy economy and cleaning up our air and water at the same time.”
Gov. Bill Ritter today launched Colorado state government’s Transparency Online Project through an executive order that will open up access to the state’s spending and revenue records.
State Treasurer Cary Kennedy, Representative Don Marostica, Attorney General John Suthers, Secretary of State Bernie Buescher, House Speaker Terrance Carroll and Senate President Peter Groff joined the Governor by signing agreements to participate in the Transparency Online Project (TOP).
“This executive order expands our strong commitment to a transparent, accountable and open government for Colorado citizens,” Gov. Ritter said. “The TOP system will ensure that citizens have timely, free and meaningful access to the state’s financial information.”
Gov. Ritter’s order directs the Office of Information & Technology and the Office of the State Controller to establish the TOP system. TOP is a free, searchable, web-based system providing easy access to information about the state’s revenues and expenditures. While providing adequate protection for privacy, safety, and security concerns, the new system will allow taxpayers to see where their money is going and how it’s being spent.
“Since I came into office, my focus has been making the state’s finances open and accessible,” Treasurer Kennedy said. “The use of public money should always be public – it belongs to the taxpayers and they should be able to see where it goes and how it is used.”
"Transparency will allow all the citizens of Colorado to see how the government spends their tax dollars, including government contracts and day-to-day expenditures," Rep. Marostica said.
"Transparency is more than a good idea -- it’s good government," Attorney General Suthers said. "Public scrutiny is the best check on government."
“I fully support the efforts of this order to improve the transparency of Colorado’s state finances,” Secretary of State Buescher said. “Every citizen will now have the ability to see all expenditures in the Office of the Secretary of State. I have instructed my department to provide this additional level of reporting, which will promote efficiency throughout the agency.”
The executive order requires that the TOP expenditure information be available by Sept. 1 and revenue information by Jan.1, 2010.
Approximately $70,000 in start-up costs, primarily for computer hardware, servers and software, and about $25,000 in ongoing costs.
2. What information will be searchable and available?
The system will provide access to information about state revenues and expenditures. Expenditures will be searchable by vendor, department and type of purchase. In some instances, such as victim's assistance or witness protection payments, vendor names will be protected or information will be provided in aggregate.
The TOP system will provide three different ways for citizens to view Colorado state government expenditures:
· Departmental Search: Will provide totals by department, including totals by agencies and type of spending.
· Type of Spending Search: Will provide statewide totals by type of spending (i.e., object codes including salaries and wages, benefits, operating expenses, travel, distributions to other governments, etc.) by department, agency, fund, and vendor, when applicable.
· Vendor Search: Will provide statewide totals by vendor name and information regarding which department and agency paid the vendor. Additionally, will provide the type of spending classification for goods or services provide by the vendor.
In each instance, the information will reflect what is available in the state's book of record. This varies by department and agency because higher education institutions and some departments/agencies operate on standalone accounting systems and feed only aggregated information to the state's financial accounting system.
3. When will TOP be available?
The Executive Order requires expenditure information to be available on the system by Sept. 1, 2009, and revenues by Jan. 1, 2010.
4. What agencies will be directed to participate by the Executive Order?
All agencies within the Governor's authority are directed to participate, and the executive order allows data from the legislative and judicial branches, and the offices of the Attorney General, the State Treasurer and the Secretary of State to be included. All of these offices have agreed to participate.
5. Will this replace the Colorado Open Records Act?
The TOP system is not designed nor intended to replace the Open Records Act. TOP will provide a complementary mechanism for accessing state spending data. TOP is intended to make meaningful state financial information readily available and easily accessible. TOP will not limit citizen access to state government records.
Additionally, the executive order requires the Office of Information and Technology and the Office of the State Controller to establish a continuous improvement process, so that TOP will become a more useful tool over time.
D 007 09 EXECUTIVE ORDER Establishing the Colorado Transparency Online Project
Pursuant to the authority vested in the Office of the Governor of the State of Colorado and, in particular, pursuant to Article IV, section 2, of the Colorado Constitution, I, Bill Ritter, Jr., Governor of the State of Colorado, hereby issue this Executive Order directing the Governor’s Office of Information Technology (“OIT”), in consultation with the Department of Personnel & Administration (“DPA”), to create and maintain the Colorado Transparency Online Project (“TOP”) system, a statewide searchable database system of the state’s revenues and disbursements.
I. Background and Need
Transparency and accountability to state citizens is a hallmark of good government. The Open Meetings Act and the Colorado Open Records Act provide Colorado’s citizens with a strong expectation of accountability by providing open access to the state’s public records and meetings. The advent of the internet provides new opportunities for state government to foster transparency and accountability.
This Executive Order continues and expands the State of Colorado’s strong commitment to an open and transparent relationship between Colorado’s citizens and their government by providing citizens with easier access to information regarding state spending. This order directs OIT, in collaboration with the Office of the State Controller (“OSC”) within DPA, to establish the TOP system, a free, searchable, web-based system providing access to descriptions of the state’s revenues and expenditures. This interface, while providing adequate protection for privacy, safety, and security concerns, will enable citizens to review the state’s revenues and expenditures and foster accountability and transparency.
II. Directives
A. The Governor’s Office of Information Technology (“OIT”), working with the OSC within DPA, is hereby directed to develop and maintain the TOP system, a searchable web-based system providing access to descriptions of revenues and expenditures recorded in the state’s official book of record. To ensure integrity of state records, TOP shall provide access only to a copy of relevant data and shall be maintained separately from the state accounting system. The system should be accessible without charge.
B. DPA, via the OSC, shall develop policies and procedures to ensure that the system meets, at a minimum, the following criteria:
1. Data shall be made available in compliance with state and federal law.
2. The TOP system shall provide information about state revenues and expenditures at a level of detail that enables accountability and transparency. Where access to each individual transaction is likely to hinder, rather than foster, this goal, the system may provide access to aggregated information.
3. The privacy, safety, and security of state citizens and vendors shall be adequately protected. The TOP system policies shall, at a minimum, ensure that data associated with sensitive programs are excluded or otherwise protected from inappropriate exposure.
4. To ensure that decisions regarding privacy, safety, security, and compliance with state and federal law are made by those most familiar with the relevant data and programs, OSC’s policies shall require each department, agency or institution of higher education to determine what information shall be excluded from the TOP system or presented only in aggregate form. To the extent that the state accounting system includes data from the judicial and legislative branches, OSC policies shall provide a mechanism for coordinating with the executive administrator of each branch to determine the appropriate mechanism for including such data in TOP. The State Controller shall coordinate review of such decisions in coordination with the Director of OIT and the Director of the Office of State Planning and Budgeting, or their delegates. The State Treasurer shall be invited to participate in these review decisions.
C. OIT shall be responsible for the technical development of the web-based system and shall put in place policies and mechanisms to ensure the security of the system.
D. The TOP system shall be operable and generally available by January 1, 2010. Expenditure records shall be generally available by September 1, 2009.
E. The system shall be developed in a manner that protects and respects citizen and vendor privacy, safety, and security.
F. OIT and DPA, via the OSC, shall establish a continuous improvement process to improve the accessibility and usability of the TOP system.
III. Duration
This Executive Order shall continue in existence until either terminated or extended by Executive Order of the Governor. GIVEN under my hand and the Executive Seal of the State of Colorado, this 2nd day of April, 2009.
The traditional season curtain-raiser in Jerez looked in danger of being declared a washout this morning, but the sun eventually came out and allowed Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi to put in a brilliant afternoon’s work, finishing first and second respectively. The day’s results bode well for tomorrow’s ‘qualifying’ shoot-out, which will see the fastest rider take home a new car. With all riders now on Bridgestone tyres and qualifying tyres resigned to history, the session will have a slightly different feel to previous years and promises to be an entertaining show.
Lorenzo began work quite early, braving a damp track to get some laps in before lunch. Once the track came dry this afternoon he immediately found his rhythm and went on to clock consistently fast laps throughout, finishing well under lap record with a time of 1’39.791.
2008 World Champion Rossi took it easy this morning, preferring to wait until the track had dried out before getting started. He finished the day just 0.070 behind his team-mate and a tenth of a second ahead of Stoner in third, and is confident of putting up a good fight in tomorrow’s qualifying competition with a few small refinements planned for tomorrow morning.
Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 1st Time: 1'39.791 Laps: 99 “I am very satisfied because I have improved through every hour of the day today. In the beginning it was quite difficult because there was rain this morning and the track was wet, but after lunch I was able to improve and was fastest for most of the afternoon and able to put in a great performance. I rode many laps – the same amount as my new number in fact – and I was able to confirm the good feeling that I had on the last day in Qatar, when I was second. We still need to keep working, this is just the beginning, but I think we’re going in the right way. Tomorrow I want to make one more step, but I am not thinking about winning the car. With regards to the Bridgestone tyres, I think the front is very different and you are able to go faster into the corners. I hope the sun shines again tomorrow!”
Valentino Rossi - Position: 2nd Time: 1'39.861 Laps: 65 “It’s been a good day. Unfortunately this morning it rained but in the end it didn’t matter so much because the grip was good this afternoon with the new asphalt and we were able to do some important work. I had a good feeling with my M1 in November and it was the same today and I was able to do a lot of laps in a good rhythm. In the end we used the softer of the two Bridgestone tyres to try to improve the time and I was able to do a 39, but I was fast with the harder tyre as well. We tried a lot of different things on the bike and I am feeling confident and happy; already today we’ve got through half our workload so hopefully tomorrow morning the weather can be good so we can get through the other half and then be free to focus on winning the car in the afternoon. There are one or two places on the track where I’m not at 100%, but we will try to fix that in the morning.”
Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager “We had a good test here in November and also Malaysia and Qatar were good, so today it seemed that the trend is continuing. We are now at a very important stage because this is the last test of the season, because of the new rules, so tomorrow is going to be crucial! Today the team did a great job to refine the set-up and give Jorge the confidence he needed to be fast. Tomorrow will be an exciting day because it is almost like a qualifying session, with a prize, and we hope to finish in the same way as today! Of course at the same time we will continue to work on our bike to ensure that we’re completely ready for the first race.”
Davide Brivio - Team manager “A good day, especially since it rained this morning. Luckily the circuit came dry and we were able to get through all the jobs we had scheduled. All the Yamahas seems to be going very well and this is a sign that our engineers have done a very good job; it is very encouraging. Tomorrow we have some small adjustments and tests to do, and then we will try for the award. I think it will be quite a special session because it’s the first time without qualifying tyres and therefore it will be a real rehearsal for the season. We’re looking forward to it!”
Colin Edwards
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 make positive start in Jerez
Colin Edwards and James Toseland ended the first day of the penultimate MotoGP winter test session in Jerez with the fifth and 11th fastest times respectively.
After a delay caused by heavy early morning rain, Edwards and Toseland were able to complete 140 crucial development laps together on their Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 machines under sunny skies this afternoon.
Texan Edwards continued his impressive winter testing form by setting the fifth quickest time as three Yamahas finished in the top five. His best time of 1.40.579 was just 0.007s off fourth position as he gained vital data on Bridgestone tyres on the new Jerez track surface.
British rider Toseland had a positive day too, ending 11th on the timesheets. He set a best time of 1.41.122 to finish just 0.073s outside of the top ten, though on his best day yet on the new 2009 YZR- M1, he was consistently running inside the top ten until the closing stages.
Today’s session also gave MotoGP fans the first chance to see Toseland and Edwards riding in the new eye-catching Monster Yamaha Tech 3 livery, which was unveiled on the eve of the Jerez test.
Colin Edwards 5th – 1.40.579 “Today was a good day once the track dried out and I’m happy with my times. I’m not taking any risks so close to the first race, so to be challenging up in the top six is a bonus and I was feeling good out there. I’ve got to say that Yamaha has done a great job with the new chassis. You can enter the corner so hard and so fast and I don’t think I’ve found the full potential of the Bridgestone front tyre yet. I’m a front-end guy so the combination of the new chassis and the Bridgestone front tyre is really helping me and I’m really confident with the package. It also felt good to be out there today in the new Monster Yamaha Tech 3 livery. I like it and I’m sure the fans will do as well.”
James Toseland 11th – 1.41.122 “I felt much better today and the old confidence was coming back. I was back in the top ten for most of the day and I’m back within a second of the guys running at the front. That’s encouraging because I’ve been much further back than that in the previous tests after the big crash I had in Sepang. It is nice to know that the competitive times are coming back again. I did over 80 laps today as well and that was the time on the bike I needed. The development rear tyre Bridgestone is really good and there’s a lot more I can get out of that, so that’s another positive from today. It was also good to be out riding the new Monster Yamaha Tech 3 colours. I’m sure we are going to have a good season together and the bike looks unbelievable.”
Test Times 1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'39.791 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'39.861 3. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'39.906 4. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'40.572 5. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'40.579 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'40.650 7. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda 1'40.821 8. Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'40.900 9. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'40.987 10. Toni Elias (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'41.049 11. James Toseland (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'41.122 12. Marco Melandri (ITA) Hayate Racing Team 1'41.160 13. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1'41.168 14. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Racing 1'41.226 15. Yuki Takahashi (JPN) Scot Racing Team 1'41.362 16. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Grupo Francisco Hernando 1'41.737 17. Niccolo Canepa (ITA) Pramac Racing 1'41.851
Jerez: Record Lap D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2008, 1'40.116
Jerez: Best Lap J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2008, 1'38.189
Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Chad Reed retains an eight-point lead in the AMA/ FIM Supercross Championship after racing to second place at Saturday's 11th round in New Orleans.
Reed started the night by taking the win in his heat race and finished the night with an epic battle in the Main, where he finished a strong second. This season, Reed has finished every race on the podium.
Rockstar Makita Suzuki team mate Mike Alessi also had a good night, finishing fourth in his heat race and then battling with the front- runners for most of the main before finishing sixth. Currently, Alessi is seventh in the overall championship points.
Unfortunately, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Michael Byrne was injured at last weekend's event and did not race. He hopes to be back racing again soon.
In the Supercross Lites class, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Nico Izzi experienced a rough night. The young rider rode well in practice and set impressive lap times on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250. While making a pass for the lead on lap one of his heat race, however, Izzi went down and had to go to the Last Chance Qualifier. While making his way to the front in the LCQ, he went down again, ended up finishing third and did not race the Main.
Chad Reed:
"I'm a little frustrated because I felt like I was riding really well on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 at the beginning of the race, but I wasn't really able to take advantage of having better lines and riding faster than the leader. I started getting frustrated and unfortunately that's when James Stewart started finding his lines and he just rode really, really solid and made great passes on the lappers. I kind of struggled in that area. It is what it is, and I was really happy to be back on the podium. You know, it's second but it could always be worse."
Mike Alessi:
"I got the holeshot and was leading, then James Stewart kind of hit me and he and my team mate Chad got by and I was third. I made a little mistake on the first lap and got into fourth. I was running a good pace on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki, but I got into some lappers and my handlebars got tangled up with another rider and we collided and I went down. I got up real quick and charged hard to get back to sixth. I tried my hardest, but unfortunately, I just fell. I'm riding, good, the bike's working great and everybody at Rockstar Makita Suzuki is doing a great job."
Nico Izzi:
"Not making the main was a real bummer, because I'd been riding good all day and my Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250 was working well. I'm pretty disappointed because I trained hard for this race this week, but I know I gave it all I had. Now, I just need to regroup and get ready for next weekend's race."
Supercross results: 1 James Stewart (Yamaha), 2 Chad Reed (Rockstar Makita Suzuki), 3 Broc Hepler (Yamaha), 4 Kevin Windham (Honda), 5 Andrew Short (Honda), 6 Mike Alessi (Rockstar Makita Suzuki), 7 Josh Grant (Yamaha), 8 Justin Brayton (KTM), 9 Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki), 10 Matt Boni (Honda).
Supercross points: 1 Reed 246, 2 Stewart 238, 3 Short 179, 4 Villopoto 165, 5 Grant 152, 6 Tedesco 148, 7 Windham 146, 8 Alessi 146, 9 Millsaps 139, 10 Hill 102.
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MILWAUKEE, WI – With the balance of LA Weight Loss centers closing across the country, TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), the nation’s oldest weight-loss education and support organization, is inviting former LA Weight Loss members to attend a TOPS meeting free of charge.
TOPS recently celebrated 60 years of weight-loss support and success. Members of TOPS embrace its philosophy of healthy eating, regular exercise, wellness education, and support from others at weekly chapter meetings. The fee for an annual membership is $26. On joining TOPS, members receive a complimentary copy of “My Day One,” a booklet which features a six-week plan to kick-off the weight loss journey.
“We feel for the people who have lost their investment to LA Weight Loss,” said Barb Cady, TOPS Club President. “At TOPS, we offer continual support and motivation to our members as they adopt healthier lifestyles. We want to welcome and encourage those who have been affected by the closings. They are not alone and can continue to successfully manage their weight with our program.”
Through January 31, TOPS extends a $3 discount on the purchase of “The Choice is Mine” and “The Choice is Mine Workbook,” our “ready-set-go” guide to better food choices and menu planning, fitness tips, and more to the former LA Weight Loss members and anyone else who may join. In addition to our weekly meetings, membership also includes a one-year subscription to “TOPS News,” a magazine that is published nine times per year and shares inspirational stories, healthy tips, and helpful advice.
To find a local chapter, visit www.tops.org or call (800) 932-8679 for more information.
TOPS has nearly 180,000 members in almost 10,000 chapters throughout the United States and Canada, and several chapters in Europe.
FORT COLLINS - WHAT: Colorado State University, 9News and the Fort Collins Coloradoan present the first of three 4th congressional district debates between Marilyn Musgrave and Betsy Markey.
WHEN: 8-9 p.m. Oct. 9, 2008.
WHERE: The Organ Recital Hall in CSU's University Center for the Arts, 1400 Remington St., Fort Collins, Colo., 80523.
DETAILS: Adam Schrager, 9News political reporter and host of "Your Show," will be the moderator. The debate will be broadcast live on My20 and C-SPAN. It will also be streamed live online at www.9News.com and www.Coloradoan.com. KUNC 91.5 FM will broadcast the debate live for radio listeners.
Residents of the 4th Congressional District can send suggested debate questions to
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