Gao Zhisheng is apparently alive and working in the city of Urumqi
BBC News | Asia-Pacific | World Edition
| A Chinese lawyer missing for more than a year is alive and living in the Xinjiang region, a US-based rights group has said. |
Sunday, February 14, 2010
CHINA: Missing Chinese lawyer 'out west'
S. KOREA AT THE OLYMPICS: Short track: Hard work pays off for South Korea, says US rival
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Vancouver (AFP) - South Korea's dominance in Olympic Games short-track speed skating has been put down to sheer hard work by a US rival who should know - Korean-American Simon Cho.
Kim Seoung-Il, due to race for South Korea in the men's 5000m relay, agreed: "We work hard." Lee Jung-Su won the 1500m gold after leading a three-man Korean pack around the final bend where Sung Si-Bak and Lee Ho-Suk got tangled up and crashed into the boards. Americans Apolo Anton Ohno and J.R. Celski seized their opportunity to take silver and bronze. The result of the first short track final at the Games brought South Korea their 30th Olympic medal in the discipline, compared with 20 each for Canada and China and 14 for the United States. Of South Korea's medals, 18 have been gold. Ohno, now 27, stopped a Korean sweep of four men's golds at the Torino 2006 Games by winning the 500m. Cho, 18, was born months before the thrill-packed sport made its debut over the Olympic oval in 1992. He started short track at the age of three in Incheon, near the South Korean capital of Seoul, and moved with his family to Chicago at age five. Cho continued skating at clubs in Chicago before moving to Maryland in 2000 where he met Korean-born current US national coach Jimmy Jang. "I've competed against the Koreans and trained with them in Korea many times," said Cho, ranked eighth in the 500m World Cup rankings, who is due to race in the 500m and 5,000m relay in Vancouver. "There's something about them that makes them jump off the page," he added. "Their training programmes are written out very well." The 1,500m final has refueled the Korea-US rivalry which peaked when Ohno won the same event in his Olympic debut in Salt Lake City in 2002. South Korean hero Kim Dong-Sung finished first but was disqualified for blocking Ohno in the final turn, sparking a storm of Korean protests. Kim's fans sent 16,000 angry e-mails which crashed the International Olympic Committee's website. Ohno skipped a 2003 World Cup event in South Korea for security fears. In 2005, he finally went there and won races before an unexpectedly friendly crowd. |
CHINA AT THE OLYMPICS: Shen-Zhao set record in short program
VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 14: Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao of China compete in the figure skating pairs short program on day 3 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Pacific Coliseum on February 14, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Posted: Feb 14, 11:51p ET | Updated: Feb 15, 12:05a ET
VANCOUVER (AP) -- Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo are sure to remember this Valentine's Day.
The Chinese married couple broke their own world record with a mesmerizing performance to open the pairs short program competition Sunday, and it took until the very last pair --about three hours later--for anyone to come close to topping the Chinese duo. With a score of 76.66, the pair lead two-time world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany by just .70 points.
That's nothing going into Monday night's free skate, a margin that can be made up with one flourish of a hand.
"It was a gift for Valentine's Day, and today was just the short program," Zhao said. "Hopefully tomorrow will be as good as today."
Russia's Yuko Kavaguti and Aleksandr Smirnov are in third, giving them a chance to continue what has to be one of the longest winning streaks in sports. A Russian or Soviet pair has won the gold medal at every Olympics dating back to 1964.
Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig , surprise silver medalists at last month's U.S. championships, are 10th after the performance of their career at their first major international event. U.S. champions Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett were 14th.
Shen and Zhao retired after winning their third world title in 2007. But the couple, winners of the bronze medal at the last two Winter Games, couldn't resist one last run at that all-elusive Olympic gold. They have dominated everywhere they've skated this season, and they set the tone with a program from the heart, not just the feet.
At 31 and 36, Shen and Zhao are senior citizens when it comes to pairs skaters, but they still showed the kids how it ought to be done.
"They're the best pressure skaters I've ever seen," American Ladwig said.
Shen and Zhao haven't lost a bit of their athleticism. Their triple twist was so huge he had time to put his hands down--and probably could have ducked out for tea if he'd really wanted. What makes their comeback so impressive, though, is their joy and passion. The big tricks? They mastered those a few years ago.
Related to this article
Slideshows
Pairs SP
The pairs short program kicks off figure skating action at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
- Vancouver: China's Shen/Zhao
- Vancouver: Savchenko/Szolkowy
Stories
What they lacked back then was the artistry and emotion that makes pairs skating so moving. But Sunday, from her gorgeous black and pink lace dress to the way they touched fans way up in the rafters, every second of their performance oozed elegance.
Perhaps it's because of their experience, perhaps it's because they're married or perhaps it's because they're simply that good, but they appear to be one person when they skate. Everything is done in unison and with perfect timing. When they did their side-by-side triple toe loop jumps, they landed them right on a note of music, as if putting an exclamation point on it.
Their elements were matter of fact, not forced, and never once did the audience have that heart-in-your-throat feeling of "Will they? Won't they?"
Asked if it was their best performance, coach Yao Bin said, "Just about."
Savchenko and Szolkowy skated into the void when Shen and Zhao retired, winning the last two world titles. They will be the Chinese couple's biggest rivals for gold.
Despite getting slightly out of unison on their side-by-side spins, it didn't take away from the overall elegance of Savchenko and Szolkowy's "Send in the Clowns" performance. Their portrayal was spot-on, from the black teardrops on their faces to the sadness that seemed to be etched onto Savchenko's face.
The German couple lost their European title last month when she was just getting over an illness, but they are definitely back on their game. Their throw triple flip was huge, and they did nice side-by-side triple toe loops in unison -- not always their strength in the past.
Their only flaw was the unison troubles on their side-by-side flying combination spin, and they did it twice, once with the first foot and again with the second.
Kavaguti and Smirnov have made great strides in the last year, winning the world bronze medal and upsetting two-time world champs Savchenko and Szolkowy at last month's European championships. And they're definitely in the running here, with a balletic "The Swan" program that has them 2.5 points behind Shen and Zhao.
That's easy to make up in the free skate, especially if they have another performance like this. Their pairs spin was spectacular, filled with unusual positions and done with great speed. Their footwork was expressive, and nicely accompanied by swanlike fluttery hand movements.
Evora and Ladwig have never been to a world championship -- not even close -- but they left little doubt that they belonged on the big stage. Their lyrical program to music from "Love Actually" was so smooth and beautiful, the audience could be forgiven for barely noticing the tough tricks they were doing.
The couple savored every second of the program, with grins spreading across their faces after they landed their throw triple loop, their last high-risk element. Their smiles widened as the program went on, and Ladwig screamed "Yeah!" and pumped his fist several times when they finished.
Denney and Barrett's performance wasn't quite so sharp. The U.S. champions have been on an accelerated track since reuniting in June 2008 (they skated together briefly in 2006) and were ninth in their debut at the world championships last season. But she doubled their side-by-side triple toes, and not even their energy or power could make up for that major error.
JAPAN AT THE OLYMPICS: Japan in the Vancouver Olympics - first three days
Japan's team during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics' Opening Ceremony. (Feb. 12, 2010) (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
February 14, 10:54 PM
As the third day of the Vancouver Olympics ends, Japan remains without medals. On the first day the Japanese team entered the Opening Ceremony full of smiles and waving both Japanese and Canadian flags. On the second and third day the highest ranking Japanese athlete was Aiko Uemura, who placed fourth in Ladies’ Moguls.
In tears after the event, Aiko Uemura, could only help but wonder to reporters, “Why do I keep climbing up one rank by one rank?” She had finished 5th in Turin in 2006, 6th in Salt Lake City in 2002, and 7th in Nagano in 1998.
Several other Japanese athletes have also placed in the top 10, including: Masako Hozumi (6th in Ladies’ 3,000m Speed Skating), Sho Endo (7th in Men’s Moguls), Norihito Kobayashi (7th in Men's Nordic Combined – Individual NH/10 km CC), Arisa Murata (8th in Ladies’ Moguls), and Nobuyuki Nishi (9th in Men’s Moguls).
Despite the current standing, Japanese fans are still sending their messages of “Good luck” and “Job well done.” The most anticipated events for the Japanese, men’s and ladies’ single skating, is still days away.
CHINA AT THE OLYMPICS: China Grooms Winter Team to Become a Powerhouse
China's Shen Xue, left, and Zhao Hongbo are considered favorites in pairs skating, an event that has been dominated by Russia. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
February 15, 2010
By JERÉ LONGMAN
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — As Wang Meng, China’s champion short-track speedskater, breezed through her first heat of the 500 meters Saturday night, she stayed well ahead of a crash that wiped out a competitor, set an Olympic record, then walked dismissively past waiting Chinese reporters.
Three potential gold medals await her. There was no time to stop and chat.
Anyway, before leaving Beijing, Wang, who won the 500 at the 2006 Winter Olympics, had said all she needed to say: “Unless I make mistakes, no one else will have any chance to win.”
No one expects China to dominate the 2010 Winter Olympics the way it ruled the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. But its Olympic officials are hoping for a breakthrough that could bring perhaps 5 or more gold medals and about 15 over all — a significant number given that China has won only 4 previous golds and 33 cumulative medals since it began participating in the Winter Games in 1980 in Lake Placid, N.Y.
“Sure, we hope for a breakthrough, but it takes time,” Zhao Yinggang, China’s director of winter sports, said Saturday night after the speedskating competition, speaking through a interpreter. “Winter sports in China have such a short history. Training programs are not as good as summer programs. There is a lot of uncertainty in competition. We hope our skaters and skiers will do their best.”
Zhao said most participation in elite winter sports was limited to two provinces in the country’s far northeast — Heilongjiang and Jilin. With limited resources at the moment, China’s development plan seems to be to win as many medals as possible using as few athletes as necessary.
China has turned its focus to relatively new Olympic sports like short track, men’s and women’s aerials, snowboarding and women’s curling — events where it can quickly become an international power and, if necessary, import foreign coaches to provide expertise not yet available at home.
In a prominent team sport like hockey, Chinese women still lag behind the world’s best, as was apparent in a 12-1 loss to the United States on Sunday.
“They look and say, Where are the soft sports, where we can maximize our investment, where we can take advantage of our population pool?” said David Wallechinsky, an Olympic historian. “The East Germans used to do something similar, identifying individuals who can win more than one medal in a sport. It will be interesting to see what China can do if they zero in on other things. It’s not like they have no snow. There’s no reason they couldn’t be good in cross-country skiing and ski jumping.”
One of China’s first goals at the Vancouver Games is to try to unseat Russian dominance in a more traditional winter sport — pairs figure skating — which began Sunday.
Soviet or Russian pairs have won every Olympic competition since 1964 (Canadian skaters were given dual golds after the judging scandal in 2002). That stranglehold could be broken in Vancouver by the Chinese pairs of Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo; Pang Qing and Tong Jian;, and Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao, who finished first, fourth and fifth in Sunday’s short program.
Figure skating illustrates China’s broader approach, successes and limitations regarding winter sports. In a country of 1.3 billion people, there are only 20 skating clubs, said Yang Dong, the team leader of China’s Olympic figure skating squad. There are only 10 to 15 elite pairs in the country, fewer than 10 elite women and 10 to 20 elite men, Yang said.
The three Olympic Chinese pairs come from the country’s winter sports capital of Harbin in Heilongjiang Province, and are all tutored by the same coach, Yao Bin. Only one Chinese female singles skater, and no male singles skater, qualified for the Vancouver Games.
“We don’t have the foundation and the money to have the same number of clubs as in the U.S.,” Yang said. “Winter sports are very expensive compared to summer sports. With the development of our economy, hopefully in the near future, China can become more powerful.”
For the Vancouver Games, China has arrived with eight foreign coaches, according to the Xinhua news agency, including the coach of its curling team, a Canadian named Dan Rafael. Until 2003, apparently no one in China curled. Now the Chinese women are world champions and hope to upset Canada in their Olympic debut.
Another Canadian, Dustin Wilson, has built China into a freestyle skiing power. Han Xiaopeng won the men’s aerials at the 2006 Games, and the Chinese men and women might take four of the six available medals in Vancouver. Depth is building rapidly. Many of the country’s freestyle skiers and snowboarders are former gymnasts and acrobatics who excel in events that rely on innovative flips and twists.
“Maybe these events give Chinese and Asians an advantage because of our body type, like in gymnastics and diving,” Zhao said.
Jeff Wintersteen, the United States’ aerials coach, has studied and tried to emulate the Chinese academy training program, with a focus on the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia, even recruiting a former female gymnast.
“I realized what was going on in China and that we needed to change things fundamentally in the U.S.,” Wintersteen recently told reporters.
In Vancouver, China’s female snowboarders are also expected to challenge the pre-eminence of the Americans and the Australians.
“Our long-term plan is to continue to popularize winter sports,” Zhao said. “We want boys and girls to go skating and skiing, not just in northeast China, but all over China.”
Wang Meng of China, front, is the defending Olympic champion in the 500 meters. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
RUSSIA AT THE OLYMPICS: Plushenko draws early skate
Posted: Feb 14, 6:22p ET | Updated: Feb 14, 6:22p ET
Reigning Olympic gold medalist Yevgeny Plushenko will get his short program out of the way early Tuesday night, drawing the 10th spot in the 30-man field.
Plushenko is trying to become the first man in 58 years to repeat as Olympic champion. He is the first of the top men to skate. Turin runner-up Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland skates 19th, followed by Japan's Nobunari Oda and 2007 world champion Brian Joubert of France. Canada's Patrick Chan drew the 24th spot.
The U.S. men are bunched at the end. World champion Evan Lysacek and U.S. champ Jeremy Abbott are back to back at 28th and 29th. Johnny Weir skates 25th.
CHINA & KOREA AT THE OLYMPICS: Claim: Korean coach threw water bottles at China
China and South Korea have a fierce rivalry in short track speed skating.
Posted: Feb 14, 7:34p ET | Updated: Feb 14, 7:49p ET
Asian short track rivalry boils over: China had been filming South Korean practice before alleged incident in Vancouver
VANCOUVER (AFP) -- South Korea's short track head coach threw bottles of water at a Chinese team official as Asian rivalry in women's short track skating boiled over at the Winter Olympics, it was claimed on Sunday.
The Chinese was filming a South Korea training session from the stands, despite repeated protests from Korean coach, Choi Guang-Bok, who was standing on the ice at the Pacific Coliseum venue, eye witnesses said.
"Stop it," "Don't do that," Choi yelled before hurling a couple of bottles which hit seats below the Chinese cameraman, they added.
The Chinese team trained next in a 50-minute session, three days before the women's competition was to begin with the 500m in which China's defending Olympic and world champion Wang Meng is a strong favorite.
Wang, who prevented South Korean women from a gold medal monopoly at the 2006 Torino Games, took the overall, 500m and 1000m titles at last year's world championships.
"This is an Olympic venue. Filming or photography is permitted," China's head coach Li Yan told reporters. "We were just filming for analysis purposes. It's perfectly allowed."
The team's American assistant coach, Paul Marchese, said: "I think it's much ado about nothing. We smile and continue with our business."
"There's just a very, very strong rivalry between China and South Korea. That sort of showmanship might intimidate a lesser team, but it doesn't make a dent in China."
There was no immediate comment available from the Korean team.
At the 2009 Worlds, Wang beat South Korean Kim Min-Jung into second overall spot with teammate Zhou Yang third to win back-to-back titles.
The 24-year-old Chinese looks still more formidable in the absence of South Korean Jin Sun-Yu, who collected the 1000m, 1500m and 3000m relay golds in Torino.
Hampered by injury, Jin could not win a ticket to Vancouver.
"Our target is beat the South Korean team," Wang said.
"I am very confident. I am much stronger than four years ago, physically and mentally."
The sport became a full Olympic discipline in 1992 and China won their first short-track title in 2002, which was also the first-ever Winter Olympic gold for the Asian superpower.
The South Korean men remain as formidable as ever, winning the Olympics' first final, the 1500m on Saturday.
They swept all but one in Turin where American Apolo Anton Ohno won the 500m.
CHINA AT THE OLYMPICS: Shen and Zhao stellar in winning short
VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 14: Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao of China compete in the figure skating pairs short program on day 3 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Pacific Coliseum on February 14, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Posted: Feb 15, 3:25a ET | Updated: Feb 15, 7:27p ET
VANCOUVER (AFP)(AP) -- Gold is the only goal.
China's Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo can almost touch the Olympic title that has eluded them in three other games. They used a world best in the short program Sunday night to get as close as the width of a skate blade. If it takes another record to grab the all-elusive gold at the Vancouver Olympics, well, they have the goods to do it.
"We participated in a total of four Olympics including this one and we have only two bronze" medals, Zhao said. "We really want the gold. I feel this is a good opportunity."
A good opportunity? Shen and Zhao have been unbeatable this season after two years on the sidelines thanks to a short-lived retirement. They didn't flinch at drawing the unenviable first position in the short program, then mesmerized the audience _ and the judges _ with their precision, athleticism and total mastery on the ice.
"We feel pretty good even though we were the first to go today," Zhao said of their record 76.66 points. Then he added with a laugh: "I can barely feel my legs and I want to sit down."
He wasn't laughing at the competition, which is quite strong. Two-time world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy were just .70 points behind, even though their routine to "Send in the Clowns" didn't have the same electricity as Shen and Zhao's program to "Who Wants to Live Forever?"
Savchenko and Szolkowy seemingly had to wait forever to get on the ice. They skated last among the 20 competitors _ a spot Shen and Zhao will have in Monday night's free skate _ and knew several others had performed well.
Related to this article
Slideshows
Vancouver: Shen/Zhao
Former World champions, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo, enter their fourth Olympics gunning for gold.
- Vancouver: Pairs SP
- Vancouver: Savchenko/Szolkowy
- Vancouver: Evora/Ladwig
- Kavaguti/Smirnov in Vancouver
Stories
So they skated like champions, too, ending thoughts of any runaway by the Chinese.
"The points are so close," Szolkowy said. "There are some people who will say, 'In my mind, the Germans were best, or the Chinese were best or they say the Russians were best.
"We're looking forward to a good fight," Szolkowy said.
Russia's Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov are in third, giving them a chance to continue what is one of the longest winning streaks in sports. A Russian or Soviet pair has won the gold medal at every Olympics dating to 1964.
"I think I speak for all the Chinese competitors, we're here to give it our all and go for the gold," Zhao said. "We don't feel anything about the dominance of any one country. We just have to give our best performances."
This sure was their best short program.
Shen and Zhao retired after winning their third world title in 2007. But an Olympic gold medal is powerful motivation and it proved irresistible.
Veritable senior citizens in the skating world, the 31-year-old Shen and 36-year-old Zhao are no aging champions. Once lauded for their athleticism but criticized for a lack of artistry, they now skate with their hearts as well as their feet.
And, as only the greatest pairs do, they seem to skate as one, with perfect timing on every element, from the most simple turn to the roof-dusting throws.
Their triple twist was so huge he looked as if he was shooting a 3-pointer _ and hitting nothing but net as she floated to the ice.
Asked if it was their best performance, coach Yao Bin said, "Just about."
Savchenko and Szolkowy, successors to Shen and Zhao at the top of the pairs world, lost their European title to Kavaguti and Smirnov last month. But they were the only skaters truly in the Chinese team's class Sunday night.
If not for unison trouble on their side-by-side spins, Savchenko and Szolkowy might be sitting in first place _ ironic considering both wore the tears of a clown painted on their faces.
Unlike at Europeans, where Savchenko was getting over an illness, they are clearly back to full strength. Their throw triple flip was huge, and they did nice side-by-side triple toe loops in unison _ not always their forte.
Kavaguti and Smirnov were 2.5 points behind the leaders after a balletic "The Swan" program. That's easy to make up in some free skates, but maybe not against this field.
China's Pang Qing and Tong Jian are fourth and Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao are fifth.
Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig, surprise silver medalists at last month's U.S. championships, are 10th after the performance of their career at their first major international event. U.S. champions Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett were 14th.
"I can definitely say we've already had many Olympic moments," Evora said. "So whatever we can do the rest of the Olympics is icing on the cake."
OLYMPICS: Germany's Wolf leads pack of Asians in 500m
Posted: Feb 15, 2:56a ET | Updated: Feb 15, 2:57a ET
Three-time world champ favored to win Tuesday's sprint showdown
VANCOUVER (AFP) -- China's Wang Beixing leads a pack of Asian contenders hoping to claim the continent's first women's Olympic speed skating gold medal in Tuesday's 500m final, but a lone Wolf could beat them all.
Germany's Jenny Wolf , the three-time reigning world champion and world record-holder, will be favored in the sprint showdown at the same oval where she forced Wang to settle for a fourth consecutive 500m runner-up finish.
Related to this article
Slideshows
Jenny Wolf on the ice
German Olympic speed skater Jenny Wolf over the years.
- Wang Beixing on the ice
"I set a track record here. I think I can go faster this time," Wolf said. "I feel very well. I'm in good shape. I'm pretty confident."
South Korea's Lee Sang-Hwa and Japan's Nao Kodaira are also medal contenders in the event and while Wolf is the woman to beat at her favourite distance, she realizes the gap between her and Asian rivals is shrinking.
"Wang and Lee are really fast. They are catching up," Wolf said. "Sometimes they are faster than me this year, so I hope in the Olympics I will be the best."
Wolf, 31, set the world record of 37 seconds last December in a World Cup race at Salt Lake City, lowering her old mark from Calgary in 2007 by 0.02 seconds in a bid for her fifth consecutive World Cup 500m crown.
"I'm doing nothing special for the Olympics. I'm doing the same thing as the last three years," Wolf said.
"It's a little bit difficult because normally the biggest competition is in March. This year it's in February so we had to adjust our training."
Wang, coached by Canadian 1998 500m bronze medallist Kevin Crockett, was second to Wolf at the past three world championships and in 2005 to compatriot and idol Wang Manli, the 2006 Turin Olympic runner-up at 500m who has come the closest to a golden Asian breakthrough in Olympic speedskating.
This season, Wang has won races at Berlin and Salt Lake City. Wang, 24, and hopes to improve upon her seventh-place Olympic showing at Turin, again one spot behind Wolf.
Lee, who turns 21 on February 25, was fifth at the Torino Games as well as third at the worlds last year and in 2005 but she has not won a World Cup race since 2007.
Kodaira, 23, cracked her first 500, World Cup podium this season by finishing third at Berlin and stands fourth in the points chase this season.
FUKUOKA, JAPAN: Canal City
- Address: Canal City-mae, Sumiyoshi
- Phone: 282 2525
- Website: www.canalcity.co.jp
- Transport: underground rail: Nakasu-Kawabata; bus: to Canal City-mae
LONELY PLANET:
Rather strangely shaped, this six-building shopping mall and entertainment complex is sleek, modern, and streamlined. The central amphitheatre looks down onto an artificial canal with a fountain symphony. There are 13 cinema screens, a playhouse, two major hotels and innumerable boutiques, bars and bistros.
RUSSIA AT THE OLYMPICS: Ice Hockey: Crosby-Ovechkin rivalry hits new level
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Vancouver (AFP) - Canada's Sidney Crosby and Russia's Alex Ovechkin, the National Hockey League's two top stars, carry their heated personal rivalry into the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games and a possible showdown for gold. As the best playmakers on favored teams with tremendous hockey history, the Olympic focus would be on "Alex the Great" and "Sid the Kid" anyway, but their own competitive fire and history ensure electricity if Russia and Canada meet. "Our games can speak for themselves," Crosby said. "He's a great player. It's always a tough battle." Ovechkin, 24, is a gap-toothed magician with a stick whose solo moves for the NHL's Washington Capitals are often spectacular. Passes to Olympic teammate Alexander Semin or Sweden's Nicklas Backstrom are often eye-popping as well. Crosby, 22, is having the greatest goal-scoring season of his NHL career after being known for his work as a set-up man. The Pittsburgh Penguins captain inherited the mantle of Canadian hockey's top star from legend Wayne Gretzky. There's no guarantee Russia and Canada will meet at Vancouver because they are in opposite round-robin groups. If they meet in the medal knockout rounds, it promises to be an epic to command the world's attention. Ovechkin was the NHL's top draft pick in 2004 when a labour dispute wiped out the entire season. Crosby was the top pick in 2005 and he helped the Penguins escape financial troubles and win the Stanley Cup in 2009. "I'm always jealous of people who win the Cup," Ovechkin said earlier this month. "But I hope this year it's going to be us." Ovechkin signed a 13-year contract extension worth 124 million dollars in early 2008. Crosby signed a five-year extension worth 43.5 million dollars in 2007, 8.7 million a year for a man born in 1987 who wears jersey number 87. Crosby won the 2007 NHL scoring crown and Most Valuable Player honors. "Ovie" won the 2008 and 2009 Most Valuable Player award and the 2008 scoring crown. The Canada-Russia rivalry pre-dates the latest superstars, its roots firmly in the 1972 Summit Series won by Canada over the Soviet Union but only on a last-minute goal in the final game. Ovechkin is not afraid to deliver a hit or to respond when he takes one. He suffered a broken nose early in a game against Montreal and answered with four goals, including an over-time game winner. Ovechkin is also flashy and flamboyant, slamming himself into the plexiglass to celebrate goals. "Some people like it. Some don't," Crosby said. "Personally, I don't." Ovechkin has criticized Crosby as talking too much while both have tried to stress team aspects of their rivalry. Ovechkin led the Russians to the 2003 world junior crown in Canada but two years later in the United States, Canada ripped Russia 6-1 in the final and sent Ovechkin out of the game with a shoulder injury. While Ovechkin led Russia to a world title in 2008 after the Capitals were ousted in round one of the NHL playoffs, Crosby guided Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup finals. Last year, the Penguins eliminated Washington in the second round of the playoffs on their way to taking the Cup. When Pittsburgh visited Washington a week ago, Crosby scored twice to put the Penguins on top and match Ovechkin for the NHL goals lead at 39. Ovechkin answered with three goals and rallied the Capitals to victory. |
S. KOREA AT THE OLYMPICS: Speed Skating: Long podium path historic for Korea
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Vancouver (AFP) - Lee Seung-Hoon was too slow to qualify for South Korea's formidable Winter Olympic short-track speedskating team, but he learned that the long way was his quickest path to a historic Vancouver podium. Lee was a surprise silver medallist Saturday in the men's 5,000-meter long-track speedskating event, finishing second in 6:16.95 for the first Olympic long-track medal won by an Asian man at a distance beyond 1,000 meters.
Lee's silver was the first medal by an Asian at Vancouver and only the third Winter Olympic medal by South Korea outside their 29 short-track speedskating medals entering these Games. Making the transition last July when he was unable to achieve the qualifying standard for the Korean short-track Olympic squad, Lee saw his Olympic dream nearly die. That made his podium moment one for the ages.
Lee credited his work in the short-track discipline with bringing him a medal over 12.5 laps around the 400-meter oval.
While long-track is simply man against the clock, short-track is a jostling position battle that is about strategy, positioning and racing rivals. But the work in the smaller-scale event developed leg power that Lee said made a huge difference in his long-track abilities.
Three weeks shy of his 22nd birthday, the Seoul-born speedster put a scare into eventual winner Sven Kramer, the Dutch reigning world champion and world record-holder. "I saw the Korean go and thought, 'Oh my God. What if he beats my time?'" Kramer said. Kramer had set the mark to beat at 6mins, 14.60secs but in the next heat, Lee threatened to stun the favorite before falling short by 2.35 seconds. |
CHINA AT THE OLYMPICS: Chinese figure skating duo ready for Vancouver 2010 - CCTV
Ten months before the start of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo were back on the ice.
RUSSIA AT THE OLYMPICS: Ivan Skobrev brings the first medal for Russian team in Vancouver
14/02/201021:39
Russia's Ivan Skobrev won the bronze medal in men's 5,000 m Speed Skating, bringing the Russian team its first medal on the second day of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
JAPAN: For Toyota, the crucial question is the electronics
February 14, 2010
By Ken Bensinger and Ralph Vartabedian
The company vigorously denies that its vehicles' acceleration problems might stem from an electronic or software glitch. But it remains an open question, and any such finding would be devastating.
In the nearly five months since it launched a string of recalls to stop its cars from accelerating out of control, Toyota Motor Corp. has been adamant about one thing: It's not the electronics.
Company officials first put the blame on floor mats that could entrap the accelerator, later amending that to include gas pedals themselves that could stick.
But they have vigorously asserted that there is no evidence of a glitch in the electronics or software that could cause cars to malfunction, a "ghost in the machine."
Some independent safety experts, congressional investigators and others are just as certain that the risk of an electronic flaw is being dismissed by Toyota without an adequate examination.
The causes of unintended acceleration remain under investigation, but an admission by Toyota that sudden acceleration was caused by an electronic defect would be a devastating blow to the company's already damaged reputation for quality, say engineers, attorneys and experts in crisis management.
Compared with mechanical problems such as floor mats and sticky gas pedals, an electronic hardware or software glitch can be difficult to find, costly to fix and would open Toyota to a new onslaught of lawsuits, these people say.
"Every car accident that took place for years will suddenly be blamed on electronics," said Ted Frank, an attorney and founder of the Center for Class Action Fairness.
And considering the fact that every Toyota vehicle sold in the U.S. since the 2007 model year has an electronic throttle, with some models using the system dating to the 2002 model year, the number of potentially affected vehicles could reach into eight figures.
"It's a big potential problem for Toyota," Frank said.
Indeed, less than 24 hours after Toyota announced its recall of the 2010 Prius and Lexus HS250h last week, at least two suits alleging economic damages to owners of the hybrids had been filed against the automaker, adding to a pile of suits related to the recalls now numbering in the dozens.
Beyond its legal liability, Toyota's relationships with its customers could be further damaged by any finding that sudden acceleration is being caused by electronics, instead of floor mats or gas pedals, some say.
"Cars are moving computers, and the electronics are the very heart of the car," said Ian Mitroff, emeritus professor of USC's Marshall School of Business and a consultant on crisis management. Unlike a mechanical problem, like a sticking pedal, the fix is not easily understood, he said.
"It's the most scary component of all," said George Hoffer, an economist at Virginia Commonwealth University who moonlights as a consultant on recalls for automakers.
Toyota says it has repeatedly and thoroughly tested its vehicles, including their electronic throttle systems that replace traditional mechanical accelerator controls with sensors, wires and computers, with no finding.
In a letter to Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) that was released Friday, attorneys for the automaker said it had hired an engineering and testing firm to test its electronic throttle system. The firm, Exponent, based in Menlo Park, Calif., found that the system "did not exhibit any acceleration or precursor to acceleration, despite concerted efforts to induce unwanted acceleration," the letter said.
"There is simply nothing there to say electronic controls are causing the problems," said Bob Carter, general manager of Toyota's U.S. sales division, at the Chicago Auto Show last week. "We have exhaustively tested every scenario."
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, meanwhile, has opened a new investigation at the behest of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to determine whether electromagnetic interference could cause sudden acceleration, but has said it had never found evidence to support that theory.
But experts in electronics say that even the most thorough testing can fail to turn up computer problems, given the increasing complexity of automobile technology.
"It can be a tremendously difficult thing to spot," said Ronald Jurgen, an electrical engineer who edits the Automotive Electronics Reliability guidebook for the Society of Automotive Engineers.
He said that code errors in programs, electromagnetic interference or design problems in circuit boards could create issues that appear only in extremely rare instances.
"And when you can't spot it, it's just as dangerous and deadly as a major mechanical problem," Jurgen added.
So far, Toyota has proposed relatively low-cost fixes for the problems that cause sudden acceleration, such as a small shim for gas pedals that outside experts say probably costs a few pennies to produce.
But if an electronics problem is found, new microprocessors or new engine control modules could be a lot more expensive, aside from labor costs.
"Rather than a few pennies it may amount to more than $100 per vehicle," said Michael Pecht, director of an electronics reliability lab at the University of Maryland. "My gut tells me that there is still more to come from Toyota."
Many consumers are also not convinced by Toyota's assurances.
Harold Watkins, a Studio City owner of a 2007 Avalon, said he finds Toyota's explanations "ludicrous."
"My Avalon's sudden acceleration problem . . . had absolutely nothing to do with a sticky accelerator pedal nor a floor mat," Watkins said. Like many Toyota owners, he suspects the computer-controlled throttle system.
And though Toyota maintains that there are no bugs hiding in its wiring, the complexity of today's onboard computer systems, which now run everything from skid control to windshield wipers, has proved thorny for Toyota and other automakers when it comes to recalls and other safety issues, a review of government records shows.
Only last week, Toyota admitted that a software problem on its showcase Prius model and other hybrids could cause a momentary loss of braking. It recalled 437,000 vehicles to reprogram computers. In 2005, it had dealers reprogram Prius computers to prevent engine stalling.
The top-selling Camry has been subject to two technical service bulletins -- advisories of repair procedures to dealerships -- to deal with engine surging in the 2002 and 2003 models. Electronics problems in the Camry go back at least to 1990, when the company recalled 120,000 of the sedans to replace a faulty cruise-control computer that could cause "engine racing" leading to "loss of control and an accident," according to NHTSA records.
It also recalled the popular Lexus RX in 1999 for an electronic control unit that caused headlights and taillights to turn off without warning.
In December, NHTSA opened an investigation on whether the electronic control module in some Corolla and Matrix models could cause them to stall without warning, and the agency is also investigating the computerized vehicle stability control system on the 2003 Sequoia SUV.
Along with potential mechanical and electronic issues, Toyota vehicles have been investigated by NHTSA 13 times in the last 25 years for allegations of unintended acceleration, resulting directly in four recalls.
Toyota is not alone: Other automakers, including General Motors and Chrysler, have in recent years conducted recalls for hardware and software failures that cause engine surging and possible loss of control.
According to James Muccioli, an automotive electronics consultant who spent his career in the industry, the increasing complexity of auto electronics has come in tandem with sharply compressed timelines to design, develop and test such systems.
"Automakers used to take five years to develop a new model, and then it became 15 months," he said.
And because those time constraints are even more pronounced in the pressure cooker of a high-profile recall, there's a significant risk that a new error could be put into the system.
"Sometimes you fix a problem and you accidentally incorporate new ones," Jurgen said.
Now, with three congressional committees and NHTSA focused on the electronics issue, the topic will only get more attention.
"No matter what Toyota's position has been on this issue, we're going to be seeing a lot more focus on the electronics going forward," said Itay Michaeli, auto industry analyst at Citi Investment Research. "If it proves to be an electronics issue, that would be strike three for the company."
VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA: Admiral Fokin street
Fokin street has always been the center of the city life. In the XIX century the street was called Pekinskaya and was one of the main streets of “Millionka” or “Shanghai” – the mazy Chinatown bundled with dolly-shops and eating-houses, cafes and barber's shops, haunts and opium dens. Nowadays the legendary quarter is completely re-developed and Pekinskaya street has become a decent rival of Moscow Arbat street – a grand promenade adorned with fountains, benches and old-style street lamps.
Source: Google & Russian Railways
JAPAN AT THE OLYMPICS: Olympics: Snowboard cross rider Fujimori out of hospital, to compete
Feb 14 03:55 AM US/Eastern
VANCOUVER, Feb. 14 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Japanese snowboard cross racer Yuka Fujimori was released from a hospital on Saturday, a day after banging her head in an accident during training for the Vancouver Olympics.
The Japanese delegation said that the 23-year-old was admitted to a hospital as a precautionary measure but is set to compete in the race getting under way on Tuesday as scheduled.
On Friday, Fujimori made a crash landing when she was thrown off- balance by a gust of wind at Cypress Mountain. No abnormalities were found after she underwent a detailed examination the same day.
Fujimori finished in seventh at the Turin Olympics in 2006.
S. KOREA: South Korea's complicated embrace of gyopo
Ann Babe, who was abandoned as an infant and adopted by an American couple, has returned to South Korea to reconnect with her cultural roots. (January 29, 2010)
February 14, 2010
By Teke Wiggin, Reporting from Seoul
People welcome the many ethnic Koreans raised abroad who come each year to reconnect with their roots, but they also judge these gyopo by very high standards, expecting them to fit in seamlessly.
Ann Babe knows her real name, birthday and hometown. That's because it was all included on the note left with her at the South Korean bus stop where she was abandoned as an infant in 1986.
However, beyond the name of the orphanage where she was later adopted by an American couple, that's all she knew about her South Korean roots.
The only way to find out more, Babe decided, was to return to the land of her ancestors.
After graduating in 2008 from the University of Wisconsin with a triple major -- journalism, history and political science -- she became one of many ethnic Koreans raised abroad who return to explore their heritage.
Some come to earn money and brush up on their Korean or to please their parents. Babe took a job teaching English to learn about her roots.
What she found was a culture quite unlike that in the United States. And though she appreciates the sense of community extended to returning ethnic Koreans, at times she still felt like a stranger.
"I think that Korean culture is beautiful in the sense that they are so strongly committed to one another, but they are also community-oriented to a fault," she said. "They don't allow people to be individuals as much as I think is necessary."
In South Korea, returnees such as Babe are known as gyopo.
The term connotes "our Koreans who happen to be living overseas in another country," said David Kang, a second-generation Korean American and director of Korean studies at USC.
He emphasized the tribal focus of the word: "It's this very atavistic view of Koreans as our blood overseas, almost."
For some ethnic Koreans who come here, the term gyopo has carried a negative connotation, singling them out. But most accept it as a practical label.
About 7.5 million ethnic Koreans live outside Korea, 2.5 million of them in the United States, Kang said. "An awful lot go back for a year or two to find their cultural roots," he said. "Some go back to make money, and some, it will make mom and dad happy."
Based on her interactions in South Korea, Babe says she can break down the attitudes toward gyopo into three types.
She described the first as "a person that's older who is sort of angry about you being a Korean but not being fully Korean."The second type is "very friendly and helpful" but sometimes "overbearing when they try to convert you or reform you."
The third are people who seem flummoxed and simply incapable of grasping her background.
Kang said many South Koreans expect gyopo to possess considerable cultural and linguistic competency. As a result, he said, "the number of culture clashes and number of taxi drivers yelling at these kids is legendary."
He said the high standards that gyopo are held to in South Korea contrast starkly with the relatively mild receptions ethnic Japanese or Chinese get when they reverse-migrate.
Other experts agreed.
"If a foreigner is non-Korean-looking and behaves in non-Korean ways, that's not a problem; we accept it," said Honkuk University professor Min Byung-chul, author of a book that lists behavioral differences between Koreans and Americans.
But gyopo who look Korean but behave in a "non-Korean" way may be a target of discrimination.
Kang also pointed out Koreans' tolerance for most other foreigners' behavior: "If you're white, you can get away with almost anything."
Babe acknowledged that she often misses out on some of the perks enjoyed by her non-Korean peers. South Koreans often will offer directions to confused foreigners, not presumed kinsmen.
Looking Korean has affected her employment opportunities as well.
Many English teaching positions posted on the Internet include "no gyopo" clauses. "They don't fully understand that speaking and appearance are not really related," she said of employers.
Michelle Kim, a New Jersey-raised gyopo, described an interview scenario that has become familiar. "They say, 'Oh, we didn't know you were Korean; we thought you were American,' and I say, 'Well, I am an American.' "
She added that "gyopo only" jobs usually pay less.
Kim's reason for coming to South Korea was to learn Korean and maintain family ties here.
"I don't want to lose this huge part of my family because I can't speak to them," she said.
Despite the difficulties, gyopo enjoy some advantages.
For example, F-4 visas, granted exclusively to gyopo and former Korean nationals, allow them to take permanent residence and offer work flexibility, such as teaching lucrative private English lessons, that is denied to most foreigners, Kim said.
Applicants for F-4 visas need only to have "one side of the parents or grandparents who once possessed Korean nationality" to qualify.
Min emphasized Korea's strong desire to embrace gyopo, who he said are valued for their English proficiency and "impressive" decision to connect with their heritage.
Now well-accustomed to life in Korea, Babe continues to teach middle-school English here and said she feels firmly established.
Though she has not yet decided whether to seek out her biological parents, she knows one thing: She will ultimately return to the United States.
"I think as much as people are able to relate to other cultures, fundamentally they always seem to go back to the culture they were raised in," she said.
Wiggin is a special correspondent.
RUSSIA: On this day: 14 February
On February 14 1949, Anna Louise Strong, the founder and assistant editor-in-chief of the Moscow News, the first English-speaking newspaper of the USSR, was arrested in Moscow.
US citizen Anna Louise Strong had been a supporter of the Soviet Union since the 1917 revolution and first arrived in the country in 1921 to help the relief efforts for the Volga famine victims and to report for the International News Service. She became a strong advocate of communism and made friends with influential Soviet party members including Stalin, Molotov and Trotsky.
She wrote many books about her life in the Soviet Union, which were widely published in the US. A preface to one of her books, The First Time in History (1924), was written by Leon Trotsky. A few years later, Trotsky was pronounced an Enemy of the People by Stalin.
In 1930, Strong founded the Moscow News and became its assistant editor-and-chief. Originally, the Moscow News was published for foreigners working in Moscow. In the 1960s it was translated into French, Spanish and Arabic and was available in 28 countries.
Strong traveled extensively through the Soviet Union and also visited China, her travels inspiring more and more books. In 1949, she returned to the USSR where she was accused of espionage and subsequently deported from the country. However, arriving back in the United States, she was not well received – ironically, her home country accused her of being a spy for the Soviets. China became the only place where she could take refuge. She ended up spending the rest of her life there, becoming an ardent supporter of Mao Zedong and the Chinese communist regime.
Strong remained loyal to the Soviet Union, and even returned for a brief visit in 1959. She tried to find out what had caused her arrest a decade before, but never learned the reason why.
According to her nephew, Tracy Strong, who tried to investigate the matter, Anna Strong’s arrest most likely had to do with her pro-Chinese sympathies, which she expressed in a book she had tried to release in the USSR. Her stance on China somewhat differed from the official position of the Soviet Union, and she refused to compromise.
Strong has been lucky compared to the original Moscow News editor-in-chief Mikhail Borodin. He was arrested around the same time as Strong, but died in prison two years later. The newspaper was then closed and not reopened until six years later, following Stalin’s death.
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