tour de france 2011

LES HERBIERS, France — Jonathan Vaughters couldn’t hold back his smile Thursday as he discussed the Garmin-Cervélo lineup for the 2011 Tour de France.

Jonathan Vaughters | VeloNews file photo, Brad Kaminski © VeloNews

Courting the press in a French elementary school library, because the team hotel didn’t have enough space to accommodate the media, Vaughters was like a proud professor ready to watch his understudies to take on the world.

“This is the best team we’ve ever fielded for a Tour, without a doubt,” Vaughters said. “Our ambitions are higher than they’ve ever been before, but we have the capability to aim higher than ever before.”

To his right were reigning world champion Thor Hushovd and sprinter ace Tyler Farrar and to his left were Americans Christian Vande Velde and Dave Zabriskie. The rest of the squad, perhaps appropriately enough for cycling’s “clean team,” were undergoing blood screenings at the nearby hotel as part of the UCI’s testing program for the biological passport.

Vaughters said Garmin-Cervélo brings a well-rounded squad that can target stage victories in all terrain as well as aim for a high GC placing with Vande Velde and Canadian Ryder Hesjedal, who rode to a surprising seventh last year.

The team’s first goal is to win a stage, something that’s eluded them so far through three Tours.

“Although we’ve had some success in the Tour, we’ve yet to win a stage,” he said. “That’s our first objective. We’ve got to get that monkey off our backs.”

Vaughters insisted that the team will take an “all for one, one for all” mentality into the Tour. Hushovd and Farrar are expected to split up the sprint stages while Vande Velde and Hesjedal can share the leadership on the GC front. Garmin-Cervélo will search out stage wins in the sprints and the transition stages before hoping for the best in the GC battle in the Pyrénées and the Alps. Vaughters promises that the team will ride as a unit.

“We will support the best-positioned rider in each scenario we will find ourselves,” Vaughters explained. “Everyone here is professional and we’re all working for the same goals. We can adapt to the race conditions and ride together. We will be chasing stage wins and the yellow jersey.”

Denise Richards adopts a baby

Denise Richards has adopted a baby girl domestically, according to her rep.

“Eloise Joni Richards is named after Denise’s mom (Joni), and Denise and her daughters Sami and Lola chose the name Eloise,” a rep for the actress told People. “Denise and Eloise’s big sisters couldn’t be happier and feel incredibly blessed.”

Richards, who has two daughters with former spouse Charlie Sheen, thanked her fans for their support on Twitter. “Thank you all for your sweet messages,” she tweeted. “The girls and I are over the moon and so is my dad Grandpa Irv...xo.”

Rudy - My Boston Terrier

Courtesy of Any Old Iron.Andrew Clancey (left) and Christopher Melton: A store can lose money, but help the brand.

Someone strolling the Lower East Side of Manhattan is liable to spot a flier plastered with the face of a pugnacious Boston Terrier. That’s Monkey, the nominal guard dog of Any Old Iron, a year-old men’s clothing store that has quickly become a destination for shoppers, as well as a fixture on the local party scene. But what even most fans of the store don’t realize is that Any Old Iron is, in a sense, a gateway to a Web site.

A lot of companies these days are founded as Web businesses, and many physical stores end up growing substantial Web sales over time. What’s a bit unusual about Any Old Iron is that the company’s Web site has been intended as the main engine of the business from day one — even though almost all of the investment and attention has been focused on the store. “Our strategy is to build credibility and cachet through the store,” said Christopher Melton, an arts-oriented entrepreneur who helped found the company last year along with Andrew Clancey, a celebrity stylist. “We plan to open a second store in L.A. and then two more stores in other locations. And then from there it’s all Web.” Indeed, the Manhattan store isn’t even expected to be profitable on its own. In a sense, it’s a loss-leader — the rent money is really an investment in Web advertising, said Mr. Melton.

Rudy - My Boston Terrier

Courtesy of Any Old Iron.Andrew Clancey (left) and Christopher Melton: A store can lose money, but help the brand.

Someone strolling the Lower East Side of Manhattan is liable to spot a flier plastered with the face of a pugnacious Boston Terrier. That’s Monkey, the nominal guard dog of Any Old Iron, a year-old men’s clothing store that has quickly become a destination for shoppers, as well as a fixture on the local party scene. But what even most fans of the store don’t realize is that Any Old Iron is, in a sense, a gateway to a Web site.

A lot of companies these days are founded as Web businesses, and many physical stores end up growing substantial Web sales over time. What’s a bit unusual about Any Old Iron is that the company’s Web site has been intended as the main engine of the business from day one — even though almost all of the investment and attention has been focused on the store. “Our strategy is to build credibility and cachet through the store,” said Christopher Melton, an arts-oriented entrepreneur who helped found the company last year along with Andrew Clancey, a celebrity stylist. “We plan to open a second store in L.A. and then two more stores in other locations. And then from there it’s all Web.” Indeed, the Manhattan store isn’t even expected to be profitable on its own. In a sense, it’s a loss-leader — the rent money is really an investment in Web advertising, said Mr. Melton.

Aaron Carter claims Michael Jackson dealt

"I miss Michael," Carter said. "I have spent such incredible times with him. I did things with him that nobody else did ... But I was also troubled about what he did to me."

Carter entered rehab in January after battling substance abuse issues for years. He checked into rehab for "emotional and spiritual issues," according to his manager Johnny Wright.

"He has chosen to enter a facility where he feels he will get the guidance and cleansing he needs," Wright said in a statement at the time. "Which in turn will help him on the music journey he's about to take."

"Yes, he gave me wine. I mean, I could have refused, but I was 15," Carter said when asked if Jackson provided him with alcohol. "As for drugs? He gave me cocaine. I felt weird about that and other stuff ... We spoke afterwards, hours and hours, on the phone. I admired Michael, but his behavior bothered me a lot."

In 2008, Carter was arrested in Texas for investigation of marijuana possession and in 2009 a report revealed that he owned more than $1 million in taxes.

independence day, 4th of july

A senior Democratic aide tells NBC, "At 9:30 Senator Reid will go to the floor to announce that the Senate will forego its scheduled recess for the week of July 4th and stay in session to continue forging a deal to cut the deficit and create jobs."

UPDATE: Reid announced on the floor that the Senate will return for votes on the evening of July 5 and remain in session for the rest of the week. Negotiators will spend the week continuing work on a deficit reduction deal with the House and the Obama administration in advance of an August 2 debt ceiling deadline.

UPDATE II: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell challenged the president Thursday to outline his debt plans, inviting Obama to speak to Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill and "explain his plans to hike taxes by hundreds of billions," per McConnell's office

Canada Day 2011 fireworks

Canada Day 2011 fireworks in Toronto will be happening on a grand scale in a few locations, not to mention the various shows taking place in backyards and neighbourhood parks across the city. A notable absence this year, however, will be the annual show at Downsview Park, which has been cancelled on account of theTragically Hip-headlined concert taking place there throughout the day on Friday.

Here's a quick rundown of the other fireworks displays in Toronto on Canada Day, all of which take place on Friday, July 1st (just to confirm).

Ontario Place
Although the Victoria Day fireworks were a no-go at Ontario Place this year, the western waterfront will once again be home to a music-based show starting at 10:30 p.m. Always an impressive display, the added bonus this year is that admission to the grounds is free on account of the park's 40th anniversary celebrations.

Woodbine Beach / Ashbridges Bay
In conjunction with the Red, White, and Vinyl Canada Day Festival, Woodbine Beach will host a fireworks display decidedly bigger than the one that took place on Victoria Day. Prior to the pyrotechnics, there will be a number of events and musical performances, including Alannah Myles, who somehow still manages to book shows. Go for the fireworks, not the music. Start time is 10 p.m.

Mel Lastman Square
Making up for the lack of fireworks at Downsview Park is the annual Canada Day festivities at Mel Lastman Square, which will be preceded by musical performances. The show is free of charge and gets under way at 8 p.m. with fireworks at 10:15 p.m.

Canada's Wonderland
As usual, those looking to fork over some bucks can take it the sprawling show at Canada's Wonderland. Single day admission to the park is $44.99, and the fireworks run at around 10 p.m., weather permitting.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Hospitalized

Earlier this week, Jonathan Rhys Meyers was hospitalized in London after what's being called a possible suicide attempt involving pills. On Tuesday night, The Tudors star (who has battled alcoholism for years) was found on the floor of his home by paramedics who were responding to an emergency call. However, when Rhys Meyers came to, he apparently refused treatment for more than thirty minutes and the paramedics had to call the police. Eventually, he was transported to a hospital nearby. He was released the next morning and a Scotland Yard spokesperson told People, "We can confirm we were called by the London Ambulance Service to an address in NW8 to report to a man refusing treatment. Police attended, and the man was taken by ambulance to a central London hospital. That was the end of our involvement." Rhys Meyers was discharged from the hospital early Wednesday morning, and when reporters from the British newspaper, The Sun, spotted him exiting the building and questioned him about the reason for his treatment, he said "no comment."

Earlier this month, Rhys Meyers checked into a five star rehabilitation facility in South Africa, and the stay marked his fifth effort at reaching sobriety. There is no word on whether or not he will enter treatment for a sixth time.

delly belly transformers 3 review

Aseem Chhabra feels that Delhi [ Images ] Belly will appeal hugely to some audiences and not much to others, proving that the age of the pan-India audience is dead. Post YOUR reviews here!

Many years ago an American Jewish woman expressed surprise when I told her that I had seen Woody Allen's [ Images ] Annie Hall as a teenager in India [Images ] and I had found the film very funny. She was baffled how I could have gotten the New York-specific humour in the Oscar-winning film such as in the scene when Diane Keaton's [ Images ] Annie orders pastrami on white bread with mayonnaise. I have since learned it is a Jewish tradition that pastrami should only be eaten on rye bread with mustard.

I have also learned that humour is relative, culture and age specific. Humour can be intelligent. As I have lived in New York, I have learned to admire and see the subtle nuances in Allen's films. And humour can be smart. I find Michael Winterbottom's new film The Trip exceptionally clever and funny, albeit laced with sadness. Slapstick humour works with large audiences, though usually not with me. But then I always laugh out loud in theatres when characters bump into walls (Fairuza Balk in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous), or into electric poles (the overweight Cyrus Broacha [ Images ] in Krishna D K's and Raj Nidimoru's 99), or -- my favourite -- when Michael Palin's Ken in A Fish Called Wanda accidentally kills the three Yorkshire terriers one by one!

I know humour can be crass, crude, in poor taste, and yet the Golmaal and Dhamaal franchises continue to make a lot of money. I have learned to accept the fact that in this world of ours some people can laugh and connect with Allen's lost, insecure souls as they meander through western cities (or lately in Europe), while others can thoroughly enjoy the loud-mouth over-the-top characters played by Arshad Warsi [ Images ], Javed Jaffrey [ Images ] and Riteish Deshmukh [ Images ] in Double Dhamaal! It is all humour -- all relative and subjective!

Which brings me to this week's new release, Delhi Belly, the third in a line of 'independent' films produced by Aamir Khan's [ Images ] production house (the first two being Peepli Live and Dhobi Ghat).

Delhi Belly is a slick, madly crazy production that is mostly funny -- although the humour will more likely appeal to the 20-something and perhaps 30-something public school educated, English speaking, big city audience that the film targets through its previews, videos and playful songs (from a spoof on K L Saigal's voice, to one that may or may not allude to a curse word). But I know for sure that my mother and just about everyone of her generation will be totally turned off watching Delhi Belly.

Delhi Belly is not at all in the same territory as Double Dhamaal. Its success -- and I hope the film works at the box office -- will make it clear that the idea of the pan-India audience is dead. There are many Indias watching many different cinemas. There is the India that follows Bhojpuri films, while another watches Punjabi fare with Gurdas Mann and Jimmy Shergill [ Images ]. There is an India that hugely worships Rajnikanth [ Images ] and another that totally rejects his work. Endhiran, dubbed in Hindi as Robot, was a box office disaster in North India.

There is an India that will appreciate Delhi Belly, and I credit the always astute Aamir Khan for understanding that fact. Khan put his money behind a project like Peepli Live, written by two unknown writers from Delhi -- Anusha Rizvi [ Images ] and Mahmood Farooqui. This time also he has taken the risk of investing in a fresh script by a young unknown Los Angeles-based scriptwriter Akshat Varma. Needless to say the risk was worth taking.

Happy Doctor’s Day!

In India, Doctor’s Day is celebrated on July 1 to honour the legendary physician and second chief minister of West Bengal, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy (July 1, 1882- July 1, 1962) and other medical professionals who have devoted their lives towards helping others through their profession.

In today’s day and age doctor’s play an important role in our lives – from being a confidante to our health problems, to a healer when we are down and from being a life saver during our trysts with death to being a caregiver to our loved ones.

Hence, in commemoration of this day, some of our readers, in a bid to acknowledge their doctors dedication, have shared with us how they have impacted their life.

Hazel Pinto, homemaker
I am regular with my check-ups so my doctor knows me very well and we share an excellent rapport. I won't be able to drop by her clinic this Doctor's Day but I will definitely make a phone call and wish her.

Faye Monteiro, music teacher
I have fond memories of my dentist who is a very nice lady. In fact when I was young, unlike other children, I used to look forward to visiting her. I am thinking of dropping by her clinic with flowers this Doctor's Day to wish her.

Nikita Kothari, homemaker
We ran into an emergency last year, my husband had to go in for his bypass owing to his deteriorating cardiac conditions. It was only because of a doctor that we could even lift him off a cardiac arrest at Cumballa that fatal night. Dr. Ramakank Panda is indeed a messiah for us, and after 16 hours of anxiety, my husband is back to being his gregarious self again. We were scared and apprehensive, but the post operative care by Dr. Panda and his team relived us of our tensions. This Doctor’s Day, I would like to acknowledge the impact they have made in my family’s life.

Narain Singh Rathore, retired
I come from a village where the average age is 60 because of the lack of doctors and awareness about diseases. I am 87 and though I am diabetic and have weak joints, I am living a perfectly healthy life. All this is thanks to my doctors as he has educated me about my problems, which has helped me maintain a healthy lifestyle, his medication and physiotherapy exercises have solved my joint problems and a hearing aid given by hum has enhanced my hearing. However, I feel their biggest contribution is that they have brought up the average age of the country.

Shilpa Keswani, student
My orthopaedic doctor has made the maximum difference in my life by raising an alarm regarding my low calcium levels at the right time. He has not only averted the potential osteoporosis, but also helped me secure a healthy life through exercise and a proper diet.

HTC Desire Gingerbread nears release, already in testing

A few hours ago HTC announced it is already testing the Gingerbread for the original Desire and will start the QA procedures this week. Obviously the update is nearing release and the wait will be over soon.

Initially HTC promised a Gingerbread update for the Desire, but then it was dropped due to incapable hardware. After the massive pressure it got from users the company made another U-turn and decided to launch the update anyway, even if it will compromise a feature or two.

And here we are today when HTC is almost ready with the update. Here is the HTC's statement:

We suppose we'll see the Android 2.3 update soon after the QA is over. So arm up with just a little more patience and prepare for an update.

Tegra 2 4.2-inch Samsung Galaxy Z unveiled, live photos inside

A new Galaxy phone, the Samsung Galaxy Z, has just been announced. Strangely though the handset has been unveiled by the Swedish carrier Three, rather than the Korean company. The Galaxy Z is a combo between the I9003 Galaxy SL and the S II - it's got a 4.2-inch SC-LCD screen and a Tegra 2 chipset with two 1GHz Cortex-A9 cores.

Samsung Galaxy Z official photos

The 4.2" screen of the Samsung Galaxy Z has WVGA resolution and is an SC-LCD unit rather than a SuperAMOLED. The phone measures 125.3 x 66.1 x 9.5 mm and weighs 135g - not quite Galaxy S II but quite impressive still.

The Galaxy Z is powered by a Tegra 2 but its 5MP camera is only capable of 720p video recording - disappointing if you were hoping for 1080p video capture. The Z model packs 8GB of built-in memory that is expandable through the microSD slot.

We actually managed to get our hands on a Samsung Galaxy Z and we were able to snap a few hands-on photos for you to enjoy. You should also stay tuned for a quick and dirty preview, which should appear on our homepage soon.

Hands-on photos of the Samsung Galaxy Z

The price of the Samsung Galaxy Z is set at 3995 Swedish kronor (€435, $630) for the pre-order. You can also get it for free if you sign a two-year contract with Three Sweden for 300kr a month.

HTC EVO 3D with T-Mobile USA 3G bands passes FCC testing

The European GSM-enabled HTC EVO 3D recently went official but 3D-loving GSM fans in the US were seemingly left out of the party. Luckily this is about to change pretty soon as the EVO 3D is on its way to T-Mobile.

The news was brought to us by the FCC, which has just concluded testing an EVO 3D with T-Mobile USA 3G bands. So the handset seems fit and ready to enter the arena and face the LG Thrill 4G for AT&T (a.k.a. Optimus 3D) and its Sprint-bound twin - the mobile 3D battle is really heating up in the States.

The FCC report has this helpful schematic of the wireless antennas on the HTC EVO 3D, with the 3D dual-lens camera on there as well (not that it has anything to do with FCC tests). The tests include tests of the 1700MHz band (AWS), which points to T-Mobile USA as the future home of this new EVO 3D.

The reports don't give away much more than that - besides a 1730mAh battery, the same as on the current EVO 3D models. There's no mention of launch dates in there so we can only guess about that.

So, Sprint's EVO 3D is out, T-Mobile's seems to be coming and AT&T's LG Thrill 4G (Optimus 3D) is "coming soon". Your move Verizon.

HTC Status for AT&T gets announced on Facebook

This is hardly a surprise to us. After we saw it in leaked picturesbarely a week ago, the U.S. version of the HTC ChaCha got officially announced on Facebook under the name HTC Status - quite a fitting moniker for the phone which is designed to rule the social network.

There are practically no differences between the HTC Status and its European sibling, the Chacha - their appearance and specs are identical, save for the AT&T logo of the Status.

The U.S. version of the ChaCha will also get the upgraded processor which we previously told you about - it is clocked at 800 MHz unlike the originally claimed 600 MHz. There is 512MB of RAM and ROM on board respectively. The memory can be expanded through a microSD card. A 5MP camera will handle the capture of pictures before they get uploaded on Facebook. The device will have Android 2.3 Gingerbread, dressed in HTC Sense, right out of the box as well.

Tag Heuer unveils LINK: Luxury, Precision and Android

Not all phones are created equal and we don't just mean hardware or software here. There are those phones that market themselves to the 'elite', usually toting a mix of expensive materials, hand built and precision manufactured parts and a four to seven figure price tag (such as these fine examples) that would make your eyes water.

Tag Heuer have already stepped into the phone market with their Meridiist line of handsets, all precision engineered and designed to reflect Tag's strong design language, but now they're bringing a new device to market, one that actually offers more than just a platinum back plate or a sapphire screen. The Tag Heuer LINK smartphone is a premium/luxury handset that right off the bat proves that you can have a luxury and everyday functionality, strangely a combination that has been sorely lacking in this market so far (excluding custom built iPhone 4's and so on).

The Tag Heuer LINK smartphone: Avant-garde communication

The LINK still ticks the boxes for the elite purchaser with material combinations that include steel, 18k rose gold or titanium paired with rubber, alligator skin or leather trim. As the video below shows the LINK also strongly maintains its watchmaker roots as well, with the SIM, USB and memory card ports hidden behind a hinged body panel locked in place by what appears to be a crown

Nokia releases lots of N9 camera samples, look good

We bet many of you are curious what the MeeGo-based Nokia N9 camera is capable of. Well, you can stop searching for leaked camera samples right now, Nokia has just released untouched official ones.

Two days ago when Damian Dinning discussed the N9 camera sensor and today we finally get to see what it's really capable of. So no more talking, here go the photos.

Nokia N9 camera samples (widescreen)

As it turns out the N9 camera produces really nice shots with lots of resolved detail and nice lively colors. The effects of the large aperture (f/2.2) lens are easy to spot in the shallow depth of field. This makes it easier (as far as easy is at all applicable to cameraphones) to separate the focused objects from the background.

The Nokia N9 processing seems really mature, though it cannot completely make up for the smaller (compared to the N8) sensor. For example the N9 doesn't render out-of-focus areas as attractively as its Symbian sibling.

Still the published N9 camera samples are pretty good even though they are taken with pre-release hardware and software. So the MeeGo smartphone will probably be end up a viable option for all cameraphone lovers.

Symbian 3.2 and 5.0 get a browser and navigation update

Nowadays taking care of its latest smartphones is mandatory for every manufacturer with any kind of long term ambitions. However releasing an update for three-year old smartphones, ranging from entry level phones to former high-enders, and showing their owners that they aren't forgotten should certainly earn Nokia some bonus points.

The Finnish company just announced through their blog that they will be releasing an update for their Symbian 3.2 and 5.0 platforms. There's a whole bunch of handsets running those - check out the lengthy list:

• Nokia E72
• Nokia E52
• Nokia E5
• Nokia C5-00
• Nokia 6700 slide
• Nokia C6-00
• Nokia C5-03
• Nokia 5230
• Nokia 5235
• Nokia 5250
• Nokia X6
• Nokia N97 mini
• Nokia 5800 XpressMusic
• Nokia 5530 XpressMusic
• Nokia 5530 XpressMusic

The update will bring the new Nokia browser v7.3 to the aging phones, which should significantly improve their browsing experience. This is the same browser that owners of newer Symbian phones will get when the Anna update is released. The benefits of the new browser include improved performance, support for International Domain Names (IDNs) and also supports non-ASCII letters such as Arabic or Chinese.

The other major feature of the firmware update is the updated Ovi Maps app. The software offering free voice-guided navigation will go to version Ovi Maps 3 SR4 on Symbian 3.2 devices, bringing indoor positioning through WiFi, as well as travel and recommendation services such as those through Lonely Planet. Those with Symbian 5.0 devices will get Ovi Maps 3 SR6, adding public transport lines and check-in services to social networking sites.

The final good bit about this update is the addition of a set of emoticons to the listed devices, which can be used when sending MMS.

Nokia C6-00 and Nokia 5230 are already eligible for the update, while the rest of the smartphones will get it in the next few weeks. So make sure you have the software update autocheck switched on in your phone.