| Dogsledding keeps athlete mushing along
When you retire as a competitive athlete, it doesn't mean you retire the desire for competition or commitment or to be part of a group. At least, that's what three-time Olympic ski jumper Ron Richards and his wife Pam, an ice dancer who competed in five Canadian championships, found once they quit their respective athletic careers. Ron skiied in the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo in 1984, Calgary in '88 and Albertville in '92 before he retired that year; Pam left the ice in 1989. Both love the outdoors – particularly winter sports – and animals. So, for this Oshawa-area family, dogsled racing was a natural fit. "I retired in 1992 and was looking for something more exciting to do in the winter – you can't ski jump part time – when a friend took me out," says Ron of his first time running a team of dogs.
Europe not everything for O'Neill
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has warned there are still no guarantees that the club's most promising season in years will end with European qualification. Villa have their eyes on a Champions League spot following a 2-1 victory at Reading that was far more comprehensive than the scoreline suggests. "My own view on the possibility of a Champions League spot is that we might not even qualify for Europe, but that wouldn't stop it being a decent season for us," said O'Neill. Villa's win left them sixth but took them level on 47 points with fourth-placed Liverpool and Everton in fifth, with the Toffees taking on another club in European contention, Manchester City, on Monday. Twelve years have passed since Villa finished as high as fourth, but should they end up missing out on even the UEFA Cup, O'Neill insisted it would still be a season to cherish.
OK, enough is enough
Blah blah blah ROGER CLEMENS blah blah STEROIDS ... Dial turning. ... yada yada yada ANDY PETTITTE yada yada HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE ... Dial turning. ... harrumph harrumph BARRY BONDS harrumph PERJURY ... Dial turning. ... bluster bluster CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS bluster WASTING TAXPAYERS' MONEY ... .
Business briefing
Kevin Lycklama has been named senior vice president and chief financial officer for Riverview Community Bank and Riverview Bancorp, Inc. Promotions at the bank include Anthony Hays, vice president and operations support manager; Andrew Whaley, vice president and information technology manager; and Jean Watson, assistant vice president and information technology supervisor. Jim Brekke has joined Columbia Credit Union as senior vice president and chief credit officer. Other new employees include Ron Dobyns, senior vice president and chief financial officer, and Terry Long, senior vice president and chief information officer. Anna Sands has been named volunteer and community relations manager for the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington. Sands will be responsible for all aspects of the volunteer program including scheduling, recruitment and retention of over 500 active volunteers.
A Growth Maven's New Favorite: Gold
NOT MUCH ESCAPES THE ATTENTION OF THIS wise and wily investor. Near visionary in his ability to identify trends and capitalize on them, Joseph McNay has made a lot of people and institutions wealthy in the 40-plus years he's been plying the investment trade. He manages more than $3 billion at Essex Investment Management in Boston, a firm he founded, including its flagship long-short fund and a natural-resources fund. One of the all-time greats of growth investing, McNay is now pounding the table for, of all things, gold. Attention must be paid. Barron's: Are we in a recession or are we perhaps talking ourselves into one? McNay: We certainly are in an economic slowdown, and my personal opinion is that we are in the early phases of a recession. Whether we are in a recession or not is irrelevant because we are slowing down, and results are becoming more negative.
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