LOOPING AROUND THE NORTHEAST by Joel Perlish joelperlish@aol.com (610) 789-7673

LOOPING AROUND THE NORTHEAST by Joel Perlish joelperlish@aol.com (610) 789-7673

LOOPING AROUND THE NORTHEAST

TRIP DAY: 3 - - -AUG 3, 2012 - FRI

MILES TODAY: 256 - - - TOTAL MILES: 895

AVERAGE PER RIDING DAY: 298.3

FROM: Greenfield, Indiana

TO: St. Louis, Missouri

- Into St. Louis -

Ever since 8 years old - for whatever childhood reason - I have found the city of St. Louis fascinating. It has been an attraction to me, a passion for me, maybe even some kind of addiction. I dunno. But I have latched onto and enjoyed everything about the city, and I would write reports about it in junior high school. In high school I'd write essays comparing the city to Philadelphia. And I'd read as much as I could. It was during that 8-10 year-old period that the great St.Louis Arch was constructed, and I watched on the news and in the newspapers how it rose from nothingness and one man's dream, into the Jefferson National Gateway to the West standing on the banks of the Mississippi.

But nothing embodies that attraction to St. Louis for me more than the baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals. I was a Cardinal fanatic growing up. Of course I'd collect all those bubble gum scented baseball cards. Long after my folks made me go to sleep, as a tyke I'd hide under the covers with my little transistor radio and pull in the powerful Midwestern radio station KMOX, and listen to the Cardinal games! Win or lose I was their top fan east of the Mississippi. Then 1964, a black year for the Phillies, the Cards came back from about 8 games behind in the final weeks of the season to win the pennant. I had stupidly made straight up bets with my 11th grade pals that my team would overtake the Phils. And on the last day of the season they DID. I made enough money to almost buy a small VW!!! The Cardinals had every player on the All-Star infield that year. I pay attention to no other team in sports than the Cardinals.

They got their current name (they were the Brown Stockings and the Perfectos up until 1900) when some fan at a game mentioned about the red in their uniform, "What a lovely shade of cardinal!"… Apparently an owner heard that remark and changed the game for good. The team has a rich history of winning (more World Series wins than any other team other than the hated Yankees!) and fan dedication and love of baseball (unlike in Philadelphia where the fans have booed Santa Claus, in St. Louis they often cheer for good plays by opposing players.) The rich history includes the early thirties with a championship team known as the "Gashouse Gang", a rough and tumble bunch of guys to be sure!

Win or lose I'm there for them. Through the down luck years and the great years. I often think of my transistor radio days as I now watch most games on the huge screen TV at home.

I've visited St.Louis a number of times - all either bicycle or motorcycle rides. In 1980 on my Pacific-to-Atlantic 4,320-mile bicycle ride I went to see a game at old Busch Stadium. The night before I had bunked out in a fraternity house - and told the guys there of my fascination with the city. Then, the next day I met Mac Strauss, an old army buddy of my dad's, and stayed at his place. Mac took me to a game - and it was just thrilling to be there in person. It turned out, much to my surprise, that those frat boys worked at the stadium, and they had the following placed on the scoreboard between one of the early innings:

"A TIP OF THE CARDINALS' CAP TO JOEL PERLISH WHO IS BIKING ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS ATTENDING THE GAME TONIGHT!"

You can imagine the thrill for me!

I go to the occasional Phillies game when they play the Cardinals. And I am always one of the few, of course, in a Cardinal cap or shirt. It's hard to be an enthusiastic fan in a crowd dominated by folks rooting for the other team. But a couple years ago on a motorcycle ride to St. Louis I went to a game. I was amazed to be there amongst all those Cardinal fans. It was like nirvana in a way for me… And I allowed myself to be transported back to being 8-years-old again - rooting, and shouting, and having no cares but to be rooting for MY team… it was a catharsis of sorts where for a couple hours all adult cares in the grownup world were gone. It was a time I brought back of forgotten childhood days - and I just let myself go completely immersing my being in pure enjoyment. As an adult, I rarely 'go with the crowd', but this was a great experience of one-ness and excitement….

And so, on this day, more than 50 years after my childlike adoration began, Etsuko and I motorcycled into the city of my youthful dreams. And we would be sleeping in a hotel in the shadow of the Arch, and attending a game at the new Busch Stadium tomorrow night. After all, dreams can come true if we seek them out and plan for them.

***********************************************************

Today was a good travel day. Again through flat lands to the horizon in all directions. More trucks and much more wind buffeting travel. We put in a few 100-mile segments of hot riding. We averaged 80-90mph all day long - and as we zoomed past scores of vehicles, the scenery was at times blurred with motion. We touched 100mph twice.

The day began awakening in that Quality Inn - which was comfortable and seemed about ten steps up from the place the night before. On my way back from the exercise room, I stopped in at the breakfast area and I made some waffles on one of those ubiquitous hotel self-making waffle machines. A young girl guest reminded me how to do it, and then I taught a Liberian couple, new to America, how to operate the device. They stood there looking wide-eyed and amazed…. I commented, "What a world, eh?"… And through a gigantic smile and hearty deep laugh, the man gave me a big thumbs up...

Etsuko was meanwhile getting our gear ready to go and doing her own set of exercises in the room.

After gas this morning in Greenfield, Indiana, we left around 10. It was our best packing job yet. Etsuko, supreme packer, and I finally were able to get the bungee cords around the packs on the motorcycle in under an hour!

By noon we were in Illinois and in a Wendy's after getting more gas – it was a 116 miles stretch.

The road was still good but there were many many more trucks, and the wind buffeting was ferocious.

We met a couple of motorcyclists heading off for Sturgis. They were excited about it. Both in leather chaps. The fellow sported a big beard and a broad grin. The heavy-ish woman, in low cut halter top was into the look and hearty. We asked if they shared helmet talk as we did, but the fellow said that no, he didn't want to have to listen to her and her wanting to stop so often. That she just sat on the back making phone calls to her friends. I was a little sad for them in a way, for one of the most enjoyable parts of this trip is Etsuko's cute voice in my ear throughout the miles.

With growing anticipation (at least on my part) we got closer and closer to St. Louis, and counted down the miles on the highway signs and on the GPS. The city riding was, of course, much different, and more difficult in ways than the interstate riding. Much more traffic, more debris of which to be aware. "Road Crocs", as in crocodiles, is the term motorcyclists use for those truck tire pieces which fall off the semi's, and lay in the highway like so many mines awaiting unaware motorcyclists. In a car they may be a nuisance if hit, on a motorcycle they could be very deadly.

(On my last long mc trip a few years ago, I was busy scanning the roadway at about 70 mph as a few big trucks lumbered by on my right. I watched horrified as one of the tires on the dinosaur-sized trucks came apart and spewed black pieces bouncing all along the highway. I steered a bit to my left and avoided any contact.)

This day my vigilance also paid off - once when a dinner plate sized piece of blue plastic was on the roadway dancing with the wind and just missed the Vulcan's front wheel. Another more dangerous obstacle was a huge chunk of two-by-four which fell off a behemoth truck hauling construction material. That was close but still within a big margin of safety…. Still, if I hadn't been watching…. well, in that case it's unlikely I'd be sitting at this desk now calmly typing these notes….

Etsuko, from the heat and the nearly same passing scenery - got tired. In fact, a couple times my precious cargo began to doze off a bit… It makes be think a little stronger about bungee cording her around the waist before we sent off for a day's ride. By-the-way, she's been taking better and better pictures from the passenger seat as we zip along...

The most hairy - and perspiration-filled - part of the ride for me was negotiating the turns of the hot hotel parking garage. But we were finally in, and after some time for the room to be ready were ensconced in a room with a lovely view of half the Arch, and down to the Mississippi itself. Gotta admit I teared up a bit at the view and all that brought me to this point… today AND life…

While waiting around in the Hyatt lobby for more than an hour for the room to be ready we strolled into the gift shop. I had to hold tight to my wallet with all the St.Louis branded items. I am especially looking for a new hat. In one of the only things lost this trip, my one hat went trailing off the bike out of my tank bag somewhere on the highway likely. Darn!

After getting ourselves situated in the room, we went for a mile or so run around the base of the Arch. We also went into the underneath part where there is a museum and gift shop, and other attractions. We got Sunday morning ticket reservations for one of the films and for the ride to the top. I enjoyed laying on the grass and taking some variously angled pictures of the much photographed Arch.

The weather here in this part of the Midwest is famous for - especially this year - for a humid, hot, and sauna-like experience. And today was no different.

Then back to the room we washed up, and walked a few blocks to the Millennium Hotel. We went up to the 28th floor and the elegant dining room there which revolved slowly around as diners ate. The views of the city - and the Arch, and the Mississippi, and the stadium - slowly slid by as we enjoyed superb salad and pasta dishes. (Quite a contrast to the Wendy and Subway experiences!)

We then walked a number of blocks to a department store where I was intent on buying some Cardinal gear, but the store was closed. Hey, it was 8pm, and this just isn't big city Philadelphia or New York!

Back at the hotel we organized our stuff around the room for our three-day stay here, and planned some of the places we hoped to see in the next few days. Etsuko also did the last three days' worth of our laundry.

I stood for quite awhile staring out of the window at the Arch, the highways, the far away horizon, the Old Court House (now dwarfed by the skyscraper modern buildings), and the Mississippi rolling slowly slowly along.

Top Spots To Get Free Check-ups And Vaccinations In Philadelphia

The most recent Small Area Health Insurance Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that 20 percent of Philadelphians — more than 189,000 — are uninsured, thus topping the list of counties in Pennsylvania. For them, and for the countless under-insured in the city, health care would be prohibitive were it not for the many government-funded and non-profit clinics that provide quality, low-cost medical services throughout Philly.

Covenant House, Inc.
covenanthousehealth.org

Covenant House Health Services
251 E. Bringhurst St.
Philadelphia, PA 19144
(215) 844-0181
Mt. Pleasant Medical Center
8125-27 Stenton Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19150
(215) 248-7561

Serving the Germantown and the northwest areas of Philadelphia since 1964, Covenant House’s two locations are federally qualified health centers and thus receive federal funding to directly subsidize their costs. No one is ever turned away, regardless of their ability to pay, but patients need to make an appointment first and provide insurance and income information. Delivering attentive, comprehensive primary care is the group’s hallmark, serving the needs of young and old alike with everything from pediatric and geriatric medicine to prenatal care and behavioral health. Preventative care is assured as well and includes school-related vaccinations, flu shots and periodic check-ups.

Related: Access to Physician Care May Be A Matter of Life of Death

Esperanza Health Centers
www.esperanzahealthcenter.org

Kensington Avenue
3156 Kensington Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19134
(215) 831-1100
Fifth Street
2940 N. 5th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19133
(215) 221-6633
Hunting Park
4417 N. 6th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19140
(215) 302-3600

Esperanza is a one-of-a-kind, faith-based non-profit organization that provides bilingual care to under-insured or uninsured Philadelphians regardless income or status. Started in June of 1989 by Carolyn Klaus as a small walk-in clinic, it continues to primarily serve the Latino and African communities at three locations to this day. The centers are manned by 23 mostly-bilingual clinical care providers and 130 staff members. Last year alone, Esperanza treated more than 7,000 patients, clocking in some 36,000 visits, and offering a full range of medical services for all ages. A Christian organization, Esperanza also offers social services, mental and, of course, spiritual guidance, partnering with churches and schools and even offering fitness programs for kids. Its Community Health Promoter Program trains community leaders and lay people on health-related issues to help them distribute that knowledge to the community.

Spectrum Health Services, Inc.
www.spechealth.org

Broad Street Health Center
1415 North Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
(215) 235-7944
Haddington Health Center
Progress Haddington Plaza
5619-25 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19139
(215) 471-2761

Started by a small group in Philadelphia in 1967 as Better Planning, Inc., in 1983, the organization started receiving federal funding, enabling it to offer medical services, the very next year. Both the Haddington and Broad Street locations offer full-service primary care to low-income city residents of all ages and are affiliated with a number of local hospitals including CHOP and Pennsylvania Hospital. Spectrum provides preventative services, including periodic physicals and immunizations and flu shots, and it offers a full spectrum of assistance, including acute and chronic disease care. CEO Phyllis B. Cater said its third site is scheduled for completion next summer, which will triple its capacity for medical and dental offerings, and the site will include a kitchen for nutrition and wellness demonstrations. Count on wellness programs, a prescription dispensary and a community room, she said.

Related: Einstein Medical Center Branch Will Open This September in Montgomery County

Nationals Beat Phillies 3-0

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ross Detwiler pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, Adam LaRoche homered and the Washington Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 on Thursday night.

LaRoche had three hits and two RBIs. Jayson Werth also drove in a run for the NL East leaders in his first game back from a broken wrist.

Detwiler (6-4) won for the second time in his last 11 starts. He gave up three singles and retired his final 14 batters, finishing with three strikeouts and two walks.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Tyson Says He’s Used To Putting Life On Stage

NEW YORK (AP) — Pounding out the details of his personal life on a Broadway stage doesn’t seem to faze Mike Tyson. The former heavyweight champ says that’s what’s used to doing, “and at least now I don’t have to go to hospital every time.”

The 46-year old Tyson is appearing in the one-man show, “Mike Tyson Undisputed Truth.” Directed by Spike Lee, the nearly two-hour show chronicles Tyson’s life from childhood and his early boxing career to his public divorce from Robin Givens and his time spent in prison. He even talks about an incident with Brad Pitt.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Soul One Win From Arena Bowl

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It is the biggest game of the season for the Philadelphia Soul tonight as they host the Jacksonville Sharks in the Arena Football League’s American Conference Championship Game. The winner here goes to next week’s ArenaBowl.

Soul head coach Doug Plank says his team is ready to go.

“Going back to the regular season, there was a point and time there at the end of the year where we really had nothing to play for (already had clinched home field advantage), but our team stayed focused on doing the same thing week in and week out. We’re creatures of habit, and I thought that our practices have been good this week. I didn’t really notice anything different about our football team. Everyone is looking forward to this weekend, but at the same time we understand the capabilities of our opponent.”

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Agencies To Co-Locate In Hunting Park To Provide Better Care To Child Sex Abuse Victims

Philadelphia DA Seth Williams at podium with Mayor Nutter and other dignataries at groundbreaking on East Hunting Park Ave.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Ground has been broken in the Hunting Park section of Philadelphia on a facility to bring various agencies that support and protect victims of sexual abuse together under one roof.

It’ll be ready by the spring of next year.

The city canvassed other big cities for best practices and found that combining various agencies will better serve families, reduce trauma to victims, and ultimately, obtain justice for them.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Jamaicans eye solid-gold party on London home turf

Jamaicans eye solid-gold party on London home turf

Jamaica's Rosemarie Whyte stands in the pouring rain during a women's 400-meter heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012.

LONDON (AP) -- The Jamaicans of London have got their soul food sizzling, their Red Stripe on ice and their expectations sky high.

They're ready for what they hope will be a solid-gold weekend celebration featuring Usain Bolt and other world-class sprinters from their Caribbean island nation.

"Jamaicans are very optimistic. We almost see this as a home game," said Clive Saunders, a community leader for the nearly 1 million Britons of Jamaican descent, most of whom are preparing late-night parties in London parks, Olympic venues and homes for the women's 100-meter finals Saturday and the men's 100 meter Sunday.

At the last Olympics four years ago, Jamaican sprinters cemented their status as the world's fastest. The women took all three medals, while Bolt set a new world record, a mark he's bettered since. This time Jamaicans are hoping for an even more dominant show, with Jamaican women positioned for a second clean sweep and Yohan Blake hot on Bolt's heels for the title of world's fastest man.

Many are predicting the greatest national hangover in Jamaican history on Monday, when the former colonial possession celebrates its 50th year of independence from Britain.

"We'll all be gettin' the rum out tonight, and Saturday, and Sunday!" declared Gorgeous Williams, a 43-year-old woman selling jerk chicken at a London food stall.

Desiree Lewis, a 30-year-old nurse, was hefting three overflowing bags of groceries home Friday on a London bus. Her stockpile of yams, grits, cornmeal and canned callaloo was testimony to the many Jamaican bellies she'd have to fill this long, raucous weekend.

"My young boys think they're British. We're going to make them proper, proud Jamaicans this weekend," said Lewis, who immigrated as a child to London. "We're surrounding them with everything Jamaica. All our cousins from Birmingham (England's second-largest city) are crashing in our flat this weekend. We've family here from Kingston (Jamaica's capital) too."

Richie Bailey, a 26-year-old bicycle courier taking a break to watch the Olympics on a cafe TV, was displaying his Jamaican pride with a Rastacap bearing the island's colors of green, yellow and black. He predicted that Bolt would put the upstart Blake into his rightful second place and leave the foreign competition a pitiful speck on the horizon.

"My man Bolt is gonna beat them bad, man," he said. "This weekend, Jamaica is gonna be the most powerful nation on earth."

Indeed, these next few days could be among the most special in the history of Jamaica, a nation of fewer than 2.9 million people, mostly descendants of slaves brought from Africa to work the island's sugar plantations.

"Without a shade of a doubt, this is as big as it gets for all Jamaicans," said Ernie Harriott, a.k.a. Daddy Ernie, who hosts a nightly reggae show on London station Choice FM and has been centrally involved in the past week's Olympic-related parties for the London Jamaican community.

He noted that the festivities have been magnets for "Jafakins," people who want to be accepted as Jamaican for the occasion.

On Monday, the nation celebrates its Aug. 6, 1962, independence from Britain, a moment accompanied by soul-searching over whether to loosen the ties that still bind Jamaica constitutionally to its former colonial master.

Elizabeth II remains queen of Jamaica, its symbolic head of state, but the 7-month-old government of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller says the time is coming when Jamaica will declare itself a full republic and the British monarch will no longer grace the nation's money.

Jamaica first plans to break a key legal link to Britain by switching the nation's highest court of appeal from faraway London to the neighboring island nation of Trinidad.

For Saunders, a 56-year-old London management consultant who immigrated to London as a teenager, these Olympics represent a moment when the city's Jamaican minority can feel most at home in their adopted land.

"There was lots of overt racism when I came here in the 1970s. It's no longer like that. Jamaicans are much more integrated into the wider community," said Saunders, who leads a charity helping Caribbean residents. "But we still face discrimination in employment, in more subtle ways. So these Olympics present an opportunity for us to step aside from the troubles of daily life for a moment, before we go back to the real world."

The weekend parties include Friday's official opening of Jamaica House, a sold-out venue in the riverside O2 Arena featuring Jamaican music and food, and informal parties in Hyde Park.

For Daddy Ernie, who's emceeing the Sunday party at Jamaica House alongside performances by Damian Marley, son of late reggae great Bob Marley, nothing will top the showdown between Bolt and Blake - or the generosity of Jamaicans this weekend.

"It's going to be an open-door policy - where every home has the rum and Red Stripe going, every telly (TV) will be tuned to the athletics, and the rice and peas and jerk chicken, the saltfish will just keep coming," he said. "It'll be better than Christmas."

Once the 100-meter frenzy is past, there'll be little time to rest. Jamaicans also could medal in the 200 and 400 meter events next week.

And after the Olympics, on Aug. 16, Jamaicans plan to fill Emirates Stadium, home to Arsenal soccer club, for an independence dinner hosted by the Jamaican prime minister. The dinner honors two of the nation's greatest sprinters: Merlene Ottey, who won an incredible nine track medals at five Olympic games from 1980 to 2000; and Don Quarrie, who won four Olympic medals from 1976 to 1984 and today serves as the technical manager for the Jamaican track and field team.

After that, it's back to the usual Jamaican-led celebrations, including the Notting Hill Festival on Aug. 26-27 that's the second-biggest street party in the world next to Rio's Carnival.

Kisses at Chick-fil-A to protest gay marriage view

Kisses at Chick-fil-A to protest gay marriage view

Jim Fortier, left, and Mark Toomajian, kiss as they join about two dozen members of gay rights groups and others protesting outside the Decatur, Ga., Chick-fil-A restaurant Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. Gay rights activists plan kiss demonstrations at Chick-fil-A stores Friday, just days after the company set a sales record when customers flocked to the restaurants to show support for the fast-food chain owner's opposition to gay marriage.

ATLANTA (AP) -- Gay rights activists were kissing at Chick-fil-A stores across the country Friday, just days after the company set a sales record when customers flocked to the restaurants to show support for the fast-food chain president's opposition to gay marriage.

Meanwhile, police were investigating graffiti at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Southern California. The graffiti on the side of a restaurant in Torrance said "Tastes like hate" and had a picture of a cow. No one has been arrested.

The flap began last month when Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy told a religious publication that the company backed "the biblical definition of a family" and later said: ""I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, `We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.'"

The statement infuriated gay marriage supporters, who planned the so-called kiss-in protests. To counter that demonstration, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister and Fox News talk show host, declared Wednesday a Chick-fil-A appreciation day.

The Cathy family has never hid its Southern Baptist faith, even closing its restaurants on Sundays.

Julie Romano, an organizer at the Decatur, Ga., store, just outside Atlanta, and opposes Cathy's stance, said she thinks the company president "is operating with cafeteria-style religion and a lot of people, extremist like him are, they pick and choose what it is they want to believe."

"As my sign said, Jesus said nothing about homosexuality. And Christianity is about loving people."

Phelps goes out in style, rallying in 100 fly

Phelps goes out in style, rallying in 100 fly

United States' Michael Phelps reacts to his gold medal win in the men's 100-meter butterfly swimming final at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012.

LONDON (AP) -- Seventh at the turn, an Olympic champion at the end.

Make it 17 gold medals for Michael Phelps.

Was there any other way to go out in the final individual race of his career?

With those long arms whirling through the water, Phelps was next-to-last when he touched the wall at the far end of the pool in the 100-meter butterfly but in a familiar position when he made the touch that counted Friday - his name atop the leaderboard, a smile on his face, another gold medal around his neck.

"I'm just happy that the last one was a win," Phelps said. "That's all I really wanted coming into the night."

He claimed his third gold of the London Games and 17th of his career, adding to an already absurd record total that should be twice as much as anyone else by the time he swims the final race of his career, the 4x100 medley relay Saturday night.

The Americans are huge favorites in a race they have never lost, and it's unfathomable to think the Phelps era could end with anything less than a performance that puts him atop the podium one last time.

In what might be viewed as a symbolic changing of the guard from America's retiring swimming star to the next big thing, 17-year-old Missy Franklin set a world record in the 200 backstroke, her third gold in London, just minutes before Phelps took center stage at the Olympic Aquatics Centre. Another American teen, 19-year-old Elizabeth Beisel, claimed the bronze in that race.

"I can't believe what just happened," said Franklin, who had dedicated her Olympics to victims of the theater shooting not far from her Colorado home. "In that last 25, I knew I was giving it everything I had because I couldn't feel my arms and legs and I was just trying to get my hand to the wall as fast I could."

Right after Phelps was done, 15-year-old Katie Ledecky - the youngest member of the U.S. team - nearly broke the world record to win gold in the 800 freestyle, denying Britain's Rebecca Adlington a repeat before her home fans. Adlington settled for bronze in a race Ledecky dominated from start to finish, falling off record pace only in the last 15 meters.

But no one has dominated like Phelps, who increased his career overall medal total to 21.

"He's the king of the Olympics Games," said his butterfly rival, Serbia's Milorad Cavic.

Even though Phelps didn't go as fast in the final as he did in the semifinals, he actually won by a relatively comfortable margin compared to his two previous Olympic wins in the 100 fly: four-hundredths of a second over Ian Crocker in 2004, then one-hundredth of a second - the closest race possible - against Cavic at the Beijing Games four years ago.

That was the victory that kept Phelps on course to win a historic eight gold medals in China.

This was about going out in style.

Phelps slammed the wall in 51.21 seconds for payback against the guy who edged him in the 200 fly, Chad le Clos. No gliding into this finish, the move that cost Phelps a gold in their first meeting.

Le Clos finished in 51.44, patting Phelps on the shoulder after tying for silver with Russia's Evgeny Korotyshkin. Cavic tied for fourth in 51.81, not even close to Phelps in their final meeting.

"I cannot be compared to Michael Phelps," said Cavic, who also plans to retire after the London Games. "I'm a one-trick pony."

France won its fourth gold at the pool, its best showing ever, as Florent Manaudou - younger brother of 2004 gold medalist Laure Manaudou - shocked defending Olympic champion and world-record holder Cesar Cielo of Brazil in the 50 freestyle.

Manaudou touched in 21.34 and pounded the water out in Lane 7, then got a big hug from his sister as soon as he climbed from the pool. Cullen Jones of the United States took silver in 21.54, while Cielo was left with bronze in 21.59. Anthony Ervin, the 2000 Olympic champion who came back from an eight-year retirement, finished fifth after getting off to a poor start.

"I'm tired," said Cielo, still only 25 but the world's top sprinter for the last four years. "Age takes its effect."

Franklin and Ledecky are just getting started.

"Missy The Missile" has certainly lived up to her nickname, completing a sweep of the backstroke events in a time of 2 minutes, 4.06 seconds, easily eclipsing the record of 2:04.81 set by defending Olympic champion Kirsty Coventry at the 2009 worlds in a now-banned bodysuit.

Russia's Anastasia Zueva took silver, a body length behind Franklin in 2:05.92. Beisel put a second American on the medal podium in 2:06.55, while Coventry finished sixth.

"I could never dream for it to happen like that," said Franklin, who also has a bronze in her first Olympics and one more race to go in the 4x100 medley relay.

Ledecky seemingly came out of nowhere to claim a spot on the U.S. team, and she nearly took out a world record in her first Olympics. She was ahead of Adlington's record pace (8:14.10) from the Beijing Olympics until right at the end, finally tiring just a bit for a time of 8:14.63.

Not to worry. The teenager still has plenty of time to go faster. Mireia Belmonte Garcia of Spain was far behind for silver in 8:18.76, while Adlington held on to take bronze at 8:20.32. She burst into tears on the medal stand as the crowd of 17,000 chanted "Becky! Becky! Becky!"

There was no catching Ledecky.

"Michael's and Missy's races really got me pumped," the youngster said. "I really wanted to see what i could do to represent the U.S."

Ledecky settled for crushing a hallowed American record, Janet Evans' mark of 8:16.22 set in Tokyo on Aug. 20, 1989 - nearly eight years before Ledecky was born.

"I figured I was going pretty fast," the teenager said.

Manaudou showed that his big sister wasn't the only champion swimmer in the family, denying the Americans a sweep of the night's events. Jones did manage to take the first individual medal of his career, and vowed to come back even stronger at the 2016 Rio Games.

"I was dreaming in gold and I really wanted to get first, but it wasn't in the cards this time," he said. "I'll have to live with silver, and that's enough motivation for another four years."

Ervin seemed flustered by a slight delay in the start because of a woman yelling in the stands. He was slowest off the blocks - a crucial miscue in the one-lap dash - and never caught up. He was timed in 21.78, leaving him 0.19 behind Cielo for a spot on the podium.

Still, it's been quite a journey for the eclectic swimmer, who shared the 50 free title with Gary Hall Jr. at the Sydney Olympics, won a world title the following year, then stunningly walked away from the sport at age 22. Ervin was gone for eight years, selling off his gold medal to aid victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami, playing in a band, finishing college and never staying in one place for too long.

Just one year after coming back, the 31-year-old nearly got another Olympic medal.

"Being here is my own form of redemption," he said. "What's next? I'm going to have a nice dinner with my friends and family, people I really care about. Without them, this could not have happened."

Van Stone’s Social Sci-Fi Report: Black Superhero Comics Genre

Van Stone’s Social Sci-Fi Report: Black Superhero Comics Genre

Above: Heroes of the Last Q

There are barely 700 Superhero characters recognized worldwide as Black Superhero comics. There are barely 30 comic book publishers recognized worldwide. But the Black Superhero Genre or the style - a way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a black person or group of black people or black period has struggled as long as anyone can remember coloring books, comic books, or comic strips have begun in the United States. Only in the continent of the United States of America has there been an issue with whether or not children and youths can be told that blacks can ever be considered a hero, aka superhero. In France, Spain, Japan, Africa and any part of the world where mankind is found to have human beginnings, being of a biologically relation to Black Land aborigines, the black person is embraced as hero without question. It's own kind of hero. Celebrated and sought out as a means of credibility, joy, inspiration and the intrepid of standing up to whatever is dark hearted and whatever is intentionally cruel in spirit is the black hero.

The Black Superhero Comic Book Character or Black Comic Strip Character became an alternative format of storytelling compared to the underdeveloped black hero action industry worldwide. In America, the black hero action industry stayed as an unwanted market and suffered from drawing, location, and character restrictions. The lack of Black Artist, Book Writers, Newspaper Reporters, for example, made it next to impossible to develop black comics in America, or fantasy worlds that do not naturally involve Native Americans or Free Blacks. The varied use of animation allowed Japanese, French, Canadian, and African artists to create any characters and settings that involved Black Superhero and Black Leader Genre.

Van Stone blends science fiction with social-welfare issues so all the comic book and comic strip and animation lovers (including anime comics and movies) will be expected to adopt the style of the Black Superhero Comics. And next up is history of the black superhero this week:

Black Superhero Comics 2012 at the Phila. Front Page News by Van Stone frontpagenews1@yahoo.com (267) 293-9201

Black Superhero Comics 2012 at the Phila. Front Page News by Van Stone frontpagenews1@yahoo.com (267) 293-9201

The Philadelphia Front Page News, an online newspaper, is widely regarded as the premiere Black Superhero comics-related site on the Web. The Philadelphia Front Page News seeks sponsors by comic book fans and professionals interested in decreasing school Dropout rates, illiteracy amongst adults and youth and non-violent and violent crime. It provides a variety of original ongoing columns, together with an outstanding collection of news covering hundreds of resources. It also has a weekly opinion feature.

Philadelphia Front Page News publishes brief comics industry news, and previews available online as premium features-primarily feature articles, and editorials-features at no cost.

The professed mission of Philadelphia Front Page News is to raise the level of discourse on Black Superhero comic books and encourage comic book fans to expand their reading interests. Philadelphia Front Page News welcomes like-minded contributors.

Highly opinionated, highly entertaining with reviews from Van Stone, Philadelphia writer amongst others, the Philadelphia Front Page News focuses on Black Superhero family of comics, but contributors regularly reviews all types of other titles as well. Updated weekly, with an archive of previous articles. The Philadelphia Front Page New is a resource for the discerning reader.

The Philadelphia Front Page News goal is to help give introduction to graphic novels in libraries, schools, home-based business, online, prisons, recreation centers and neighborhood retail and community social-welfare services. Stories and art are compiled by community activist, political activist and environmental activist created for Teen Reading and Ex-offender Reading and High School Dropout Reading. The online newspaper recommends comics and graphic arts novels, organized by age level and genre.

Many readers of the Philadelphia Front Page News can learn about bibliography of comic Black Superhero comics, paperback books, illustrated histories of artist, and other reference books relating to news stories and comic books. Those who didn’t find interest in comic books when they were children may today get extensive guide to the comics of the Golden and Silver Ages, including title checklists, character fact files, and scanned images. Maintained by comics’ collectors.

From time to time the Philadelphia Front Page News provides a guide to the history of American comic books, Black American comic books, and Asian Animated comic books during the 1940s and 1950s, including background the United States and China and Japan, and the crusade against comics.

If you’re looking for deeper information about comics in general the Philadelphia Front Page News, which can be visited at www.frontpagenews.us, concise, well-written encyclopedia-type profiles on comic-related topics. Comic book researchers focus on animated cartoons, but extensive coverage is given to Black Superheroes, including articles on major publishers, characters, and series and cartooning. Data for hundreds of major comic book creators, living and dead, plus biographical profiles for several dozen of the most prominent artists and several artist are written about to help at-risk black males and females to avoid crime, violence and drug activity in Urban and Suburban big cities.

And finally, the Philadelphia Front Page News can work as a resource guide for teachers on using comic books in the classroom. Writers use the relationship between comic books and reading skills, providing lists of recommended comics and graphic novels for children, teens, and adults that can’t read well and offers ideas for classroom activities using comic books and comics concepts.

Rollins Hits 2 HRs As Phillies Beat Nationals 3-2

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jimmy Rollins hit two solo home runs, Nate Schierholtz connected in his Philadelphia debut, and the Phillies received a sharp pitching performance from Vance Worley in a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.

After hitting the first pitch of the game to the warning track, Rollins homered in the third inning and again in the fifth. Both drives went into the seats in right field, unlike his inside-the-park homer on Tuesday night.

Rollins and Schierholtz homered on successive pitches in the fifth against Edwin Jackson (6-7) to give Philadelphia a 3-2 lead. One day after being traded by San Francisco in the deal that sent Hunter Pence to the Giants, Schierholtz started in right field and went 2 for 5.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Camden County Interracial Couple Sues Councilman For Harassment

LINDENWOLD, N.J. (CBS) - They say a man’s home is his castle, yet Dave Patterson says his Lindenwold house and yard where he fixes up secondhand goods to sell, feels more like a prison.

“I feel like a criminal. Sometimes I feel like I am doing something wrong when I’m not doing anything wrong,” Patterson said.

Patterson, his wife Debbie and their children have lived in their home for nine years. They say since moving in they’ve been harassed by a backyard neighbor, Councilman Joseph Strippoli.

They say he constantly sends code officials and police to their door for violations they say other residents don’t get.

“Every man is not being treated equally and it’s not right,” said Patterson.

The couple is now suing councilman Strippoli and the Borough saying he forces employees to harass them for one reason.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Bleak Road Ahead For Philadelphia School District

Bleak Road Ahead For Philadelphia School District

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The road ahead for the School District of Philadelphia looks as bleak as ever after the release Thursday of the findings of an independent consultant.

At the top of the list of recommendations: the district should close between 29 and 77 schools over the next five years.

The Boston Consulting Group spent months looking at the way the district is run and came up with several recommendations to help it clean up its financial mess. The district is still facing a deficit of more than $200 million for the upcoming school year and a $1.1 billion deficit over the next five years.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

EYES ON LONDON: Gabby's gold, Phelps claims 20th

EYES ON LONDON: Gabby's gold, Phelps claims 20th

ALTERNATE CROP OF OGYM222- U.S. gymnast Gabrielle Douglas acknowledges the crowd after receiving her gold medal during the artistic gymnastics women's individual all-around competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012, in London.

LONDON (AP) -- Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:

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IT ALL PAID OFF

Two years after Gabby Douglas left her home and family, moving halfway across the country at 14 in search of better coaching, she's claimed the biggest prize in gymnastics.

The 16-year-old from Virginia Beach, Virginia, beat Viktoria Komova on Thursday to become the third straight American to win the Olympic all-around title, and first African-American. She took the lead after the first event and never relinquished it, locking up the gold with a floor exercise that had the O2 Arena rocking.

She flashed a bright grin when she finished, while her mother, siblings and the family that's taken her in and made her one of their own, shared joyful hugs. When she stood atop the medals podium, she wore a smile bright enough to outshine that pretty gold medal around her neck.

- Nancy Armour - Twitter http://twitter.com/nrarmour

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CALL ME

U.S. judo coach Jimmy Pedro brought two backup phones to the London Olympics.

And when Kayla Harrison delivered the first Olympic gold medal in USA Judo's history, all of Pedro's phones went bonkers with calls and texts from well-wishers.

Pedro was holding an iPhone - which had a steady stream of texts rolling up the screen, so many that Pedro simply couldn't keep up reading them.

"Everybody and anybody in American judo that has ever touched my life, Kayla's life or my father's life," Pedro said, when asked who's been calling. "They've been waiting for this moment their entire lives."

- Tim Reynolds - Twitter http://www.twitter.com/ByTimReynolds

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LUCKY CHARMS

Maybe it was the socks.

U.S. judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison is superstitious, so she made sure things were exactly how she wanted them at the London Games.

"I'm big on ritual and I'm big on patterns and I get comfortable," Harrison said. "And when I get comfortable, I get confident. And when I get confident, I win."

So when coach Jimmy Pedro needed to pick a suit for Thursday's matches, he and Harrison decided that he shouldn't wear the USA Judo one that failed to deliver Olympic gold earlier in the tournament. He went instead with his opening ceremony outfit.

Harrison, meanwhile, wore the lucky socks that her grandmother gave her six years ago and played her lucky playlist.

Now she's got another lucky charm - Olympic gold.

- Tim Reynolds - Twitter http://www.twitter.com/ByTimReynolds

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WATCHING TV

What do NBC researchers know about Americans? Plenty.

They have found that people who know the results of London Olympics events before they see it on a tape delay are more not less likely to watch them.

Huh?

NBC has been criticized for not televising live some marquee London events like swimming and gymnastics. Still, the U.S. broadcaster has been getting far better ratings for the London Games than it ever expected, outpacing the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

- David Bauder - Twitter http://twitter.com/dbauder

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BUTTON IT!

If Helen Mirren can't get Britain's notoriously rowdy cycling crowd to zip it, who can?

The woman whose icy glare in "The Queen" buckled knees in theaters all over the globe is one of several famous British faces who appears on a quick video that is played sporadically at the Velodrome to quieten the crowd before the start of a race.

Mirren, actor Simon Pegg and musician Gary Barlow are among those shown holding their finger to their lips and giving a loud "Shhhhhh!"

In one of the versions, Mirren is the last face to appear. She leans forward slightly and sternly says, "Button it."

It's worked every time.

- Jon Krawczynski - Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski

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QUIVERING LIP

Winning gold doesn't get old.

With his lip quivering slightly, Michael Phelps looked liked he was really appreciating the moment Thursday night as the U.S. anthem played to celebrate his first individual gold of the London games, in the 200-meter individual medley.

With this, Phelps becomes the first man to win the same indvidual event in three straight Olympics. That makes for 20 overall Olympic medals in his career, 16 of them gold.

-Sheila Norman-Culp - Twitter http://twitter.com/snormanculp

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QUICKQUOTE: RISING STAR

"I don't ever recall anybody this quickly rising from an average good gymnast to a fantastic one." - U.S. women's national team coordinator Martha Karolyi on gold medalist Gabby Douglas' rapid ascent to the top of the sport.

Douglas won Olympic gold in the women's all-around on Thursday.

- Mark Long - Twitter http://twitter.com/apmarklong

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NO HAPPY FACE

Russian gymnasts Victoria Komova and Aliya Mustafina both said they were pleased with their silver and bronze medals after the women's all-around competition.

Yet their body language said the exact opposite.

Komova broke into tears when the final scores were posted and shoved her silver medal in her left pocket after the ceremony.

When asked why, she rolled her eyes, and Mustafina said something to her in Russian. Komova said something brief and a translator replied the medal was in her pocket because "it is heavy."

So why the long face?

"I'm still upset because I could have been gold and I didn't get it," Komova said through a translator.

- Jenna Fryer - Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer

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CHINESE RESTRAINT

China has two gold medals in two days in Olympic table tennis - and two silver medals to boot.

In other sports - and in other nations - that would call for chest-bumping, high-fiving and raucous celebrations. At least, a few smiles.

None of that from Zhang Jike, who defeated teammate Wang Hao in Thursday's men's singles final. Zhang's lone hint of happiness, celebrating his first Olympic gold medal, lasted about as long as a good pingpong rally.

Table tennis apparently is seen in China as the ultimate team game. Beating a friend and teammate calls for restraint and respect.

After the winning point to take the match 4-1, Zhang leaped over a barrier surrounding the playing area, raced to the medal podium and kneeled down and kissed the top platform designated for the gold medalist.

That was the beginning and the end of it.

- Stephen Wade - Twitter: http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP

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GET YOUR OLIVES HERE!

Forget peanuts and Cracker Jack. There's an entirely different sort of treat for sale at kiosks outside the Olympic Stadium: olives.

That's right: Only steps from the arena, gourmet olives of all sorts - large, pitted green ones stuffed with hot red peppers or black ones marinated with herbs, etc., etc. - can be scooped out of bowls and into clear plastic containers with lids.

There are two sizes of takeaway container available, including a small one for 2.50 pounds (about $3.85).

Who says stadium chow is the pits?

See an olive stand here: http://yfrog.com/nx1lxhhj

- Howard Fendrich - Twitter http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

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FIT TO TIE

Aly Raisman could have used an extra point - or half point or even quarter point.

The American gymnast fell just short of a medal in the women's all-around competition Thursday, losing a tiebreaker to Russian Aliya Mustafina.

Both scored 59.666 after four events, and the Olympic tiebreaker rules called for the lowest score in four events to be thrown out to see who had the highest three-event total. Mustafina edged Raisman for bronze.

U.S. national team coordinator Martha Karolyi said she expects the sanctioning body to change the rules in the future.

"You should award a medal for both gymnasts," she said. "But rules are rules. I'm suspecting they will be taking away the tie-break for the next (Olympic cycle)."

How would that happen?

Karolyi said there has been talk about awarding quarter points, which would make ties less likely.

- Mark Long http://www.twitter.com/apmarklong

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PUSH IT NOW

There was something off about Gabby Douglas when she arrived at the London Games. Her coach, Liang Chow, knew she was physically hurting. Team coordinator Martha Karolyi thought Douglas' focus was lacking. Karolyi knew something had to change.

"Chow and I had a big meeting and we had to address it," Karolyi says. "She turned it around and we worked and worked and made it better. ... There are key moments when you have to do something. That was a key moment."

What did Chow tell Douglas to turn her around? "Chow told me 'Everyone has pain so just go out there and why are you focused on that? You are at the Olympics so put that behind you and if you don't push it now then you don't have a chance."

She adds: "So we had this little bit of a talk and it definitely hyped me up."

- Jenna Fryer - Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer

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SOCIAL MEDIA GOLD

My iPhone was vibrating nonstop. Facebook notifications poured in. My Twitter account lit up.

I, Peter Wilson, had won an Olympic gold medal.

Or, so it seemed.

It turns out that a British Olympic shooter - also named Peter Wilson - had won the double trap event.

Unsurprisingly, social networks exploded with posts after Peter R.R. Wilson (coincidentally my middle name also begins with an 'R') won Britain's fourth gold of the games.

Having your name as the top trend on Twitter is slightly surreal. After sarcastically tweeting that I had won a gold medal, someone asked me: "Wait? for what?"

Most people caught onto the joke - I am actually an AP sports intern - but I thoroughly enjoyed my 30 minutes of Twitter and Facebook fame.

-Peter Wilson, Twitter http://www.twitter.com/peterrwilson

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ALL YOU DO IS SWIM?

Watch U.S. water polo player Tony Azevedo for two minutes. You'll see him backstroke, freestyle and breaststroke, all while trying to catch a ball with a British defender draped all over him.

Makes what Michael Phelps does in the pool seem rather ordinary.

The polo players have their own building at the London Games, right next door to their more celebrated counterparts.

The atmosphere in the arena is fantastic, with a packed house trading chants of "GB!" and "USA!" Azevedo had a hat trick before anyone else scored, but GB is making a game of it, 10-5 in the third quarter.

-Jon Krawczynski - Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski

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QUICKQUOTE: BARRIER BREAKER

"I kind of forgot about that. Man, that's awesome, that's definitely an amazing feeling. I forgot about that" - Gabby Douglas on becoming the first black gymnast to win the gold medal in women's all-around.

- Jenna Fryer - Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer

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RACE AND THE RACE

It was an Olympic scene like so many other celebrations by medal winners: fist-pumping, broad smiles, embraces. Except this team was from South Africa, and its members were both white and black.

The images of John Smith, a white rower, throwing his arms around black teammate Sizwe Ndlovu after their four-man crew won the gold Thursday in men's lightweight four rowing shows how far this country - once banned from the Olympics because of its apartheid government - has come.

After the South Africans edged a British crew by 0.25 seconds, Ndlovu leaped into the arms of each of his crew.

Back home, national pride is superseding lingering racial divisions as South Africans cheer on their Olympic athletes and their (so far) three gold medals. One black woman in Johannesburg describes watching on TV as white South African Chad le Clos challenged Michael Phelps in the 200-meter butterfly and beat the American champion by five-hundredths of a second for the gold medal.

"I stood up from my chair and I was shouting, 'Go! Go!," Mary Jane Maharana says.

Eighteen years after white rule collapsed in South Africa, racial tensions still exist. Unemployment is high and the economy is controlled mostly by whites. Nelson Mandela's efforts to unify South Africa under its Springboks rugby team during the 1995 World Cup notwithstanding, whites generally follow rugby and blacks tend to prefer soccer.

But these days, the Olympics are helping South Africans root together.

Phillies Add RHP Lindblom, OF Schierholtz

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have added right-hander reliever Josh Lindblom and outfielder Nate Schierholtz to the roster after obtaining both players in trades on Tuesday.

Lindblom came from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the deal for Shane Victorino. Schierholtz was obtained from San Francisco along with catching prospect Tommy Joseph and right-hander Seth Rosin for Hunter Pence.

Victorino and Pence were unloaded just before the non-waiver trade deadline by the last-place Phillies.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Five Teens Accused In Rec Center Rape Of 12-Year-Old Girl Ordered To House Arrest

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A Philadelphia judge on Wednesday ordered five teenagers accused of raping a 12-year-old girl at a city recreation center to be confined to their homes, until their trial in late September.

Peering over his glasses and looking sternly at each boy, Family Court Administrative Judge Kevin Dougherty told the 14 and 15-year-old boys that they ‘may only leave their house if it was burning down.’

“The juveniles are to remain on GPS and in their homes,” says Assistant District Attorney Cheryl Yankolonis. “It’s strict monitoring. While it’s not the same as them remaining in custody, it’s still very close and tight supervision.”

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Police Arrest Suspect Carrying AK-47 On SEPTA Train

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A suspect carrying several weapons, including an AK-47, was arrested Tuesday evening aboard a Broad Street train, crowded with rush-hour commuters, at the Fairmount Station.

In addition to the AK-47 assault weapon with a magazine carrying 40 live rounds of ammunition, authorities say the suspect had on him a .38 revolver and a 12-inch bayonet.

Police say a passenger, who is being hailed as a hero, alerted police that a man carrying weapons had just boarded the northbound subway train at City Hall.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Indian businesses weather blackouts, but at a cost

Indian businesses weather blackouts, but at a cost

Indian men work at a factory in Ghaziabad, India, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012. Factories and workshops across India were up and running again Wednesday, a day after a major system collapse led to a second day of power outages and the worst blackout in history leaving an estimated 620 million people without electricity.

GHAZIABAD, India (AP) -- Work making potato chip display racks at Jayraj Kumar's factory barely paused when much of India's power grid collapsed.

The backup generators kicked in automatically and the electric saws, presses and welding machines kept running, just like they do during the five-hour power cuts the factory in suburban Delhi suffers nearly every day.

India's unreliable power system has forced businesses to create a workaround electricity system of noisy, dirty diesel generators that prepared them well when the world's worst blackout hit the country Tuesday.

But the trouble has also vastly increased businesses's expenses, dragged down their productivity and hampered economic growth in the country.

`'Running a factory is very tough here," Kumar said.

Power Minister Veerappa Moily said Wednesday the government would not allow a recurrence of the massive power outages. On Monday, 370 million people lost power for hours when the northern grid collapsed. On Tuesday, 620 million had no electricity after the grid collapsed again, dragging down two neighboring grids.

Moily said an investigation had begun and while he said he didn't want to cast blame yet, he cautioned states not to take more than their allotted power.

"If they overdraw, this is the result. They can see for themselves. The entire grid will go black," he said.

The government needed to investigate ways to resolve the disparity between supply and demand, perhaps with congestion pricing, plugging leaks in the distribution system and bringing more power plants on line, he said.

Hundreds of millions of Indians have no access to electricity anyway. Many who do were insulated from the blackouts' effect by the coping systems they use to handle the smaller power cuts that are routine across the country.

The private Max Hospital in New Delhi said its generators were set up to fully power the facility. `'The electrical system is so designed that patients do not feel even a flicker of power disruption at any point of time," the hospital said in a statement.

Microtek, an Indian company that specializes in selling power backup inverters, claims to have 100 million `'satisfied customers."

`'Every year in the summer months demand peaks and there are power failures, so most middle-class families purchase an inverter. That's why we're in business," said Manoj Jain, vice president at Microtek.

According to World Bank statistics, India lost 6.6 percent of sales due to power outages in 2006, the last year statistics were available. By contrast China's losses were 1.3 in 2003, the latest data available.

Kumar, 56, started his business turning metal wire into display racks 23 years ago with just three employees.

Now his company, The Rhino, runs a factory of 200 workers that churns out 1,500 red racks a day for clients from PepsiCo to Nestle that are ubiquitous in markets across India.

When the company opened its new factory in this Delhi suburb three years ago, `'we knew that power would be a problem," he said.

`'From the very first day, whenever we start an office or factory we immediately think of having a decent power backup," he said.

Behind the cavernous whitewashed factory, lined with workers operating spot welding machines and kicking up sparks as they saw through metal, stands a large, green 80 megawatt generator on a brick foundation. In a corner on the ground floor is another generator rigged with a truck ignition that starts with a belch of gray smoke. Nearby, two more generators are hooked up, and, taking no chances, Kumar bought a fifth one Wednesday.

The factory runs 16 hours a day, at least five of them on generator power, he said.

This backup system comes at a huge price for Kumar's business.

`'Generators are meant for emergencies, they aren't meant for production purposes," he said.

Each generator costs 1 million rupees ($18,000) and has to be replaced every three years. The four full-time generator operators cost him another 1.2 million rupees ($21,600) in salaries. He pays 4 million rupees ($72,000) in diesel bills. In all, he estimates the generator power costs him 10 times as much per unit as the grid power and adds 20 percent to his overall costs.

And the fluctuating voltage from the generators wreaks havoc with his equipment. The welding and grinding machines work unpredictably on generator power, vastly slowing down production and reducing the quality of his racks. He is forced to pay an extra 6 million rupees ($108,000) to repair equipment the unstable voltage damages every year.

`'You cannot plan your production, your commitments are gone," Kumar said.

He must use the most basic, labor intensive machines, because generator power would destroy computerized equipment.

When he tempted fate by importing two 5 million rupee ($90,000) machines that printed large format ads to adorn the racks, they both stopped working within a week, he said.

He can't export his products because their quality is too low, but he can't get the machines that would make them better either, he said.

With reliable power, he would instantly increase his output by 30 to 40 percent, he said.

His work in China has left him jealous of the infrastructure there. Smaller countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines have surpassed India and he laughed about a one-minute power outage he once experienced in Singapore that turned into a major news story.

`'I'm ashamed actually," Kumar said. `'What are we doing, such a huge country, so many natural resources here?"

Avoiding Olympic spoilers is a sport of its own

Avoiding Olympic spoilers is a sport of its own

The United States' Mariel Zagunis asks for a ruling in her match against Japan's Seira Nakayama in the women's individual sabre fencing competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012, in London.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Mandy Hauck turned 25 on Wednesday, but she's avoiding Facebook and her happy birthday messages to steer clear of Olympic spoilers about her favorite sport, fencing.

Hauck has also deleted her iPhone apps for CNN and ESPN, opting for news from the London Games the old-fashioned way, via TV coverage that's time-delayed by NBC for prime time.

The network is making live streams of the action available in real time online. Hauck's hanging tough, though, in favor of doing actual work during the day as the marketing communications manager for a software company in Atlanta, a job that requires her to stay on Twitter while she attempts to stay away from its main page and trending topics.

"I enjoy the experience of sitting with my family and friends in front of the television and cheering for the athletes as if they were competing live," said Hauck, a former college fencer who has been following two-time American gold medalist Mariel Zagunis in London. "It's much more entertaining and enjoyable that way!"

It's also incredibly difficult with social media in full flower. Olympic spoilers have people turning off phone alerts, hiding their iPads and shushing co-workers in search of simpler times, when screaming at the TV during nail-biting competition was a sport unto itself.

Pervasive spoilers even solicited an apology from NBC's Olympics executive producer, Jim Bell. He tweeted a mea culpa for a Monday night gaffe, when the network ran a "Today" show teaser with swimmer Missy Franklin showing off her gold medal - just before the network aired the race where she won it.

While angry tweeters have taken to - yes, Twitter - to grouse about spoilers, Paul Redfern at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania has entered what he calls "my Olympic dark period" on social media. That's not an easy thing when your job description includes overseeing social media engagement. He's also the dad of two young kids.

"Watching the prime-time broadcast is a family tradition," he said. "The Summer Olympics are almost always on for part of our vacation and we always gather as a family to watch each evening."

Redfern is leaving the tweeting on behalf of the college to another person in the office for the duration.

Lisa McTigue in Los Angeles is a former competitive swimmer who truly loves sitting down to soak up the Olympics on TV. Unfortunately, she's also an Internet marketing consultant who can't do her job without Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

"All the excitement I have felt for the Olympics in previous years is completely gone," she said. "In previous years, I felt inspired to get back in the pool. This year, that inspiration and excitement is - meh."

Despite complaints, NBC's corporate owners said Wednesday that they expect to break even on the London games after once predicting they'd take a $200 million loss. On Tuesday night, 38.7 million people tuned in.

Count Rob Holliday among the Olympic traditionalists. He, too, has turned off push alerts and kept Twitter and Facebook use to a minimum. He's also avoiding major online news sites and turns off the radio and TV when anchors issue Olympic spoiler alerts.

"I thought it was a fairly airtight plan," he said. "After jumping through all those technological hoops, I walked in to my daughter's pediatrician's office only to hear a woman say, "`Guess what? Team USA won the gold in women's gymnastics!' Argh!!"

Graduate student Shraddha Sankhe, who's spending the summer in Washington, D.C., as a communications intern for a nonprofit, considers it mission impossible to avoid Olympic spoilers, so he's going with it.

He's been plugging in to social media big time to follow results and watching live feeds online. "It doesn't make sense to wait for the results to be `seen' on network television a few hours later," Sankhe said. "Internet more than makes up for a cable subscription these days for students like me."

Sankhe caught the opening ceremony live via BBC One using a link forwarded by friends on Twitter.

Olympic purist Jennifer Chang in Saratoga, Calif., can't afford to go dark online due to her communications job for a medical research foundation. But she's curating the Twitter feeds she follows. She's temporarily dumping the ones that are spilling news without spoiler warnings in favor of those using the broadest terms possible to announce results while providing links to details within a tweet.

That, she said, leaves it up to her to link for further news while staying in touch online. "I appreciate that greatly."

Some Twitter fanatics are taking full advantage of filters available on Tweetdeck and other tools used to organize feeds.

Beth Laughlin, a former competitive gymnast, has gone dark on news feeds of all kinds as she intensely follows the sport. But her husband, Will Laughlin, turned out to be the spoiler.

"Halfway through my first cup of coffee, a New York Times alert popped up on my iPad: U.S. women win team gold. The words fell out of my mouth before I knew what they meant or could gulp them back down," he said.

"My wife cocked her head sideways in disgust and said, `You just ruined it!' She still cheered and cried while watching the events unfold on TV, but it really wasn't the same."