U.S. Pharmaceutical Companies Developing 97 New Drugs and Vaccines
Monday, December 28th, 20090 Comments | U.S. Newswire, Dec 4, 2009
To: NATIONAL EDITORS
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Chemistry Worldrecently highlighted a new reportpublished by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America(PhRMA) that identifies 97 new drugs and vaccines in development for HIV/AIDS and related conditions.
The reportfound that the 97 products in development include 23 vaccines and 54 antivirals. These drugs are either in human clinical trials or awaiting approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
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Vegetation Affect Local Geology?
Sunday, December 27th, 2009Re-vegetation is the process of replanting an area that has been stripped of its natural vegetation. The original loss of vegetation may have been caused by natural processes, such as a fire, or by manmade process such as clear-cutting or removal of vegetation for development. Re-vegetation can have both positive and negative impacts on local geology depending on how the project is managed.
Positive Impacts of Re-Vegetation
When re-vegetation projects are managed properly they can produce many positive impacts on local geology. The first positive impact is the reduction of soil erosion. Soil erosion is often prevented by planting vegetation that has deep and sprawling root system and that grow quickly. These root systems help to stabilize the soil by grabbing on to the particles and providing a barrier between soil upland and soil fields downland.
Another positive impact on the local geology is the reduction of water damage. Plants can be used to help channel water away from exposed rock faces and other geological formations that may be impacted negatively if over-exposed to water flow. In this scenario the vegetation will need to create a wall with their above and below ground structures.
Re-vegetation projects can also help to clean water and soil of pollutants
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Prana, Orgone, and Spiritual Energy in the Universe and Nature – Part 1
Sunday, December 27th, 2009There seems to exist an amazing “something” or mysterious form of energy in nature called “prana” by most yogic traditions and “chi” by certain eastern philosophies. Yogis and mystics have been aware of some rather sublime facts of nature long before western science ever acknowledged such things. Today, only the frontier scientists and physicists seem to acknowledge the existence of finer forms of matter not detected in the atom smasher, which may in fact be the basic building blocks of the finest atomic particles.
The next great frontier of science, parapsychology and medicine for ages to come may very well be the study, mastery and use of this fascinating substance. It is possible that the study of prana could open up whole new realms, higher dimensions of consciousness, and all kinds of awesome possibilities.
Prana is a substance so fine that it could very well be considered the same thing as the theoretical “virtual particle” constantly flashing in an out of existence in the form of an entrance way to a mini wormhole. The entire time-space continuum could be made up of an infinite number of these ultra fine wormholes or direct routes to other parts of the universe that minute amounts of energy can be transferred to. They are not actual wormholes, but “routes” through which virtual packets of energy transmit to other locations in space and time without actually taking up any time, energy or space to get there.
Prana can easily be considered a very general term for a whole conglomeration of all kinds of extremely minute, ultra fine particles and subtle forms of energy such as electron spin, light photons, quarks, neutrinos, and especially those particles that are at the very threshold of existence yet having some sort of life enhancing or life supporting effect. Even though most of these particles may barely exist, these ghost like particles of energy are so ubiquitous and so vast in number, and filling up all of space, that altogether, they can represent an extremely powerful force to be seriously reckoned with. Prana may even include or make up or be the very “essence” of space itself, or that “something” in space that transmits electromagnetic waves. I do not want to say “ether” but rather that geometric property of space itself so perfectly suited for carrying electromagnetic waves at no faster than 186,282.4 miles per second, the only constant in a universe of ever changing relative values. The ability of space to transmit energy proves that even the purest form of empty space is really just an infinite number of virtual (potential) waves/particles all packed together. These particles only exist as much as some form of energy (such as a light wave/photon) can activate them. The widely known principle of the wave/particle duality of light also exists in space as the virtual particle existing as a positive wave/particle one moment and then as a negative wave/particle the next. Experiments have been set up to prove that virtual particles do exist, however absolutely subtle they may be.
Scientific observations of gravitational phenomena throughout the universe seem to point out that there has to be an abundance of what physicists and cosmologists call “dark matter”. They can only theorize as to what this dark matter must consist of which seems to be actually slowing down the very expansion of the universe! Only 10 percent of the universe is visible matter. In other words only 10 percent of the universe produces enough detectable radiation in the radio, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, gamma, x-ray and cosmic ray frequencies to be measured. Yet the other 90 percent (which must be there because the monitoring of the gravitational behavior of galaxies seem to show that it is present) remains undetectable and invisible, leaving cosmologists, astronomers and physicists wondering what it is.
I could safely say that at least 50% of this dark matter must be particles of energy so minute, so refined that there is no category for them except as “ghost” particles or “virtual” particles so subtle that, according to quantum physicists, they are constantly blinking in an out of existence with each one perhaps reappearing then disappearing and perhaps transferring energy into some other location of the universe.
Such particles are so ultra fine that it has been postulated that these packets of energy may be very much affected by how they are observed. In other words, it may be impossible to observe these particles objectively. Each observation or experiment to either detect the location of or measure their speed and amount of mass or energy would result in widely varying data. It has been theorized that even one’s state of mind or consciousness could effect the behavior and manifestation of these particles. Could these particles be the medium used by spiritual adepts to convey and pick up information from a distance as in the form of telepathy, remote viewing or clairvoyance?
Personal Experiences with Prana Leave Me Spellbound
I wouldn’t bother writing about this subject if I had not experienced some of the strange effects of prana myself. Because I have firsthand experience with prana and how it behaves, I can assure you that it indeed does exist or that there is at least “something” out there that seems to defy all logical physical explanations.
Any person can have an experience with prana. Every time one has a positive experience with nature, say a pleasant walk along the beach, and especially a hike through a misty forest, there seems to be some sort of uplifting thrill in the air; there seems to be some kind of electricity in the atmosphere that even regular static electricity could not account for. Windstorms, rainstorms, waterfalls, and huge trees all seem to generate more than average quantities of this amazing energy. Hurricanes generate SO MUCH prana that there are people, even though they fully understand just how dangerous they can be, are willing to risk their lives to get that incredible thrill from the massive amounts of raw energy that hurricanes can generate. Even animals and people can transmit this energy either as waves of thought or emotion or simply by being present in the same room.
Tectonic activity itself can be a vast source of prana which is not surprising to me because during an earthquake or when there is sudden pressure on vast amounts of quartz and other silicon based material, electrons in vast quantities are released. If it were just the electrons, there wouldn’t be much to report except for extremely rare flashes of lightning and ball lightning near or around a fault during its slippage. However, even vaster numbers of much finer particles or some sort of energy must be transmitted much further into space from the epicenter, because I have actually felt this effect immediately before and during an earthquake. Animals have also been known to be quite sensitive to the effects of a coming earthquake long before it actually happens. They get excited, agitated, and dogs are known to start barking quite wildly up to several hours before before an earthquake actually hits. I know this to be true because I have experienced that very same sense of excitement and agitation right before an earthquake myself. Either I am an animal of some kind that is somehow able to write this document or a very sensitive human being.
There is no limit to what can generate or emit vast amounts of prana. I have even noticed an upsurge of prana along busy roadways and freeways. What may seem very funny is that one time I happened to walk by a parked carpet cleaning truck during the time its compressor was operating while a carpet in one of our offices was being cleaned. WOW! the energy nearly knocked me over and could not stand too closely to it otherwise I would pass out from too much of that “shakti” or prana that seemed to be pouring out of it in such concentration and abundance.
I performed many experiments with prana
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IKANO Communications Announces Acquisition of Defender Technologies Group and Re-Branding as Virtacore Systems
Friday, December 18th, 2009PR Newswire, Dec 1, 2009
ASHBURN, Va., Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ — IKANO Communications, Inc., a leading IT provider specializing in Internet connectivity and hosted services, today announced its acquisition of Defender Technologies Group, a pioneer in virtualization and cloud hosting services for business customers in the U.S. and globally. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Concurrent with the acquisition, IKANO re-branded Defender as Virtacore Systems, Inc.
“IKANO is pleased to be the new owner of Virtacore/Defender,” said George Naspo, IKANO’s President & CEO. He added, “Virtualization and public and private cloud hosting are experiencing explosive growth as small-to-medium sized business customers and large enterprises look for ways to meet their complex and expanding IT demands and live within budget constraints at the same time. Virtacore and its highly experienced, customer-focused engineering team are incredibly well positioned to serve this market and maintain a leadership position for many years to come.”
Founded nearly ten years ago, Virtacore/Defender entered the virtualization space early-on and developed strong strategic partnerships with leading enterprise virtualization providers – including VMware and Citrix. Virtacore currently manages over 10,000 virtual machines hosted at best-of-class Equinix IBX data centers nationwide, connected to a custom network of top-tier bandwidth providers. Virtacore’s virtualization and cloud hosting services are managed by a long-tenured engineering team and a dedicated 24×7x365 customer support team. Virtacore enables businesses to have “always-on” best-of-breed IT services, without the headaches and costs of purchasing and maintaining servers, network equipment, storage systems, firewalls, and other hardware and software for mission critical applications.
“We are excited to be part of the IKANO family,” echoed Thomas Kiblin, Founder & CEO of Virtacore/Defender. He added, “IKANO has committed to providing Virtacore with the resources we’ll need to expand the business exponentially and take it to the next level. Defender grew by word-of-mouth in the past, because we always took care of our customers, first and foremost. The virtualization market opportunity is huge and now both our customers and new owner will benefit as we scale Virtacore’s business going forward.”
About IKANO Communications
IKANO Communications, Inc. is a diversified IT provider specializing in Internet services for business customers and end users, as well as wholesale and private label resellers. Core services include Internet Connectivity (DSL, Dialup, Fiber and T1), Hosted Email Solutions (Google Apps and Microsoft Exchange), and Virtualization (Cloud Hosting and Data Center Services). IKANO’s primary brands include DSL Extreme, Dialup USA, DNAmail, PowerVPS, and Virtacore. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, the company has offices in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Seattle, and Toronto. IKANO offers world-class customer support through its domestic 24×7x365 call center.
For more information, visit http://www.ikano.com/. About Virtacore Systems
Virtacore Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of “always-on” virtualization and cloud hosting solutions for business customers in the U.S
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Specialist network for Mazda 3 MPS
Friday, December 18th, 20090 Comments | Express & Echo; Exeter (UK), Oct 23, 2009
IN celebration of the introduction of the all-new, high performance Mazda 3 MPS on October 1, Mazda has established a select nationwide network of dealers to operate its new Mazda 3 MPS Specialist Dealer Programme. This new specialist approach to sales of the Mazda 3 MPS is designed to provide prospective customers with an enhanced, more performance-orientated customer experience.
Every specialist dealer will have a Mazda 3 MPS demonstrator, two dedicated MPS sales staff, an MPS-branded area of the showroom, access to a priority new car ordering system and will be running frequent Mazda 3 MPS customer events.
The all-new Mazda 3 MPS is priced at Pounds 21,500 on-the-road. Its insurance group is unchanged from the previous model (17E), but with emissions reduced to 224 g/km (down three per cent) the new model qualifies for a lower (Band K) road fund licence of Pounds 215 – a Pounds 190 annual saving over the outgoing model. Mark Cameron, sales and marketing director Mazda UK, said: “The all-new Mazda 3 MPS is our fastest-ever hatchback, delivering sensational performance, with 0-to-62mph taking just 6.1 seconds
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The O-Men: Merritt Donnelly Hobrecker Horton Ythjall
Thursday, December 17th, 2009Flex, Jan, 2010 by Merritt Donnelly
SEPTEMBER 2009, JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: THE REIGNING KING OF BODYBUILDING IN HIS CHARIOT.
JUST GIVE ME ONE SANDOW.
BUT NOW THAT I GOT ONE …
… I WANT MORE.
CAN I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH?
I CAN’T LET THIS END.
BLADE
NOT THIS YEAR.
NOW I NEED TWO SANDOWS.
THAT’S WHAT I SAID LAST YEAR.
MR. OLYMPIA!
LIKE CUTLER.
MEANWHILE, AT HIS SECLUDED LAS VEGAS MANSION …
… THE TWO-TIME MR. O IS TORMENTED BY LAST YEAR’S LOSS.
BUT I’M NOT LOOKING FOR ANOTHER SECOND-PLACE FINISH.
2001
MAYBE IT IS TIME FOR A NEW GENERATION.
MAY BE I HAVE LOST IT.
FUCK THAT!
2003
COLEMAN WAS A MONSTER.
BUT DEXTER …
THIS IS STILL MY ERA.
I GAVE DEXTER HIS ONE …
I HAVE EVERYTHING I COULD EVER WANT.
THE HOUSE …
… THE CARS …
2004
… AND HEATH CAN FOR WAIT FOR HIS TURN.
… THE MONEY
2005
BUT DEXTER …
… HE’S A LIGHT-WEIGHT NEXT TO ME.
2008
AND FINALLY, IN DENVER, IN A HIGH-TECH UNDERGROUND LABORATORY.
THIS IS THE YEAR OF THE GIFT.
OLYMPIA FRESHMEN NEVER WIN THE BIG PRIZE.
SOPHOMORES DO!
I’LL FULFILL THE PROPHECY
SERGIO, ARNOLD, HANEY, YATES …
… ALL WON ON THEIR SECOND TRIES.
JOINING THEM WILL MAKE ME A LEGEND.
THE FUTURE IS NOW!
I …
… WILL …
… WIN.
SEPTEMBER 2009: WORLD GYM, JACKSONVILLE
THIS IS FOR ALL THE HATERS …
… WHO SAY I AIN’T BIG ENOUGH …
… WHO SAY I GOT LUCKY.
LUCKY DON’T WIN THREE ARNOLDS.
COME CONTEST TIME …
… THE BLADE CUTS THROUGH ALL CONTENDERS.
AND THAT INCLUDES THE YOUNG BUCK.
FEBRUARY 2009: POWERHOUSE CHATSWORTH
YOU WERE SCARED.
SCARED OF WHAT?
SCARED OF LOSING.
YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE OLYMPIA BEFORE LAST YEAR.
WHY? FOR THE EXPERIENCE OF LOSING? HOW DOES THAT HELP ME?
YOU GOTTA GET UP THERE AGAINST THE BEST.
I GOT UP THERE AGAINST THE BEST WHEN I WAS READY TO WIN.
AND I SHOULD’VE WON LAST YEAR.
SEPTEMBER 2009: ARMBRUST PRO GYM, DENVER
EVERY YEAR I DO WHAT NO OTHER TOP PRO DOES.
I GET BIGGER.
I GET BETTER.
DEX WON’T BE ABLE TO HANG WITH ME.
LETS GO HEATH
KILL IT KILL IT!
AND I WILL BE ABLE TO HANG WITH JAY.
JUST LIKE I DID IN JANUARY.
AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!
SEPTEMBER 2009: GOLD’S FLAMINGO, LAS VEGAS
WRITING ME OFF
THEY ALL WROTE ME OFF
NINE YEARS AGO. THE 2000 OLYMPIA. MY SECOND.
THE ALL WROTE ME OFF.
THE LAST TIME I FINISHED OUT OF THE TOP TWO.
TWENTY-ONE SHOWS AGO.
THREE ARNOLD WINS AGO.
TWO SANDOWS AGO
IN THOSE TWENTY-ONE, DEXTER BEAT ME TWICE. COLEMAN GOT ME SEVEN TIMES.
THEY ARE FICKLE.
BUT I BEAT COLEMAN THE LAST FIVE.
FEBRUARY 2009: “THE DUMP”, LAS VEGAS
AND JUST FOR FUN THIS YEAR, I BEAT THE OLD MAN AGAIN.
HUUNNHHH
SEPTEMBER 2009: WORLD GYM, JACKSONVILLE
JAY CAN TALK HISTORY. TWELVE PRO WINS FOR HIM.
THIRTEEN FOR ME.
WE BOTH GOT THREE ARNOLD WINS.
AND DON’T TALK ABOUT SECONDS.
AND HE’S ONLY GOT ONE MORE SANDOW.
SO IF I GET IT AGAIN THIS YEAR, WHO’S LEGACY IS GREATER?
BUT I GOT SOME FOR HIM.
TWELVE AND THIRTEEN.
AND DON’T TALK ABOUT SECONDS
SECONDS PLACE IS A LOSS
WHEN YOU’RE A WINNER …
… YOU ONLY COUNT WINS.
ARMBRUST PRO GYM, DENVER
THE RUSTY OLD BLADE IS 39.
I’M 29.
I DID ONE OLYMPIA AND PLACED THIRD.
THE LAST MAN TO GO TOP THREE IN HIS FIRST O? FLEX WHEELER IN 1993.
BUT UNLIKE FLEX … I PLAN ON WINNING.
BUT IT WON’T BE EASY. IT ISN’T JUST DEX AND JAY.
THERE ARE OTHERS.
KAI GREENE, 2009 ARNOLD CLASSIC WINNER
OTHERS WHO HAVE RISEN FAST …
OTHERS WHO ARE WILLING TO BLEED FOR THIS …
BRANCH WARREN, 2009 ARNOLD CLASSIC, 3RD PLACE
VICTOR MARTINEZ, 2007 MR
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Just Energy Income Fund Announces December Distribution
Thursday, December 17th, 2009Market Wire, December, 2009
Just Energy Income Fund (TSX: JE.UN) filed notice with the Toronto Stock Exchange today announcing its regular distribution for December. A distribution of $0.10333/unit ($1.24 annually) will be paid on December 31st, 2009 to Unitholders of record at the close of business on December 15th, 2009. The Units trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “JE.UN”.
The Fund
Just Energy’s business involves the sale of natural gas and/or electricity to residential and commercial customers under long-term fixed-price and price-protected contracts through its subsidiaries. By fixing the price of natural gas or electricity under its fixed-price or price-protected program contracts for a period of up to five years, Just Energy’s customers offset their exposure to changes in the price of these essential commodities. Just Energy, which commenced business in 1997, derives its margin or gross profit from the difference between the fixed price at which it is able to sell the commodities to its customers and the fixed price at which it purchases the associated volumes from its suppliers.
Just Energy also offers “green” products through its Green Energy Option (GEO) program. The electricity GEO product offers the customer the option of having all or a portion of his or her electricity sourced from renewable green sources such as wind, run of the river hydro or biomass. The gas GEO product offers carbon offset credits which will allow the customer to reduce or eliminate the carbon footprint for their home or business
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Salares Lithium Inc. Announces Initiation of Exploration Program and Appointment of General and Exploration Manager for Chile
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009Market Wire, December, 2009
Salares Lithium Inc. (the “Company”) (TSX VENTURE: LIT) is pleased to report that it is initiating immediately its exploration program on its ‘Salares 7′ lithium project in Region III, Chile, and has appointed its Exploration and General Manager for Chile.
Exploration and General Manager, Chile
The Company is proud to introduce Luis Ignacio Silva P. (Ph.D and CEng.), as Exploration and General Manager for Chile, effective immediately.
Since 1970, Dr. Silva has concentrated his geological efforts mostly in Chile and other South American countries. He has worked, directly or through consulting contracts with some of the largest mining companies in the world such as Freeport McMorRan, Amax (Chile), Barrick, Homestake Mining, Cyprus Minerals, Phelps Dodge, Pegasus, Cominco, the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission and Codelco.
Dr. Silva graduated from the Universidad de Chile in 1969, completed his Ph.D in Geology at the University of London, University College in 1980 and became a Chartered Engineer (CEng) through the Engineering Council, UK. Dr. Silva resides in Santiago, Chile and is fluent in English and Spanish. Dr. Silva was instrumental in the review and due diligence on the ‘Salares 7′ project.
The Salares 7 Lithium Project
The ‘Salares 7′ lithium project is made up of 7 salares (brine lakes) in Region III, Chile. The project comprises 39,404 hectares (approximately 400 square kilometres) of exploration concessions solely on salares.
The ‘Salares 7′ lithium project has a unique feature in that 5 of the 7 salares are clustered within 200 square kilometres in an area easily accessible by road
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Aerohive Customer El Centro Regional Medical Center Wins IDG's InfoWorld 100 Award
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009Market Wire, December, 2009
Aerohive Networks, creators of the
award-winning cooperative control wireless LAN ( WLAN ) architecture, announced today
that Aerohive customer El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC) has been
honored with an InfoWorld 100 award for its deployment of an Aerohive
wireless LAN to support a wide range of applications, including
mission-critical systems in the emergency room and operating rooms, the
Hospital Information System (HIS), and quality review management software.
An
in-depth case study of ECRMC’s selection and deployment of the Aerohive
network is available at
http://www.aerohive.com/resources/casestudy.html#ElCentro .
“This year’s recipients of InfoWorld’s highest honor are shining examples
of IT projects undertaken by tech leaders committed to pushing their
organizations forward,” said Jason Snyder, features editor, InfoWorld.
ECRMC selected Aerohive’s WLAN solution after an in-depth study revealed
its technical superiority over other vendors’ offerings. Aerohive’s
cooperative control access points (”HiveAPs”) provide secure fast roaming,
ease of management, and state-of-the-art security without network
controllers or overlay networks. Eliminating controllers from the network
substantially reduces the cost of Aerohive solutions. Aerohive’s
cooperative control networks are also more reliable than controller-based
networks, because controllers’ “single points of failure” are eliminated.
Removing controllers from the network also eliminates the bandwidth
bottlenecks, latency, and jitter that result from backhauling traffic
through a controller, creating an ideal platform for demanding
applications, such as VoWLAN.
“We’re very pleased that ECRMC has been recognized by the InfoWorld editors
for its Aerohive wireless LAN project,” said David Flynn, chief executive
officer, Aerohive. “Healthcare providers and other organizations are
increasingly selecting Aerohive wireless LANs for their technical
superiority and unmatched value.”
About the InfoWorld 100 Awards
Companies around the world rely on technology to enable and enhance their
business operations and deliver on their business strategies. The
InfoWorld 100 Awards recognize each year the 100 most innovative uses of IT
initiatives to further business goals.
About InfoWorld Media Group
InfoWorld Media Group helps IT Decision Makers choose the right technology,
within the context of a cohesive strategy for business impact at their
organizations. InfoWorld identifies and promotes emerging technology
segments that add unique value for the organizations that implement them,
as well as the vendors that provide those solutions. Using an integrated
communications approach including online, events, research, and a continued
investment in an independent Test Center, InfoWorld analysts and editors
provide hands-on analysis and evaluation, as well as expert commentary on
issues surrounding emerging technologies and products. Visit InfoWorld at
http://www.infoworld.com .
About International Data Group
International Data Group (IDG) is the world’s leading technology media,
events, and research company. IDG’s online network includes more than 450
web sites spanning business technology, consumer technology, digital
entertainment and video games worldwide. IDG also publishes more than 300
magazines and newspapers in 85 countries. IDG’s media brands include CIO,
CSO, Computerworld, GamePro, InfoWorld, Macworld, Network World, and PC
World
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A changing of the guard: Nicole Wilkins-Lee sets a new tone for the figure Olympia
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009Flex, Jan, 2010 by Dave Lee
The signs were all there. Of the ten figure contests since last year’s Olympia, five were won by athletes enjoying their first taste of pro victory (seven, if you count double wins by the same competitor–more on that below). Nicole Wilkins-Lee–who turned pro at the 2007 Team Universe, winning both the National figure and Team Universe fitness overall titles (a first in NPC history)–was one of them. In April, the second-year pro notched win number one at the Europa Show of Champions. Then, a week out from the Figure O, she grabbed win number two at the New York Pro Figure Championships, putting her high on the list of ones to watch at the big dance. Finally, on the biggest night of the year against the toughest competition in the world, she proved that her front-runner status was well deserved, as the 25-year-old became the youngest competitor in history to win figure’s ultimate crown.
After the first callout at the Friday afternoon prejudging, Wilkins Lee was confident that she would achieve the goal she had set for herself: making the top six. By the end of prejudging–standing alongside 2007-08 Figure O runner-up Gina Aliotti, and ‘09 California Pro and Houston Pro winner Heather Mae French for the final comparison she was suddenly thinking of bigger and better things. “Top six would have been great, but top three is icing on the cake,” Wilkins-Lee said moments after stepping offstage
By the final round of comparisons at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, September 26, Wilkins-Lee once again found herself onstage alongside Aloitti and Fremch. “When they called Heather’s name for third, I just tried to keep my composure,” Wilkins-Less recalled of those final moments. “Then, when I didn’t hear my name called for runner-up, I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting that.”
2009 JOE WEIDER’S FIGURE OLYMPIA
September 25-26, 2009 Orleans Arena; Las Vagas, Nevada
COMPETITOR COUNTRY PRIZE MONEY 1 Nicole Wilkins-Lee * United States $28,000 2 Gina Aliotti * United States $14,000 3 Heather Mae French * United States $8,000 4 Kristal Richardson * United States $5,000 5 Amy Fry * United States $3,000 6 Erin Stern * United States $2,000 7 Jenny Lynn United States 8 Jessica Putnam * United States 9 Felicia Romero United States 10 Monica Brant-Peckham * United States 11 Sonia Gonzales United States 12 Larissa Reos Brazil 13 Alicia Renee Harris United States 14 Kristi Tauti United States 15 Meriza DeGUzman United States 16 Teresa Anthony United States 16 HUong Arcinas United States 16 Krissy Chin United States 16 Patricia Mello Brazil 16 April Rountree United States 16 Sherlyn Roy United States 16 Brenda Smith-Ohara United States * Qualifies for the 2010 Figure Olympia contest
Despite finishing second for the third consecutive year, runner-up Aliotti remained optimistic: “My goal for every show is to come in at my absolute best and, because I already achieved that, I feel like a winner inside.” Aliotti, who in the past has presented a physique pushing the boundaries of the division’s standards for muscularity, arrived in Las Vegas with a different look. “I did a lot more running to streamline my physique,” Aliotti said. “I think the judging is headed in this direction.”
Heather Mae French–who, along with Wilkins-Lee, is the only other IFBB Pro League figure athlete to win two shows this season: the California and Houston Pro shows–leapfrogged all the way from tenth at her first Olympia in 2008 to third this night. “I’m confident knowing that I have a look that belongs on the Olympia stage,” French said afterward. “Every girl up there was amazing, so to be top three in the world is an accomplishment in itself.”
Wilkins-Lee’s Figure Olympia victory could be further proof of the changing climate in the sport. She wasn’t the hardest or most muscular competitor onstage, but she displayed the best combination of tone, definition and shape
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