AIR FLIGHT 48

One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns of Italy (101 Beautiful Small Towns)

Who hasn't dreamt of being whisked away to a sweet little Italian town buried deep in the countryside-towns with names that roll off the tongue like Vercelli, Portofino, and Tuscania? The small towns sprinkled throughout this expansive book are not only rich with beauty, but are also saturated with as much historical and cultural importance as their sister cities. The fact that they are "off the beaten path"-though sometimes extraordinarily famous for their art, food, and wine, or simply their setting-makes them rare gems even more desirable to see. This book is the perfect guide for those who can't resist succumbing to Italy's charms again and again.
Originally written by and for Italians, this is a fantastic source of inside information. The 101 towns featured represent the 20 diverse regions of Italy and their varied landscapes, architecture, and local specialties. Practical sidebars introduce the reader to traditional artisans-Tuscan saddlers, custom cobblers, tapestry weavers, ceramicists, and crafters of papier-mache-as well as to the best place to buy Parmigiano Reggiano or the greatest terrace to have tea while taking in a Tuscan sunset. And if that weren't enough to keep you busy-or you have a hard time deciding where to go first-art and architecture are also amply covered, from the history of L'Aquila's 99 fountains to the most elaborate of Baroque churches and the most charming of piazzas.
You will be amazed to see how much Italy has to offer beyond the well-trod paths of Venice, Florence, and Rome. From Asolo to Vicenza, flea markets to fish markets, horse races to open air concerts, this book promises 101 great reasons to go back to Italy over and over.

Steve Prefontaine in post-Olympic track and field meet 15 Sep 72, at the Crystal Palace stadium, London UK. This was the fifth annual such meet, promoted by the International Athlete's Club and the British Coca-Cola Bottlers.

This meet was originally run in August 1968 so the British public could see their athletes perform before they left to participate in the 1986 Olympic games in Mexico City. This 1972 meet was scheduled for after the 1972 Munich Olympics. The 1972 meet started with a moment of silence in memory of the 11 unarmed Israeli athletes slaughtered by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympics.

Pre first ran in London in a US-UK meet on August 13, 1969, placing fourth with 14:38.4 in the 5000m event. In the summer of 1969--before starting his career at the University of Oregon--Pre ran his first international events Los Angeles, Stuttgart and Augsburg Germany, and London.

Pre wore bib number 1 in the two-mile event in this 1972 London meet. American runner Jeff Galloway was also scheduled to enter this meet. All others slated were from Great Britain and New Zealand.

Pre placed second at 8:24.8. New Zealander Rod Dixon won in 8:19.4. Dixon raced against Pre 2 July 1974 in Milan, Italy, when Pre first wore the black singlet he next wore for his last race, May 29, 1975. Pre was given the singlet in Milan.

---Quoted from Wikipedia:---

Rodney Phillip "Rod" Dixon was a New Zealand middle distance runner. He won the bronze medal over 1500 metres at the 1972 Munich Olympics, and in 1983 won the New York City Marathon.

Dixon, along with John Walker and Dick Quax, was one of a trio of world-class middle distance runners from New Zealand in the 1970s. He was the first of the three to taste Olympic success with his bronze medal in 1972, but was then somewhat overshadowed by the other two over the next few years, particularly by his good friend Walker. Nevertheless, he posted impressive 1,500 meter (3:33.9) and mile (3:53.6) times during the 1970s and Track & Field News magazine ranked Dixon first in the world in the 5,000 meters in 1975, the year Pre died.

Dixon placed fourth in 2 of the epic track races of the 1970s. In the 1500 metres at 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch he was fourth behind the new World Record set by Filbert Bayi (3:32.2), John Walker whose time of 3:32.5 also broke the previous world record, and Ben Jipcho (3:33.2) who became the fourth fastest of all-time. Dixon's time of 3:33.9 had only ever been beaten once prior to the race. In the 5000 metres at the 1976 Montreal Olympics Dixon was beaten by four-time Olympic Champion Lasse Viren, team-mate Quax and Klaus-Peter Hildenbrand whose last second dive/fall denied Dixon a second Olympic Bronze medal. In this very closely fought race, Dixon lost to Viren by under six metres or 0.74 seconds, to Quax by under three metres or 0.34 seconds and to Hildenbrand by just under a metre or 0.12 seconds. Dixon sprinted less than a metre behind Viren still with 200 metres to go and was around two metres behind the Finnish Olympic champion with 100 metres to go

Ultimately, however, Rod Dixon was regarded as especially outstanding for the length and versatility of his career as a top-flight runner. He set world class times in all events from 1500 m (3:33.9) to the marathon (2:08:59), won bronze medals in the World Cross Country Championships in 1973 and 1982, and was one of the more successful athletes on the US road racing circuit in the early 80s, including wins at the Falmouth Road Race (1980), Bay to Breakers (1982 & 1983) and the Lynchburg, Virginia 10 miler (1981 & 1983). His gradual move to longer distances was climaxed by his 1983 marathon victory in New York City in one of the most dramatic finishes the event has seen, when he came from behind to catch leader Geoff Smith at the 26 mile mark and won by 9 seconds.

A group of people heading towards the Libyan border with Tunisia. The outflow of people has slowed.
UNHCR / A. Duclos / February 2011

Sudden drop in people fleeing Libya into Tunisia sparks new concerns

GENEVA, March 4 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency on Friday reported a sharp drop in the numbers of people crossing the border at Ras Adjir from Libya into Tunisia, and said it was increasingly worried at reports of people being impeded from fleeing.

As of mid-week, some 10,000-15,000 people were crossing the border daily, placing huge strains on the abilities of Tunisian authorities and humanitarian agencies to cope. But since Wednesday afternoon the numbers have fallen sharply. On Thursday, less than 2,000 people crossed.

"The border on the Libyan side is now manned by heavily armed pro-government forces," UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming told a press conference in Geneva. "From those that did manage to cross the border, we have heard that mobile phones and cameras were being confiscated en route. Many people appear to be frightened and are unwilling to speak."

A rapid response from the international community to the joint International Organization for Migration humanitarian evacuation appeal of earlier this week has seen significant progress with the evacuation of Egyptians and other nationalities from Tunisia. Egypt, Tunisia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom have all offered air or sea transport.

The Egyptian government has repatriated tens of thousands of its own nationals. Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, the European Commission, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Poland and Spain have offered funds for the UNHCR response to the Libya crisis. Private donations have also been coming in.

Around 12,500 people still need evacuation from Tunisia. More than 10,000 are from Bangladesh. Today, at least two flights are planned to Bangladesh. Fleming said that if Libyan military control of the border and roads reduces, a huge exodus of people could resume. Planning is under way to establish a second camp close to the border.

Meanwhile, a UNHCR team is currently in the eastern Libyan town of Benghazi as part of an inter-agency assessment mission. "They found a camp at Benghazi port where some 8,000 foreigners were awaiting evacuation. Evacuations were ongoing and while most expect to make it out in the next two days, there are 305 Eritreans, 191 Ethiopians and 153 Somalis who say they have been repeatedly blocked," Fleming said.

"Most are single young men, with 40 women and three children. They reported that although they faced significant problems in the past two weeks, empathy towards sub-Saharan Africans waiting at the port has increased," she added.

UNHCR teams in eastern Libya report that the Libyan Red Crescent is very active in providing assistance. They are also helping third country nationals and refugees to reach the border.

ICRC staff in Benghazi have told UNHCR that the most serious problem is a shortage of medical professionals in the region, with the majority of foreign medical staff having been evacuated. There is concern that fuel may start to run out in the next 15 days, with food shortages also anticipated in the coming weeks.