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The question is, when it’s announced that he doped (Boston.com - perhaps it’s just been announced), then what? Which way will the public generally slide towards? Will they believe him or the USADA? Or are people just not going to care. Lance Armstong’s Statement of August 23, 2012 AUSTIN, Texas – August 23rd, 2012 – There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, “Enough is enough.” For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a two-year federal criminal investigation followed by Travis Tygart’s unconstitutional witch hunt. The toll this has taken on my family, and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today – finished with this nonsense. I had hoped that a federal court would stop USADA’s charade. Although the court was sympathetic to my concerns and recognized the many improprieties and deficiencies in USADA’s motives, its conduct, and its process, the court ultimately decided that it could not intervene. If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA’s process, I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and – once and for all – put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance. But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair. Regardless of what Travis Tygart says, there is zero physical evidence to support his outlandish and heinous claims. The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colors. I made myself available around the clock and around the world. In-competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I provided. What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA will not stand by it? From the beginning, however, this investigation has not been about learning the truth or cleaning up cycling, but about punishing me at all costs. I am a retired cyclist, yet USADA has lodged charges over 17 years old despite its own 8-year limitation. As respected organizations such as UCI and USA Cycling have made clear, USADA lacks jurisdiction even to bring these charges. The international bodies governing cycling have ordered USADA to stop, have given notice that no one should participate in USADA’s improper proceedings, and have made it clear the pronouncements by USADA that it has banned people for life or stripped them of their accomplishments are made without authority. And as many others, including USADA’s own arbitrators, have found, there is nothing even remotely fair about its process. USADA has broken the law, turned its back on its own rules, and stiff-armed those who have tried to persuade USADA to honor its obligations. At every turn, USADA has played the role of a bully, threatening everyone in its way and challenging the good faith of anyone who questions...
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Missed this one last week. Beat Boxing Miss World Philippines. The newscast part gets boring. (WSJ -Beatboxing Queen) See the whole thing on Youtube.
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Does anyone care that a CEO of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center has a Criminal Past and is probably on the run? It’s crazy to think that a person can leapfrog through a hiring process that included allegedly a gang of people only to be derailed by a Google using employee. It’s now on the LA Weekly Blog by Dennis Romero, who seems to dig true crime. “This Facebook post by journalist Rachel Roh has tracked the situation and says Willis came in to his office in the morning, said … “”It’s been good working with you”; removed his personal items from his office and left the building, possibly for good. (LA Weekly – Greg Willis) Where is he now? Does anyone care? Perhaps the French who convicted him of a list of felonies do. Read the entire first post by Rachel Roh here. Also just added by The Rafu Shimpo.
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This year’s Miss World contest, 61 years old now, is the longest running international beauty pageant. This year it was held in the apocalyptically modern city of Ordos in China’s “Inner Mongolia” region. The 2013 event will be held in Indonesia. I’m sure the bidding process puts the IOC’s to shame – bribes, girls, nasi goreng, and Swarovski rhinestones flying. International media had/has been incorrectly reporting that the competition was held in Mongolia, but Ordos is China. It’s been an “Autonomous Region” of China since the early 1900′s, but the Chinese tourism bureau will encourage you to come to Ordos to experience Mongolia. Weird, but there it is. Here’s what you missed while you didn’t even realize the Miss World competition was happening: Miss Fiji wore a fancy Princess Mononoke-esque owl costume and danced around in it. Miss Malawi body-checked Miss New Zealand for standing in her spot. Hardcore. Miss Nepal is a perfect multi-culti Barbie doll. Who knew? Suspicions of corruption are afoot with host country’s Miss China taking home the giant crown. No way… Miss Philippines beatboxed her way to Ordos. And her name is Queenierich. You’re totally going to tune in next year now, aren’t you?
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[youtube]3J-QFLkl_FA[/youtube] Straight from the President’s sister. It’s mellow, direct, and suggests getting involved.
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