nickelodeon

[Chiwas]

[dude1394]

Great Choice....Dubya will wind up being the man of the decade before he is finished.

[vinnieponte]

Originally posted by: dude1394
Great Choice....Dubya will wind up being the man of the decade before he is finished.

i guess hell can freeze over, how many innocent americans dead since he became president??

[dude1394]

It's okay vinnie, the american military will continue to protect your freedom to denigrate their service.

[madape]

I'm suprised Time didn't make Al-Zarqawi, Muktada al-Sadr, or Michael Moore their man of the year.

[u2sarajevo]

Michael Moore was reportedly under serious consideration.

[dude1394]

If kerry would have won, the maggot would have been the choice.

[Chiwas]

The other choices:

Nancy Reagan and Ron Jr.
Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton
John Kerry
Gavin Newsom
Eliot Spitzer
Viktor Yuschenko
Iyad Allawi
Hamid Karsay
Ariel Sharon
Hu Jintao
Kobe Bryant
Martha Stewart
Rick Warren
Steve Jobs
Lance Armstrong
Desperate Housewives
Smarty Jones


Stewart, Bryant and Armstrong made a lot of noise as well, not as much as Bush though.

[madape]

Kobe Bryant? Haha. I absolutely would have read that article.

[Caliente]

Smarty Jones?

[img]http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=smarty+jones/v=2/SID=e/l=IVS/SIG=12gt09unr/*-http%3A//channels.bloodhorse.com/images/content/smarty_jones_headshot_bdl.jpg[/img]

[img]i/expressions/anim_shocked.gif[/img]

[Chiwas]

I wonder if Steve Jobs competed in the same category than Smarty, horse of the year.

[capitalcity]

Originally posted by: Chiwas

Stewart, Bryant and Armstrong made a lot of noise as well, not as much as Bush though.

TIME's man was pre-determined. After "the most important election of our lifetime" it had to be either Bush or Kerry.

Lance makes me wanna puke.
The only Texan I hate more is Dan Rather.

[dude1394]

I'm not so sure capital..

[Mavdog]

Originally posted by: capitalcity

TIME's man was pre-determined. After "the most important election of our lifetime" it had to be either Bush or Kerry.

Lance makes me wanna puke.
The only Texan I hate more is Dan Rather.

So one of the greatest athletes of our lifetime, a person who has given immense time and money to research a deadly disease that he almost fell victim to himself, who goes out of his way to aid those who are afflicted by the terrible disease, who is an example of hope for thousands who battle through the incredibly painful process of defeating cancer, who set a record in one of the most grueling and difficult endurance sporting events in the world "makes [you] wanna puke"?

Clearly you sir are like the scarecrow, looking for a brain.....

[u2sarajevo]

Lance Armstrong is a Cycling legend and a great Texan. Outside of his marriage issues (which are personal... and should remain private although I realize he is a "celebrity" which makes it hard), what is there to not like about him?

[dude1394]

Some folks have a hard time with individualism, achievement and dominance.

Although I don't know capital, my prediction is that it will be "arrogance".

[mavsman55]

Originally posted by: vinnieponte

i guess hell can freeze over, how many innocent americans dead since he became president??

Does that make or break a president's career?

[capitalcity]

I won't decry the man's achievements in sport, suspect as they may be.
I won't downplay what he's done for cancer reasearch - But should note he profits from this noble endeavor.
I won't fault the man for being arrogant - being "best in the world" - justifies, to a degree, being egotistical.

BUT-
Lance Armstrong is a tortured soul & refuses to acknowledge his creator's existence.

He has twice beaten off cancer. Say again - he has stared death in the face and conquered it, twice. And after suffering the lowest of lows - Lance experienced the highest of highs. From wasted and broken to miraculously healed, in that same body he now makes the impossible seem routine.

Doctors said he would die - he lives.
They said he would be sterile - three healty kids.
Critics said he would fail - he dominates.

These events define Lance as a man. Instead of embracing God - he's become his own God.

He is so vehemetly agnostic his marriage crumbled. The wife who gave him three beautiful children was too weak. She holds on to the crutch of christianity, and Lance despises her for it. How dare she bring God into the house that Lance built. Without any warning or attempt at reconcilliation Lance up and left her with 2 toddlers and a newborn - because she was a mere mortal.

This short version of events is not speculation as to what may have happend - this is a first hand account. This privileged information was obtained over the course of several months (2002) through casual conversations with the wife of Lance's personal assistant.

Before I continue I should mention; I met the man, I shook his hand, and I conversed with him briefly. He seemed like a nice person at the time. but what he is currently doing to the gentlemen who introduced us forms my opinion.

My friends are now being sued by Armstrong - (Associated Press 12/14/04) AAStatesman

Mike and Alison have a little baby boy now so I don't see them much anymore. They are good people who picked a fight they won't win. Mike is a nice guy who took Lance at his word when he said he would help Mike out once he started his bike shop. They never had any formal arrangement because there wasn't any reason to think Armstrong wasn't trustworthy. Mike bent over backwards for Lance. He prepared meals, fixed bikes, arranged transportation and accomodations - basically he did anything and everything Lance requested of him for 2 years.

Now that their professional relationship is over Lance refuses to make good on the promises he made to the friend he employed. Mike is now at odds with most of the cycling community in Austin, and thus professionaly and privated ruined. It's assumed by most that Anderson is attempting to extort Armstrong - when in reality he's shocked the man who he literally did everything for is now trying to destroy him.

Yet Armstrong didn't think twice. His concience was his guide.

Lance Armstrong considers himself above reproach.

What more can I say? Ultimately - he can live his life the way he wants. I don't envy him - I pity him.

I just want the truth to come out about a man considered worthly of the title "Man of the Year."

He is a Godless and Gutless man.

[Mavdog]

You mean this lawsuit?
--------------
Cycling champ Lance Armstrong files suit against former assistant
By The Associated Press
(12/14/04 - AUSTIN, TX) — Six-time defending Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has sued a former personal assistant who wants a half-million dollars and other benefits under a claimed employment contract.
In the lawsuit filed Monday in Travis County District Court, Armstrong and his personal service company, Luke David LLC, want a judge to declare the alleged pact with Mike Anderson invalid, making him an at-will employee under Texas law.
"We were forced to do this because we were threatened with a half-million-dollar lawsuit," Armstrong's agent, Bill Stapleton, told the Austin American-Statesman. "What we're trying to do is avoid the lawsuit."
Stapleton did not immediately return a telephone message from The Associated Press. The lawsuit said Anderson lives in Dripping Springs but he did not have a phone number listed in directory assistance.
Anderson, who has also demanded a signed Tour de France jersey and future endorsements from the cycling champion, claims that Armstrong sent him an e-mail in 2002 setting proposed terms of employment, according to papers filed in the lawsuit Monday.
The alleged e-mail served as a contract, said Anderson, who helped Armstrong with training and landscaping. But papers in the lawsuit stated that he could be terminated at will.
"Defendant alleges that such an e-mail exists, but does not have a copy of the e-mail, although he purportedly 'remembers it clearly,"' the lawsuit states.
After his termination in November, Anderson demanded that Armstrong and his company pay $500,000 to him and his wife, Allison Anderson, the lawsuit states.
---------------------------------------

They said he would be sterile - three healty kids

yes, the children were conceived by way of a sperm bank done before his cancer treatment. For all we know he is sterile today.....which is of course none of our business.

Without any warning or attempt at reconcilliation Lance up and left her

nope, they did reconcile for a period of time. They mutually agreed to seperate after that attempt at reconciliation failed. Do all seperated people "make you want to puke"?

I won't decry the man's achievements in sport, suspect as they may be.

Not suspect to anyone but those who wish to cast dispersions. Lance has NEVER failed a drug test, in spite of taking hundreds of them.

I won't downplay what he's done for cancer reasearch - But should note he profits from this noble endeavor.

No money from the Lance Armstrong Foundation, no money from the over $20Million generated from the Live Strong bracelets, goes into the pocket of Lance Armstrong.

She holds on to the crutch of christianity, and Lance despises her for it.

So anybody who doesn't embrace your chosen faith makes you "want to puke"? peculiar form of Christian love.

[Epitome22]

And on the Moral Integrity meter it looks to shape up as......

Lance Armstrong > Arrogant, Judgemental Theocrats

[capitalcity]

Lance Loves France

Once again... Lance Armstrong makes me wanna puke.

[Mavdog]

<yawn>

for those who aren't an AAS user, here's the story in all its insignifigance:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lance Armstrong picks Paris over New York for 2012 Games
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
> Associated Press Writer
>
THIERS, France &mdash Lance Armstrong is picking his country to finish second in the race for the 2012 Olympics.

The Texan endorsed Paris instead of New York when asked Wednesday which city should win the highly competitive bid for the Summer Games.

"To be fair, I think that Paris deserves the Olympics," Armstrong said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I think they were arguably the best candidate in 2008 but for different reasons Paris didn't win, and they went to Beijing."

Armstrong, the six-time Tour de France champion and Austin resident, acknowledged he was torn over the decision, and that his heart was with New York, given "everything they went through the last four-five years" — an apparent reference to the trauma of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

But he added: "If they don't win in 2012, they could win in 2016."

Armstrong's comments came as the International Olympic Committee's evaluation commission began its four-day visit to Paris. The French capital is competing against New York, London, Madrid and Moscow. The IOC will select the host city on July 6.

"Paris is one of the legendary cities in the world," Armstrong said, adding that the Stade de France would be a "special place for the opening ceremony."

Officials for NYC2012 had no comment on Armstrong's endorsement.

___

[capitalcity]

adultery - shrug.
treason - yawn.

[u2sarajevo]

Treason? That is a stretch.

You don't like him obviously.

But he has conquered many things. Accomplished great feats.

Just because he wants the Olympics in another Country does not constitute treason. That is just absurd.

[dude1394]

Olympic host city - yawn. Also doesn't sound like he lays out much more that poor parie' got rooked last year for some reason. Who knows why, bigger bribes to the olympic committee?

[capitalcity]

Believe who you want to. I know who's telling the truth.

Former aide says Armstrong had banned substance

02:37 PM CST on Thursday, March 31, 2005
AP/ Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN - A former personal assistant to Lance Armstrong filed court papers Thursday alleging that he discovered a banned substance in the six-time Tour de France winner's apartment early last year.

Mike Anderson, who is involved in a legal fight with Armstrong over alleged promises the cyclist made to help Anderson start a bike shop, made the claim in a brief filed in state district court. The brief does not say whether Anderson saw Armstrong take any banned substances.

Armstrong, who has won a record six consecutive Tours, has maintained that he is drug-free. The cancer survivor frequently notes he is one of the most drug-tested athletes in the world. A representative for Armstrong referred all questions to the cyclist's attorney, Timothy Herman, who declined immediate comment because he hasn't seen the brief. Armstrong is in Europe, where he finished 24th at the Paris-Camembert race Tuesday.

Anderson, who says he had a key to Armstrong's apartment in Girona, Spain, alleges he was cleaning the bathroom in "early 2004" when he found a white box labeled "like any other prescription drug" but that did not have a doctor's prescription attached. Written on the box was the trademark name "Androstenine, or something very close to this," Anderson said.

"He went to the computer, looked it up on the WADA or USADA Web site(s), and confirmed that what he had found was an androgen, a listed banned substance," Anderson's court brief states, referring to the World Anti-Doping Agency and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Anderson said he put the box back where he found it. Fearing he would be fired, he said he did not confront Armstrong about it. He said he looked for the box again after Armstrong left Girona to train in the Canary Islands, but didn't find it.

"He was torn about what to do. He's an honest guy opposed to doping in sports," said Anderson's attorney, Hal Gillespie. "(But) he was sure that if he confronted, he would be fired. He's got a wife and young child, no money and a long way from home." Gillespie said Anderson did not see Armstrong taking any steroids or other banned substances. Anderson's brief also said he and Armstrong had a discussion in 2004 about cyclists who dope and claimed Armstrong told him, "Everyone does it."

Gillespie said that conversation took place before Anderson allegedly found the steroid. The lawyer also said he plans to depose Armstrong. Anderson said he believes Armstrong knew about the alleged discovery because their relationship began to deteriorate almost immediately.

Anderson said he was working as a mechanic at a local bike store when he met Armstrong more than four years ago. They became friends, often riding together, and Anderson regularly worked on Armstrong's bikes before becoming his personal assistant in November 2002. Anderson said he was paid about $3,000 a month for duties that ranged from building bike trails on Armstrong's Hill Country property to doing his grocery shopping in Spain. He says he developed a close relationship with Armstrong and his family.

Anderson said he was fired in November 2004 after asking for, and getting, a $500 a month raise. He said Armstrong's representatives offered him a severance package totaling $7,000. Armstrong and his personal service company, Luke David LLC, sued Anderson about a month later, claiming Anderson demanded Armstrong pay him $500,000, give him a signed Tour de France jersey and future endorsements to help him set up his own bike shop.

Anderson countersued, accusing the cyclist of fraud, breach of contract and causing him severe emotional distress. Anderson says an e-mail Armstrong sent to offer him the job promised the help and should be considered a binding contract. Anderson said Armstrong also demanded he sign a confidentiality agreement that would have held him liable for up to $1 million in damages.
Thursday's filing was because the court wanted more details in support of Anderson's claim.

[Mavdog]

let's see, we still have not seen the purported e-mail about an employment agreement, but now we get an accusation of seeing a steroid (one which increases muscle mass and bone density, two things that are BAD for a cyclist...did I mention the side affect of 4 hour erections?) in lance's bathroom.

nah.

[capitalcity]

If you'd like to have more background information on Mike's counterclaim, the court docs are made available in PDF format on the frontpage of the Austin American-Statesman website.

PAGE 23
ITEM 39.

On December 8, 2004 Lance Armstrong called Anderson.

Armstrong said, "Mike." Anderson replied, "Lance."

Armstrong said, "We need to talk. What's with the lawsuit?"

Anderson said, "Well, I'm not actually suing you yet. What I'm trying to do is to get you to live up to your end of the agreement."

Armstrong asked, "What agreement?"

Anderson replied, "The agreement that you and I had that was laid out in the e-mail."

Lance Armstrong replied, "Yeah, Mike. Well, I looked on the computer that I was using at the time and I have no record of it. Besides, why would I want to go into business with someone I don't like?"

Anderson said, "I don't remember seeing anything in the e-mail that mentioned a partnership. The way I understood it was that you would help me out in opening the shop. You even showed me Dave Lettieri's shop and we talked about it vumber of times. And as it turns out I have those two laptops you gave me last year. We'll find the e-mail.

Lance Armstrong retorted, "Listen fucker. what about these other issues?"

Although Armstrong's accountant had previously told Anderson in front of Allison that Anderson did not need to send him all of the receipts, onely the big ones, Anderson replied to Lance Armstrong that he had never bought any ZIPP wheels.

Armstrong replied, "Right now, I believe you."

Anderson said, "Good. You know that I was always acting with your interest at heart. What do I have to show for it? Look at us Lance! We are barely making it month to month with Allison hardly working. That's why I asked for a raise!"

Armstrong responded, "I know that you guys weren't getting rich working for me."

After discussing the partime work Anderson did for a person at the suggestion of Armstrong, Armstrong asked Anderson, "So, Mike what do you want?"

Anderson replied, "I already told you... I want you to live up to the contract, so that I can get on with my life."

PAGE 24

Armstrong said, "That's not gonna happen. I'm not gonna be extorted. People are trying this all over the world right now."

Anderson replied, "That's not what htis is about. I don't want to go to court with this ... it won't do either one of us any good. There has been enough stress caused to my family as it is. well, why don' we find this e-mail, then sit down with some lawyers and work it out. Relax. Don't go starting WWIII, and I won't. Just enjoy your trip and we'll talk about it when you get back. When will you be in Austin?">>>cont.

I don't know about you Mavdog, but to me a man is only as good as his word. When he makes a promise; he keeps a promise. There is no moral or ethical rationalization for Lance's deceit; in his marriage or in his business.

He turned on his God. He turned on his wife. He turned on his friend Mike Anderson. Lance Armstrong is repugnant.

[Mavdog]

From the look of this it appears to be a situation of a gopher, Anderson, who wants mucho $ from a former employer.

There is a very good question of why the accusation about seeing a steroid has ANY revelance to the claim of Anderson on his reported employment/support agreement with Armstrong. Rather than providing the e-mail which would authenicate an agreement (an e-mail that has never been produced BTW) here comes the accusation of steroid use by Armstrong.

The court filing has so many elements of drama it's hilarious, such as the fainting spells by Anderson due to his hypoglacimia (odd as he is an "accomplished mountain biker", clearly at odds with the fainting) and Anderson having to fly in regular class rather than first class. Horror of horrors!

There seems to be some big holes in this accusation however as the following culled from the AAS article points out:

Armstrong, via e-mail, deferred comment on the Anderson lawsuit to Tim Herman, his Austin-based attorney.

Herman said he was not surprised by Thursday's counterclaim, since Anderson's attorneys first made the drug allegations, he said, when they demanded $500,000 from Armstrong.

"It's precisely what they threatened to do, unless we paid them the money,'' Herman said. "When they asked for the $500,000, they might should have worn a ski mask. . . . We told them unequivocally we are not going to pay blackmail or extortion money on something that's not true.''

"Androstenin'' is not on the banned lists of WADA, USADA or the UCI, the governing body of international cycling. However, the substances androstenedione and androstenediol are listed as illegal drugs. They are classified as steroid precursors and are included as an androgen, which is a class of male hormone drugs. These kind of drugs help athletes build muscle mass. Mark McGwire admitted he was using androstenedione when he broke major-league baseball's single-season home run record.

Until Jan. 20, steroid precursors such as androstenedione, commonly known as "andro," were sold over the counter as dietary supplements. It is now illegal under federal law to possess these supplements without a doctor's prescription.

John Hoberman, a University of Texas professor and an author who has documented abuses of drugs in sports for decades, questioned whether an endurance athlete such as Armstrong would desire to take an androgen.

"It's not a drug you find turning up in the hotel rooms of professional cyclists,'' Hoberman said, referring to drug raids police have frequently conducted in Europe during big cycling events, especially the Giro d'Italia.

The banned drug of choice with cyclists is artificial erythropoietin, or EPO, which is used to increase the number of red blood cells carrying oxygen. Cyclists have used testosterone, a naturally-produced male hormone, to better recover during long stage races such as the 23-day Tour.

Armstrong has never tested positive for an illegal substance during his six-year Tour de France winning streak. He has been tested at the beginning of every Tour and each day he wore the overall leader's yellow jersey. He was handpicked last July by France's Minister of Sport for a random screen featuring the newest technology designed to pick up the use of banned substances.

"The last thing an endurance athlete wants to do is look like Mark McGwire,'' Herman said. "With the testing at the Tour . . . if he had taken an anabolic steroid, it would have set (the test) on fire."

[Mavdog]

Armstrong responds.
-----------------------------------------------------
Armstrong fires back on steroid claim
Cyclist asks court to sanction ex-assistant who made allegation.

By Suzanne Halliburton

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Saturday, April 02, 2005

Lance Armstrong asked a Travis County District Court judge on Friday to sanction his former personal assistant and the attorneys representing him for filing a legal claim against the six-time Tour de France champion that was "below the level of tabloid journalism."

Armstrong also asked the judge to award him a minimum of $125,000 to pay for legal fees, inconvenience, harassment and out-of-pocket expenses caused by the litigation. It "was an egregious character assassination founded upon a demonstrably false string of sensational, untrue and fabricated allegations," the document stated.

It was Armstrong's answer to a counterclaim filed Thursday by Mike Anderson, who served as Armstrong's personal assistant for two years. In that counterclaim, Anderson said he found a banned steroid in Armstrong's bathroom in early 2004, and that the cyclist intentionally avoided an out-of-competition drug test when he returned to Austin after the race last July.

The back-and-forth legal sparring began in December, when Armstrong filed a lawsuit in regard to Anderson's termination and Armstrong's alleged promises to help his personal assistant open a bike shop.

Armstrong's attorneys initially offered Anderson a severance package of roughly $10,000 — three months pay — in November. Anderson countered with a $500,000 settlement proposal. That offer was turned down, and the lawsuit was filed.

According to the claim filed by Anderson's attorneys Thursday, Anderson said the cyclist "cheated for profit with the use of banned substances."

Anderson also described Armstrong's quest for a record six Tour titles as an "evil, oppressive and dishonest scheme that equals the greatest scandal in sports history.''

The court documents filed by Armstrong's attorneys told a different story. According to those documents, Anderson admitted in a deposition taken Wednesday that he had no direct knowledge of Armstrong taking a banned substance.

"I didn't have any intention of repeating that (drug) stuff again, it was only things I had seen throughout the course of my employment,'' Anderson said in his deposition. "If I had seen him taking something I knew was wrong, that would be different. But it was only a hunch, and I left it at that.

"I have an opinion. I have suspicions. But beyond that, that's all I can say about it.''

Hal Gillespie, Anderson's Dallas-based attorney, was not available for comment late Friday.

Anderson's counterclaim also said that two people — landscaper Derek Russey and John Korioth, a personal friend of Armstrong's — witnessed and possibly helped Armstrong allegedly avoid a drug test last summer, when representatives of the World Anti-Doping Agency stopped by Armstrong's ranch in Dripping Springs. Armstrong was not home at the time.

Korioth and Russey, in sworn depositions, denied any knowledge of Anderson's allegations. They both said that neither Anderson nor his attorneys contacted them for information before filing Thursday's counterclaim.

[capitalcity]

Where there's smoke...

[Mavdog]

..there's usually fire. someone is going to get burned by it, and IMO it is not going to be Lance.

[MavKikiNYC]

Armstrong Makes Another Pitch for NYC2012
By LYNN ZINSER

Published: April 8, 2005

As Lance Armstrong strayed into the peculiar world of Olympic bidding last month, he had barely finished the sentence about how worthy Paris was of winning the 2012 Games when he began to sense things had gone terribly wrong.

Armstrong quickly tempered those words with similar support for New York and strove for diplomacy, but that was not what came across.

The typical headline in Paris and New York read something like: Lance Picks France.

"That's the reason I called these guys immediately to say, 'Uh oh,' " Armstrong said at an appearance for NYC2012 yesterday in Central Park. "What can I do to help?"

So here was Armstrong, smiling amid a group of young cyclists who train at a newly renovated velodrome in Queens, throwing his name behind New York's bid anew.

"I want to be clear that I think all the cities are deserving bidders," he said. "But none of them deserve it like New York City."

By responding to a reporter's question last month about the race between Paris, London, New York, Madrid and Moscow for the 2012 Games, Armstrong had unwittingly wobbled into the bizarre world where athletes' endorsements have been treated like currency. It has turned into something resembling a rugby scrum, athletes' words of praise fought over as if they were the key to the hearts of 117 International Olympic Committee members who will pick the winner in July.

Armstrong has plenty of company. Earlier in the year, London and Madrid waged a weeklong war of words over statements of support for each by the distance-running star Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia.

This week, Australia paused to ponder the deeper meaning of swimmers Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett endorsing disparate bids, with Thorpe favoring New York and Hackett picking London. In Senegal, debate sprung from the decision of the Olympic track gold medalist Amadou Dia Ba to choose New York, while the mayor of Dakar favored Paris.

New York, in typical fashion, claims the largest group of athletes as its "ambassadors," boasting of more than 1,900. But London recently unveiled someone on its list whose profile trumps numbers - Nelson Mandela.

Armstrong, though, could not simply leave his home country's bid city to fend for itself with the likes of Thorpe, Pelé, Oksana Baiul and Bill Bradley. He called NYC2012 officials after the "Lance Picks France" incident and dived right back into the murky world of bid city endorsements.

In addition to crawling through the bidding-city minefield yesterday, Armstrong answered questions about the latest drug allegations lodged against him by a former personal assistant, and whether his retirement is imminent after this year's Tour de France.

To the retirement question, Armstrong offered a noncommittal "I'm still thinking about that," and said the drug charges were baseless and put forth by someone trying to extract money from him. "Unfortunately, when you're in the position I'm in, people see dollar signs," he said.

Armstrong said his defense was always the 150 or so drug tests he has taken and passed over the past six years, both during competitions and random ones out of competition. The latest, he said, came after he arrived in New York for this appearance.

Those, he expects. The controversies, he has gotten used to. The furor he touched off by saying nice things about Paris, that caught him by surprise.

"That put me in a tough spot," he said. "If you ever watched the Tour de France, you know the roads are open to the public and you literally have millions of people standing there either cheering for you or wanting your head, so you don't get out there and say Paris is a bad choice."

But New York, Armstrong said, never lost hold on his heart. He said he remembered coming here after he won his first Tour, not realizing the impact of his story as a cancer survivor winning the most famous and grueling race in his sport.

"I'll never forget coming here and being yelled at by firemen as they drive down the road and thinking, 'Oh my God, how do they know who I am?' Armstrong said. "You start to feel like you've made it."

Now, Armstrong may feel instead as if he has fallen into some parallel universe. He is still famous, but his words have taken on unusual weight in a race that has nothing to do with how hard he pedals. In this race, good athlete sound bites nudge aside discussion of bid plans, potential revenue, security and world politics.

And, as Armstrong has found out, there is no room for diplomacy.

[Mavdog]

Lance Armstrong Foundation awards research grant to UNC School of Public Health professor

CHAPEL HILL -- The Lance Armstrong Foundation recently awarded a research grant to Dr. Marilie Gammon of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to study the potential correlation between flavonoid intake and breast cancer risk and survival.

While researchers have found obesity at diagnosis to affect the prognosis of breast cancer patients, other non-clinical factors may also be relevant. Gammon will study the impact of non-clinical factors, specifically the fruit and vegetable component flavonoid, on breast cancer survival. Flavonoids have a number of nutritional functions; most act as antioxidants and some have anti-inflammatory properties. Study results may encourage patients to engage in healthy behaviors prior to and following breast cancer diagnosis.

"Recently we demonstrated that breast cancer risk is reduced in relation to fruit and vegetable intake, although the specific agents responsible for the inverse association are not yet clear. Others have postulated that fruits and vegetables could also have beneficial effects on breast cancer survival," Gammon said.

"The results of this study may help to identify agents that could be used as chemopreventives with an aim of decreasing the incidence of disease, and once diagnosed, increase a patient’s chance of surviving."

Gammon is a professor of epidemiology and the deputy director of the Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility at UNC’s School of Public Health. She also is member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Gammon’s research grant totaled $144,674. Awarding $3.3 million in new research grants, the LAF is funding 20 research projects this year and increasing its support by more than $1.3 million from last year’s research grants. The LAF funds research in two areas: cancer survivorship and the basic and clinical science of testicular cancer.

Other projects awarded funding include the study of follow-up care for African-American breast cancer survivors, the impact of exercise in lymphoma survivors, the psychological late effects of cancer and the fertility of women following chemotherapy for early breast cancer.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with top-notch institutions and leading investigators of cancer survivorship research like Dr. Gammon," said Suzanne Kho, associate director of research for the LAF. "Though these scientists are exploring a variety of important topics, they all share a passion for helping people with cancer live strong."

A group of 40 researchers and diverse cancer experts reviewed 150 grant applications last September.

The LAF was founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong and is located in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.laf.org and www.livestrong.org.

Posted on:
Thursday, April 07, 2005 04:04 AM

[MavKikiNYC]

Puttin' the ol' PR machine into overdrive.

[capitalcity]

damage control.

[Mavdog]

It may be "damage control" in your (clearly prejudiced) eyes, but to the 20 groups who received part of the $3.3 Million this year, and the $2 Million awarded last year, it is what is termed philanthropy and support in their fight against cancer.

[capitalcity]

Originally posted by: Mavdog
It may be "damage control" in your (clearly prejudiced) eyes, but to the 20 groups who received part of the $3.3 Million this year, and the $2 Million awarded last year, it is what is termed philanthropy and support in their fight against cancer.

Damage control referring to the NYC 2012 photo-op - not to the cancer article.

...But Lance profits from cancer research.

Media stunts like the NYC 2012 photo-op, Press Conferences like the one last week, Magazine covers, Discovery Channel sound bites, Nike swooshes here - Nike swooshes there - As the steadily developing "Lance Armstrong" brand and likeness grows, so too does Lance's bank account.

HOW MUCH FREE PUBLICITY does Lance get from the good works of the Livestrong Foundation? Is it impossible to quantify... probably not? I guarandamntee you these LAF - corporate partners have whole departments that determine how much return on investment they'll get for their philanthropy.

While the organizations that bear his name are doing great works fighting cancer ...

[capitalcity]

where there's smoke...

AP/ Statesman
Eurosport.com

Armstrong denies report that he took EPO in 1999 Tour de France

PARIS — Lance Armstrong denied a report Tuesday in the French sports daily L'Equipe that said the seven-time Tour de France champion used the performance-enhancing drug EPO to help win his first Tour in 1999.

"Unfortunately, the witch hunt continues and tomorrow's article is nothing short of tabloid journalism," the Austin cycling great wrote on his Web site Monday night. "I will simply restate what I have said many times: I have never taken performance-enhancing drugs."

L'Equipe devoted four pages to its allegations, with the front-page headline "The Armstrong Lie." The paper said that signs of EPO use were found in Armstrong's urine six times during the 1999 race.

The governing body of world cycling did not begin using a urine test for EPO until 2001. For years, it had been impossible to detect the drug, called erythropoietin, which builds endurance by boosting the production of oxygen-rich red blood cells.

The tests on 1999 urine samples were done last year to help scientists improve their detection methods, the paper said.

L'Equipe said it matched anonymous urine samples from that Tour with medical statements signed by doctors, claiming that there were "characteristic, undeniable and consequent" signs of EPO in Armstrong's urine tests.

The newspaper said the tests were carried out by the national anti-doping laboratory in Chatenay-Malabry. An official at the lab declined to comment on the report.

L'Equipe, whose parent company is closely linked to the Tour, has frequently raised questions about how Armstrong could have made his spectacular comeback from testicular cancer without using performance enhancers. L'Equipe is owned by the Amaury Group whose subsidiary, Amaury Sport Organization, organizes the Tour de France and other sporting events.

A former L'Equipe journalist, Pierre Ballester, was co-author of a book published last year that contained doping allegations against Armstrong. He wrote the book with Sunday Times sportswriter David Walsh.

In the book, "L.A. Confidential, the Secrets of Lance Armstrong," one of the cyclist's former assistants claimed that Armstrong once asked her to dispose of used syringes and give him makeup to conceal needle marks on his arms.

Armstrong has taken libel action against The Sunday Times after the British newspaper reprinted allegations in a review of the book in June 2004. The case will go to trial in London's High Court in November.

Armstrong retired from cycling after his record seventh straight Tour victory last month.

[Mavdog]

I wonder, how reliable is a 6 year old urine sample?

I also wonder who has been the custodian of the urine samples from all the Tour riders, and how do they keep them protected?

Lastly, I wonder why all the other urine and blood tests on Lance NEVER has shown any drugs?