Lance Armstrong's lack of defence of drug charges regarded as an admission

 

 

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  Lance Armstrong's decision not to contest drug charge claims is regarded as an admission that the claims "had substance", the World Anti-doping Agency president John Fahey has said.
  Mr Fahey also said the US Anti-doping Agency had acted properly in stripping Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles.
  The move had come after Armstrong declined to enter the agency's arbitration process, and the Texan will be banned for life. He could also be stripped of his 2000 Sydney Olympic time trial bronze.
  Mr Armstrong had the right to contest the charges, but he chose not to.The simple fact is that his refusal to examine the evidence means the charges have substance in them. Under the rules, penalties can, and most likely will be imposed.
  Like a champion boxer he has failed to come out of his corner to answer the bell for the next round! Lance Armstrong would, under Wada's code, lose any cash earnings, awards and titles. He now has no credibility left. Any charity work he has undertaken, or will undertake, will not restore his reputation.
  He has been labelled a drug cheat, and has failed to defend his reputation as a champion sportsman in his code, and as an American citizen. The Wada-Agency will make an official decision and statement in due course.
  http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/24/lance-armstrong-wada
• http://huttriverofnz.blog.co.uk

The jellyfish - jet propulsion or what?

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• Jellyfish have been described as being at least 95% water and ranging in size from less than three centimetres to over two metres in diameter. Muscles propel many species along by rhythmic contraction and relaxation of their bell-shaped body - something like the opening and closing of an umbrella. Scientists who study fluid dynamics have discovered that certain jellyfish, while not fast swimmers, have an intriguing method of propulsion. With each contraction of their body, they create a doughnut-shaped vortex, like a smoke ring, which they push away from themselves. The momentum of the rings creates an opposite reaction that propels the jellyfish forward, somewhat like a jet but with pulses of energy instead of a constant thrust. "It sounds simple," said 'New Scientist' magazine. "But the act of forming a vortex ring is very difficult to model mathematically." That in itself is quite incredible. Evolution or design, you may wonder?
  "Not so for 30 year-old bioengineering professor John Dabiri, whose fluid dynamics laboratory at the California Institute of Technology is studying the dynamics and mechanics of biological propulsion. Their subject? The moon jellyfish because of its simple morphology and complex patterns of motion.
  By exploring these dynamics, Dabiri hopes to create more efficiently engineered systems of propulsion and energy technologies that could harness wind and wave power.
  Through his research, Dabiri has observed that moon jellyfish don't move through water simply by using jet propulsion. Instead, they create complex vortex rings in the wake of their motion that allow them propel themselves forward.
  Cracking the code to how jellyfish create these currents has the potential to inform the development of future propulsion models. On the horizon are possible advances in underwater transportation or medical technologies administered through the blood stream."
  http://news.discovery.com/tech/moving-toward-jellyfish-inspired-propulsion-110714.html
  http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/researchernews/rn_dabiri.html
• http://huttriverofnz.blog.co.uk

Drug cheat Lance Armstrong banned for life and stripped of his seven tour titles...

 

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  So Lance Armstrong is not going to fight the decision that has banned him from bike-racing for life and stripped him of his seven Tour de France titles because he is another 'dirty drug cheat'. They can't do that says Armstrong, but they can and they have done exactly that. Just like the woman shot-putter in the Olympics. I detest sports cheats in any code!
  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2192864/Lance-Armstrong-banned-cycling-life-stripped-Tour-France-titles.html
  http://us.toluna.com//opinions/1329410/Lance_Armstrong_has_decided_to_end_his_fight_against_doping_
  

Two American Brothers reunited after 80 years...

Two American brothers who were sent to an orphanage and split up as young children have been reunited for the first time 80 years on.
Born in Chicago, Kenneth Corcoran, 82, and Edward Muir, 84, were left at an orphanage with their three siblings in the 1930s after their mother died and their father decided he could not care for them.
The siblings were adopted by different families who changed their names and raised them in different states, local TV station WDAY News reports.
Mr Corcoran's daughter Pam Gregerson, who lives in North Dakota with her father, started the quest to reunite the brothers a few years ago, searching online tirelessly but with no luck.
The search finally came to an end when Ms Gregerson's son Alex intervened a few weeks ago, telling her "mum you need to take a break, just go away, let me play with this".
http://news.msn.co.nz/worldnews/8518249/two-brothers-reunite-after-80-years-apart

http://huttriverofnz.blog.co.uk

huttriver8.blogspot.com

Show him your effing badge...

A DEA officer stopped at a ranch in Texas, and talked with an old rancher. He told the rancher, "I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs." The rancher said, "Okay , but don't go in that field over there.....", as he pointed out the location.
The DEA officer verbally exploded saying, " Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me!" Reaching into his rear pants pocket, the arrogant officer removed his badge and proudly displayed it to the rancher. "See this fucking badge?! This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish.... On any land !! No questions asked or answers given!! Have I made myself clear?.... do you understand?!!"
The rancher nodded politely, apologized, and went about his chores. A short time later, the old rancher heard loud screams,
looked up, and saw the DEA officer running for his life, being chased by the rancher's big Santa Gertrudis bull...... With every step the bull was gaining ground on the officer, and it seemed likely that he'd sure enough get gored before he reached safety. The officer was clearly terrified. The rancher threw down his tools, ran to the fence and yelled at the top of his lungs.....

"Your badge, show him your fucking BADGE

•  
 

Happy 156th Birthday Christchurch City, NZ...

Christchurch turns 156 today. Happy Birthday to my poor old home town.

CHRISTCHURCH BECAME NZ'S FIRST CITY IN 1856

Press Archives
NEW CITY: This shows Christchurch in the mid-1860s. The view is from the Provincial Council Buildings, looking across the Avon River to the corner of Gloucester St and Oxford Tce. Drays are parked in the foreground. The trees beyond the

YOUR CHRISTCHURCH It's Christchurch's 156th anniversary today:

On this day 156 years ago, Christchurch became a city by royal charter from Queen Victoria, making it the first official city of New Zealand.
The royal charter was given by the Queen so Christchurch could be the seat for a bishop. At Christmas 1856, Henry John Chitty Harper was enthroned as the first bishop of Christchurch.
Other key Christchurch dates:
- On February 16, 1770, Captain James Cook in his ship the Endeavour first sighted the Canterbury peninsula. He thought it was an island and named it Banks Island after the ship's botanist, Joseph Banks.
- Christchurch was founded in 1850 with the arrival of about 800 settlers from Britain.
- Local government began when the first Christchurch Municipal Council meeting was held on March 3, 1862.
- The city's first library opened on August 4, 1859. It was a single room at the Mechanics Institute.
- The Press was founded as a weekly paper by James FitzGerald and a syndicate of investors in 1861. It became a daily in 1863.
- Bees were introduced to the region from Nelson in January 1852.
- The first bridge over the Avon River was built in March 1852.
- The first cricket match, married men versus single men, was held in April 1852 at Hagley Park.
- A typhoid epidemic in 1875, which lasted until the following year, caused 152 deaths in the city.
- The first airport opened in Christchurch in 1917.
- 1947 Ballantynes fire; 41 people die.
- Christchurch hosts the 1974 Commonwealth Games.
- September 4, 2010: Christchurch battered by a magnitude-7.1 earthquake. No fatalities.
- February 22, 2011: Christchurch devastated by a magnitude-6.3 quake, killing 185, injuring 6000 and destroying most of the central city's buildings.
Source: Christchurch City Libraries

Acknowledgements: © Fairfax NZ News

http://huttriver.blog.co.uk

http://peter-petterson.blogspot.com

Marmite for Kiwi Olympic medalists...

• Kiwi Olympic medalists to receive food parcels containing Marmite...

  
  

  
  Kiwi Olympic medalists will receive food parcels containing the "scarce" Marmite...

  
  ‘Marmageddon’ grips New Zealand

  New Zealand competitors who win medals at the London Olympics have been offered an unusual reward - food parcels containing jars of Marmite.

  The spread has been in short supply since March, after the manufacturer was forced to close its only factory because of earthquake damage.

  The shortage of Marmite has been dubbed "Marmageddon" by the media.
  Members of the eventing team, who won the country's first medal, were the first to collect their Marmite.

  The manufacturer, Sanitarium, says production of the spread will not resume until later this year. The product is a variation of the yeast spread widely available in the UK.

  Since the shortage began, New Zealand media has been filled with stories of newly discovered Marmite stashes in corners of supermarket storerooms.

  There has also, apparently, been a roaring trade on auction websites.

  Rather than selling its remaining supplies, executives at the Pak'nSave supermarket chain decided to give their stash to customers they felt were deserving of a treat.

  "Who could be more deserving than our Olympic medallists," said Steve Anderson of the supermarket's parent company Foodstuffs New Zealand.

  "To come to London and prove to the world that they are the best in their discipline is no mean feat. And we thought that a few home comforts after all their hard work wouldn't go astray."

  The eventing team, who won a bronze medal on Tuesday, went to Kiwi House the following day to pick up their jars of Marmite.

  The spread was first brought to New Zealand in the early 1900s, but the country later came up with its own recipe.

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19082740

  http://peter-petterson.blogspot.com

A list of jokes for you...

My list of jokes:  You may enjoy them...

An elderly widow and widower were dating for about five years. The man finally decided to ask her to marry. She immediately said "yes". The next morning when he awoke, he couldn't remember what her answer was! "Was she happy? I think so, wait, no, she looked at me funny..." After about an hour of trying to remember to no avail he got on the telephone and gave her a call. Embarrassed, he admitted that he didn't remember her answer to the marriage proposal. "Oh", she said, "I'm so glad you called. I remembered saying 'yes' to someone, but I couldn't remember who it was." A well dressed business man was walking down the street when a little kid covered in soot said to him respectfully, "Sir, can you tell me the time?" The portly man stopped, carefully unbuttoned his coat and jacket, removed a large watch from a vest pocket, looked at it and said, "It is a quarter to three, young man." "Thanks," said the boy. "At exactly three o'clock you can kiss my ass." With that, the kid took off running, and with an angry cry, the outraged businessman started chasing him. He had not been running long when an old friend stopped him. "Why are you running like this at your age?" asked the friend. Gasping and almost incoherent with fury, the business man said, "That little brat asked me the time and when I told him it was quarter to three he told me that at exactly three, I should kiss his ass!" "So what's your hurry," said the friend. "You still have ten minutes." A man hasn't been feeling well, so he goes to his doctor for a complete check-up. Afterward, the doctor comes out with the results. "I'm afraid I have some very bad news," the doctor says. "You're dying, and you don't have much time left." "Oh, that's terrible!" says the man. "How long have I got?" "Ten," the doctor says sadly. "Ten?" the man asks. "Ten what? Months? Weeks? What?!" The doctor interrupts, "Nine..." A group of girlfriends are on vacation when they see a 5-story hotel with a sign that reads: "For Women Only". Since they are without their boyfriends and husbands, they decide to go in. The bouncer, a very attractive guy, explains to them how it works. "We have 5 floors. Go up floor by floor, and once you find what you are looking for, you can stay there. It's easy to decide since each floor has a sign telling you what's inside." So they start going up and on the first floor the sign reads: "All the men on this floor are short and plain." The friends laugh and without hesitation move on to the next floor. The sign on the second floor reads: "All the men here are short and handsome." Still, this isn't good enough, so the friends continue on up. They reach the third floor and the sign reads: "All the men here are tall and plain." They still want to do better, and so, knowing there are still two floors left, they continued on up. On the fourth floor, the sign is perfect: "All the men here are tall and handsome." The women get all excited and are going in when they realize that there is still one floor left. Wondering what they are missing, they head on up to the fifth floor. There they find a sign that reads: "There are no men here. This floor was built only to prove that there is no way to please a woman." Little Johnny's kindergarten class was on a field trip to their local police station where they saw pictures, tacked to a bulletin board, of the 10 most wanted criminals. One of the youngsters pointed to a picture and asked if it really was the photo of a wanted person. "Yes," said the policeman. "The detectives want very badly to capture him." Little Johnny asked, "Why didn't you keep him when you took his picture?" A man in his 40's bought a new BMW and was out on the interstate for a nice evening drive. The top was down, the breeze was blowing through what was left of his hair, and he decided to open her up. As the needle jumped up to 80 mph, he suddenly saw flashing red and blue lights behind him. "There's no way they can catch a BMW," he thought to himself and opened her up further. The needle hit 90, 100.... then the reality of the situation hit him. "What the heck am I doing?" he thought and pulled over. The cop came up to him, took his license without a word, and examined it and the car. "It's been a long day, this is the end of my shift, and it's Friday the 13th. I don't feel like more paperwork, so if you can give me an excuse for your driving that I haven't heard before, you can go." The guy thinks for a second and says, "Last week my wife ran off with a cop. I was afraid you were trying to give her back." "Have a nice weekend," said the officer. Two guys and a union worker were fishing on a lake one day, when Jesus walked across the water and joined them in the boat. When the three astonished men had settled down enough to speak, the first guy asked humbly, "Jesus, I've suffered from back pain ever since I took shrapnel in the Vietnam war...could you help me?" "Of course, my son", Jesus said, and when he touched the man's back, he felt relief for the first time in years. The second man, who wore very thick glasses and had a hard time reading and driving, asked if Jesus could do anything about his eyesight. Jesus smiled, removed the man's glasses and tossed them in the lake. When they hit the water, the man's eyes cleared and he could see everything distinctly. When Jesus turned to heal the union worker, the guy put his hands up and cried defensively, "Don't touch me! I'm on long term disability." The new employee stood before the paper shredder looking confused. "Need some help?" a secretary, walking by, asked. "Yes," he replied, "how does this thing work?" "Simple," she said, taking the fat report from his hand and feeding it into the shredder. "Thanks, but where do the copies come out?" Tom had this problem of getting up late in the morning and was always late for work. His boss was mad at him and threatened to fire him if he didn't do something about it. So Tom went to his doctor who gave him a pill and told him to take it before he went to bed. Tom slept well, and in fact, beat the alarm in the morning. He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work. "Boss", he said, "The pill actually worked!" "That's all fine" said the boss, "But where were you yesterday?" A carpet installer decides to take a cigarette break after completing the installation in the first of several rooms he has to do. Finding them missing from his pocket he begins searching, only to notice a small lump in his recently completed carpet-installation. Not wanting to rip up all that work for a lousy pack of cigarettes he simply walks over and pounds the lump flat. He decides to forgo the break continues on to the other rooms to be carpeted. At the end of the day he's completed his work and loading his tools into his trucks when two events occur almost simultaneously: he spies his pack of cigarettes on the dashboard of the truck, and the lady of the house calls out "Have you seen my parakeet?" Bubba was from the lower valley, and he decided he wanted to get married to his sweetheart. So, while enjoying some grits and gravy for dinner one evening, Bubba brought up the subject with his Ma and Pa. "Bubba, you can't get married yet," insisted Ma. "You're the baby of the family." "But Ma," Bubba protested, "I just had my 38th birthday last week." "We know that, Bubba," Pa chimed, "but your Ma and me think you should put off getting married until after you graduate from high school." Bernie was invited to his friend's home for dinner. Morris, the host, preceded every request to his wife by endearing terms, calling her Honey, My Love, Darling, Sweetheart, Pumpkin, etc. Bernie looked at Morris and remarked, "That is really nice, that after all these years that you have been married, you keep calling your wife those pet names." Morris hung his head and whispered," To tell the truth, I forgot her name three years ago." Person turns on the computer without a keyboard plugged in. When she turns on the computer, the computer finds out that there is no keyboard attached and it gives a "Keyboard Error" message. She then asks "Why did it give me a keyboard error? There isn't even a keyboard attached? Jones came into the office an hour late for the third time in one week and found the boss waiting for him. "What's the story this time, Jones?" he asked sarcastically. "Let's hear a good excuse for a change." Jones sighed, "Everything went wrong this morning, Boss. The wife decided to drive me to the station. She got ready in ten minutes, but then the drawbridge got stuck. Rather than let you down, I swam across the river -- look, my suit's still damp -- ran out to the airport, got a ride on Mr. Thompson's helicopter, landed on top of Radio City Music Hall, and was carried here piggyback by one of the Rockettes." "You'll have to do better than that, Jones," said the boss, obviously disappointed. "No woman can get ready in ten minutes." It was the day of the big sale. Rumours of the sale and some advertising in the local paper were the main reason for the long line that formed by 8:30 in the morning in front of the store. A small man pushed his way to the front of the line, only to be pushed back, amid loud and colourful curses. On the man's second attempt, he was punched square in the jaw, and knocked around a bit, and then thrown to the end of the line again. As he got up the second time, he said to the person at the end of the line, "That does it! If they hit me one more time, I don't open the damn store!"