- Mixed martial arts is one sport where performance-enhancing
drugs would seem to be most advantageous. Five rounds (or less) or trying to
brutalize another human being into submission lends itself to the many benefits
of PEDs and perhaps that’s why UFC
heavyweight Antonio Silva tested
positive and was suspended for failing a post-fight drug test following his
wild five-round draw with Mark Hunt on Dec. 7. UFC officials also stripped
Silva of a $50,000 bonus and in a statement, the company said all fighters on
the card in Brisbane, Australia, were tested by an independent third-party
laboratory and all but Silva passed. "Although Silva is on a medically
approved regimen of Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT), and had been in
compliance with therapeutic guidelines on all pre-fight tests performed prior
to the event, the results of his test on the day of the event indicated a level
of testosterone outside of [the] allowable limit," the statement said.
Because of the positive test, the Brazilian star will have a no contest result
on his record instead of a draw and Hunt will get Silva’s portion of the bonus
money for the night. In response to his suspension, Silva said on his Facebook
page that UFC approved his use of TRT under the care of Dr. Marcio Tannure, medical
director of the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission and UFC in Brazil. He added
that he underwent exams two weeks prior to the fight and "my testosterone
level continued to be low, so I was recommended by the doctor to increase the
dosage." Silva argued that because he followed his doctor’s instructions,
he felt that he had done nothing wrong and insisted he wasn’t trying to gain an
unfair edge. It is the second time Silva has tested positive for a banned
substance. He tested positive for Boldenone after a bout in 2008 and while he
does suffer from the pituitary gland condition acromegaly, now might be a solid
time to have an in-depth chat with the doctor about treating it in ways that
don’t run afoul of the UFC rule book……..
- If an aborted first day is any indication of what lies
ahead in the first
day of former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf, it is officially time
to buckle in…and put on your Kevlar vest and helmet. What was supposed to be
the first day of Musharraf’s high treason trial was a nonstarter as the
embattled former leader did not show up in court because of a bomb found near
his home Pakistani security official Mohammed Ali confirmed that a bomb and two
pistols were found about half a mile away from the former general's residence
in the Islamabad suburbs. If someone hates you enough to try to blow you up
before you even go on trial in a case that could ultimately see you sentenced
to death, then you truly are a hated man. Due to the bomb, the start of the
trial was postponed to New Year's Day, when Musharraf is due to be
formally indicted in front of the court and Justice Faisal Arab. Kicking off
the trial of a man you could later sentence to dwath is a festive way to begin
the new year and the death penalty will be the likely target for prosecutors,
who believe Musharraf violated the constitution when he imposed emergency rule
in 2007. The trial is historic as the first treason court case held in Pakistan.
"Under high treason laws the court may award [Musharraf] death or 14 years’
imprisonment," chief prosecutor Akram Sheikh said. How good is it that the
prosecutor is talking smack about how the court may “award death” to Musharraf?
The former general faces five charges of violating the constitution in November
2007, when he suspended the constitution, introduced emergency powers and deposed
more than 60 judges of the supreme and high courts. Musharraf's lawyer Anwer
Mansoor is already arguing his case with the trial weeks away, slamming the
proceedings as "biased, out
of jurisdiction, and illegal." An international cartel of lawyers acting
from London appealed to the United Nations on Mursarraf’s behalf last week, but
so far that argument has had no impact. After Musharraf was ousted, civilian
government was restored in Pakistan in 2008 and the general went into self-imposed
exile. He tried to return and run for office in March, but was disqualified
from standing because of pending court cases……….
- An odd entertainment industry marriage of sorts is
unfolding between the creator of one of the grittiest television shows in
recent memory and a folk-punk band from Ireland. David Simon, creator of the
former HBO crime drama “The Wire,” has reportedly written a musical based on the songs of
The Pogues. The Pogues and Simon aren’t necessarily a natural match, but he has
reportedly completed the first draft of his tribute to the band and begun
making plans to stage the production with The Druid Theatre Company in Galway,
Ireland. Simon and The Pogues guitarist Philip Chevron worked together on the
project before Chevron passed away earlier this year. There is much work to be
done and the production likely won't see any stage for more than a year, but it
should serve as a fitting tribute to Chevron, who passed away in October after
a seven-year battle with cancer. Following his death, the band’s record label
released a statement saying its members were "hurt terribly" by the
loss of "a remarkable and fantastically talented colleague.” Simon’s link
to the band stems from the use of The Pogues’ music in several episodes of “The
Wire.” Additionally, band member Spider Stacy features in Simon's New Orleans
set series “Treme,” playing a
street musician called James “Slim Jim” Lynch. Unlike most of Simon’s
television creations, his Pogues-scored musical isn’t like to feature a lot of
drug dealing, murder and other felonious activity. Then again, this is the
entertainment industry and creative license can be taken with just about any
part of any story……..
- Even among hackers and jailbreak enthusiasts, there is
(some) honor. So says the Evasi0n group, which announced earlier this
week that it was refusing to distribute TaiG, a Chinese app store released
alongside an iOS 7.x jailbreak. The decision came after users reported that the
app store contained hundreds of pirated apps. Evasi0n conceded that it probably
should have done its homework before jumping rashly into such a partnership and
said the TaiG partnership was a mistake. “We terminated our relationship with them. We are very disappointed that
they have decided to put up a cracked version of the jailbreak on their site
that installs Taig. We did not give them any permission or source code,” Evasi0n
said in a statement. Once the user concerns were brought to its attention, Evasi0n
reverse-engineered the software to assess how TaiG handled user privacy. That
allowed them to find out that the software sent no private data and that the
software sent unique identifiers in encrypted form. After the deal’s demise, it
was reported that Evasi0n was to receive at least $1 million from TaiG,
although Evasi0n denied that any such arrangement was ever in place. “There have been a lot of rumors listing
various amounts we’ve been paid. We have received no monies from any group,
including Taig. We will not be accepting any money,” Evasi0n said in its
statement. “Our donations are being
given to Public Knowledge, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Foundation for a
Free Information Infrastructure to help protect jailbreaking as your legal
right.” Just make sure you do your jailbreaking in the right way………
- McDonald’s did not have a merry Christmas. That can
happen when a company has an employee website that directly slams its own
products as unhealthy food choices to be avoided at all costs. The revelation
that the McDonald’s employee site featured a meal with a cheeseburger, fries and drink
under the caption "Unhealthy choice” and a picture of a salad and water
next to it under the caption "Healthier choice” was going to play poorly
on any day, but Christmas Day was infinitely worse. Virtually every person in
America having the day off and being able to laugh at you is rarely positive. Then
again, the restaurant chain has been shooting itself in the foot for months
now, ever since its McResource Line website went live. First, a McResource
budget-planning guide for its employees was ridiculed in July for being out of
touch. Not accounting for the cost of food and driving will do that for a
budget’s credibility. Then in early December, the site served up a guide on how
much one should tip a pool cleaner, housekeeper or nanny. On the heels of a
study showing that 52 percent of fast food workers receive assistance from a
public program like Medicaid, food stamps, the Earned Income Tax Credit or
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, that knowledge dropping by Mickey D’s
landed with a dull thud. Still, nothing is worse than McResource not-so-subtly
advising McDonald's employees to not eat at McDonald's. "Fast foods are
quick, reasonably priced, and readily available alternatives to home cooking.
While convenient and economical for a busy lifestyle, fast foods are typically
high in calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt and may put people at
risk for becoming overweight,” a message on the site warned. As news of the
gaffe spread, the company quickly yanked it down and visitors were greeted with
a statement: "We are temporarily performing some maintenance in order to
provide you with the best experience possible. Please excuse us while these
upgrades are being made." The upgrades, it turned out, was taken the
entire site down so it could be “re-evaluated.” Well played, McDonald’s
suits……..
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