- His nickname is lackluster, but his ability to evade law
enforcement had been superior for more than three decades. Life on the run is
now over for Luiz Carlos da Rocha, nicknamed White Head, who is one of South
America's biggest cocaine kingpins having reportedly amassed a personal fortune
of $100 million. da Rocha had plastic
surgery to change his appearance in an effort to stay free, but his efforts
eventually fizzled and he has been captured in Brazil after three decades on
the run. He was arrested in the western state of Mato Grosso in a city called
Sorriso by agents of Operation Spectrum, in which 150 agents carried out 24
raids and seized luxury cars worth $10 million, as well as planes, farms and
other property. The reason police used the name Spectrum is because it fits the
phantom-like nature of a fugitive "who lived discreetly and in the
shadows... evading police attempts for almost 30 years.” Along the way, in
addition to carving up his face, da Rocha had changed his name to Vitor Luiz de
Moraes. Still, authorities were able to compare old photos of da Rocha's facial
characteristics with an up-to-date ID image of de Moraes and determine that
they were the same person. All told, Da Rocha has convictions totaling more
than 50 years in prison as handed down by a federal court. What did this madman
do? He allegedly headed up a network that includes producing cocaine in the
jungles of Bolivia, Colombia and Peru and distributing it on the continent as
well as the U.S. and Europe, flying blow in small planes from manufacturing
sites via Venezuelan airspace to remote farms in western Brazil, then shipping
it in secret compartments in specially adapted lorries to Brazil's big cities
or to be moved abroad……….
- Lance Armstrong wrecked his career by systematically using
performance-enhancing drugs…so it’s ironic that the blood booster at the heart
of his doping program has been shown by a new study to not improve real-world
cycling performance. According to the study results, published in the journal
Lancet Haematology, show that the protein EPO doesn’t deliver the results many
believe. For the study, Dutch scientists staged a bike race up a mountain to
measure whether erythropoietin (EPO) lives up to its reputation. They drove a
large group of avid cyclists to southern France in a tour bus and had them go
through a demanding day of cycling. "It was hectic and stressful, but also
a lot of fun and exhilarating," researcher Jules Heuberger of the Centre
for Human Drug Research in Leiden, Netherlands, said. Heuberger and her team
believe previous studies of EPO in sports have been flawed because participants
weren't trained athletes, knew they were getting EPO, or testing was limited to
short bursts of strength and endurance. This likely won't change the fact that
EPO is among more than 300 substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency
and some competitors in the ongoing Tour de France will likely be disqualified
at some point for using it, but no one on the level of Armstrong, who was
stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping and he later admitted to
using EPO and other banned substances. What’s different about EPO as opposed to
some other PED’s is that it’s produced naturally in the body. The reason it’s
long been thought to be such a big help is that it enhances the ability to
carry oxygen to the muscles and is thought to increase endurance. In this case,
maybe that view needs to be revised………
- Score one for stupidity. The victory, ironically, happened
at Gettysburg National Military Park, where a self-described
"patriot" who went to the historic battlefield because he’d heard rumors
that members of an alt-left group would be there to desecrate Confederate
memorials. Benjamin Hornberger of Shippensburg, Pa., was trying to go out and
defend history and instead, he shot himself in the leg with his own revolver.
Somehow, this brilliant military mind accidentally triggered his revolver which
was inside a leg holster, blasting a hole in his leg but surviving with minimal
harm because U.S. Park Police quickly responded and applied a tourniquet. Emergency
personnel explained that the tourniquet was "likely a lifesaving measure,”
after which Hornberger was taken to a local hospital where he’s expected to
make a full recovery, according to Katie Lawhon, a spokeswoman for Gettysburg
National Military Park. Rather than generously removing himself from the gene
pool, Horberger was saved. He was one of dozens of self-described
"patriots" who came to the national park after rumors that Antifa, an
anti-fascist group, would be there. For the record, Antifa has denied those claims
they encouraged members to crash events at Gettysburg, because alt-left groups
would never, ever do such a heinous thing in the name of bringing attention to
their cause……..
- It’s official and we’re all worse for it. We now have an
official release date for “Top Gun: Maverick,” the not-awaited sequel to the
iconic 1986 “Top Gun,” a movie chock full of homo-erotic shirtless beach
volleyball on five-foot nets, noodle-armed throws of dog tags off piers and Tom
Cruise at his cocky best. At long last, the world knows that the sequel will
hit cinemas in July 2019, a full 33 years after the original. Cruise will once
again play Maverick, which is the problem with the sequel. See, in the
original, Mav was a reckless, gunslinger of a pilot who flouted the rules and
was great because he gave a giant middle finger to authority when in the
cockpit. So now, that same guy is suddenly a wise, sage instructor teaching the
next generation…huh? This ill-advised sequel will be directed by Joseph
Kosinski, known for his debut feature “Tron: Legacy” and the Cruise-starring”
Oblivion,” neither of which was, um, er….a good movie. Screenwriters Justin
Marks (The Jungle Book) and Peter Craig (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay) will
reportedly pen the script for a film that has been in the works since 2010. “There
is an amazing role for Maverick in the movie and there is no Top Gun without
Maverick. It is going to be Maverick playing Maverick,” producer David Ellison said
of the script. Also rumored to be attached is Cruise’s co-star, Val Kilmer, who
chunked up significantly a couple years back but seems to have shed enough
weight to fit back into a plane. “Stylistically it’s going to be same,” Cruise
said. “The need for speed. We’re going to have big, fast machines. It’s going
to be a competition film, like the first one… but a progression for Maverick.”
Yes, a progression to lameness………
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