Zombies invented in Buffalo? - Buffalo Rising

FASHION MANIAC TEAM:

All Photography & Publisher: Cheryl Gorski

Hair Stylists: Whitney Curry & Steven Daniels

Make-up by: Dani Weiser & Steven Daniels

Stylist: Katie Gariepy

Accessory Stylist: ?Marilyn Hammer & Frank Moreno

Prop/Set Stylist: Todd Warfield

Social Media Director: Cassie Rose

Multimedia Slide Show Artist: Kim Cohen

Zombies Invented In Buffalo?

By Greg Hinaman:

Mark Twain was living in Buffalo for awhile. One of the stories he wrote in?1872 while he was here was called "A Curious Dream"--a story about?corpses rising?from the dead and walking. Is Buffalo the birthplace of Zombies used in?entertainment form?

The earliest zombie walk on record was held on August 19, 2001, in?Sacramento, California. The event, billed as "The Zombie Parade," and the?idea spread to other cities, and in October 2003 the second zombie gathering?on record, billed as a "Zombie Walk," was held in Toronto, Ontario

In 2009 Terror Technologies started looking into the Zombie craze--right?after our Free Haunted House for Charity wrapped up for the season. We were?looking for a way to promote our Charity Haunt year-round when we got?together with Mark Madden of Maddtat2 & Madd Tiki Tattoo in April of 2010?and held the first official Buffalo Zombie Walk for Charity & Pub Crawl?just 2 months later on July 10, 2010.

The Food Bank of WNY contacted me about being part of the event and not?only did they join us they also put us in their Food Drive Music Video,?which is shown prior to every movie in Dipson Theaters across WNY. We have?had a great working relationship with the Food Bank of WNY ever since and?have collected tons of food for them. Now we also work with Make-A-Wish,?Hearts for the Homeless, and UNYTS on a regular basis.

The Buffalo Zombie Walk & Pub Crawl for Charity was the very first combo of?a Walk & Pub Crawl to be held the same day back-to-back in the world. We?also formed what is now called the Terror Tech Zombie Blood Crew because of?this event. People of all walks of life join us in our mission to make a?difference in WNY--one event at a time. Soon after, we were being invited to all?kinds of events, parades, fairs, and festivals--to the point where we?can be seen?almost every weekend somewhere in WNY dressed up as Zombies.

I had no idea that we would be what we are today. I can honestly say we?have taken WNY by HORDE, wherever we go now we are recognized and?thanked for relentless hard work in raising awareness and helping the?community--from charity foundations to the complete strangers we helped?throw benefits for to cover medical expenses to doing thousands of free?zombie make-up for whoever wants it at events. We just want to make people?smile and forget about the daily grind some of us are caught up in. Who knew?dead people would be the hit of the party!

Today we stand up proud (well as much as a Zombie can) knowing we have?made Zombies & Charity work go hand-in-hand not only in WNY but across the?world. I have people worldwide who ask for guidance on throwing a Zombie?Walk in their hometown, and almost everybody is tossing in a charity to?benefit from it.

You too can be a hometown hero, it doesn't take brains. If a Zombie can?figure it out, then you can too. At Terror Technologies, We Play Dead So?Others May Live.

Being a fashion ZOMBIE requires not being afraid of getting bloody,?dirty, and ruining your clothes! The fun part is learning how to?apply special-effects makeup and to be sexy and scary at the same time.?The zombie trend isn't just for Halloween, it seems here in Buffalo that?it's a year-round job. Start zombifying and stocking up on fake?blood, create your own unique wardrobe, and learn to be scary.

See us walk at The Witches Ball, 5pm on October 31, 2012 (from City Hall to The Hotel @ The Lafayette) - Facebook

Uncle Sam's Army Navy Surplus Zombie photo shoot?turns video!!!!!

Uncle Sam's Army Navy Surplus Zombie photoshoot?on location in Larkinville!

CONTACT INFO:

Cheryl Gorski | Photographer & Creative Director ?716-903-0600 |?info@cherylgorski.com?| Also on Facebook specializing in: Fashion,?head shots/modeling/acting, editorial, portraits, bands/CD Press Kits,?corporate events, Web photography, runway

Cassie Rose: ?Social Media Director, specializing in visual?merchandising, styling, fashion editorial and Media arts, personal?shopper, and blogger. E-mail is?Cassandraelsaesser@yahoo.com?|?facebook-Cassie Rose | Twitter- CassieRosee

Dani Weiser: Make-up Artist |?www.hollywoodmakeupartist.net?|?716-348-1239 | Make-up teacher, weddings, TV, film, print, and SFX.?Hollywood Sunless Tanning, for appointments. Website is?www.hollywoodsunlesstanning.com. Please call for any questions.

Lucy Perrone-Mancuso: Prop Stylist | Owner of Moda 1509 Hertel Ave |?716-725-6636 | Specializing in accessories, antiques, jewelry,?furnishings, buy & sell, motion pictures/films, photo shoots.

Todd Warfield: Prop Stylist Extraordinaire | 716-289-1078 |?Specializing in special effects, production of designing and building?sets, theatre and photo shoots.

Michael Merisola: Set stylist & Expert in Antiques/Modern Furniture:
Owner of Coo Coo U 1478 Hertel Ave, Bflo | 716-432-6216 |
www.coocoou.com

Andrew Brown: Hair & Make-up Stylist and owner of Salon Rouge | 700?Elmwood Ave 716-884-1020. Specializing in Up Do's for weddings, color,?cuts, Halloween, runway, and photo shoots.

Kimberly Cohen: Casting Director and Model/actress for movies, plays,?photography and films.?kimcohen14@gmail.com, Twitter: kmcohen,?Facebook: Kimberly Cohen

Stephen L. Phillips of The Lodge Auction House & Banquet Center 212?Cazenovia St. Buffalo NY 14210?www.thelodgeauction.com?| 716-826-0168?| Specializing in: Estate & Business Liquidation, Antique Consignment,?On-Site Auctions, Estate Sales

John Marfoglia: Prop Stylist specializing in antiques, art, vintage?men's clothing, uniforms, instruments, gold buyers | 716-913-8549 |?jmarfoglia@aol.com?| 1484 Hertel Ave | Buffalo

Crystal Wicker : ?Fashion & Beauty Editor specializes in events,?concerts, and product reviews.?crystal.wicker@fashionmaniac.com

Nicole Ford: Style Editor specializes in fashion, runway, modeling, beauty,?product reviews, and accessories.?nicole.ford@fashionmaniac.com

Katie Gariepy: Stylist specializing in clothing design, styling for?photo shoots, movies, runway, window displays.?ktgariepy@gmail.com?716-361-4040

Marilyn Hammer: Stylist specializing in accessories, jewelry?designer, styling for photo shoots, movies, runway, and displays. Owner?of Adorned Immortal?www.adornedImmortal.com?716-906-9208Kara Weymouth: Fashion & Trend editor specializing in runway?reviews, blogging, product testing, and events.?Kara.Weymouth@fashionmaniac.com
Francis Son: Technology Editor specializing in Photography, runway,?events, food,?and studio. 312-972-3417

Steven Daniels: Make-up Artist specializing in fashion and commercial?photo shoots, film, runway,?cuts. Salon Manager ?at Hair To Go Natural 716-713-0094

Source: http://www.buffalorising.com/2012/10/zombies-invented-in-buffalo.html

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US authorities cracking down on free internet ? Moscow ? RT

Internet users fear the US may be preparing draconian legislation that could limit their freedoms online. Reuters / Gary Cameron

The United States is introducing new ways of censoring the internet, according to a parliamentary report entitled, "On Human Rights in the United States."

"The US government, private companies and organizations are tightening censorship of internet communication," the report by Russia?s Foreign Ministry said.

The parliamentary hearings devoted to the issue of human rights violations in the United States, discussed the passage of some US legislation that could be considered a form of censorship.

For example, the 63-page report pointed to the Children Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Adopted in 2000 following a Supreme Court ruling on the issue, CIPA makes the use of web filters in school libraries a mandatory condition for receiving government subsidies on telecom and internet services.

The report also slammed US government officials for placing indirect pressure on companies responsible for internet content.

"They are pushed to remove 'unwelcome' information from websites under the threat of prosecution," the report said.

The ministry cited a recent Google ?Transparency Report? that says the search engine site received 6,321 requests to release users? private data to US government agencies?? including law enforcement.

The report also revealed that the number of requests by US officials for removal of particular internet content had exploded by 103 percent year-on-year in July-December 2011.

US law enforcement agencies appealed for the removal of 1,400 'insulting' videos from YouTube, while there were some 6,300 appeals for data disclosure on more than 12,200 users.

Internet websites, including Google, complied with 93 percent of such appeals, the ministry noted, while adding that such measures represent a blatant disregard for the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

The Russian parliamentary session also criticized a proposed law in the US Congress, known as the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA).

"In the opinion of human rights defenders, CISPA?will practically grant the US government unlimited powers to monitor internet browsing by individuals," it said.

The Foreign Ministry?s warnings echo those of others, including Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the World Wide Web.

CISPA ?is threatening the rights of people in America, and effectively rights everywhere, because what happens in America tends to affect people all over the world,? Berners-Lee told the Guardian in an interview. ?Even though the SOPA and PIPA acts (US legislation to regulate the internet) were stopped by the huge public outcry, it's staggering how quickly the US government has come back with a new, different, threat to the rights of its citizens."

Meanwhile, Reporters without Borders warned that the cyber security bill now before the US Congress ?would allow the government and private companies to deploy draconian measures to monitor, even censor, the Web. It might even be used to close down sites that publish classified files or information."

Finally, the ministry also noted that the United States government is making inroads at using the internet as an instrument of propaganda.

"The US Central Command (Centcom) has already concluded an agreement with a California-based company Ntrepid to develop software, which will assist the manipulation of social network debates abroad, primarily in the Middle East and Central Asia.

Artificial online ?personas? will spread pro-American propaganda and block undesirable comments,? the report warned.

Robert Bridge, RT

Source: http://rt.com/politics/us-internet-human-rights-duma-report-russia-113/

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Shark falls from sky onto Calif. golf course

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (AP) ? Golf club employees in Southern California came to the rescue when a shark dropped out of the sky and flopped around on the 12th tee.

San Juan Hills Golf Club operations director Melissa McCormack says a course marshal found the leopard shark Monday afternoon and brought it to the clubhouse. It had puncture wounds where it appeared a bird had snagged it from the Pacific Ocean, about five miles away.

They stuck the approximately 2-pound shark into fresh water before somebody remembered it came from the sea, so they got some sea salt from the kitchen and mixed it in.

Another employee rushed the shark to the ocean where McCormack says it was very still for a few seconds before twisting around and speeding off.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2012-10-25-Falling%20Shark/id-db2f4e8029d84eb0a6e613147a222d8f

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Romney May End Hospital Visitation Rights For Many Gay Couples ...

It?s known that Romney stands against rights for LGBT people.

In August 2011 he signed the National Organization for Marriage?s (NOM) pledge to stand against marriage equality, appoint Supreme Court justices who would also oppose marriage equality, and support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would block the federal government from ever recognizing marriages between gays and lesbians. It should also be noted that Romney won the endorsement of the virulently anti-gay NOM after signing the pledge. It was later revealed that Romney also happens to be a major contributor to NOM. And all this despite a 1994 interview in which he said he would be ?better than Ted [Kennedy]? on gay rights.

This week Romney apparently believes that it should be up to the states to decide whether or not a spouse or child of gay and lesbian men and women should have the right to visit their loved ones in the hospital. He believes that being able to visit a dying spouse in the hospital is a ?privilege,? not a right. Following mixed messages from Romney regarding his pledged support for the federal anti-gay-marriage amendment, Romney campaign adviser Bay Buchanan told Buzzfeed?s Chris Geidner, ?Governor Romney also believes, consistent with the 10th Amendment, that it should be left to states to decide whether to grant same-sex couples certain benefits, such as hospital visitation rights and the ability to adopt children.?

In April 2010, recognizing the extraordinary miscarriage of justice and horrifying stories of families being split apart when fathers, mothers, husbands and wives were barred from visiting one another in the hospital, Barack Obama signed an executive order mandating that any hospital that receives government funding (including Medicare and Medicaid) recognize the relationships between gays and lesbians. One of the inspirations for the signing of this bill was the story of Janice Langbehn, who, along with their adopted children, was barred from visiting her wife as she lay dying in a Florida hospital.

By combining support for same-sex marriage and civil unions for same-sex couples that provide the same benefits as marriage, a May 2012 poll showed that 62 percent of Americans support equal legal recognition of LGBT relationships.

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Source: http://www.mygayonline.com/romney-may-end-hospital-visitation-rights-for-many-gay-couples.html

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ECB's Draghi faces German lawmakers

The president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, left, and the President of the German Federal Parliament, Bundestag, Norbert Lammert, right, arrive for a meeting with members of the parliament in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012. Draghi meets with German lawmakers to discuss his plans to buy bonds of ailing eurozone members. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

The president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, left, and the President of the German Federal Parliament, Bundestag, Norbert Lammert, right, arrive for a meeting with members of the parliament in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012. Draghi meets with German lawmakers to discuss his plans to buy bonds of ailing eurozone members. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

The president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, center, the Bank's member of the Board, Joerg Asmussen, left, and the President of the German Federal Parliament, Bundestag, Norbert Lammert, right, arrive for a meeting with members of the parliament in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012. Draghi meets with German lawmakers to discuss his plans to buy bonds of ailing eurozone members. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

The president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, left, and the President of the German Federal Parliament, Bundestag, Norbert Lammert, right, arrive for a meeting with members of the parliament in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012. Draghi meets with German lawmakers to discuss his plans to buy bonds of ailing eurozone members. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

BERLIN (AP) ? The European Central Bank's president told German lawmakers Wednesday that his controversial bond-buying plan won't stoke inflation and will not allow struggling countries to backslide on economic reforms.

In an effort to win over skeptical public opinion in Europe's biggest economy, Mario Draghi met members of the German Parliament's budget, finance and European affairs committees in a closed-doors meeting at the Reichstag building in Berlin.

The ECB last month announced its plan to buy unlimited amounts of short-term bonds of troubled euro economies ? a program aimed at keeping a lid on the borrowing costs of indebted countries such as Spain and Italy.

Even though the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel supports the plan, the president of Germany's central bank, Jens Weidmann, argues that they come too close to using the ECB's power to print money to support governments' finances directly, which the bank isn't allowed to do under its legal statutes. And there are worries in Germany that unlimited bond purchases could undermine the ECB's official mission of fighting inflation.

Draghi tackled those concerns in opening remarks to the gathering released by the ECB, insisting that investors' "unfounded fears about the future of the euro area had to be removed."

"The only way to do so was to establish a fully credible backstop against disaster scenarios," he said, adding that "we have to understand how markets work."

Draghi highlighted the fact that the bond-buying will only be triggered once countries apply for help from European rescue funds ? which impose conditions for granting aid.

And, he insisted, the purchases "will not lead to inflation."

"In our assessment, the greater risk to price stability is currently falling prices in some euro area countries," he said. "In this sense, (bond purchases) are not in contradiction to our mandate: in fact, they are essential for ensuring we can continue to achieve it."

The ECB head argued that the program "will not lead to disguised financing of governments" because bonds will be bought from investors on so-called secondary markets, not from governments.

Draghi repeated his oft-stated mantra that it is up to governments to fix their finances, reform their economies and work together to improve the eurozone's structure ? something that is line with official thinking in Germany.

He maintained that bond purchases won't create "excessive risks" for European taxpayers because "such risks would only materialize if a country were to run unsound policies." But that, he added, is "explicitly prohibited" by eurozone rescue fund programs.

No country has yet sought to tap the new ECB program, though Spain faces pressure to do so given the parlous state of its economy and its elevated borrowing costs.

Germany's Parliament would have to approve any application for money from the eurozone's own rescue funds ? an application that is necessary before the ECB can act to assist a eurozone nation.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-10-24-Germany-ECB-Draghi/id-827aa4454a9d43c59771ad26ad62ff0c

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Will Barca overlook Celtic?

A Champions League match in Russia means Tuesday will have an early kickoff, though with no points through two rounds, Spartak?s provided little more to the tournament than staggered start times. Their early match against Benfica isn?t technically a must win, but it?s difficult to see how Spartak get out of Group G with a loss.

The game in Moscow is the day?s opening act, with Barcelona-Celtic ? Group G?s other match ? part of the seven-match slate that kicks off at 2:45 p.m. Eastern.

Spartak Moscow (Russia) vs. Benfica (Portugal)

Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, 11:00 a.m. Eastern

Spartak is in a mini-crisis, having lost three matches in a row for the first time since 2009. That may not sound so horrible, but there are a few augmenting factors:

• Because of the international break, the losing streak means Spartak haven?t won since Sept. 29.
• Once of the losses was a huge derby match with CSKA Moscow, a match Spartak lost 2-0.
• Another was an embarrassing Champions League loss to Celtic, the game which looked like Spartak?s most likely victory when tournament groups were drawn.
• This being Unai Emery?s first season as head coach, an early downturn naturally raises doubts about his fitness for the job.

That?s part of the reason Emery?s labeled Tuesday?s match as ?crucial,? though that status has as much to do with tournament implications as it does mounting pressure. Having lost their first two games of the competition, it may be now or never time for Spartak, particularly considering they?re facing Benfica (the team directly above them in the standings). Another home loss and every other Group G team will be (at least) four points ahead of Spartak.

Benfica have their own reasons for urgency, sitting on one point after two rounds. They failed to take advantage of a Celtic team that couldn?t manage a shot on target, and while nobody expected them to win their second match (against Barcelona), they remain without a win or a goal.

Coach Jorge Jesus doesn?t seem concerned. While, like Emery, he conceded the match was very important to Benfica?s chance to finish second (nobody?s even faking a chance of besting Barcelona), Jesus also hinted at a wait-and-see approach. He expects Spartak to play desperately and take chances. He?ll adjust his tactics accordingly.

Read between the lines, and we may again see a Benfica team that?s more concerned with the other team?s attack than their own. While that makes sense for a team on the road in Champions League, at some point Benfica is going to have to be more proactive. If they?re waiting for the right place and time, they could return to Lisbon in fourth in their group.

From Spartak head coach Unai Emery:

?The coaching staff has conducted an internal review and we have an understanding and appreciation of why we have been losing.?

From Benfica head coach Jorge Jesus:

? The game is very important, because there are three teams battling for second place in the group. If we manage to get a good result, then it will be just us and Celtic bidding for that second qualification spot.?

UEFA Preview

Barcelona (Spain) vs. Celtic (Scotland)

Camp Nou, Barcelona, 2:45 p.m. Eastern

Sitting on four points, Celtic is one of the surprises of the tournament, though their results require some explanation if we?re trying to assess the Bhoys? quality. Celtic had more points than shots on goal after their draw with Benfica in Glasgow, and although they took an early look in Moscow, they needed a dismissal and an own goal to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 win. Neil Lennon deserves credit for getting Celtic into a position to compete for the knockout round, but it?s unclear his side is much better than a team picked to finish last in this group.

We?re unlikely to get any clarity on Tuesday. Celtic are huge underdogs to Barcelona, though a loss wouldn?t damage their chances at second place. None of Braga, Celtic, or Spartak expected any points from Bar?a. Any result they get from the group favorites will be considered a bonus.

For Barcelona, focus will be the primary concern. Though they?re big favorites against Celtic, they can?t take anything for granted, as their matchday one struggles against Spartak showed. Late in the Russians? visit to Camp Nou, Spartak held a 2-1 lead before a Lionel Messi double lifted Barcelona to victory. Coming off three weekend goals, Messi?s certainly in the right form to replicate that output, but if Bar?a comes into this match prepared, he won?t need to.

From Barcelona head coach Tito Vilanova:

?Maybe people didn?t take Celtic seriously at the start of the season, but we do ? Celtic?s pace and the fact that they have tall players for set pieces are what worry me the most about them.?

From Celtic manager Neil Lennon:

? We?re not here on holiday or for the tourist attractions ? We can try to stop balls reaching Messi. Better teams and better coaches than myself have tried to stop him and failed, so we shall see what we can do.?

UEFA Preview

Source: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/23/uefa-champions-league-2012-group-g-preview-barcelona-2/related

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Obama, Romney battle over foreign policy

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Is Lance Armstrong's downfall now complete?

PARIS (AP) ? There was an Armstrong who walked on the moon and another, Louis, who sang sweet jazz. But Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France winner?

That never happened.

"He deserves to be forgotten in cycling," the sport's boss, Pat McQuaid, said Monday as he erased Armstrong's victories from the record books of the race that made him a global celebrity.

It felt ? and was ? truly momentous. The crash-landing in a spectacular plunge from grace. The moment of impact between the truth and years of lies. Official acceptance ? first from the head of cycling's governing body, then from the boss of the Tour ? that the fairytale of a cancer survivor who won the world's most storied bicycle race was, in fact, the biggest fraud in the history of sport.

"A landmark day for cycling," McQuaid, president of the International Cycling Union, said at a news conference in Geneva. "Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling."

In Paris, at another press call, Tour director Christian Prudhomme added: "Lance Armstrong is no longer the winner of the Tour de France from 1999-2005."

Sports stars have imploded before. There were Marion Jones' tears outside a U.S. District Court in 2007 after the three-time Olympic champion pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about her use of performance-enhancing drugs. There are dark stains of doping on plenty of other big names, past and present, in other sports, too. Sports and doping have long gone together, because as long as people are trying to win, there'll always be some who will do that by cheating.

But no sporting icon peddled a tale quite like Armstrong's: the Texan from a broken home who became a world champion, then was struck down by testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain, but who still rolled up in 1999 at the Tour, a three-week test so tough that it has defeated many men who didn't endure gut-wrenching chemotherapy and carry the scars of tumor-removing surgery.

The previous year, 1998, had been a disaster for the Tour ? with a major drug bust and police raids at the race. Armstrong ? bold, brash and, as it turned out, unbeatable ? seemed a year later like a fresh start. His back-from-the-dead story brought new interest and life for cycling, and the Tour that had been sickened by riders' rampant use of a banned blood-booster, EPO, then undetectable. For other people affected by the disease he survived, Armstrong became the living embodiment of the idea that willpower can overcome any obstacle ? be it cancer or the Alps.

"I hope this sends out a fantastic message to all the cancer patients and survivors around the world," Armstrong said on winning his first Tour, setting the tone and framing his story for the years to come. "We can return to what we were before ? and be even better."

Armstrong was, in short, a survivor and a winner. That combination made him appear like a monument to many, both in and outside cycling. It made him rich, friendly with presidents and pop stars, and enabled his Livestrong cancer-fighting foundation to raise hundreds of millions of dollars. It also gave him influence and a moral high ground he used to silence and belittle critics who dared to suggest he was doping, that his story was too good to be true.

"I've done too many good things for too many people," Armstrong said in own defense in 2010.

The doping doubts were always there from 1999, even if too few sports administrators, sponsors, journalists and other riders paid sufficient attention to them. A positive urine test for banned corticosteroids at the 1999 Tour was explained away and covered up by one of Armstrong's doctors, a former team masseuse testified years later. A book in 2004 where the same masseuse said she gave Armstrong makeup to hide needle marks on his arm was met with writs from Armstrong's lawyers and furious denials from him. In 2005, a French newspaper reported that laboratory researchers in Paris found EPO in Armstrong's urine samples from the 1999 Tour, test results that raised yet more suspicions but couldn't be used to sanction him.

"Witch hunt," Armstrong said.

That became one of his favored phrases.

It was the same one he used in 2010, when federal investigator Jeff Novitzky dug into doping in cycling and Armstrong's role in it.

It was the phrase Armstrong directed at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency ? the organization that eventually nailed him, succeeding where everyone else and hundreds of drug tests failed.

USADA did that by getting former teammates to talk. Novitzky's investigation, abruptly shut down by U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. with no explanation this February, at least seems to have had the merit of helping to loosen tongues.

The Feds "placed a gun and a badge on the table," said McQuaid, and the Great Wall of Silence that teammates had maintained around Armstrong and their shared secrets crumbled.

USADA's 1,000-page dossier, published Oct. 10, was damning because it included affidavits from 11 of Armstrong's former teammates ? page after page of testimony about injections with EPO and banned blood transfusions, of being supplied with EPO by Armstrong and seeing him inject, of being pressured to dope and bullied by Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel, the team manager and brains behind Armstrong's Tour wins.

The weight, the detail, the precision of the testimonies was together so much more compelling than the fact that Armstrong, as he so liked to remind everyone, never failed a drug test. In fact, it helped elucidate how that could be.

Former teammates explained how they used subterfuge to beat testers. Tyler Hamilton said they simply hid, not answering the door if a sample collector showed up. Doctors helped with dosages and injection methods so drugs would flush quickly out of their systems. There was no test, and still isn't, to show that riders were re-injecting themselves with bags of their own blood. Bruyneel seemed to know in advance when testers were coming, Jonathan Vaughters and David Zabriskie testified.

USADA's report looked so complete that for McQuaid and his federation to ignore the evidence would have been almost unthinkable. There was speculation before his Monday press call about what McQuaid would say. In hindsight, however, it was clear he had little choice but to rubber-stamp USADA's conclusions, ban Armstrong and take away his Tour wins, white-out all that yellow ? the color of the Tour leader's maillot jaune jersey ? that he had expropriated as his color and that of Livestrong.

"I was sickened by what I read in the USADA report," McQuaid said.

Now, on the wreckage of the demolition of the Armstrong myth, cycling has to rebuild its credibility. There's a mountain of still unanswered questions about who else may have facilitated doping in the Armstrong years, who else was involved, whether they should be encouraged to confess and how that might be done. Can McQuaid's federation, long suspected of being cozy with Armstrong, be trusted to clean up? Should top riders be chaperoned 24/7 at the next Tour to ensure they're not still trying to beat what McQuaid said is now an improved anti-doping system?

"Cycling has a future," McQuaid said. Quoting John Kennedy, he said cycling's biggest crisis is also "an opportunity."

But this didn't feel like the time or place for that ? not when the frightening enormity of the past is still sinking in.

Armstrong ? a pariah in the sport that turned him from a nobody into a somebody and, now, back into a nobody again.

"This is the story of a real talent who lost his way," said Prudhomme, the Tour director.

That downfall cannot, should not, be forgotten.

___

John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/column-lance-armstrongs-downfall-now-complete-211737588--spt.html

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 155 - 10.21.2012

Since we missed you so much last week we have prepared an Engadget Mobile Podcast MAXX Edition for you to feast your hungry ears upon: dial it in and be prepared to have your wildest mobile news fantasies unfold before you.

Hosts: Myriam Joire (tnkgrl), Brad Molen
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Tycho - Coastal Brake (Ghostly International)

00:02:12 - Samsung Galaxy Note II review
00:41:22 - LG Optimus G review: a quad-core powerhouse with Nexus aspirations
01:02:00 - T-Mobile schedules new product event on October 29th
01:17:25 - LG outs Jelly Bean update itinerary (for the Korean market, anyway)
01:23:05 - ASUS PadFone 2 hands-on in Taipei (updated with video)
01:34:30 - Droid RAZR HD and RAZR MAXX HD review
01:45:00 - KDDI unveils HTC J Butterfly (HTL21), the first phone with 5-inch 1080p display
01:57:30 - Samsung Galaxy S III mini pops up, we go hands-on (video)
02:09:10 - Hands-on with Google's $249, ARM-based Chromebook (update: video)

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 155 - 10.21.2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Oct 2012 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Armstrong says last few weeks 'difficult'

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? Lance Armstrong greeted about 4,300 cyclists at his Livestrong charity's fund-raiser bike ride Sunday, then retreated into privacy as cycling officials get set to announce if they will appeal his lifetime ban and loss of seven Tour de France titles ordered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Armstrong spoke briefly at the sunrise start of the ride, telling the crowd he's faced a "very difficult" few weeks. But he did not otherwise mention USADA's report detailing evidence of performance-enhancing drug use by Armstrong and his teams or the sanctions.

International Cycling Union (UCI) President Pat McQuaid has scheduled a Monday news conference in Geneva where he's expected to announce if the sport's governing body will accept or appeal the sanctions to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

"I've been better, but I've also been worse," Armstrong, a cancer survivor, told the crowd, repeating a line from his remarks at Livestrong's 15th anniversary celebration Friday night.

Armstrong wore a black t-shirt instead of the charity's signature yellow derived from the yellow jerseys given to the winner of the Tour de France.

"Live strong, be safe," Armstrong said before the first riders left the gate.

Armstrong stepped down as chairman of Livestrong on Wednesday. That same day, most of his personal sponsors, including Nike and brewing giant Anheuser-Busch, dropped their contracts with him or said they would not renew when current deals expire.

USADA has said Armstrong should be banned and stripped of his Tour de France his titles for what the agency called "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen" within his U.S. Postal Service and Discovery Channel teams.

The USADA report said Armstrong and his teams used steroids, the blood booster EPO and blood transfusions. The report included statements from 11 former teammates who testified against Armstrong.

Armstrong denies doping, pointing to hundreds of passed drug tests. But he chose not to fight USADA in one of the agency's arbitration hearings, saying the process was biased against him. Former Armstrong team director Johan Bruyneel is also facing doping charges, but he is challenging the USADA case in arbitration.

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme is waiting on the UCI's decision before removing Armstrong's name from the record books as the race prepares to celebrate its centenary edition next year.

Armstrong won consecutive Tours from 1999-2005. Prudhomme said the Tour will have no official winners for the seven races Armstrong won if he is stripped of his victories by the UCI.

USADA has said the Tour titles should not be given to other riders who finished on the podium. The agency said 20 of the 21 riders on the podium in the Tour from 1999 through 2005 have been "directly tied to likely doping through admissions, sanctions, public investigations" or other means. It added that of the 45 riders on the podium between 1996 and 2010, 36 were by cyclists "similarly tainted by doping."

Several riders at Sunday's event, which organizers said raised $1.7 million, said they support Armstrong completely or separate his cycling career from his charitable work. Livestrong has raised about $500 million to fight cancer and support victims since it was founded in 1997.

"If he did it, he should face the consequences," said Sonya Garrison, who was riding in memory of her grandfather and to support a friend with cancer. "But this is for the cause. More people are here for the cause than just for him."

Rider Steve Weinberg said he's "still a Lance fan" regardless of the doping charges.

"I think everyone was doing it back then," Weinberg said, noting Armstrong's passed drug tests. "That whole thing needs to go away."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-10-21-Armstrong-Doping/id-6748c5319a7c443e9386a868ece7f7b0

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In Connecticut, a Democrat struggles to pull ahead (reuters)

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Life in Uruguay: legal abortion and pot dealing

FILE - In this Oct. 25, 2009, file photo Uruguay's President Jose Mujica, 74, stands in a tractor on his flower farm on the outskirts of Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday. Uruguayans used to call their country the Switzerland of Latin America, but its faded grey capital seems a bit more like Amsterdam now that its congress legalized abortion on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012, and is drawing up plans to sell government-grown marijuana. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico, file)

FILE - In this Oct. 25, 2009, file photo Uruguay's President Jose Mujica, 74, stands in a tractor on his flower farm on the outskirts of Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday. Uruguayans used to call their country the Switzerland of Latin America, but its faded grey capital seems a bit more like Amsterdam now that its congress legalized abortion on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012, and is drawing up plans to sell government-grown marijuana. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico, file)

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) ? Uruguayans used to call their country the Switzerland of Latin America, but its faded grey capital seems a bit more like Amsterdam now that its congress has legalized abortion and is drawing up plans to sell government-grown marijuana.

Both measures would be unthinkable in many other countries. Cuba is the only other nation in the region that makes first-trimester abortions accessible to all women, and no country in the world produces and sells pot for drug users to enjoy.

But President Jose "Pepe" Mujica, a flower-farming former leftist guerrilla, vowed to sign whatever bill congress could settle on that can minimize the 30,000 illegal abortions his government says Uruguayan women suffer annually.

And while lawmakers have yet to debate pot sales, Mujica's ruling Broad Front coalition staked its ground in August by openly declaring that the drug war has failed. Smoking pot ? if not growing and selling it ? is already legal in Uruguay, and supplying the weed is a $30 million business, the government said.

This is democracy "a la Uruguaya" ? the Uruguayan way ? a phrase that reflects both the pride and the unmet promises of a society where finding common ground is a highly shared value, in stark contrast to many other countries where voters are divided by us-and-them politics.

Such outsized respect for the democratic process has enabled the country of 3.4 million people wedged between Argentina and Brazil to reach consensus on many issues that have stymied bigger and richer nations, from reforming health care to providing free university educations, to setting ambitious renewable energy goals. By embracing compromises, Uruguay has managed to hold onto its middle class through repeated economic crises, and pass laws that have consistently improved its citizens' quality of life.

But Uruguayans are increasingly concluding that Mujica has been too conciliatory ? too aloof ? and what they need now is more hands-on management. They love his crotchedy homespun humor and his man-of-the-people image, but they say Uruguay could benefit from a bit more decisiveness, historian Gerardo Caetano said.

Mujica, who entered politics after spending 14 years in prison during Uruguay's dictatorship, is an unusual leader by any standard.

He gives away 90 percent of his salary, doesn't have a bank account, drives a 41-year-old Volkswagen and never wears a tie. Now 77 and nearing the end of his five-year term, he has been talking a lot lately about stepping back and finding the joy in simple things, reflecting a personal style that goes to extremes of austerity.

"Mujica is a very strange, singular figure and yet he expresses this singular desire that Uruguayans in general have," Caetano said during an interview in his Montevideo apartment, where thousands of books spilled off the shelves. "Uruguayans like having unusual politicians, but they don't like authoritarians. They don't want leaders who are remote or confrontational."

"In Argentina, government is whatever the president says it is. Here, no president defines his performance without negotiation, and especially not Mujica. He really doesn't like to give orders. He doesn't want to be the chief," Caetano said. "In Uruguay, imposing things just doesn't work."

Creating a police state to take on drug traffickers would be anathema to Uruguayans, who have long been among the most secular, socially liberal and highly educated people in Latin America. Instead, the government hopes to drive traffickers out of business by providing a better service to drug users.

And in another reflection of Uruguay's national character, both the abortion and marijuana initiatives are intended to exclude foreigners. Only Uruguayans will benefit from these moves.

Still, many Uruguayans aren't exactly happy about either measure.

The activists who won the abortion battle last week applauded just briefly and then left the senate gallery complaining about the concessions they made.

"This is a solution very much 'a la Uruguaya,'" said Romina Napilote, a 27-year-old sociologist with the Pro-Derechos group who worries that the 10 pages of fine print added to win over a few reluctant lawmakers will end up forcing more women into risky clandestine abortions.

"We are very conciliating, always addressing what the conservatives want and trying for the middle ground," she said. "It's an issue in our political culture ... Living in a society with so much tolerance for the opinions of others also holds us back."

For filmmaker Pablo Stoll, whose movies have captured the essence of everyday life in Montevideo, "the Uruguayan way" satisfies no one.

"It means getting halfway there and not taking responsibility for the other 50 percent," he said while sipping coffee in La Florida, a corner bar full of stalwarts from the local communist party chapter.

"I grew up with the conviction that there would be utopias, and we haven't gotten there yet," he said, dismissing both the marijuana and abortion measures as likely to fail or be overturned. "At some point you have to take a stand ? you can't always be with one foot on each side of the line."

That feeling is reflected in Mujica's polling numbers. He enjoyed 66 percent popularity ratings when he was elected with 51 percent of the vote in 2009, but his numbers have plunged, to 43 percent last month. And when asked about his performance, Uruguayans are even more critical: only 36 percent approve, compared to 42 percent disapprove. The CIFRA tracking poll of 802 voters had an error margin of 3.4 percent.

But Mujica is very much a product of his society, one where a series of reforms in the early 1900s established Montevideo as a socially liberal bastion in a region where the Roman Catholic Church still has huge influence. The reforms separated Church and State, removed religion from public schools and legalized divorce long before other countries did.

They were so committed to the idea of the collective good that they banned colorful paint on the facades of buildings, all of which had to remain the same color as their original materials. This is why so many of Montevideo's concrete buildings remain grey even today, Caetano said.

"No one more than anyone else" was a common lecture to immigrants arriving in the port of Montevideo in those days, reflecting a disdain for people who tried to stand above or apart from the rest.

"Mujica loves this phrase ? he repeats it all the time," Caetano said. "It means the rich are less rich and the poor are less poor. It also means avoiding conflicts, trying to soften clashes with your opponents and looking to make deals instead."

He bought the sky-blue Beetle, his only declared asset, before becoming president in 2010, replacing a Vespa scooter that he and his wife, Sen. Lucia Topolansky, used to ride together to Congress from their farm in the working-class "Rincon del Cerro," or "corner of the hill" neighborhood in Montevideo's gritty outskirts.

"They say I'm the world's poorest president. Let me tell you that I'm not poor! Poor are those who need too much," he said Thursday while getting an honorary degree at Argentina's Universidad de La Plata, the day after the final abortion vote.

"I discovered the keys to this in the jail cells, when I couldn't read. If I hadn't spent those years there, I wouldn't be who I am, because one learns more from pain than from bounty," he said. "That's why, the night when I had a mattress, I felt happy. How is it possible, therefore, that we spend our lives poisoned with desperation to buy a new car every two years? If I could, I would live much more simply."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-21-Uruguay-Mujica's%20Country/id-cb02e4df0c264b99983beb40ace7dd91

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Paragam, the City

In a realm of magic, war rages. Will the continent be consumed by strife, or will the people unite against the greater danger?

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Paragam, the City

While other smaller cities exist in Id-Heren, in Spelheim, Paragam has monopolized the word. Scholars occasionally still use the traditional name, but not many Citians know it, and it is not uncommon for them to mistake Paragam as a Northern word for the Spelheim capital.

Architecture
When approaching the City from the outside, one can only see the pure-white Wall, with the Council Spire just barely topping it in height. The Wall surrounds the City with a circle of stone, created out of what appears to be seamless white marble. It is high enough that no man could possibly sling a scaling hook across its parapeted battlements. The Wall existed before the City grew to fill it.

To enter the city, one must pass through one of the heavily-guarded checkpoints at the base of the wall. Without proof of prior residence, any visitor is turned away. The sole exceptions to this are awakened countryside magicians, who must enter the City by law. Close family is allowed to come as well. The passageways through the Wall let in light through numerous murder-holes, and are narrow enough for two men to stand their ground against an army.

Though some overlap exists, the City has three distinct districts.

The Housing is where the commoners live and work. Most buildings here have a uniform look to them ? people live in row houses made out of red brick, and workshops and stores may only differ in the sign boards hanging from their walls. Small, magical aqueducts run through the middle of some of the streets, sometimes ending (or beginning) in fountains. They provide the people with water for drinking and washing, with enchantments keeping the water clean. The stone-paved streets are kept free from filth, but not to the extent as is done in the High.

The High is where the nobility makes its home, and it houses most schools and other institutes for higher education. The more affluent nobles may own multiple estates within the City. The mansions they build are often a competitive show of wealth ? wildly decorated, expensively furnished, and staffed by a small army of servants. Plant life is more common here, and some nobles maintain enchanted greenhouses. The High?s mechanical and magical defenses are always at odds with thieves from the Old.

The Old is the most ancient part of the City. The streets are filthy with human waste, and the buildings decayed in their antiquity. All manner of constructions exist here in close proximity: decayed, regal mansions go back-to-back with rat-infested shacks. Parents warn their children to stay away from the Old City. The impoverished and the criminal form gangs here, hiding from the Council?s constables.

In the very center of the City, a perfectly circular lake exists. The waters are clear and clean, and in summer, many Citians can be found swimming in these waters. Children dare each other to swim to the center, where a small patch of land holds the Council Spire. In actuality, the lake is not so much a lake as it is a gigantic moat. The Spire is an abnormally high tower made from the same marble as the City Wall, where supposedly, the Council gathers to govern the country. In the Old, a persistent superstition says that, when you can see the spire, the spire can see you.

People
The people living within the City have no particular ethnic differences with the people living outside of the Wall. However, the majority has never left the City, and possess a learned, yet limited world view. Many believe Northerners call themselves Northerners, for example.

Magicians wear no special clothes, though magicians-in-training at the academy wear robed uniforms. Out in the streets, mages can only be told apart by a ring they wear, set with a colored jewel that signifies their Domain. Magicians of both genders often have short hair, however. This isn?t a requirement ? it is simply common for magicians to, at some point in their education, catch on fire.

Government and politics
The City is governed by the Council, which is in charge of legislation, and keeps the law through its constables and military. It is made up of leaders of prominent noble houses. Council seats are passed on to an appropriate heir, or can be relinquished to another house, or even sold. Considerable competition and blackmail exists between houses to attain a seat on the Council.

It is virtually impossible for an outsider to gain entry into the City. The reverse is not true ? commoners and nobles are welcome to leave, but the former group may have difficulty getting back in once they?re out, depending on the admission guard?s humour. Bribing one?s way in is complicated by multiple checkpoints with randomized guards.

For a magician, the situation is the exact opposite. They are legally obligated to live in the City, unless given leave to live at the island academy off the western coast. City magicians may not pass the Wall without military escort to a battlefield. While magic is considered divine, magic users are said to be servants of the Maker, and therefore servants of the City. Those with useful Talents are worked hard, while those with less useful Talents are put to recharging enchantments set by other mages in the same magical Domain.

For a noble-born magician, it is possible to pay a fee and waive this duty. They may still not leave the City, however, and magicians have not been allowed to hold a Council seat since the Void Witch incident ? a gruesome event in the history of the City, in which a magician with strange magic murdered thousands in a few hours. Concealing one?s magic is considered high treason.

Religion
To the Council, the Church of the Maker is a tool before it is a power, and it does not occupy itself much with those living beyond the walls of the City. The Writ of the Maker, the holy scripture, has been actively simplified and tailored to the Council's needs. While blasphemous, someone within the Council has good reason to believe the City's origin had nothing divine in it.

The Writ states the Maker created the world, and the City as its focal point. Magic and the military superiority of Spelheim are considered proof of this. The Maker is said to be all-knowing, weighing sin and tallying prayer. Church services are every morning, and it is customary to go at least every other day. With the Veil gone, the Church has been rallying people under the banner of human superiority.

The Church of the Maker only has a single festivity: Starless Night, celebrated on the winter solstice. Magicians produce such fire spectacles in the sky over the City, the light completely blots out the stars.

Currently recruiting players for a large-scale medieval fantasy roleplay. Please take a look.

Seirei

Member for 2 years

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