http://www.cancer.org/abo...pyou/about-us-research

And that link is supposed to do what???

It's like a doorway.

It doesn't do anything.

You can walk by or go in and explore.


best regards,
mike

I asked for YOUR thoughts:-)

My thoughts are that I really like the message that Livestrong promotes. It is a message I have been promoting since before Lance Armstrong won his very first work night time trial.

A few years ago when I heard that the American Cancer Society was issuing press about their feelings that they could make good use of the budget Livestrong operates on, the idea made me curious and I went off to read the details.

Personally, I'm glad that after it's all said and done that ACS donates $130 million annually on actual research... and then promotes education and awareness above and beyond that.

Livestrong's non profit budget is something like $36 million and almost none of that ends up as research money for finding a cure.

I think that perhaps... they could donate some money to finding a cure...  their official policy is that they feel they are better uses of their time and money.

It's also useful to understand that half of Livestrong is a for profit operation that sells info and stuff... a lot of the advertising and promotion that LIvestrong shares adds cross value for both Livestrongs... so yes, they have a powerful media presence that does a great job of promoting health and wellness.

Good for them.

The fact that they have based their fund raising on the charisma of a criminal and perjurer isn't the fault of any critic of Lance Armstrong. 


The guy, his coaches, and his training doctors pissed all over a wonderful, healthy outdoor atheletics lifestyle and spear headed the ruination of a world wide sport from the pro ranks to the very bottom of the local amateur weekend races. The sport has been invaded by dope heads just like Lance all to the pleasure and profit of sports marketers, sporting product manufacturers, and the odd corporate sponsor.




I have come to the personal opinion that the American Cancer Society was, is and will be doing a pretty good job in the fight against cancer.


I'm glad someone is.


all the best,
mike


  

...oh and every time the gentle folks at RadioShack ask me if I want to donate a dollar to Livestrong to fund a cure for Cancer I just shake my head.

If he is finally coming clean here it's very brave. I hope he doesn't get dumped on to bad by the media and the general public- it might end up like that nurse in the recent Kate Middleton case.

Drugs and cycling are not a new thing- there are soprts of crazy quotes from the early 20th century and many many deaths- guys who didn't have good doctors died in their sleeps because their hearts slowed down too much. So they  hooked themselves up to machines that woke them up when their rate slowed too much so they could jump out of bed and do some exercise before the blood got too thick.

Was there a modern cyclist who was 100 per cent clean? Yes, Christophe Bassoons- his nickname was Mr Clean and he did damage to his body trying to keep up with the druggies. 

If you want a cautionary tale and video of cycling and drugs there is video footage of Tom Simpson dying on his bike thru exhaustion on the tdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4viqf-qL9I

I read a few articles about LA yesterday and one guy had a good point- all the cyclists who doped should come out- don't leave one guy to hang out and dry.

 

mike_mccue

craigb


So...  If everyone in the Tour De France really was doping, then wasn't it still a level playing field and Lance was the best?

One obvious concern is that the people who do not have the budget to hire Dr. Ferrari or his proteges don't have access to the proper medical information or expertise.


Over a dozen professional riders have died trying to stay level by using the same drugs without adequate supervision.


Countless amateurs have made the same mistakes and ruined their bodies potential to ever be competitive.


Many amateurs were used as guinea pigs when these drugs were tested and left with lifelong health issues. 


Many low level riders who tested hot were simply thrown out of the system. They were used by doctors to experiment with ways to administer dosages and techniques in an effort to learn how to beat the screening tests. Many of these riders didn't even know they were taking drugs. The most expensive doctors will help you beat the tests. They have great experience and have they left a lot of people on the side of the road while developing their expertise.


There is a legacy of carnage left behind by the industry that promoted drugs in competitive cycling. It's a big long scar.


The guys with the good money are the ones who take the drugs and rarely get sick or caught.










The drugs have not leveled the playing field... they have created a disparity that is wider than at any time in the history of sport.








The worst part was having witnessed it enter the amateur ranks and ruin our sport. The true gentleman and women simply drifted away and left the sport to the ruination brought on by a culture of shallowness and winning at any cost. In the 70's and 80's it was self correcting... the drugs ruined the athletes and they disappeared from the scene after a brief moment of glory. By the nineties the drugs and dosages were working real real good... and that ruined the entire sport to the profit of sports marketing empires.






best regards,
mike

Sorry to waste your time there Mike.  I forgot to enclose my statement in the correct [sarcasm][/sarcasm] tags.

 
Not a good time for the Armstrongs of late...
 
Of course there's Lance, and the ongoing business over his performance enhancing drug taking.
 
And dear old Neil, the first man to walk on the surface of another world, has recently shuffled off this mortal coil.
 
Let's just hope that their brother 'Stretch' is alright.