Why do cheaters always lie? Do the two go hand in hand? If you get caught cheating, is it just commonplace to lie about it too?

Tests show that some of the testosterone in Floyd Landis’ system at the Tour de France was synthetic and not naturally produced by his body as he claimed, according to a newspaper report.

The French antidoping lab testing the American cyclist’s samples determined that some of the hormone came from an external source, The New York Times reported on its Web site Monday night, citing a person at the International Cycling Union with knowledge of the result.

The finding undermines the defense that Landis has stood behind since he tested positive for an elevated ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone following the 17th stage of the Tour de France, where he staged a stirring comeback in the Alps to make up for a poor performance the day before.

…

Landis officially requested the testing of his backup urine sample Monday for an elevated testosterone ratio. If the “B” test is negative, Landis would be cleared. If it’s positive, which Landis’ lawyers say they expect, he could be stripped of his Tour victory and banned for two years.

Why do his lawyers expect the “B” test to come back positive? Do cheaters not lie to their attorneys? Or is this just speculation on their part?

Strange they would expect the postive result, especially when just saying so could be so negative.

Technorati Tags: Floyd Landis, Tour de France, testosterone, epitestosterone, cheat, lies, yellow jersey

The Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers to avoid eating raw oysters harvested in the Pacific Northwest as a result of reports that some of the oysters recently harvested from that region were contaminated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp), a bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illness.

Until the threat of Vp from oysters harvested in the Pacific Northwest has passed, consumers are advised to thoroughly cook oysters harvested from that area before eating. They also should thoroughly cook oysters if they are not certain of the oysters’ origin, or if they wish to further reduce their risk of infection from bacteria that may be found in raw oysters.

In recent months, there has been an unusual increase in bacterial illness associated with eating raw oysters from the Pacific Northwest. The illnesses are associated with the naturally occurring bacterium Vp, which is most prevalent during summer months when water temperatures in the Pacific Northwest are most favorable for its growth. While Vp can cause mild gastrointestinal disorders in healthy individuals, older persons and those with weak immune systems are at greater risk for serious more illness, such as septicemia (infection of the blood system).

[Source: FDA]

Technorati Tags: FDA, raw, oysters, Vibrio, parahaemolyticus, Vp, pacific, northwest

State public health officials are warning people on Martha’s Vineyard about the dangers of a potentially fatal disease known as “rabbit fever” after six new cases were identified.

Cases of the disease tularemia, or rabbit fever, have occurred on Martha’s Vineyard every year since an initial outbreak in 2000 sickened 15 people and resulted in one fatality, according to the Department of Public Health. More than three dozen confirmed cases have been reported on the island in the last five years.

Sounds serious.

Technorati Tags: tularemia, Martha’s Vineyard, rabbit fever

Katie Couric had fellow passengers aboard a New York-bound jet on the warpath this week when, as their plane was about to taxi to the runway, she got out of her seat and begged the pilot to allow one of her late-arriving producers to board.

Now, I am no fan of Katie Couric’s, but let’s look at the facts here…

The door to the plane had already been closed. There is no mention they had left the gate. Where was the harm in re-opening the door?

Katie asked to talk to the pilot (probably because her producer friend on the phone was told the only way they could get her on the plane is if the pilot said so), and he agreed to open the door. Where was the harm in this? Sure, they may not listen to someone who is not a celebrity, but I still don’t see any harm being done here.

While the plane left late, it still arrived 10 minutes early in New York. Again, where is the harm?

Why would anyone be on the warpath here? Because this involved Katie Couric? That’s just a little immature isn’t it?

I travel for my job, making 5-10 trips per year. Of the five I have already taken this year, I have seen them “re-open the door” two times, and not for celebrities. They did it for people just like you and me. On one trip they even held the plane for a family of four that was stuck in the long security lines in Atlanta. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen, and it doesn’t always happen for celebrities.

Wow. The nerve of those airlines.

Still, our witness - a high-powered public-relations executive who rides the shuttle regularly - said he and fellow passengers were not impressed at the behavior of TV’s top news personality, who got a whopping $60 million contract to jump from NBC’s “Today” show to CBS.

“Using your celebrity in the post-9/11 age to stop a flight is diabolical,” he raged.

Wow, Mr. Anonymous High-Powered Public-Relations Executive has no idea what the meaning of diabolical is. Some may define diabolical as trying to make a story where there is none, with no other intent than to damage the reputation of a well-known celebrity.

Technorati Tags: Katie Couric, Delta, shuttle, New York, Washington D.C., public relations, cry-baby

For those of you running WordPress, version 2.0.4 has been released. I have several sites that still run on WordPress, so I will be upgrading this weekend.

WordPress 2.0.4, the latest stable release in our Duke series, is available for immediate download. This release contains several important security fixes, so it’s highly recommended for all users. We’ve also rolled in a number of bug fixes (over 50!), so it’s a pretty solid release across the board.

[Source: WordPress Development Blog]

Technorati Tags: WordPress, blogging, platform

NASCAR driver Kurt Busch wed Eva Bryan Thursday evening at a private estate in Eastville, Va., PEOPLE has learned exclusively.

…

Busch, who turns 28 on Aug. 4, and Bryan, 29, have been together for exactly three years. They met on July 27, 2003, when Jeremy Brickhouse, a member of Busch’s racing team (and high school friend of Bryan), fixed them up.

Congratulations Kurt and Eva.

Technorati Tags: NASCAR, Kurt Busch, Eva Bryan, wedding

Microsoft Corp. has acquired a patient information system that the world’s largest software maker plans to sell to health care providers worldwide.

The software, called Azyxxi, gives physicians real-time access to patient data including X-rays, electrocardiograms, prescriptions, patient allergies and other routine clinical information. It was built by doctors at the Washington Hospital Center using Microsoft development tools.

Azyxxi, which rhymes with”Trixie,”is being used at six other MedStar Health hospitals in Washington and Baltimore. Microsoft believes the system can help transform the nation’s”stressed”heath care industry, said Peter Neupert, vice president of Microsoft’s health solutions group.

“Health care is underinvested in information technology,”Neupert said Wednesday at a news conference at the Washington Hospital Center.”Microsoft believes that information technology can positively impact (health care delivery) by removing barriers and empowering physicians with instant access to critical patient data.”

Given Microsoft’s record with security, is this really a good idea?

It’s bad enough when hackers get access to your financial data, what are you going to do when they know every ailment you have ever had, and tell everyone about that boil on your ass?

That won’t be good.

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, health care, Azyxxi, software

Facing an unexpected election runoff, Representative Cynthia McKinney held a rare news conference today to announce the endorsement of civil rights icon Andrew Young and tout her outspoken work in Congress.

…

In the recorded endorsement Young said, “Congress needs controversy. The last thing we need in a democracy is people who don’t think for themselves and people who go along with whatever any leadership seems to say.”

Controversy yes. Cop-slapping, law-breaking, wild-eyed maniacs, no. Notice she touted her own “outspoken word” in Congress. The fact is, I haven’t heard anyone else tout her record. I wonder why that is?

Cynthia McKinney does not care about the people of the 4th district. She never has. She has proven this time and time again. This is their chance to make sure she does not return to Congress.

I am quite shocked that Andrew Young would endorse McKinney. Then again, I don’t do too well when I try to think like a liberal, so maybe this is something I should have expected.

Because of his endorsement of McKinney, I can no longer have confidence in other candidates he has chosen to endorse this election cycle. Other candidates he has endorsed include Mark Taylor, candidate for Governor, Jim Martin, candidate for Lt. Governor, and Darryl Hicks, candidate for Secretary Of State.

What a shame.

Technorati Tags: Cynthia McKinney, Andrew Young, endorsement, congress

Rusty Yates lashed out Thursday at prosecutors who spent five years pursuing murder charges against his ex-wife, saying they misrepresented certain details of the day Andrea Yates drowned their five children.

Rusty Yates told The Associated Press that Andrea Yates never told him, “I finally did it” in her telephone call to him after the drownings, as a Houston police officer testified during her second trial.

“It’s been printed in papers as fact, and it’s absolutely not true,” he said. “Much of the state’s case was built on lies.”

The only thing built on lies was his own sense of reality. If he had not lied to himself, his wife never would have been alone with his children, and they would be alive today.

The jury may have believed that Andrea Yates was insane when she killed her children (I don’t agree with the jury verdict), but that doesn’t change the fact that Rusty Yates did nothing to help stop his wife and ultimately save his children.

During the interview, Rusty Yates said that on the day his children died, Andrea had called him and asked him to come home. When he and his mother arrived and learned from police what had happened, he reminded his mother that Andrea had filled the bathtub for no apparent reason about a month or so earlier.

“I said, ‘I guess she’d been thinking about this for some time and finally did it,” Yates said. He said an officer must have overhead the conversation and took it out of context.

It’s evident he knew for a very long time that she had mental issues. The fact he didn’t do more to protect his children, when he knew her previous history, makes him just as sick as she was. Even sicker.

“In some respects,” he said, “I know Andrea better than anybody.”

It takes one to know one. Enjoy your happy new life Mr. Yates.

Technorati Tags: Andrea, Rusty, Yates, insanity, Mary, Luke, Paul, John, Noah

The Dixie Chicks arrived at Joe Louis Arena as a group still feeling its way toward a new identity.

By the end of their two-hour, tour-opening concert Friday night, the issue remained unsettled: Just where do the Dixie Chicks stand in the contemporary pop picture? And do even the Dixie Chicks know?

There is no doubt that the Dixie Chicks know exactly where they stand, and it ain’t pretty. But if they somehow forgot their current position in contemporary pop, I am sure they were reminded of it when they stood on that stage and stared out at thousands of empty seats on Friday night.

On hand Friday night was an unconventional mosaic of concertgoers, as denim-clad fans with Stetsons gathered amid obscenity-laced anti-Bush shirts and banners. When vocalist Natalie Maines asked first-time Dixie Chicks concertgoers to show themselves, at least half the audience raised its arms and roared.

That’s class for you. Obscenity-laced anti-Bush shirts and banners. Who would have thunk it? At a Dixie Chicks concert nonetheless.

There is no doubt where the Dixie Chicks stand. I know where I stand. F.U.D.C.

[Hat Tip: California Conservative]

Technorati Tags: Dixie Chicks, Detroit, FUDC, anti-Bush, contemporary, pop, country