“I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair. Regardless of what Travis Tygart says, there is zero physical evidence to support his outlandish and heinous claims. The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colors. I made myself available around the clock and around the world. In-competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I provided. What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA will not stand by it? . . . . I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours. We all raced together. For three weeks over the same roads, the same mountains, and against all the weather and elements that we had to confront. There were no shortcuts, there was no special treatment. The same courses, the same rules. The toughest event in the world where the strongest man wins. Nobody can ever change that. Especially not Travis Tygart.” Lance Armstrong, on why he’s given up the fight against the USADA’s never-ending witch hunt and subsequently been stripped of his titles.
Category: General
Todd Akin Scandal: Do Republicans Understand Science?
When I first heard about Todd Akin’s now super-infamous, and perhaps career-ending comment about how “legitimate” rape victims won’t get pregnant because “the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down,” I thought, “Maybe Republicans and science just don’t mix.” After turning down my partisanship a few notches, I was still shocked by how Akin’s extreme, pro-life comments seemed to fly in the face of rudimentary biology . . . you know, the centerpiece of the life sciences.
At a fundraiser in NYC on Wednesday night, President Obama remarked, “The interesting thing here is that this is an individual who sits on the House Committee on Science and Technology but somehow missed science class.”
Vexingly, a few other Republican lawmakers have made the claim that the female body somehow protects against pregnancy during a sexual assault. For example, in 1988 Pennsylvania Rep. Stephen Freind once claimed that women who are raped “secrete a certain secretion which has the tendency to kill sperm,” and in 1995 North Carolina Rep. Henry Aldridge said, “The facts show that people who are raped – truly raped – the juices don’t flow.” Truly raped, he said. Yikes!
According to a study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, among adult women an estimated 32,101 pregnancies result from rape every year. Moreover, a 2003 study published in the journal Human Nature found that the rate at which women get pregnant after a rape or sexual assault is more than twice that of a single act of consensual sex. Dr. Lauren Streicher, an assistant professor at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, was not surprised by that data. And in response to Akin’s statement, Streicher said, “You let me know if you find the doctor that knows how a uterus knows which sperm to ward off.”
However, Akin may be a quick learner, after all. He has since released an ad admitting, “The fact is, rape can lead to pregnancy.” How revelatory.
But now other Republican candidates (even Romney/Ryan) not only have to distance themselves from Akin’s comment (the National Republican Senatorial Committee publicly withdrew its support of Todd (to the tune of about $5 million), but the whole party now faces heightened scrutiny.
Although Akin may have simply misspoke, both his error and his actual views (unlike Romney, he does not believe that rape victims should be permitted to have abortions) have raised serious concerns that some members of the GOP have antiquated, insensitive, and even offensive views of women — the so-called Republican “War on Women.”
All this, and only a about a week left until the Republican convention in Tampa, Fla….
Kathie Lee Confirms Taylor Swift Crashed the Kennedy Wedding
It appears that Taylor Swift’s squeaky clean star is starting to dim. In what can only be classified as a badass move, Kathie Lee Gifford officially confirmed that Taylor Swift crashed a Kennedy wedding when she refused to leave despite being asked twice. Apparently her boyfriend forgot to RSVP and the mother-of-the-bride felt Swift’s attendance would detract from her daughter’s big day. It takes some nerve to stick around when you’re not wanted, and it takes even bigger nerve to publicly deny the occurrence when multiple witnesses say otherwise.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Serena Williams in Tight Red Dress — Letterman Has Heart Attack
The Dishmaster loves curvy girls, and Serena Williams fits the bill. And apparently, David Letterman agrees. Watch her Late Night interview below. She sure looked good.
Miley Cyrus Releases “Decisions” — Decide Against It
Silly me. I thought that when Miley Cyrus released her new song, she’d actually be singing. I’m told this is what those crazy kids call “dubstep.” If you don’t know what that is — it’s a fancy way of saying it sounds like shit. Listen below — but before you do — please read some choice lyrics I’ve selected from the song. Here goes:
Decisions, but I want it all so I get it all
I wanna eat the whole cake
I’m not sharing, I’m not sharing
You should have to learn how to bake
Mariah Carey’s New “Triumphant” Video — Underwhelms
To say I’m disappointed with Mariah Carey’s new single and video, would be a massive understatement. She should be reinventing herself, not executing the same tired formula she’s been doing for years. First, every song she writes is about “getting through the rain,” “triumphing through sorrow,” “staying strong.” Is there nothing else in her songwriting bag-of-tricks? Second, why must she flaunt her body in every shot? It appears borderline desperate, and it’s unnecessary at this stage in her career. And lastly, she’s barely singing. Who’s the star of the video? Is it Mariah? Or is it Rick Ross and Meek Mill? Before I end this post, let it be known that I unconditionally love Mariah Carey. That being said, this isn’t good enough.
Nelly Furtado Releases “Parking Lot” Lyric Video — AH AH AH AH HA EY HEY EY
Quote of the Day: Howard Stern on Tony Scott’s Suicide
Grey’s Anatomy Season 9 Promo — Did Anyone Survive?
The only thing clear about the promo for Season 9 of Grey’s Anatomy is that nothing is clear. My guess is that everyone else survives. Why? Because I don’t know any actors that would consent to a guest appearance after not having their contract renewed. Shonda Rimes would have had to terminate them at the end of last season. Watch the ridiculously vague promo below.