Lance Armstrong stripped of Tour titles, ban confirmed

2000 file photo shows Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong riding down the Champs Elysees with an American flag after the 21st and final stage of the cycling race in Paris, France, Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life by cycling's governing body Monday, Oct 22, 2012, following a report from the US Anti-Doping Agency that accused him of leading a massive doping programme on his teams

Lance Armstrong was on Monday stripped of his record seven Tour de France titles and given a life ban as cycling's world governing body said the US rider should be permanently erased from the sport's history for doping.

"Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling... He deserves to be forgotten in cycling," Pat McQuaid, president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), said, calling the scandal "the biggest crisis" the sport had faced.

In a highly anticipated announcement, seen by some as a key marker of the UCI's determination to battle doping in the sport, McQuaid said the UCI backed the US Anti-Doping Agency's decision to erase Armstrong's entire career since Aug 1, 1998. Cycling federations, race organisers and former riders broadly welcomed the decision as an inevitable step. USADA chief Travis Tygart said cycling must seize this moment to end a code of silence that allowed doping to flourish.

"There are many more details of doping that are hidden, many more doping doctors, and corrupt team directors and the omerta has not yet been fully broken," said Mr Tygart, whose agency painstakingly built a damning case against Armstrong based on testimony of witnesses that included some former team-mates who themselves admitted cheating.

source : straitstimes.com

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Iron Man 3: The new trailer shows a serious side

This isn’t Iron Man reclining in a donut sign in the morning, quippy and cocky, or zinging one-liners at Thor or Loki. This is “LiveStrong” Iron Man, losing it all, rising from the snow-whipped bottom precipice of life.

“Lesson Number One: Heroes...there is no such thing.” Intoned with menace by Ben Kingsley’s new villain the Mandarin — with so much basso gravitas, he could be quoting the governing bodies of cycling this week on Lance Armstrong -- those words resonate in the new “Iron Man 3” trailer that dropped with the blinding speed of Felix Baumgartner on Tuesday morning.

And those words echo all the more because the trailer is surprisingly short on levity — no time for those usual quotable Tony Stark smirks of a laugh line. The tease for Shane Black’s turn at the “Iron Man” helm is all quick cuts with the gradual crescendo of cascading doom — Robert Downey Jr.’s billionaire industrialist watching his threatened world implode as his suits and seaside mansion explode. And the Mandarin looms over it all, with the teach-the-sheeple vocal swagger of Bane and the wild-card quality of the Joker.

This isn’t Iron Man reclining in a donut sign in the morning, quippy and cocky, or zinging one-liners at Thor or Loki. This is “LiveStrong” Iron Man, losing it all, rising from the snow-whipped bottom precipice of life.



The hotly anticipated “Iron Man 3” is due out May 2013 — about one year after Iron Man helped “The Avengers” become one of the biggest films ever, grossing more than $1.5 billion. Let the marketing push begin. Apparently, it’s deadly serious.

Source : WashingtonPost.com

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NASCAR odds to win the Chase

NASCAR odds to win the Chase: Johnson the favorite despite seven-point deficit

With four races remaining in the Chase, this week at Martinsville will likely be when we pinpoint where the eventual 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion made his move. While we expect Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin to run well because of their historical greatness on the flat half-mile track, the real questions this week surround current points leader Brad Keselowski.

Keselowski has been leading the Chase since winning at Chicago six weeks ago to kick off NASCAR’s version of the playoffs. He’s got a seven-point lead with four races to go, but he’s going against the best-of-the-best at Martinsville, a track where he’s averaged an okay 13.4 finish in five career races. That doesn’t come close to stacking up against what the two drivers chasing him have done there.

Hamlin has four wins over his career at the track that is about three hours away from his Chesterfield, Va. hometown. Johnson is a six-time Martinsville winner, who has taken the checkers there in four of his five Championship seasons. Keselowski? Well, he had a career-best ninth-place finish at Martinsville in the spring race.

Even if Johnson has his typically strong showing at the track, Keselowski, should he at least match his career best at Martinsville, could be neck-and-neck with Johnson with three races to go.

It may sound like we’re just assuming Johnson will run in the top 5, but that’s been about as solid a bet as there has been in NASCAR over the past decade. He has 14 top 5 finishes over his last 18 Martinsville races, and his worst finish over that stretch was 12th this spring.

Hamlin has a lot of ground to make up and almost has to finish third or better this Sunday, while leading some laps, to start erasing his 20-point deficit. We expect him to run well at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead, tracks he’s won on over his career, but his 13th-place performance at Kansas last week has to be a little concerning.

Granted, the new surface at Kansas had several teams scrambling to find the right mix. The Fords of Matt Kenseth, the eventual race winner, and Greg Biffle obviously had an edge throughout testing and practices prior to the race. But that race did indicate that Hamlin might not be as ahead of the game on the final two races on 1.5-mile tracks we once thought. And if the Ford's midseason aero-package problems have truly been fixed, it minimizes chances to get maximum points on those two tracks, making 20-points seem like a much larger gulf.

For that very reason, Hamlin’s odds to win the Championship have been raised from the 3-to-2 favorite last week to 5-to-2 this week at the LVH. Johnson is the favorite at 7-to-5, and Keselowski is right behind at 3-to-2.

LVH SUPER BOOK ODDS TO WIN: 2012 SPRINT CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

JIMMIE JOHNSON 7-5

BRAD KESELOWSKI 3-2

DENNY HAMLIN 5-2

CLINT BOWYER 20-1

KASEY KAHNE 25-1

JEFF GORDON 100-1

TONY STEWART 100-1

KEVIN HARVICK 200-1

MARTIN TRUEX JR 100-1

MATT KENSETH 200-1

GREG BIFFLE 200-1

DALE EARNHARDT JR xxxx


Micah Roberts has been setting NASCAR odds in Las Vegas since 1995.

Source : linemakers.sportingnews.com

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Harry Potter's Single! Who Should Daniel Radcliffe Date Next?

Now that Daniel's back on the market, we picked five girls who'd be perfect for this low-key lover.

Daniel Radcliffe has reportedly called it quits with girlfriend of two years, Rosie Coker. The couple met on set of Harry Potter (what else) where she worked as a production assistant. So, because I think Daniel is not into the flashy and the fame, I put together a list of five gorgeous and talented ladies who would be just perfect for him.

1. Elizabeth Olsen
The 23-year-old actress may be sister to the famous Olsen twins, but she's a total indie queen. Not only is Elizabeth stunning, but she's single and on the verge of absolute superstardom. This is the perfect time for Daniel to swoop in and make his move!


2. Lily Collins
Despite being formerly attached to buff bods like Taylor Lautner and Zac Efron, I think it's time Lily date a more low-key guy. Daniel isn't a paparazzi hound, so he could teach her a thing or two about lasting love in Hollywood.

3. Brie Larson
The adorable and witty 21 Jump Street star could definitely keep Daniel laughing. Not to mention, Brie's a singer and Daniel's a big music fan, so they could bond over their love for rocking out.

4. Mia Wasikowska
Mia's appeared in big-budget films like Alice in Wonderland and Jane Eyre, but she's still such a normal girl. She once said, "I still take the rubbish out and empty the dishwasher." See? Plus, they both have really, really hot accents.

5. Emma Watson
Chalk this up to wishful thinking. We all know Emma is happy with her beau Will Adamowicz, but come on. How awesome would it be if Harry actually got together with Hermione? Potterheads would die!

Tell Us: Who do you think is Daniel's perfect girl?

source : yourtango.com

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Beyonce and Jay-Z have date night in NYC

Beyonce & Jay Z Date Night: The Couple Prove They're The Hippest Parents Ever

Even though Beyonce and Jay-Z welcomed little Blue Ivy Carter into the world back in January, that doesn't mean that they've stopped taking time for themselves. Despite their hectic parenting work schedules, they've both managed to spend plenty of time together and keep up in the style department.

Beyonce, for one, has continued to rock her signature curve-hugging outfits, stunning fellow attendees at this year's Met Gala in a sheer gown and making her own husband's jaw drop in black leather hot pants during his Barclays Center concert. And even though Jay-Z spends plenty of time making sure that his daughter is the most "spoiled little kid ever," he's also kept on turning it out in dapper suits and effortless street-to-stage gear.

So when the world's highest-earning couple decided to step out for a sunset dinner in Battery Park, we couldn't help but notice how cool they looked. Beyonce's leather pants, wedge sneakers, round glasses and top knot were completely on-trend yet so trend-setting at the same time -- it's like the singer can make anything look fresh. As for Jay-Z, he also rocked shades, but the rapper added a pop of color with a bright blue sweatshirt and khakis.

Our parents certainly didn't look this hip during their date nights. But, then again, our parents didn't get child-rearing advice from the president of the United States, so we may be talking apples and oranges here.

Source : huffingtonpost.com

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