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Sporty Science: Test Reveals Sport Child Is Born to Play

LibertySugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:01:49 -0800

For only $149 fanatical parents can find out where their children's natural athletic talents lie, potentially securing years of enjoyable Saturday mornings on the sidelines cheering on their winning kids.

The new genetic test analyzes DNA to determine whether a child would excel more in endurance sports, such as cross country running, speed and power sports, like football and sprinting, or whether they'd be good at both.

Predetermining a kid's talents before he or she experiences athletic activities seems like it could limit chances for childhood fun. Then again, it might be better if a quarterback-turned-dad gets his disappointment out of the way early when he finds out his son is meant to be a figure skater.

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Front Page: Secret Order Let US Attack al Qaeda Anywhere

CitizenSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800

A classified US order from 2004 authorized the US military to attack al Qaeda anywhere in the world. The order has allowed the US to secretly attack militants in Syria, Pakistan, and other places. — New York Times
President-elect Barack Obama will meet President Bush in the Oval Office today, to begin the transition of power. The two are expected to discuss the economy, the war in Iraq, and national security. Laura Bush will give Michelle Obama a tour of the White House. — CNN
Three bombs that exploded moments apart in Baghdad, Iraq yesterday left at least 28 people dead. Two of the explosions were car bombs and the third was a suicide bomber who blew himself up in the crowd trying to rescue people. — BBC News
An argument over Sunday's Alabama-LSU overtime football game ended with an Alabama couple shot to death. — Alabama Press-Register
A backlash against California's Proposition 8 has erupted. This weekend, same-sex marriage supporters protested the new law outside churches around the state, including a Mormon tabernacle. — San Francisco Chronicle

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France Wants Lance to Prove He Was Clean — Should He?

LibertySugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:00:16 -0700

Lance Armstrong announced that he's coming back to the Tour de France next year, and he plans on mixing in some charity work on behalf of the Clinton Global Initiative while he's in Paris. Well France's anti-doping chief wants to add something else to Lance's agenda: clearing his name. Here's the challenge: Lance should agree to retesting his 1999 urine samples, in order to disprove reports that they contained traces of banned endurance enhancers. A positive test from 1999, the year Lance won his first of seven titles, couldn't result in disciplinary action as too much time has passed. The urine samples are currently kept frozen in a French lab. Should Lance take France up on its challenge?
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France Wants Lance to Prove He Was Clean — Should He?

Yes! He could silence his critics, and bring back faith in cycling.

Yup. The public and his competition deserve to know if he cheated.

No! They're on a witch hunt, and he'll prove them wrong this time by winning clean.

Other. I'll tell you in the comments.

Pardon For Boxing Champ's Race-Based Conviction?

LibertySugar — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 07:00:00 -0700

The US House of Representatives is asking President Bush to issue a posthumous pardon of professional boxer, and one of the first celebrity athletes, Jack Johnson. When Jack Johnson became the first-ever black heavyweight boxing champion in 1908, many in the country went looking for "The Great White Hope" — a white boxer who could defeat Johnson.

In 1910, undefeated champion James J. Jeffries came out of retirement to fight Johnson, saying: "I am going into this fight for the sole purpose of proving that a white man is better than a Negro." Johnson won the fight, garnering the $225,000 prize, and race riots broke out across the country.

After trying to convict him for relations with a white woman who went on to become his wife, in 1920 a federal court convicted Johnson of violating the Mann Act, which prohibited transporting women across state lines for immoral purposes. He spent a year in a federal penitentiary.

The House resolution states: "He was a victim of the times and we need to set the record straight — clear his name — and recognize him for his groundbreaking contribution to the sport of boxing." If it passes the House, the Senate will vote on a similar resolution sponsored by John McCain.

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Howard: Says His Race Doesn't Celebrate National Anthem

CitizenSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 08:00:30 -0700

Earlier this summer at a charity flag-football game thrown by Allen Iverson, Josh Howard (these men are all basketball players, apparently) made a derisive comment about the national anthem that has tipped off a storm of controversy. I wasn't familiar with this gentleman prior to this story but his message in the video is loud and clear: when the video pans to him during the singing of the anthem, Howard says:

The 'Star-Spangled Banner' is going on. I don't celebrate this sh**. I'm black.

That quote was followed by a string of the n-word and some indecipherable comments about Barack Obama. The owner of Howard's team, the Dallas Mavericks, said they've been dealing with the free-speaking incident and that ". . . we will be going through some advanced communication-skill sessions together this training camp." The comment raises an gripping question about free speech and what role race plays in a person's experience as an American.

To see the video, and analysis to the event,

LPGA Decides to Ditch Ban on Non-English Speaking Golfers

LibertySugar — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:00:00 -0700

The triumph of non-native English speakers, who won three LPGA majors this year, indicates that speaking English is not a required skill on the golf course. Even so, the international women's pro-golf association announced a policy recently that would suspend players who do not speak English. After much outrage, the plan has been rejected.

The LPGA Tour commissioner explained:

After hearing the concerns, we believe there are other ways to achieve our shared objective of supporting and enhancing the business opportunities for every tour player.

The original plan did not require players to be fluent, only "effective." The LPGA explained that it wanted players to interact effectively with pro-am partners, do media interviews, and give a winner's acceptance speech in English. The LPGA offers online language training, and also has a cross-culture program.

Considering that players have an incentive to improve their language skills if they want to further their careers off the course, it's probably not necessary for the LPGA to ban players with poor English from playing golf, a sport that doesn't require much speaking. We all have heard stories of white-only golf courses — why do you think the sport has a tendency to back away from diversity?

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Against All Odds Teen Somali Sprinter Heads to Olympics

CitizenSugar — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 03:00:58 -0700

Getting to the Olympics is tough for anyone — imagine training in a country in the midst of 17 years of civil war and chaos, where militia men try to prevent you from training. That's the case for 16-year-old Somali sprinter, Samiya Yuusf Omar. Battling her way up from poverty with a single mother, and facing pressure from friends and relatives who tell her that running will prevent her from marrying and from a better life, she's qualified to represent her country in Beijing.

Despite literal roadblocks that prevent her from going to practice, and when she does get to it, training at a track pocked with mortar holes, Samiya runs through all of the insults and warnings. She may come by her speed naturally; to see how,

South Africa Wants to Give Green Light to Red Light District

LibertySugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Even though prostitution obviously goes well with soccer, religious groups and government opposition parties disagree with South Africa's plan to legalize sex-for-sale before the 2010 World Cup.

The Durban municipal government wants to legalize the red light district, and make access to "services" safe and easy. Those in favor argue that Germany opened popular adult entertainment centers for World Cup 2006. Some resisted that decision too, including the Vatican who lamented the fact that that women "cost less than ticket to a soccer game."

South African religious groups say the current plan goes against the word of God, and many worry about a greater transmission of AIDS. Opposition parties worry that once it's legal, it will remain so after the World Cup. That point makes a lot of sense — if the government approves it one day, how can they say it's a dangerous crime the next?

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Fake Tanners Get Burned by the Snobs at Royal Ascot

LibertySugar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:30:24 -0700

Royal Ascot, the horse race at the center of Britain's social calendar, has banned fake-tan lines from its strict dress code.

The tan has taken on many shades of social status throughout history, BBC explains. During Victorian times tanned skin meant low class, because it implied that one did outdoor manual labor. More recently, a tan shows that the bronzed have the time and money to go on vacation.

But now the desirability of sun-kissed skin may be fading. Since you can get a tan from a bottle, its status is more complicated. Bronzed skin says little about a person's social status, if everyone can buy an affordable tan at the drug store. Even so, the apparent standard seems to be: subtle is better.

Will a fake tan ever be accepted by the snobs of the world? Which is classier: a fake tan or a hat inspired by a bathroom interior (being worn by a Royal Ascot attendee above)?

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Second Base? Lesbian PDA at Ballgame Causes Controversy

LibertySugar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:00:29 -0700

An usher at a Seattle Mariners baseball game asked a lesbian couple to stop kissing because it was making another fan uncomfortable. I didn't know ushers were PDA police!

A woman in the audience asked the stadium official to interrupt the romance because there were kids at the game. The Mariners responded to the controversy, stating the usher intervened on account of the team's no-groping, no-making out rule, not because of their sexual orientation. The team's spokeswoman maintained that the couple was told they could continue to kiss, but they had to tone it down.

But the women deny they were getting touchy feely, saying that they just gave each other brief kisses while enjoying garlic fries. The garlic fry detail sort of makes their not-making out story more believable.

If there is a double standard, I'm not sure where it applies. Would a spectator complain, and an usher interrupt, if the pair was not gay? Does political correctness dictate that these women be allowed to violate the stadium's code of conduct otherwise applied to straight couples? Why are public displays of affection (gay or straight) inappropriate for a family environment?

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President Bush Gave Up Golf Out of Respect to Soldiers

LibertySugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:55 -0700

Yesterday, President Bush sat down with Politico and Yahoo! to discuss his golf game, emailing habits, and the Iraq War. Here are some of the highlights from the interviewee-in-chief:

What if a Democrat is elected? Bush's "doomsday scenario of course is that extremists throughout the Middle East would be emboldened, which would eventually lead to another attack on the United States."
On sacrifices he's making for the Iraq war? Bush gave up golf. "I didn't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal."

To see how Bush answered a question from the online audience about whether he felt he had been misled prior to the invasion of Iraq,

China Clamps Down and Cleans House for Olympics

LibertySugar — Wed, 07 May 2008 09:00:31 -0700

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as China, are looking for ways to make the Beijing Olympics run smoothly this summer.

China finally admitted yesterday that it has been tightening visa controls. Fears that activists, or even terrorists may disrupt the games, the government is implementing a more strict procedure. Typically easy to get business visas will not be available from mid-April until mid-October.

Foreign students are also being told to leave for July and August. Some estimate that as many as 10,000 students will be exiled, as China attempts to reduce the number of potential protesters.

Meanwhile in the arena, athletes' clothes and gestures will be subject to Olympic Rules. The IOC clarified "Rule 53.1" which says that "no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas." Athletes are free to answer media questions about political topics but cannot express such opinions with their look, external appearance, clothing, gestures, and written or oral statements at official Olympic sites.

Are these restrictions necessary to a safe and smooth Olympics? Do you think athletes should be able to express their opposition to human rights violations? Are the Olympics ignoring its own tradition of activism, as seen in this picture of USA athletes protesting racism in the US during the 1968 Olympics?

Headline: Roger Clemens and Trainer Face Off Over Steroids

LibertySugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:02:02 -0800

A he-said-he-said show came to Capitol Hill this morning, when Roger Clemens and his ex-trainer Brian McNamee testified under oath before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Last December, the government’s Mitchell Report asserted that Clemens used performance enhancing drugs, an accusation that Clemens’ teammate and trainer back. The hearing was not impartial, as members of Congress are not bound to the rules of evidence or questioning. In his opening statements, Roger Clemens, a legendary pitcher, reiterated that he never used steroids or any other type of illegal performance enhancing drugs. Ex-trainer McNamee, who sat very close to Clemens, testified that he injected Roger Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs more often than he had previously claimed.Clemens’ former teammate, Andy Pettitte, was excused from the hearing, but still took center stage. His sworn affidavit stated that Clemens told him he used Human Growth Hormones (HGH) around 1999. Clemens said that he was talking about his wife’s use of human-growth hormone, not his own.Clemens’ statements could potentially set off a Justice Department investigation that could lead to criminal prosecution. Somebody's not telling the truth!What do you think about this development?Source

Headline: Roger Clemens and Trainer Face Off Over Steroids

Clemens is a drug using liar! Fess up!

Maybe he's lying, but can't we just leave him alone.

Why does Congress care? What about the war, health care, immigration, poverty . . .

Illegal drugs and the intergrity of America's pasttime, are in the balance. Let's get to the bottom of it.

I hope Clemens gets to clear his name, after this sad smear campaign by a bunch of sleazes.

Other. I'll tell you in the comments.

Guess Who?

LibertySugar — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 07:24:05 -0800

Which President also knew his way around the gridiron?