Tour de Lance

For most Americans, when you think about professional cycling, one name always jumps out... Lance Armstrong. "Big Tex" won 7 consecutive Tour de France races from 1999 to 2005 even while battling testicular cancer and still kept competing after he won the fight. He used his fame to found the Livestrong Foundation and help build awareness and raise funds for cancer research.

It's probably been going on for years but more so since his final victory, there has been investigation after investigation into whether Lance was "doping" (using performance enhancers during his racing career). There have been several cyclists, both rivals and teammates, who have testified to seeing or knowing of Lance using performance enhancers but until recently it never stacked up.

Recently, another investigation has brought several testimonies to light and has now ended in Lance being stripped of everything. All 7 of his titles have been taken away, he has been banned for life from professional cycling, and may end up having to repay the $14 million he won from his Tour de France victories.

Now, I'm no advocate for cheating in any way or form but it seems to me like the cycling community had it out for Lance. Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist but there has been more time spent and investigations started to investigate Lance than I feel like should have been necessary. If the allegations are true, then I can understand the stripping of his titles but it seems to me that they kept investigating until they got the answers they wanted.

Either Lance Armstrong is a evil mastermind behind the most carefully planned and perfectly executed cheating campaign in the history of sporting events or he's the victim of his own fame and was brought down by jealous rivals and teammates alike. I'm not sure which is true or if the reality lies in the gray area in between but it truly is a shame to see an American hero and champion fall from grace in such a way.

Politics Are Taking Over!

As most anyone reading this already knows, I hate politics. Now, don't take that to mean I don't care about the state of our country or who is making those decisions because I do, very much so. I hate the way politics divides people and how instead of voting based on well thought out, researched decisions many people vote for who they are either TOLD to vote for or who they have been CONVINCED to vote for.

It's not a new idea or anything mind blowing but there's all kinds of political commentary in TV and movies and media in general. It's expected. People have opinions and of course they are going to work them into their craft when they can. However, there are ways of doing it casually or even with humor but Tim Allen's new show, Last Man Standing, is one example of how to take it to unnecessary places.

In an episode scheduled to air before the election, Tim Allen's character tells his daughter "The Democrats will tax your inheritance and will probably use that money to throw gay weddings for illegal aliens." That has got to be the single most politically UNINFORMED statement I've ever read. Liberals do support gay and immigrant rights but to make the leap to the government funding "gay weddings for illegal aliens" is moronic. I realize it's veiled in the cover of humor but in PC America, how is that not considered offensive? The commentary goes on but I think I've made my point.

Now many people will read this and immediately think, "Well, Blando must be some bleeding heart liberal Obama lover" or whatever but that's not the case either. I am not Democrat or Republican and instead of voting for the party I'm told to vote for, I make a personal decision each election year as to who I want running my country. I'm just saying, if you are going to vote (and I hope everyone does) please don't get your "political information" from the TV... or the news... or even FROM ME! Go do some damn research, read about what the candidates have supported on paper NOT IN FRONT OF A MICROPHONE and look beyond Democrat and Republican and check out the "third party candidates" and you might actually find someone you WANT to vote for, not someone you are WILLING to vote for.

A Different Type of School Shooting

School shootings have gone from rare, individual incidents to becoming a more recurring theme here in America. As sad as they are, this blog is about something completely different... a girl being shot JUST FOR WANTING TO GO TO SCHOOL!

Malala Yousafzai looks like a normal enough kid.

Malala grew up in Pakistan under Taliban rule and when she was 11, she started blogging for BBC Urdu describing her life under the Taliban. 

In Jan. 2009, she posted about how the Taliban had decreed that girls were no longer allowed to attend school and how afraid she was even though she kept going. They also banned shopping by women but Malala wasn't worried about new shoes, she wanted her education.

She began writing anonymously for fear of violence or even death from the Taliban and later in Jan. 2009 posted that her school had been closed. Her family fled the area until later that year when the Taliban had been driven back and began appearing publicly to push for female education. 

Malala is currently recovering after being shot in the head and neck earlier this week by a Taliban militant which has sparked a growing sense of concern in the Pakistani government about addressing the issue of female education and will hopefully one day mean Malala and other girls in Pakistan can get the education they deserve.

Halloween Costumes That Rock (And Roll)

It's still almost a month away but by now most everyone has started putting thought and maybe some preparation into a Halloween costume. Whether you're brainstorming ideas, growing your hair or beard, saving money, or building it yourself there's always some prep that must be done.

For ladies, most store bought Halloween costumes are slutty versions of various things:

For the guys, there's much more to choose from but they usually stick to something funny or embarassing:

But when it comes to kids, those were the days. Dressing up as your favorite action hero, princess, cartoon character, or one of the Halloween essentials like ghosts or witches:

But something I never considered over the years is how traditional costumes don't work for everyone. I saw an article today about Halloween costumes for kids in wheelchairs and they are freaking AWESOME! Things like the Flintstones car or Mario Kart or the Batmobile or even a DJ Booth can turn a wheelchair into a Halloween costume like none other. Check these out:

Every one of the parents or guardians or whoever took the time to create these costumes for these kids (and any others like them) should have a parade in their names!