The blurred lines of Livestrong - the spin bike sham

[Siriuscat]

When does SI come out??

 

[thehog]

I think Enron and Worldcom did? But I do not know many non-profits that would. Perhaps one of our regular CPA's could chime in with their thoughts?

Don't forget CNN's Dr. Gupta failing to discloses he's actually a board member at Livestrong when dismissing allegations that Armstrong might have doped. Important to use the "charity" to defend your dope charges. Make sure you also bang them on a nice salary also.

http://www.stinkyjournalism.org/editordetail.php?id=485

-----

Last month, StinkyJournalism investigated a report by CNN correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta because of a possible conflict of interest.* Dr. Gupta interviewed Lance Armstrong in an “exclusive” story broadcast on July 27, 2009. He, however,*failed to clearly disclose that he is on the board of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, LiveStrong.

Gupta, we also discovered,*has written positively*about Armstrong in the past, defending him against charges of doping--the use banned performance-enhancing drugs.* Those charges have not been sufficiently resolved either against or in Armstrong’s favor. The French sports daily L'Equipe reported the French national doping lab detected the banned performance enhancing drug--the blood-boosting drug erythropoietin (EPO)--in six samples of Armstrong's urine.*

In the July 27 report, Gupta made broad statements about Armstrong’s innocence, which do not fully reflect the controversy over his possible doping.

Not disclosing a relationship with Armstrong, especially in a report where he leaned so heavily in defense of the cyclist, seemed suspect. (Journalists are usually expected to avoid even the small conflict of allowing a source to buy them a sandwich.)

 

[Hugh Januss]

When does SI come out??

My sources (ok rumors that I have heard) indicate that the hold up is due to wrangling over content w/ SI's legal dept. That doesn't seem far fetched considering what could be included in the article.

 

[BotanyBay]

My sources (ok rumors that I have heard) indicate that the hold up is due to wrangling over content w/ SI's legal dept. That doesn't seem far fetched considering what could be included in the article.

I'm willing to bet that Fabiani has been spending more time on this issue than the "other" issue.

 

[Berzin]

When does SI come out??

This coming Wednesday, so we have to wait two more days.

 

[Hugh Januss]

I'm willing to bet that Fabiani has been spending more time on this issue than the "other" issue.

You misunderstand me. I believe it is all internal at SI between the lawyers and the writers. They don't want any risk of law suit, although at this point doing anything more than possibly threatening is not among Lance's options. Any more opportunity for things to be publicly held under the microscope is definitely not in LA's best interest.

 

[Hugh Januss]

This coming Wednesday, so we have to wait two more days.

For reals? Good deal!

 

[D-Queued]

You misunderstand me. I believe it is all internal at SI between the lawyers and the writers. They don't want any risk of law suit, although at this point doing anything more than possibly threatening is not among Lance's options. Any more opportunity for things to be publicly held under the microscope is definitely not in LA's best interest.

Sure. But, especially for an expose and a mainstream media outlet, it is not uncommon to ask 'for comment'.

Thus, Fabiani likely has seen an advance copy.

Dave.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Sure. But, especially for an expose and a mainstream media outlet, it is not uncommon to ask 'for comment'.

Thus, Fabiani likely has seen an advance copy.

Dave.

I'm sure you're right, but he can't do much but bluster.
I would bet SI's legal held it up more that Flabiani could.

 

[BotanyBay]

You misunderstand me. I believe it is all internal at SI between the lawyers and the writers. They don't want any risk of law suit, although at this point doing anything more than possibly threatening is not among Lance's options..

No, I read you just fine. But no doubt that Fabiani knows about the story and has been making calls. You know, the kind of calls you make to board members at big media companies like TimeWarner, etc. I'm not saying that Fabiani had anything to do with a possible publication delay.

For a story like this, you know they're not running it unless it's bullet-proof...

 

[Hugh Januss]

Oh for sure. Love your illustrations by the way.

 

[Race Radio]

Unfortunately SI is postponed again.....simply too many people coming forward. SI is not the only thing Wonderboy has to worry about, far from it. For the foreseeable future his life is going to suck and we will have lots to talk about.

“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.”

 

[D-Queued]

Unfortunately SI is postponed again.....simply too many people coming forward. SI is not the only thing Wonderboy has to worry about, far from it. For the foreseeable future his life is going to suck and we will have lots to talk about.

“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.”

Ok, pls explain further.

Too many people with new info (like this treasure trove of a thread)

Or,

Too many lawyers asking too many questions

Edit to add: If the former, then perhaps a 'Special Issue' is warranted.

Dave.

 

[Race Radio]

Ok, pls explain further.

Too many people with new info (like this treasure trove of a thread)

Or,

Too many lawyers asking too many questions

Edit to add: If the former, then perhaps a 'Special Issue' is warranted.

Dave.

Much new info. The tide has turned....not only with people who were once scared to talk but also in the way the media will cover it and in multiple legal avenues.

 

[Berzin]

I'm confused.

So this coming Wednesday, there will be no Armstrong story in SI?

And the reason is because the writers are receiving statements from people who previously were afraid to speak, so they want to get these comments into the story?

 

[Race Radio]

I'm confused.

So this coming Wednesday, there will be no Armstrong story in SI?

And the reason is because the writers are receiving statements from people who previously were afraid to speak, so they want to get these comments into the story?

Correct. It will be next week and there will be more to it then if they published a few weeks back.

 

[Beech Mtn]

<snipped>

And this cute talking point:

Most of the world is still struggling to find solutions for AIDS, TB and malaria. Cancer has not been the main concern.

Huh, well maybe that’s due to the whole AIDS, TB and malaria thing?
So what's the underlying message, Our cause is more important than your cause?
Go figure.

A few weeks ago I saw a snippet of an interview with Bill and Melinda Gates, where the interviewer asked them why the BMGFoundation had decided to focus on malaria and not another disease, like cancer. The Gateses said something along the lines of "there's already plenty of incentive for cancer research. The drug companies know they can make big profits off cancer treatments, so the motivation for research on cancer is already very strong. But there's no profit motive to develop malaria drugs, because the people suffering from that disease tend to be poor. There's no profit in malaria research." The Gateses basically said their foundation had to fund malaria research because nobody else would, but that cancer was big business.

I can't remember what the show was, maybe "60 Minutes," or a similar type program. The interview was part of a segment that was profiling the Gates Foundation's work. But when I heard their statement, I immediately thought of Livestrong.

Edit - here it is - I found Bill Gates' actual quote.

"The foundation, you, have made certain choices about what you're going to fund. And some people might ask, 'Why not drop 30 billion dollars on a cure for cancer,' for example," Pelley remarked.

"Well, there's a huge market for cancer drugs. And there's dozens of pharmaceutical companies that spend tens of billions on those drugs. In malaria, when we announced a grant for $50 million, we became the biggest private funders. And so, the fact that it kills over a million children a year and yet has almost no money given to it, you know, that struck us as very strange. But it became the thing we saw, 'Okay, this will be unique. We'll take the diseases of the poor, where there's no market and we'll get the best scientists working on those diseases,'" Bill Gates explained.

"You're trying to find the places where the money will have the most leverage, how you can save the most lives for the dollar, so to speak," Pelley remarked.

"Right. And transform the societies," Gates replied.

Incidentally, the article reports that Melinda Gates is from Texas too.

 

[Merckx index]

Correct. It will be next week and there will be more to it then if they published a few weeks back.

Sounds like a plot by someone with a strong financial interest in seeing the CN forums go crazy.

A few weeks ago I saw a snippet of an interview with Bill and Melinda Gates, where the interviewer asked them why the BMGFoundation had decided to focus on malaria and not another disease, like cancer. The Gateses said something along the lines of "there's already plenty of incentive for cancer research. The drug companies know they can make big profits off cancer treatments, so the motivation for research on cancer is already very strong. But there's no profit motive to develop malaria drugs, because the people suffering from that disease tend to be poor. There's no profit in malaria research." The Gateses basically said their foundation had to fund malaria research because nobody else would, but that cancer was big business.

Malaria research has been underfunded (relative to the seriousness and epidemiology of the disease) for a very long time. I don't want to imply that cancer doesn't need all the research it can get, but it is in large part a disease of the aging in the developed countries. As others here have pointed out, people in the third world are not unaware of it. It's just that so many have other diseases to worry about. A lot of them die before they reach the age where they would become most at risk for certain cancers. And the bottom line is that most cancer victims don't have the financial resources to do anything about their disease, anyway. I spend a lot of time in the Philippines, where people wo get cancer and other serious diseases frequently sell everything they own to pay for treatment, and it still isn't nearly enough. They don't need awareness; they need money.

One way to reduce greatly the cancer that does exist in the third world would be to prevent cigarette companies from dumping their products in poor countries. Unlike the U.S. and I presume other Western countries, cigarettes aren't taxed in many third world countries, making them far cheaper and more available for the population. Attitudes towards junk food, though it doesn't have as strong a link to cancer as smoking, is another area where the third world lags far behind the first world. If someone wants to promote "awareness", that would be a great place to start.

 

[D-Queued]

I'm confused.

So this coming Wednesday, there will be no Armstrong story in SI?

And the reason is because the writers are receiving statements from people who previously were afraid to speak, so they want to get these comments into the story?

I'm not afraid to speak. What is taking everyone else so long?

Dave.

 

[Ferminal]

Correct. It will be next week and there will be more to it then if they published a few weeks back.

Just in time for Lancey to arrive in Australia to cure cancer over here.

 

[Granville57]

A few weeks ago I saw a snippet of an interview with Bill and Melinda Gates, where the interviewer asked them why the BMGFoundation had decided to focus on malaria and not another disease, like cancer. The Gateses said something along the lines of "there's already plenty of incentive for cancer research. The drug companies know they can make big profits off cancer treatments, so the motivation for research on cancer is already very strong. But there's no profit motive to develop malaria drugs, because the people suffering from that disease tend to be poor. There's no profit in malaria research." The Gateses basically said their foundation had to fund malaria research because nobody else would, but that cancer was big business.

Bill Gates' actual quote.

Incidentally, the article reports that Melinda Gates is from Texas too.

Thanks for that link. The video offered a great insight. I'm surprised I missed that story when it first aired.
Really compelling and inspiring to see Bill and Melinda's perspective on the world.

And imagine, all the work they do without the self-aggrandizement that we have to put up with from a certain other Texan.

Interesting quote from Scott Pelley in the intro of the video:

This isn't a photo-op. In fact, it took us a year to convince her to let us come along.

It just makes me seethe with even more disdain for Lance's self-appointed posturing. The claim that "I've done too much for too many people" is something one just does not heap upon oneself. If at all, it is something to be determined by others.

Hopefully we will see a lot of determining by others in the very near future.

 

[barn yard]

i just had a bit of a look at the trek 'project one' website which is a custom paint/build thing that trek are doing these days... like the ridley custom bikes you can get.

here are the prices of a few of the custom paint options you can get :

team radioshack +$2,043.28 'Trek will provide a contribution to the LAF for the selection of this signature theme'
livestrong unity +$2,335.18 'Bring the global awareness of livestrong and the fight against cancer to your club and charity rides. Trek will provide a contribution to the LAF for the selection of this signature theme'
livestrong 1274 +2,335.18 'Bring the global awareness of livestrong and the fight against cancer to your club and charity rides. Trek will provide a contribution to the LAF for the selection of this signature theme'
warm fire - +$1,970.31'our most labour intensive colour scheme'

 

[Granville57]

i just had a bit of a look at the trek 'project one' website which is a custom paint/build thing that trek are doing these days... like the ridley custom bikes you can get.

team radioshack +$2,043.28 'Trek will provide a contribution to the LAF for the selection of this signature theme'
livestrong unity +$2,335.18 'Bring the global awareness of livestrong and the fight against cancer to your club and charity rides. Trek will provide a contribution to the LAF for the selection of this signature theme'

And just how much will Trek provide to the LAF for buying into that?

Now that is rich. It boggles the mind. Once again, for the record:
It is not even remotely possible that anyone buying one of these bikes and then turning up at a 'club' or 'charity' ride would be in presence of anyone who wasn't already fully aware of Trek, Lance, Livestrong, Cancer, etc, etc, etc..

God (or Novitksky, if need be). Please make it stop.

 

[Polish]

A few weeks ago I saw a snippet of an interview with Bill and Melinda Gates, where the interviewer asked them why the BMGFoundation had decided to focus on malaria and not another disease, like cancer. The Gateses said something along the lines of "there's already plenty of incentive for cancer research. The drug companies know they can make big profits off cancer treatments, so the motivation for research on cancer is already very strong. But there's no profit motive to develop malaria drugs, because the people suffering from that disease tend to be poor. There's no profit in malaria research." The Gateses basically said their foundation had to fund malaria research because nobody else would, but that cancer was big business.

Incidentally, the article reports that Melinda Gates is from Texas too.

Not exactly sure what your point is....

If Lance had contracted Malaria and started a Malaria Foundation, Bill and Melinda would have looked somewhere else for a cause?

Or maybe Lance faked Cancer instead of faking Malaria because Cancer is more lucrative?

What exactly is your point?

 

[barn yard]

what i found more interesting was that the fully handpainted and 'most labour intensive' paintjob was hundreds of dollars cheaper than a few yellow stickers...