Lance Armstrong

A timely lesson for all of us.

by Rabbi Benjamin Blech

Tragedy, Aristotle taught us, requires that someone prominent fall from lofty heights. It is the sudden and abrupt plunge of a hero from his pedestal that defines a true misfortune.

In that sense, according to some, the Lance Armstrong story surely qualifies. According to others he is a victim of jealous competitors, the subject of a witch hunt.
He won the Tour de France an unprecedented seven straight times, becoming one of most accomplished athletes in recent history. And he acquired almost iconic stature because of his heroic and ultimately successful triumph over the testicular cancer that threatened his life at the young age of 25. Already a world champion cyclist at the time, with but a thin chance for survival, he conquered his illness and went on to even greater victories.

The US Anti-Doping Agency stripped the cycling superstar of his historic seven Tour de France titles.

Lance Armstrong was more than a winner. He was an inspiration. His adoring fans round the world revered him as role model. He was the paradigm of the human spirit refusing to be defeated by affliction and overcoming all obstacles by indomitable courage.
According to the United States Anti-Doping Agency, banned substances played a crucial role in Armstrong's amazing success. His need to win translated into a win-at-all-costs outlook.
The USADA made the controversial move to strip the cycling superstar of his historic seven Tour de France titles, the bronze medal he won at the 2000 Olympics and all other titles, awards and money he won from August 1998 forward. He is now barred for life from competing, coaching or having any official role with any Olympic sport. Armstrong decided to no longer fight the allegations, triggering the contested punishment. He denies all guilt, and has never failed any of othe doping tests that he has taken.
I do not know if Armstrong is guilty, bu his exceedingly harsh punishment still brings with it a message that applies to us all.
In a culture becoming more and more inured to corruption, to illegal practices, to dishonesty and to fraud in almost every area of life, it is high time to make clear a simple truth that is at the heart of Judaism: Actions have consequences.
We can certainly feel compassion for those who made wrong choices in life that led to their downfall. But to feel sorry for them is not the same as agreeing that there be no penalty for their misdeeds. If there is no retribution for our actions, why bother being honest when it's so much easier — and certainly far more profitable — to cut corners and then simply expect to be forgiven?
The USADA's judgment against Lance Armstrong took place during the days Jews prepare for Rosh Hashanah and stand before God who assumes His role as Judge of the universe. We, too, will be placed on the divine scale of the Arbitrator of our fate for the coming year. And God's judgment is perfect and uncontested, unlike the ASADA. We had better internalize the message that if our life's victories are based on fraud they will eventually be overturned.
Joe Paterno: Another Fallen Giant
It is a truth that was stunningly illustrated just a few months ago in a remarkably similar story of a fallen giant. There probably was no more successful football coach than Joe Paterno who led the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 to 2011. Paterno coached five undefeated teams that won major bowl games and, in 2007, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. In all, he led the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl appearances with 24 wins. Paterno was the only coach with the distinction of having won each of the four major bowls — Rose, Orange, Fiesta, and Sugar — as well as the Cotton Bowl Classic, at least once. Penn State won at least 3 bowl games in each of the 3 decades between 1970 and 1997.
Outside the Penn State football stadium stood a 7-foot tall statue of the man who assumed mythical proportions. And this past July the statue was removed from its pedestal outside Beaver Stadium, to be stored in an unnamed "secret location." The decision came 10 days after a scathing report by former FBI director Louis J. Freeh found that Paterno had concealed allegations of child sexual abuse made against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. Paterno chose to turn a blind eye to moral impropriety. He preferred to live by the famous credo that "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." His victories were tainted by scandal.

Unethical wins are nothing less than losses.

The outcome of his ethical failure was monumental. It was not only the removal of the statue that vividly marked the extent of Paterno's fall. The NCAA hit Penn State with a $60 million sanction, a four-year football postseason ban and a voiding of all wins dating to 1998 — and Paterno's legacy will now reflect these vacated records.

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For years it was a given that Penn State had won all those games. Now it turns out they didn't. How is it possible for winners to be losers? The answer is one that we need to acknowledge not only as crucial for cyclists or football coaches but for every one of us as well: Winning isn't just determined by the score or by who came in first. At least as important is being aware of how we got there. And unethical wins are nothing less than losses.
Tainted wins are no substitute for eternal legacies.
*This article has been subsequently edited to reflect the lack of clarity and proof regarding Armstrong's actions.

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Ford Station Wagon

 

 

1914 Model T Ford Station Wagon.

May 31, 1927, the last Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line. It was the first affordable automobile, due in part to the assembly line process developed by Henry Ford. It had 2.9-liter, 20-horsepower engine and could travel at speeds up to 45 miles per hour. It had a 10-gallon fuel tank and could run on
kerosene, petrol, or ethanol, but it couldn't drive uphill if the tank was low, because there was no fuel pump; people got around this design flaw by driving up hills in reverse. Ford believed that "the man who will use his skill and constructive imagination to see how much he can give for a dollar, instead of how little he can give for a dollar, is bound to succeed." The Model T cost $850 in 1909, and as efficiency in production increased, the price dropped. By 1927, you could get a Model T for $290. "I will build a car for the great multitude," said Ford. "It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one - and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces."

 

 

 



What is Wrong

Provincial government ignores Albertans

Tuesday, 21 August 2012 19:01 Letter to the Editor

As the Official Opposition Critic of Culture, you would expect me to write about the arts, plays, festivals, parades, museums, and cultural groups. It is one of the reasons I love my job as an MLA, because it truly is a great job, but it comes with a great responsibility.
Unfortunately I currentlyÊfind myself dealing with a culture of corruption and entitlement instead. I am not talking about Alberta's culture, I am talking about the culture of the current PC government.Ê
For example, there was a rally in CarmangayÊJuly 30, where hundreds of areaÊresidents showed their support to keep the Little Bow Continuing Care Centre open, which specializes in dementia and Alzheimer's patients. In attendance at the rally was the Leader of the Wildrose Official Opposition, Danielle Smith, local Wildrose MLA Ian Donovan,Êplus five members of the Wildrose Official Opposition, including myself. Edmonton-Calder NDP MLA David Eggen, President Guy Smith with the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, countless municipal officials, and even former PC MLA Barry McFarland were also in attendance. We all stood together, in unison, for keeping this vital facility open.
In all of this, no sitting PC MLA was in attendance, and no one from the current government was even there to address the concerns of those gathered. When did Albertans lose their right to be heard? It's shameful that the current government ignores the voices of Albertans, and it's shameful that the current government thinks they are allowed to get away with it.
Many attendees spoke about a lack of respect and transparency from the current government. They told us how the PC government is bullying and intimidating, pitting patients against their families and their caregivers. This is wrong. In the Legislature, we stand up for freedom and democracy. We stand up for transparency and fairness. It is deplorable that the PC government will not listen to what Albertans have to say.
Carmangay may be a small village in rural Alberta, but it speaks to everything that is Albertan.Ê There was a problem that needed a solution, and they found one that is efficient, effective, and doesn't require layers of bureaucracy.ÊMost of all though, it is done with care, kindness, and compassion, and they've been doing it for over half a century. To close this facility will be harmful for patients, families, caregivers, and for all of Carmangay.
At a time when Alberta needs more facilities like this, how can the PCs close it?ÊHow can those who voted PC stand back and say this is why they voted PC, to close care centres that look after the most fragile and vulnerable in society? What hospital or school is next?
I don't believe for a moment this is what PC voters signed up for when they marked an "X "on the ballot, but what these voters should do is contact their PC MLAs, the Minister of Health, and the premier to stop this madness now.
ÊThere is no room in Alberta for this type of culture. Ê
Blake Pedersen
Medicine Hat
(The writer is MLA for Medicine Hat)

Back in Chains

Biden tells audience banks would put them 'back in chains'

Travis Long / AP

Vice President Joe Biden speaks to campaign supporters at the Durham Armory in Durham, N.C.

By NBC's Carrie Dann

Updated 1:23 p.m. - DANVILLE, VA -- Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday that a Republican-led effort to loosen new regulations on Wall Street would put voters "back in chains."
"Romney wants to, he said in the first 100 days, he's gonna let the big banks again write their own rules," Biden said of the GOP nominee's proposals to roll back the Obama administration's financial reforms. "'Unchain Wall Street!'"
Lowering his voice, Biden added, "They're going to put you all back in chains."
Danville city is about 48 percent black, according to 2011 census numbers. The audience of about 800 at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research here in Danville reflected the area's demography.
"As the full quote makes obvious, the vice president was clearly using a metaphor to describe the devastating impact of deregulating Wall Street and the financial industry, as well as how Governor Romney’s policies would take us back to the same failed formula that led to the 2008 financial crisis – the same failed formula that benefitted a few, but crashed our economy and hurt the middle class," an Obama campaign official said after Biden's speech.
The Romney campaign reacted sharply to the vice president's remarks.
"After weeks of slanderous and baseless accusations leveled against Governor Romney, the Obama campaign has reached a new low. The comments made by the Vice President of the United States are not acceptable in our political discourse and demonstrate yet again that the Obama campaign will say and do anything to win this election," said Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul. "President Obama should tell the American people whether he agrees with Joe Biden’s comments."
The vice president's remarks came during a rally, where he described Romney's choice of Paul Ryan as his running mate as a "good thing" that clarifies the race and makes the contest more like one against an incumbent with a concrete record.
"This is a good thing, a good thing for the country that we have this stark, stark choice," he said, referencing items from Ryan's much-discussed budget plan.
Appearing in Virginia, just a few miles from the North Carolina border, Biden won cheers despite mixing up the hard fought battlegrounds where he's stopping on his three-day swing this week.
"With you, we can win North Carolina again, and if we do, we win the election if we win with you," he said to applause.
Biden campaigned in North Carolina yesterday. He has two campaign events in Virginia today.

No need For two Event Centre"s

'They're trying to get it right'

Saturday, 11 August 2012 00:00 Alex Mccuaig

ALEX MCCUAIG
amccuaig@medicinehatnews.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Twitter:MccuaigNews
Bill Yuill's history with owning sports franchises in hockey's WHL, CHL and NAHL and baseball's Pioneer and Southern leagues Ñ to name but a few Ñ is legendary and goes well beyond Medicine Hat's boundaries.
But this city's native son's role in chairing a committee for picking a location for a Regional Event Centre in Medicine Hat was all too soon forgotten following the announcement by city council in August 2008 that bypassed that group's recommendation.
In an interview with the News this week, Yuill shared his thoughts on the future of the event centre and where the city should head from here following the reignition of the debate.
"The reason we went with where we went was because the landowner offered to build the arena," said Yuill of the decision to pick the Lansdowne Equity proposal.
"That was a major part of the whole decision."
The Lansdowne site would have seen the event centre built at or near the intersection of 13th Avenue and South Boundary Road.
Yuill also highlighted the fact the southeast quadrant of the city has the highest population, "so we thought it was appropriate to put it where the people were."
Yuill said circumstances change over time, negotiations happen and things either get done or they don't.
"I think what's going on here is that they are just taking a fresh look at it, taking into consideration current circumstances, the cost of the facility," said Yuill.
Cost, a major and varying factor in the event centre, can be particular to different places and times with variances from $30 million to the sky's the limit depending on what a community wants from a facility, said Yuill.
"What do you want, that's what it boils down to," said Yuill.
He went on to say, "it's not only the idea of building a building. If you have to subsidize it every year, if you have to support the operations every year, it can get pretty expensive. So, you have to balance one against another."
Yuill said there is no magic formula to figure out these issues, adding, "in all due respect to the city, they're trying to get it right.
"There are a lot of moving parts, pressures from different areas so you don't want to rush in these areas."
As for possible new locations for the event centre, one suggestion thrown out by Yuill, among others which have already been speculated on, is the possibility of the old Walmart site.
City staff are currently reviewing alternate sites while Box Springs Business Park director John Hashem said Thursday his group will be meeting with civic officials next week to discuss future possibilities.

Jesus

By the Way: Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life

Saturday, 04 August 2012 00:00 Chris Brown

In my last column, "If there is saving to be done, Jesus will do it" on July 21, I wrote about the "liberal," "conservative" divide in the Church and how as followers of Jesus we are to treat people with whom we disagree.Ê
Division and conflict is not a new problem for Christians. Only four chapters after Pentecost believers were already squabbling about whose widows were getting the biggest share of the daily distribution of food. The enormous and growing number of denominations in the world today shows that conflict between Christians continues.Ê
"We are not here to avoid conflict, but redeem it," wrote Robert Runcie, former Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury. "At the heart of our faith is a cross and not, as in some religions, an eternal calm." I agree.Ê
How do we redeem our conflicts and disagreements? Paul, no stranger to violent opposition and conflict himself, gave some useful strategies in 2 Timothy 2:24. "The Lord's servant," he wrote, "must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone." In other words, rather than looking for a scrap, we are to be more kindly than confrontational. This is not always easy, especially in this age of hair-trigger tweeting, blogging and Facebookery where the temptation is to post first, leaving kinder questions, if any, to be asked later.Ê
Even if it does turn out that we are right, falsely accused or unjustly criticized, Paul calls us to endure even downright evil patiently, correcting our opponents with gentleness (v25) when what we'd really like to do is retaliate and leave them in smoking ruins.Ê
If we can pull it off, Paul describes the potential effects on our opponents in verses 25 and 26. "God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will." God, we hope, will fix our opponents and show them the error of their ways. Our opponents, of course, will be praying and hoping for the same thing in us.Ê
The fact is we are all prone to entanglement in the snares of the devil. Some of the doctrinal issues about which we disagree are matters of spiritual life and death. Some of us will be wrong and some will be right. Conflict abounds and resolution eludes us.Ê
Of this, however, we can be sure. Jesus, whose cross it is at the centre of our faith, is always The Way through conflict, will be The Truth which resolves conflict if it is to be, and is The Life which sustains us even in our fractured and divided state.Ê

Submitted by The Reverend Canon Gene Packwood, St Barnabas Anglican Church
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