I thought I would start out this new year with some quotes. Some nice prolific thoughts to inspire you to make the most of the year. Yeh, right!

Deep Thoughts of Supermodels

ON COURAGE
"They were doing a full back shot of me in a swimsuit and I thought, Oh my God, I have to be so brave. See, every woman hates herself from behind."
--Cindy Crawford

ON SELF-KNOWLEDGE
"Everywhere I went, my cleavage followed. But I learned I am not my cleavage."
--Carole Mallory

ON POVERTY
"Everyone should have enough money to get plastic surgery."
-- Beverly Johnson

ON FATE
"I wish my butt did not go sideways, but I guess I have to face that."
--Christie Brinkley

ON PSYCHOLOGY
"I loved making 'Rising Sun'. I got into the psychology of why she liked to get strangled and tied up in plastic bags. It has to do with low self-worth."
--Tatjana Patitz

ON ARRIVING
"Because modeling is lucrative, I'm able to save up and be more particular about the acting roles I take."
--Kathy Ireland, star of 'Alien From L.A.' and 'Danger Island'

ON CAREER CHOICES
"My boyfriend thinks I lost my true calling to be a librarian."
--Paulina Porizkova

ON PRIORITIES
"I would rather exercise than read a newspaper."
--Kim Alexis

ON GEOPOLITICS
"Mick Jagger and I just really liked each other a lot. We talked all night. We had the same views on nuclear disarmament."
--Jerry Hall

ON INNER STRENGTH
"I love the confidence that makeup gives me."
--Tyra Banks

ON DEATH
"Richard doesn't really like me to kill bugs, but sometimes I can't help it."
--Cindy Crawford

ON TRAVEL
"I haven't seen the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre. I haven't seen anything. I don't really care."
--Tyra Banks

ON BREAKTHROUGHS
"Once I got past my anger toward my mother, I began to excel in volleyball and modeling."
--Gabrielle Reece

ON EPIPHANY
"I just found out that I'm one inch taller than I thought."
-- Christie Brinkley

ON HEREDITY
"My husband was just OK looking. I was in labor and I said to him, 'What if she's ugly? You're ugly.'"
--Beverly Johnson

ON THE BASICS
"It's very important to have the right clothing to exercise in. If you throw on an old T-shirt or sweats, it's not inspiring for your workout."
--Cheryl Tiegs

ON INTRODUCTIONS
"I think most people are curious about what it would be like to be able to meet yourself --it's eerie."
-- Christy Turlington

ON COURTSHIP
"The soundtrack to 'Indecent Exposure' is a romantic mix of music that I know most women love to hear, so I never keep it far from me when women are nearby."
--Fabio

ON PARADOX
"Sometimes I get lonely, but it's nice to be alone."
--Tatjana Patitz

ON THE CONSERVATION OF MATTER
"I've looked in the mirror every day for 20 years. It's the same face."
--Claudia Schiffer

ON TRAGEDY
"The worst was when my skirt fell down to my ankles
--but I had on thick tights underneath."
--Naomi Campbell

ON INSTINCT
"If I'm making a movie and get hungry, I call time-out and eat some crackers."
--Carol Alt

ON THE CASTE SYSTEM
"We're not Prince Charles and Princess Di. We don't think of ourselves as royalty. We happen to be working people."
--Christie Brinkley

ON OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS
"I tried on 250 bathing suits in one afternoon and ended up having little scabs up and down my thighs, probably from some of those with sequins all over them."
--Cindy Crawford

ON ECONOMICS
"I don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day."
--Linda Evangelista

ON ZEN
"When I model I'm pretty blank. You can't think too much or it doesn't work."
--Paulina Porizkova

ON LOGIC
"I think, If my butt's not too big for them to be photographing it, then it shouldn't be too big for me."
--Christy Turlington

ON BODY PARTS
"I don't know what to do with my arms. It just makes me feel weird and I feel like people are looking at me and that makes me nervous."
--Tyra Banks

ON BODY LANGUAGE
"You can usually tell when I'm happy by the fact that I've gained weight."
--Christy Turlington

ON DEPRIVATION
"If they had Nautilus on the Concorde, I would work out all the time."
--Linda Evangelista

ON MOTIVATION
"It was kind of boring for me to have to eat. I would know that I had to, and I would."
--Kate Moss

ON VERSATILITY
"I can do anything you want me to do so long as I don't have to speak."
--Linda Evangelista

ON THE GRIEF PROCESS
"When my Azzedine jacket from 1987 died, I wrapped it up in a box, attached a note saying where it came from and took it to the Salvation Army. It was a big loss."
--Veronica Webb

ON VENGEANCE
"Girls are always getting mad at each other and they tell their hairdresser to purposely mess up another girl's hair."
--Tasha

ON BATTING .667
"I'm a pretty girl who's a model who doesn't suck as an actress."
--Cameron Diaz

Lance Armstrong issued the following statement Friday in response to media reports of a French judge's decision to investigate doping allegations made against him last year in a highly publicized book.

"Let me make one thing emphatically clear: I believe in clean and fair competition. As I have said before, I do not use -- and have never used -- performance-enhancing drugs. I am disappointed in the judge's decision to open this investigation without having talked to me first. I will make myself available anytime and anywhere to meet with the investigators in this case. They are also welcome to review my long history of tests for performance-enhancing drugs, which I have never failed. Last year alone I was tested 22 times by ASO, the UCI, WADA and USADA. I will be competing in Paris-Nice in March. I am confident my name will be cleared, and I look forward to racing in France for years to come."

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson - 12/26/1993

- Tim Shaffer/Reuters

I wonder if they arrested the snowball thrower for protesting and attacking the VP?

Man, this weather here in the Denver area is just unbelievable. For like a week now, most days have been sunny and in the 60's! Talk about nice riding weather, it has been sweet!

The daily commutes have been rather nice. Not frigid in the morning and short weather in the afternoon. It makes riding the bike to work very enjoyable.

Yesterday I was out riding around Cherry Creek Reservoir and Cherry Creek Trail with about a million other people. OK, maybe not quite that many, but you get the point. The trails where a traffic jam of riders, skaters and walkers. It was almost frustrating to a point, I guess I just go to fast ;)

Unfortunately, it looks like we will only have a few more days of this 60 degree weather before things change for the worse. Well, it has been fun while it has lasted!

© Don Wright - 01/24/2005

by Stuart Carlson - 01/24/2005

Winning a record six Tour de Frances isn't enough for Lance Armstrong, who may try for the Hour Record at the 7-Eleven Velodrome, The Associated Press reported.

Armstrong would ride on the banked track for 60 minutes to see if he can best Great Britain's Christopher Boardman's record of 30.721 miles. Boardman, a time-trial specialist, set the record in Manchester, England, in October 2000.

"Setting the Hour Record is very prestigious," USA Cycling spokesman Andy Lee said. "In cycling, it's certainly the most difficult record to attain."

The 7-Eleven Velodrome is the leading track for the attempt, which would probably happen in late 2006, said Chris Carmichael, Armstrong's coach who lives in Colorado Springs.

Carmichael this week said he expects a decision on a date and location of the record-breaking attempt within eight weeks.

The velodrome would need to be covered and resurfaced, which Carmichael estimated would be "a seven-figure project." The city owns the track and leases it to the U.S. Olympic Committee.

"The USOC would be very honored to work with Lance and support him in this endeavor," USOC Acting Chief Executive Jim Scherr said. "Certainly Lance and his team would look to fund the majority of renovations. If there were lasting improvements to the velodrome, we would look to become involved certainly with the community and the city."

Colorado Springs appeals to Armstrong for several reasons, including altitude. The benefit of less air resistance outweigh the negative of breathing thinner air.

"Lance seems to respond very well at altitude," Carmichael said.

The Associated Press

Found this photo on VeloNews and just had to pass it along to those who have not seen it.

- Tom Toles - 01/30/2005

With unconfirmed rumors that a soft-cap system is on the table, the labor dispute once again has become about semantics.

The "soft cap," which would tax teams that exceed a payroll threshold, is a luxury tax system--the same type of system the NHL has sworn won't work and said it won't accept. If the league does make a soft-cap deal, it will be capitulating.

But don't declare a players victory just yet. These things are like big trades — it takes years to analyze the outcome. After all, the last collective bargaining agreement was declared a huge victory for the owners, and the players obviously got the better of that one. . . .

With a negotiating strategy that leaves the league unwilling to declare a drop-dead date, fans are left hanging. Is the league willing to play a 28-game season? A 30-team Stanley Cup playoff tournament without any regular-season games?

NHL vice president Bill Daly says the league isn't at a point where it knows how few games would constitute a viable season. Of course, it does know and must have multiple contingency plans. This obviously is not an area in which the league would be unprepared. . . .

Kara Yorio - The Sporting News/Fox Sports - 01/31/2005

I found this opinion about those LiveStrong bracelets on Web@Devil. This young lady has some very good points that are worth thinking about.

Imposter Bracelets Lack Benevolence
by Lucia Bill - Arizona State University Press
01/31/2005

When Ugg boots and little Louis Vuitton purses are shoved into the back of dorm closets and replaced with spring's frilly short skirts and low cut tops, one fashion statement will remain: the yellow LIVESTRONG bracelets.

Worn by everyone from college students and professors to Hollywood stars and presidential candidates, the yellow, silicon band has been everywhere since its launch in May.

The trend began when Nike and the Lance Armstrong Foundation created the $1 bracelets to raise money for cancer research and awareness. The Foundation, named after cancer survivor and six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong hoped to sell five million. To date, they have sold 31 million and counting.

And like any trend with the possibility of profit, the LIVESTRONG bracelet has created many impostors.

A few worthy causes followed the bracelet craze, including the $1 black "Rock the Arts" bracelet available at Hot Topic, which gives profits to music programs in schools. Or the pending ASU tsunami relief bracelets coming to the bookstore.

But would we be so eager to buy a bracelet if it cost $5? $10? How about $20? The "bracelet causes" such as cancer research and saving Darfur are in dire need of funding, and buying a one-dollar bracelet is great...for a start.

Wearing a bracelet might make you sleep better at night -- thinking that you have already made your contribution, but no disease has been conquered and no peace treaty signed because of the rubber bands on our wrists.

Still, the craze continues as more and more retailers take the trend and instead of keeping the bracelet a sign of support for serious causes, turn them into simple moneymaking schemes.

Local gas stations offer racks of bracelets with such phrases as "Hope" and "Stability."

Foot Locker has created a set of four colored bracelets selling for $3.99 a set. They're called "baller bands."

Then there is the Spencer's Gifts version of the bracelet, available for $1.99, with deep and powerful messages such as "Drama Queen" and "Worship Me."

Some companies even began customizing the bracelets, with popular demands being "Live Wrong" and "Drink Strong."

People who wear those should get their asses kicked.

But if those don't seem a little over the top to you, consider the Conservative Values Bracelet, available on the Internet. It depicts a cross, a "traditional" family, a fetus, a flag and a gun.

Wearing that should get you an ass-kicking too.

What started as a reminder of struggle and triumph has become a reminder of our pride in psychological dysfunction and close-minded political views. Retailers across the country are even making exact replicas of the LIVESTRONG bracelet, with no profits going toward charity.

It's hard to think of how low profit-driven corporations are willing to sink to exploit a pure and dignified cause.

But the corporations aren't the only ones to blame. It is the responsibility of consumers to know what they are buying and what statement they are making by wearing the bands.

Although it seems like a hassle to do research on something that costs a dollar, think of what a difference that money could make when placed in the hands of a research lab as opposed to a CEO's bank account.

Wearing a bracelet that contributes to a serious cause not only gives money to a charity, but also serves as a daily reminder that we ought to be strong in the face of our own personal adversities and to be grateful for what we have.

The refusal to buy a bracelet whose maker is questionable or that carries no message other than an announcement of your personal issues or political prejudices is an affirmation of your ability to say no to greed and yes to generosity.

And that's always in style.

Lucia Bill is a political science and journalism sophomore. - the original article

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By the way, yes I do wear one and have been since last June or so.

LiveStrong - WearYellow