MMAjunkie.com | Twitter Mailbag: How concerned should we be about 'Cyborg's ... MMAjunkie.com In this Twitter Mailbag, did the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) make the right move in letting Cyborg off the hook? Is the light heavyweight division suddenly ... |
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Twitter Mailbag: How concerned should we be about 'Cyborg's ... - MMAjunkie.com
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Were getting closer and closer to the release of Injustice 2, and NetherRealm Studios is sharing more and more of what to expect from the upcoming fighting game sequel. While weve been limited to a few character teasers these past few weeks, new story details have emerged thanks to the Shattered Alliances trailer shown off this week. Of course, the trailer does more than give us a hint of what Supermans been up to in the years since his imprisonment, it also hints at new characters and stages we might see this May.
Obviously the trailer doesnt show everything thats happening in Injustice 2s narrative, as NetherRealm doesnt want to spoil the final game for anyone. Theres also at least a second video in this series planned, so were likely to learn more about why Superman is out of his prison, and how the Regime is still functioning after Kal was captured and detained at the end of the first game. We do get some nice introductory chatter though between a few of the characters, which hints at the alliances that have been forged in this alternate DCU.
While he hasnt gotten a full trailer yet, Cyborg does make an brief appearance in this story trailer. Hes one of the returning characters from the Injustice, though he looks like he got a bit of a revamped look. Hes still clearly a Power User, though its hard to see what kind of abilities hell have. One thing we can see however is a hint of Apokolips during Cyborgs short screen time. I cant quite tell if its an actual stage or if it is part of Cyborgs Super, which somehow might open a portal to that world. With Darkseid appearing as a playable character it makes sense that Apokolips would be a fighting arena, but until we learn more its impossible to say in what way it will actually appear.
In addition to the new trailer, the Injustice 2 pre-order page has updated to include more details about whats included with the Digital Deluxe and Ultimate editions of the game. Both will get you the core game, but the Digital Deluxe version also includes 3 DLC fighters and a premier skin for Supergirl that turns her into Power Girl, complete with new dialogue, look and more. The Ultimate edition comes with all the planned DLC fighters (which will be rolled out in the year following Injustice 2s release), and premier skins for Flash, Green Lantern (who we now know is in the game, and Supergirl. The Flash skin will turn him into Reverse Flash, Green Lanterns turns him into John Stewart (meaning Hal will be the primary version), and Supergirl is again Power Girl.
On top of all that (yes, there is somehow even more), new key art for Injustice 2 was revealed, showing Superman battling a number of characters like Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Blue Beetle and the Flash. If you look closely however, you can see that this is just one part of a larger piece. Gorilla Grodds arm is visible on the right side of the picture, hinting that hell be battling another bunch of characters on the next portion. Just how many pieces there are to this visual remains to be seen, but hopefully NetherRealm releases a fully complete version rather than forcing us to try and match individual pieces up as they are released.
Injustice 2 will be out on May 5 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
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Germaine de Randamie secured her spot in the history books as the first UFC womens featherweight champion when she defeated former bantamweight titleholder Holly Holm at UFC 208 on Feb. 11. It was a closely contested bout that also had a bit of controversy.
de Randamie landed punches after the bell in the second and third rounds of the title fight. Holm filed an appeal with the New York State Athletic Commission requesting a review of Referee Todd Andersons failure to deduct one or more points from Germaine de Randamie following her repeated strikes thrown after the horn sounded to end Rounds 2 and 3. Due to the controversy, de Randamie believes Holm deserves an immediate rematch.
I want to say that itwas a heated battle with lots of emotion, but I am nota dirty fighter.I have always trained to fight to the end or until the referee steps in. Never did I punch around or over the referee to deliver a cheap shot on Holly. I have nothing but respect for Holly and the UFC, and because of that I want to say right now that I think I owe it to Holly and the fans to do this fight again to make sure that the winner of this historic belt is crystal clear. Holly lets do thisagain, de Randamie posted on Facebook on Feb. 13.
Sitting in attendance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.,for the UFC 208 title fight was the top 145-pound female fighter in the world, Cris Cyborg Justino. UFC president Dana White recently admitted that the women's featherweight division was created for Cyborg. The only reason Holm and de Randamie fought for the inaugural belt was because Cyborg didn't want to fight in February.
In December, Cyborg was flagged for a potential anti-doping violation. Following a two-month investigation she was cleared of the anti-doping allegation after it was determined that a doctor prescribed medication was the cause of the positive test result. She was granted a retroactive Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for the medication and was given the green light to accept a fight on Feb. 17.
TRENDING > Was Cris Cyborg Treated Unfairly by the Media and Fans?
If she had her way, she would face de Randamie at UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 3 for the 145-pound title. de Randamie wants to give Holm a rematch, butCyborg doesn't think Holm deserves one.
I dont think Holly Holm deserves the rematch now. I really dont think so. I think Germaine won the fight, Justino said while appearing on The MMA Hour. I think she should fight again and get a win. She fought Germaine for the belt and had two losses in a row. I dont think the rematch is going to happen.
I dont think she deserves to fight again with Germaine.
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Cris Cyborg: Holly Holm Doesn't Deserve de Randamie Rematch - Yahoo Sports
The good folks at PBS Nature have been capturing stunning imagery of animals for years. These days, some of their best footage is being recorded by creations like this disturbing-looking fellow.
This is a sophisticated robo-dog that Nature used to film the activities of wild dogs for their Spy In The Wild series. They dressed him up before dropping him off in the bush, of course. With his fuzzy little dog costume on youd never guess that there was something that looked like it crawled out of a Scott Cawthon game hiding underneath and waiting to jumpscare you.
The disguise certainly seems to be convincing enough. Here, one of the wild pups comes in for a closer look:
Its not just the robodogs good looks that put his flesh-and-bone friends at ease. His movements though a bit stiff and understandably animatronic at times are still authentic enough to maintain the ruse. Thanks to the cool people at Nature, you can take an up-close look at what makes those movements possible:
Their shoot with the wild dogs is by no means the first time Spy In The Wild has punked a group of unsuspecting animals. Theyve also sent a crocodile hatchling, prairie dog, bushbaby, cobra and and a bunch of others out to record. Theyve even stashed cameras inside fake penguin eggs and nuts.
The results are always fun to watch especially when an animal figures out that something is amiss. Theres something deeply satisfying about watching a polar bear destroy a camera rig.
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This Nature Videographer Is A Nightmarish Cyborg In A Dog Disguise - Geek
Eleni Stavrinidou wasnt sure what shed see when she looked through her microscope at a slice of rose stem. Her team was experimenting with the flowers. They were trying to make a cyborg a living thing with electronic enhancements. In the past, their attempts had failed towork. But this time was different. She noticed a thin, dark line running up the stem,. It put agrinof excitement on her face.
That dark line was not some natural part of the plant. It was a wire. And it had grown there on its own.
Stavrinidou isnt the only one turning plants into cyborgs. Several research groups around the world are looking into ways to weave electronics into the natural world. With cutting-edge techniques, they are inserting artificial parts into the plants own structures. Such parts can enhance the normal abilities of its hosts. Others may give those plants superpowers.
Plants have the ability to create energy from sunlight. If scientists can harness that, they might one day build a literal power plant. They are working to engineerplants in other ways, too. Researchers are turning some into detectors for dangerous materials, from pollutants to bombs. Theyre also turning to plants for inspiration. By mimicking certain aspects of leaves and roots, researchers hope to create robots that help monitor the environment and alert us when conditions start to go bad.
One big reason to create cyborg plants: They might capture more energy than Mother Natures natural versions.
Green plants take light from the sun and turn it into electrical energy. Normally, that electricity goes to make the sugars the plant needs to grow. This process is called photosynthesis (Foh-toh-SIN-thuh-sis). And it takes place inside the small, walled-off sections of plant cells called chloroplasts (KLOR-oh-plasts). These structures are full of a pigment called chlorophyll (KLOR-oh-fill). Different pigments absorb different colors of visible light. Chlorophyll most strongly absorbs blue and red light. It reflects green, which is what makes these plants look green.
To make energy, the chloroplasts need both carbon dioxide and water. Plants pull in carbon dioxide from the air through tiny holes, called pores, on their leaves. Water travels up from the soil, first through the roots and then through a channel inside the plant stem. That channel, called the xylem (ZY-lem), is where Stavrinidous wire grew.
Stavrinidou works in bioelectronics at Linkping University in Sweden. She studies how electronics affect biological functions. Her team had created the wired rose she was peering at under the microscope. And that wire actually worked. It formed a circuit a path down which electricity could travel. The result was a rose that conducts electricity.
Under a microscope, the wires running through the roses stem look like thickblack lines. The darker ones are closer, the grayer ones are deeper back.
Eleni Stavrinidou / Liu
But how did the Linkping team get a wire grow inside the roses stem? They mixed into water the building blocks needed to make that wire. Then theyplaced thirsty cut flowers into the water. As each rose drank, it also sucked up molecules of the wire-making material. Once inside the plants stem, the molecules stuck together. They self-organized, Stavrinidou explains, into a long, thin line.
The material they used was a polymer a molecule made from a chain of identical, linked segments. Their thin shape makes such molecules ideal for wriggling into small spaces, like the long, narrow vessels that run up and down a plants xylem. Polymers form the basis of many materials, such as plastics. But most plastics do not let electricity flow through them. They block it. The PEDOT-S polymer that Stavrinidou used is special because it does conductelectricity. It even can act as a transistor a switch that stops or starts the flow of electrons. With PEDOT-S, the Linkping group became the first to build a transistor inside a flower.
Transistors lie at the heart of every computerized device. The chip inside a mobile phone may contain 2 billion of them. Each transistor can either switch on or off to make a 1 or 0. Computer programs rely on such 1s and 0s to store and handle information.
Engineers make most transistors from metals such as silicon. This electronic rose project, or one like it, might one day lead to living flowers that house working computer chips.
The Swedish group also is probing other ways to get polymers into plants. In one experiment, they submerged a roses leaves into a bath containing another type of PEDOT. The leaves absorbed the polymer, which settled into tiny cavities inside the lower part of the leaf. These cavities stack together in a single layer, looking almost like a piece of bubble wrap.
This PEDOT has a special color-change trait. It converts from dark to light blue as electricity travels through it. To inject electricity, the researchers attached pin-like electrodes. Each electrode pierced a single leaf cavity (think of a single bubble in a sheet of bubble wrap). When the researchers sent juice through the electrode, this tiny region lightened up, while all neighboring ones stayed dark. By attaching many electrodes, the researchers could control which cavities lit up throughout the leaf. This allowed them to create a pixelated display, sort of like the numbers on a digital watch. They published their findings in Science Advances a little more than a year ago.
Stavrinidou hopes that her teams accomplishments will lead to plants with whole new functions. For instance, scientists might build on her work to imbue plants with inner tools to monitor or even control their growth in farm fields. With tinkering, those plants might be able to use more of the suns light. That could cause them to produce flowers, fruits and vegetables faster than normal.
Or, Stavrinidou says: We could hack into the processes of the plant and take this electricity so people can use it. Some plants might even host embedded sensors to pick up and later broadcast information about the world around them (such as temperature, moisture levels and sunlight).
Its not quite as easy as that sounds, however. Michael Strano is an engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. Althougha plant hacker, he wasnt involved in the Linkping projects. But he agrees that capturing and using the electrical energy of plant photosynthesis should be possible.
Any new capability that you can put into the plant is useful, he says of the Linkping teams work. Still, he cautions, the Swedish work is in its infancy. It relied on cut flowers and leaves, not rose bushes rooted in soil. Its hard to do these things in a way that keeps the plant viable and growing and thriving, Strano points out.
Thats something Stavrinidou has learned. Her team has performed tests with leaves attached to growing plants. But cuttings work better, shes found.
The good news: Adding polymers did not seem to harm her roses or affect the ability of their leavesto make electricity from the sun. Indeed, polymer-infused cuttings survived every bit as long as did those without polymers, she reports.
The cyborg leaves of this weedy mustard relative contain tiny antennae. They help the plant capture more light, making more energy than normal leaves do.
Michael Strano, MIT
Two years before the Linkping group published its findings, Stranos team made an exciting discovery. This MIT group found a way to insert extremely tiny machines nano-machines into a plants chloroplasts. These researchers work in a branch of engineering known as nanotechnology. They study incredibly tiny materials that that operate at very small scales.
Before Stranos research, scientists had not found a way to get anything through the wall of a plant cells chloroplasts. But the MIT team discovered that when it coated tiny particles with electrically charged molecules, chloroplants would suck those particles straight inside. Strano's team now understood how to insert any tiny particle, material, or even nanomachine into a plant cell.
At last they could begin testing different materials with the goal of altering a plants function,such as harvesting sunlight better.
A radio without its antenna cant capture very clear signals. Similarly, chloroplasts in a regular leaf cannot absorb much of the suns light. Plants focus on hues from deep blue to red, ignoring other wavelengths in sunlight. Stranos team decided to test the creation of a nano-antenna to boost the range of light a plant would capture. Then they inserted it into the chloroplasts of a small flowering weed within the mustard family.
The nano-antenna likely became trapped in the section of the chloroplast that gathers light, the researchers say. And although they still arent yet sure exactly how it works, cyborg plants hosting these antennae produced 30 percent more energy from sunlight than normal.
Under infrared light, parts of this cyborg leaf turn orange. Its orange spots reveal where the tiny antennae have infiltrated the leafs cells.
Michael Strano, MIT
The team published its initial findings three years ago, in Nature Materials. Since then, theyve begun working to further enhance their plants. For instance, theyve developed tiny sensors that can detect pollutants and other dangers in groundwater. They also found a way to insert these sensors into living plants.
A plant has roots that extend into the soil. It is constantly drinking, Strano says. Any pollutants in the soil or groundwater will get pulled in the way the polymers had been in Stavrinidous plants. Sensors within a plants roots or xylem should then be able to scout for particular chemicals.
We made an explosive-detecting plant, Strano says. Here, the plants sensors watched for chemicals in water that betrayed the presence of explosives such as TNT. When the sensors detected a bomb, the plant emitted infrared light. To watch for that signal, The MIT team built a system composed of a camera and a computer. When the camera "saw" the infrared light, the computer emailed out a warning.
Plant roots inspire scientists in other ways, too. Theyre remarkably good at finding water and nutrients while avoiding rocks and other obstacles. These are traits that could be especially useful to robots.
The Plantoid robot has a computer inside its trunk that controls each of its thick roots.
Italian Institute of Technology
Roots change direction when they run into objects in the soil. Most roots also are covered in sensitive hairs that check for water and nutrients. Thats how they know to grow toward the nutrients a plant needs. Figuring out how they do this could help researchers build better robots.
Thats why roots caught the attention of Barbara Mazzolai. She is a robot specialist at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa. Her team has created a robotic plant and begunrunning it through its paces. Called Plantoid, it has plastic branches with clear leaves. Each leaf contains sensors that measure temperature, touch and other factors. It has trunk, just like a tree. And this system not only can build its own roots but also direct them where to grow.
The tip of each robo-root uses sensors to gather information from its environment. Those sensors measure levels of nearby nutrients, water and pressure. In response, these roots bend away from obstacles and toward nutrients or water.
Some of the roots can even grow. They extend using a process similar to 3D printing. Plantoid feeds plastic thread from a spool through to the root. It stops at a spot just behind the roots tip. There, the plastic lays down new layers. Over time, this lengthens the root, pushing the tip out and down. A central computer located in Plantoids trunk manages the direction of that growth, based on incoming data from its sensor.
Plantoid has several possible uses. When loaded with sensors, its leaves and roots could spy signs of chemicals or pollutants in the air and soil. Plantoid could even travel to other planets and relay back data about alien worlds.
Lessons learned from building plantoid might one day evenlead to new tools in medicine, Mazzolai says. A flexible robot that can lengthen itself might help surgeons enter and operate on difficult-to-reach places. For example, the robot might snake down through the mouth and into the stomach.
For now, robo-roots and cyborg flowers remain laboratory curiosities. But that may change, because farmers and others are curious about whats going on in the immediate neighborhood of their crops.
Plantoids root pushes through a tub of plastic beads. Similar to a 3D printer, a spool feeds plastic down to just above the roots tip. This lengthens the root, making it grow.
Italian Institute of Technology
Already many farmers use sensors to monitor crops. These are not part of the plants, but instead are external electronic devices set up at regular intervals across a field or greenhouse. These sensorsmonitor the air or ground for water, nutrients and other things that matter to plant health. When theres a problem dry soil, for example the sensor sends a wireless alert to a central system. Such a system then alerts farmers about exactly what kind of care their crops need.
Cyborg plants might one day interact with or even replace such sensor systems. Stavrinidous wires, Stranos nanomachines, Plantoid and other similar technologies all turn plants into strange new versions of themselves. Cyborg plants could turn out to be healthier, more powerful or even smarter than regular plants.
One day, people may find it normal to walk past roses that both beautify the street and scan for pollution. At the same time, robots inspired by plants may help explore the surfaces of other planets.
Many people head out into the woods or a garden to get away from technology. But one day soon, nature itself may join our connected, electrified world.
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Wired and weird: Meet the cyborg plants - Science News for Students (blog)
Its Batman v Superman all over again in the latest trailer for Injustice 2.
The DC fighter game previews another face-off between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel in footage that tracksthe Kryptoniansrise to villainy. But the real reveal, for those fans keeping track, is the confirmation of Cyborg as a playable character in the new roster.
In my years fighting crime, Ive learned one truth that every villain is the hero of his own story, Batman says. Confronting the strongman as he ravages what looks to be Arkham Asylum, Superman says the battle only ends when theres no more crime.
While characters like Supergirl, Brainiac, Swamp Thing, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Black Canary, Gorilla Grodd, Deadshot, andAtrocituswere all previously confirmed for Injustice 2, Cyborg now has his moment inthe spotlight as he battles Blue Beetle and blasts Batman through a portal to Apokolips. (Speaking of which, dont forget you can pre-order the game now to score Darkseid at launch.)
The rest of the trailer plays out as a showdown between Bats and Supes, who flings the Caped Crusader into the clouds for a brutal blow. Watch it above.
Injustice 2 drops this May 16.
Read the original:
Injustice 2 trailer: Batman battles Superman, Cyborg confirmed - EW.com
Ive been trying for several weeks now to get confirmation from USADA about the rumors that Cris Cyborg failed to disclose her spironolactone use when she was supposed to. Early this morning USADA communications manager, Ryan Madden, sent the following statement:
Her use of the medication was not initially disclosed; but more importantly, once contacted by USADA, she immediately identified the medication as the source of her positive test, submitted all necessary medical information and demonstrated that it was being used for legitimate medical purposes without enhancing her performance. Those are the primary considerations when reviewing any TUE application.
Athletes are supposed to note all medications and supplements they are taking--banned or not--when filling out a doping control form at the time of a test. This means Cris should have listed her spironolactone in order to be fully compliant with USADA rules.
As noted by Erik Magraken at Combatsportslaw.com, USADA would appear to be well within their rights to punish an athlete for failing to disclose this information. Despite this, it appears USADA elected not to do so in the case of Cyborg.
As I recently wrote, the UFCs lax retroactive TUE policies allow athletes to use banned substances, and only apply for a retroactive TUE if and when they get caught. It is now evident that this is what occurred with Cris Cyborg.
Link:
Cyborg failed to disclose banned substance use until after ...
Cris Cyborg did not disclose before a December sample collection that she was taking a banned substance, but was still granted a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) by USADA.
One of the provisions in the UFCs anti-doping policy is that athletes must not provide fraudulent information to UFC or USADA, which can extend to not disclosing the ingestion of a banned substance to a doping control official during a sample collection.
Cyborg did not disclose that she was taking a prohibited substance, but USADAs TUE Committee felt like she met all the important criteria and ultimately decided to grant her an exemption last week. A non-disclosure does not automatically lead to a violation from USADA without other elements of the situation being taken into account.
In a statement, USADA spokesperson Ryan Madden explained that Cyborg was able to immediately identify the medication as the reason why she failed the drug test, then submitted all necessary medical information and demonstrated that it was being used for legitimate medical purposes without enhancing her performance.
The full statement is below:
Her use of the medication was not initially disclosed; but more importantly, once contacted by USADA, she immediately identified the medication as the source of her positive test, submitted all necessary medical information and demonstrated that it was being used for legitimate medical purposes without enhancing her performance. Those are the primary considerations when reviewing any TUE application.
Cyborg, 31, tested positive for the banned diuretic spironolactone in December. She was facing a one-year suspension from USADA if she was not granted the TUE.
In a statement after the news of the failed drug test was announced, Cyborg said she was using the drug as prescribed by a doctor to help treat side effects from her recent weight cut. Cyborg cut a large amount of weight to make the 140-pound limit to fight Lina Lansberg in September.
USADA, after an investigation done by its TUE Committee, announced last week that Cyborg had been granted a TUE after finding that she was taking spironolactone in accordance with her physicians recommendation for the treatment of a legitimate medical condition. It was the first time a UFC fighter had been granted a retroactive TUE since the UFC brought USADA on board in July 2015 to run its anti-doping program.
Cyborg, the best female fighter in the world, will be eligible to compete again in the UFC immediately. She should be next in line to face new UFC womens featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie.
USADA recognizes that over the course of a career, athletes may experience illnesses or medical conditions that require the use of a particular medication for proper treatment, USADA wrote last week in the statement announcing Cyborgs TUE. While athletes are educated and encouraged to apply for a TUE in advance of using a prohibited substance or method, the UFC Anti-Doping Policy permits athletes to file for retroactive TUEs where the use of a prohibited substance or method was medically justified.
Cyborg tested positive for an anabolic steroid in 2011 and was stripped of her Strikeforce womens bantamweight title at the time.
More:
USADA granted Cris Cyborg exemption despite her not disclosing substance before test - MMA Fighting
Glassy Carbon
Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) are more advanced now than theyve ever been, thanks mostly to researchthat has improved our understanding of how our brains works. BCIs make it possible for thoughts to be translated into machine commands. This has given hope to people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases or those that require the use of prosthetics.
Advanced as they are now, BCIs still mainly rely on implantable chips and electrodes that are placed on the brains surface to receive and transmit signals from brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters. Todays state-of-the-art electrodes, made from thin-film platinum, are highly susceptible to corrosion over time. The Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE) a partnership between San Diego State University, the University of Washington (UW), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is working on research to significantly improve this technology.Their study is published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.
Instead of using platinum, the researchers, led by CSNE deputy director Sam Kassegne, developed electrodes built from a form of carbon called glassy carbon. Glassy carbon is much more promising for reading signals directly from neurotransmitters, Kassegne told San Diego State University. You get about twice as much signal-to-noise. Its a much clearer signal and easier to interpret. Furthermore, because its 10 times smoother than granular thin-film platinum, electrical stimulation corrodes glassy carbon more slowly. The material can also last longer than platinum or any other material used for electrodes.
The researchers think that glassy carbon can do much more than just improve brain signal transmission. They are also using the improved BCIs built using glassy carbon to record neural signals along the brains cortical surface and from inside the brain at the same time. If you record from deeper in the brain, you can record from single neurons, explained researcher Elisa Castagnola. On the surface, you can record from clusters. This combination gives you a better understanding of the complex nature of brain signaling.
Another potential application is even more promising. Mieko Hirabayashi, a student in Kassegnes lab, is exploring the possibility of using glassy carbon technology to make neural cells in spinal cords grow to replace damaged tissues. Hirabayashi is experimenting with rats to test if this neural growth can be triggered by precisely calibrated electrical stimulation. Without the new glassy carbon electrodes, Hirabayashi wouldnt be able to stimulate, read the electrical signals from, or even simply detect the neurotransmitters as easily.
With all the successes that existing BCI technologies have produced, its not difficult to imagine a future in whicha true merging of human and machineis be possible. Improvements such as CSNEs research bring this future closer to todays reality.
Read more here:
Cyborg Brain Electrodes Could Help the Paralyzed Walk Again - Futurism
Invicta FC featherweight champion and part-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) headliner, Cristiane Justino, found herself in trouble with United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) last December following a violation of the organizations drug testing policy.
Cyborg was taking the banned substance Spironolactone, but failed to disclose the physician-prescribed treatment until after she was zapped by USADA, which raised questions about discretion and arbitrariness.
In short, special treatment (like this).
To help answer some the lingering questions about the decision-making process, USADA released a statement explaining the steps Justino took to earn a retroactive therapeutic use exemption (TUE).
From MMA Fighting:
Her use of the medication was not initially disclosed; but more importantly, once contacted by USADA, she immediately identified the medication as the source of her positive test, submitted all necessary medical information and demonstrated that it was being used for legitimate medical purposes without enhancing her performance. Those are the primary considerations when reviewing any TUE application.
Didnt work for this guy.
Now that shes free and clear, Cyborg can return to the Octagon at her natural weight of 145 pounds. Unfortunately, we still dont know who the Brazilian will fight, with newly-crowned division champion calling for a Holly Holm rematch.
Its lonely at the top.
Originally posted here:
Wed, Feb 22, 2017 11:45am
While this week's belated Valentines Day episode of Supergirl was more of a fun light-hearted affair with the appearance of Mr. Mxyzptlk (Peter Gadiot), it looks like the next installment of the high-flying superhero series will feature a good dose of #familydrama with the long-awaited return of Jeremiah Danvers.
If you guys will recall, the last time we saw Jeremiah was in "The Darkest Place" (Episode 7), where he helped Kara (Melissa Benoist) and Mon-El (Chris Wood) escape the clutches of Cadmus.
Well, now he's back, and the CW has released a tense and action-packed extended trailer for next week's episode, titled "Homecoming," which will see the return of Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) as Kara and Alex's (Chyler Leigh) dad.
While the Danvers family (including Helen Slater, who is back as Eliza Danvers) is obviously overjoyed at Jeremiah's return, it doesn't take long for Mon-El to have suspicions about Jeremiah's "rescue" from Cadmus. That and the fact that Winn (Jeremy Jordan) seems to have found some damning evidence supporting this will lead to Kara starting to doubt her adoptive dad's story, creating a rift with Alex: "You're either part of the family or you're not." Ouch.
Also, Cyborg Superman (David Harewood) is back! This is going to be some intense stuff coming up right there. Have a look at the "Homecoming" synopsis before jumping into the extended promo.
When Jeremiah Danvers (guest star Dean Cain) is rescued from Cadmus, Alex (Chyler Leigh) and Kara (Melissa Benoist) are thrilled to have their father back. The Danvers arrange a family dinner to celebrate but things go awry when a suspicious Mon-El (Chris Wood) starts to question Jeremiah about his sudden return.
Supergirl airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
(via Coming Soon)
See more here:
Jeremiah Danvers and Cyborg Superman return in new extended Supergirl trailer - Blastr
Just two days after Germaine de Randamies unanimous decision victory over Holly Holm to win the inaugural 145-pound title at UFC 208, Cristiane Cyborg Justino the juggernaut of the weight class in every promotion shes been in had her provisional suspension lifted by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for testing positive to a banned substance back in December.
After a two-month investigation, Justino was granted a retroactive therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for Spironolactone, a physician-prescribed diuretic. Though the drug is commonly taken to mask the use of steroids, it was determined that Justino was treating a common endocrine disorder by USADA, and was therefore granted the retroactive TUE.
Still, perception is everything in the fight game. And Cyborg had to endure a lot of presumptions and judgment while the investigation was being conducted.
For the last couple of months, Justino has seen her name smeared in the media and among fans for popping hot a second time to a banned substance. The first time she tested positive was in 2011, when she popped for stanozolol after a 16-second destruction of Hiroko Yamanaka in Strikeforce. That time she served a year suspension, but carried an asterisk with her from that moment forward.
Among the most vocal about her steroid associations was Ronda Rousey, the former bantamweight champion who was for years the dream fight for Cyborg in womens MMA.
Ronda before, she speaked so much about me, and she tried to ruin my name and speak a lot of things, Cyborg said during an interview on Mondays edition of The MMA Hour. And I think five years she was doing this, because she wanted to avoid fighting me. And she tried make bad my name and that there was no need to fight me. But everybody can now see the reality. She lost her two fights, and didnt come back until after one year after the loss to Holly Holm.
Obviously Im going to have haters. Man, I got to say I love my haters because they challenge myselfit challenges me. It challenges me to be better. It challenges me to show who I am, and that I deserve to be who I am.
Cyborg was cageside for de Randamies victory over Holm in Brooklyn, and even posed for a picture with the new featherweight champion afterwards. If the UFC was flying her out to watch the fight, there was reason to believe that she would soon be absolved of her predicament with the UFCs third-party arbiters.
Throughout the USADA investigation, Cyborg said she remained confident that she would be cleared in the latest incident, as she knew her case was explicable. Still, she lost endorsement money and other opportunities.
It was a tough time, but I knew I did nothing wrong, I had not cheated, she told Ariel Helwani.
I lost a lot of public appearances, I lost sponsors, during the two-month investigation. But Im happy, everythings great now, and I have to say thank you to my team, to my lawyer, thank you to Jeff Novitzy who works for UFC who helped me and my team go through everything in the process.
Cyborg said that part of the problem with USADAs process of dealing with a potential banned substance offender is that the red flag shows are flown before the public ahead of any actual investigation. In that way, a lot of people presume guilt over innocence, which then becomes injurious to the brand.
People judge before, Cyborg said. The problem is that some media, they dont know whats going on. And a guy like Joe Rogan, who has six million followers [on Twitter], and these guys say I cheated and that Im going to be banned for life, and then people believe that. People dont wait to see the results, they judge.
Asked what it felt like to get the call last Monday, telling her shed been granted a TUE and was clear to fight again, she said it was relieving.
I was really stressed about everything, because I did a mistake one time in my life, and then I learned a lot of things about this mistake, she said. And the one thing I learned the first time, just some people stay with you. This time, same thing. These are the people I really trust, who stay with me, and I appreciate everyone.
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BJPenn.com (press release) (blog) | Cris Cyborg explains ramifications of USADA failed drug test BJPenn.com (press release) (blog) Usually when you submit a TUE, it's either granted, or it's denied, or it's denied and incomplete, Jacobs told MMAjunkie. In this case, the specifics of the questions they asked was a little out of the ordinary, and we're cautiously optimistic by ... |
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Cris Cyborg explains ramifications of USADA failed drug test - BJPenn.com (press release) (blog)
At UFC 208 a few weeks back, Germaine de Randamie made history by becoming the first-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) womens Featherweight champion, defeating Holly Holm via unanimous decision in Brooklyn, New York (see it again here).
But "Iron Ladys" victory was somewhat clouded in controversy, as many felt Holm shouldve gotten the nod, or at the very least scored a draw had the referee on duty taken a point away from de Randamie for a couple of late blows after the bell.
As a result, Germaine was quick to offer up a rematch to Holm, leaving Cris Cyborg out in the cold. Speaking of which, when asked about a potential title defense against the fearsome striker during her post-fight speech, Germaine drew the ire of many Cyborg included after declaring she needed surgery to repair her busted-up hand.
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, "Iron Lady" did her best to clear up her comments regarding surgery, a potential showdown against a "beatable" Cyborg, and why she feels Holly should get an instant rematch.
"Ive said I need surgery on my hand, thats inevitable," said de Randamie. "But I never said I need surgery right now. Am I going to have permanent damage if I fight again? That is something I have to evaluate with my doctor. I truly apologize for not making that clear, but I dont run away from anybody."
"I knew Cyborg was there and there is no reason for me to run, everyone is beatable and it is an honor for me to fight such a great champion like Cyborg. I am not running. But at this point, I do believe Holly deserves the rematch."
Still, Germaine says she has yet to see a doctor, but hopes that will change in the coming weeks to clear things up regarding her fighting future. And while UFC matchmakers will likely book Cyborg vs. de Randamie once the doctor gives the green light, "Iron Lady" first wants Holm to silence the critics.
"I completely understand people want to see that fight, and that fight will eventually happen, but first I got to fight Holly to clear everything up," she said. "Everything that has been said, I think she deserves the rematch, first. A few weeks ago, it wasnt clear if Cyborg would be cleared to fight soon, now that shes cleared (with USADA), if the fight is going to happen, it will happen anyway, but Holly deserves it first to settle things up."
As far as Cyborgs USADA issues, those are now a thing of the past. And since comapny president Dana White wasnt too thrilled with the performances of both Holm and de Randamie, its unlikely an instant rematch will see the light of day anytime soon.
Sorry, Holly.
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Germaine de Randamie: I'm not running from 'beatable' Cris Cyborg ... - MMAmania.com
Invicta FC featherweight champion and UFC fighter Cris Cyborg received great news last week, as USADA granted her a retroactive TUE for Spironolactone, a banned substance she tested positive for in a December out-of-competition drug test. Cyborg received no suspension, which paves the way for her to resume competition and capture the UFC womens featherweight belt, currently possessed by Germaine de Randamie.
A few days prior to the USADA announcement, Cyborg was on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, and she had plenty to say about Ronda Rousey. The former UFC womens bantamweight champion returned to the Octagon at UFC 207, and was resoundingly beaten in just 47 seconds by Amanda Nunes. Cyborg questioned Rousey going for the title straightaway, as opposed to taking a non-title bout following her KO defeat vs. Holly Holm. (Transcription via MMA Fighting)
"I think she needed one fight, get a win and be confident again, and go for the belt, Cyborg said. "I think it's hard to fight straight for the belt, somebody fights all year and shes one year off. I really think if Im managing someone, I dont do like this. Id give more fights for her, and she get confident again. Because after the Holly Holm fight, it broke her mind."
While Rouseys future is uncertain, Cyborg is certain that chances of a superfight between the two this was one of the top MMA fantasy fights at the height of Rouseys reign of dominance are now completely dashed.
"I think me and her fight is the biggest fight ever, but after she lost two fights I really knew she cannot take a punch. I knew this, you know? And the fight is never gonna happen and never happened before because she knows whats gonna happen. And a lot of people know whats gonna happen. Same thing Amanda did, Im gonna do worse. And everybody knows this, and this fight never happened."
You can be rest assured that Cyborg actually had complimentary things to say about Rousey and her importance to womens MMA, and also remarked that she doesnt really needed to continue her fighting career.
"She did a lot of good things, she opened the door for the division for the girls, Cyborg said. "My coach said he could help train because, you know, its never gonna happen this fight. It doesnt make me sad, you know? I think when you lose the fight its not the end of the world, you can keep training and catch up and try again better, you know? But she really don't need this. Make a lot of money, she can do other things for the sport too, just (outside) the cage."
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Forbes | This Week In MMA Biz: GSP Returns, Fedor Delayed, Cyborg Cleared, UFC Adds Champ, Drops 2 Contenders Forbes Georges St-Pierre and the UFC finally coming to terms on a new contract was the big news of the week, but the end to GSP's free agency saga was far from the only major roster move we saw from the MMA leader. Before we run through the others in order of ... UFC back in business with return of 'Cyborg' Justino, Georges St-Pierre St-Pierre, 'Cyborg' the stars UFC desperately needs in 2017 Georges St. Pierre officially back with UFC |
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Ronda Rousey lost two in a row in the UFC, and fellow UFC fighter Cris Cyborg doesn't think the MMA superstar or her manager made the right decision by putting her in a title fight right away.
Rousey returned from her first career loss to Holly Holm by facing current UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas at UFC 207. Rousey ultimately lost to Nunes even quicker than she did to Holm, and for Cyborg Rouseys longtime rival and one of the greatest MMA fighters of all-time there is no doubt that "Rowdy" should have targeted a return against someone easier.
"I really dont understand why she fight straight for the belt right after her loss to Holly Holm, Cyborg told Ariel Helwani on a recent edition of The MMA Hour. "One year, no fight, you know? She fights someone, Amanda, with a lot of fights in the year already, and shes one year off."
The Brazilian said she doesnt know if Rousey will ever fight again, especially after Holm broke her mind at UFC 193.
"I think she needed one fight, get a win and be confident again, and go for the belt, Cyborg said. "I think it's hard to fight straight for the belt, somebody fights all year and shes one year off. I really think if Im managing someone, I dont do like this. Id give more fights for her, and she get confident again. Because after the Holly Holm fight, it broke her mind."
At this point, its unlikely that a fight between Rousey and Cyborg ever happens. The Brazilian said the reason for that is something Cyborg already knew for years: Rousey cannot take a punch."
"I never hated Ronda, Cyborg said. "Shes always talked about me, she did that to promote herself because when she started nobody knew her, and she talked about me for people to know who she is. And she opened the doors for womens MMA.
"I think me and her fight is the biggest fight ever, but after she lost two fights I really knew she cannot take a punch. I knew this, you know? And the fight is never gonna happen and never happened before because she knows whats gonna happen. And a lot of people know whats gonna happen. Same thing Amanda did, Im gonna do worse. And everybody knows this, and this fight never happened."
Cyborg admitted that her rival made a huge impact in the sport, despite the that exists animosity between them, and she said that even though Rousey doesnt actually need to compete again, she can bounce back if she does the right things.
"She did a lot of good things, she opened the door for the division for the girls, Cyborg said. "My coach said he could help train because, you know, its never gonna happen this fight. It doesnt make me sad, you know? I think when you lose the fight its not the end of the world, you can keep training and catch up and try again better, you know? But she really don't need this. Make a lot of money, she can do other things for the sport too, just (outside) the cage."
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Cris Cyborg doesn't understand why Ronda Rousey fought Amanda ... - MMA Fighting
Cris Cyborg Justino has been cleared of her possible anti-doping violation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the organization announced Friday.
Cyborg, who tested positive for a banned substance in December 2016, was granted a Therapeutic Use Exemption by the Agency. Cyborg tested positive for Spironolactone, a prohibited substance in the category of Diuretics and Masking Agents according to USADA, but upon testing positive, Justino notified USADA of a drug prescribed to her by her doctor for an endocrine disorder following her last fight in September 2016.
It comes as a bit of a surprise, since it was just a week ago that UFC held its first womens 145-pound title fight between Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie. Cyborg said leading up to the fight UFC made that belt for her, and if everyones being honest, shes the best womens 145-pound fighter in the world.
Amid the controversial finish to Holm-de Randamie, Cyborg was in attendance and seems ready for the challenge of taking on de Randamie, but the recently crowned champ said afterward she wanted to take some time and allow an injury to heal up.
Then, this week she said she would grant Holm a rematch to clear up the controversy of de Randamie throwing punches after the bell. Holm also filed an appeal with NYSAC after losing the close decision at UFC 208.
If thats the case, fine. But the next time Cyborg steps in the octagon, it better be for the womens featherweight title.
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Cris 'Cyborg' cleared of possible USADA violation, could fight for title next - CBSSports.com
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One of the most troubling questions is artificial intelligence. I dont mean narrow A.I deep artificial intelligence, where you can have AI which is much smarter than the smartest human on earth, proclaimed Musk during the World Government Summit in Dubai. This is a dangerous situation.
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Pay close attention to the development of artificial intelligence, he continued. Make sure researchers dont get carried away. Scientists get so engrossed in their work they dont realize what they are doing.
Musk continued to claim that humans are already part-cyborg, citing the range of digital applications that people now depend on every day.
To some degree we are already a cyborg you think of all the digital tools that you have your phone, your computer, claimed Musk. The applications that you have. The fact that you can ask a question and instantly get an answer from Google and other things.
You already have a digital tertiary layer. Think of the limbic system the animal brain and the cortex as the thinking part of the brain, and your digital self as a third layer, headded. If you die your digital ghost is still around. All of their emails, and social media, that still lives if they die.
Over time I think we will probably see a closer merger of biological intelligence and digital intelligence Its mostly about the bandwidth, the speed of the connection between your brain and the digital version of yourself, particularly output, Musk concluded. Some high bandwidth interface to the brain will be something that helps achieve a symbiosis between human and machine intelligence and maybe solves the control problem and the usefulness problem.
In November, Musk predicted that automated robots would lead to mass unemployment, which could eventually create a universal wage from the government.In June, the billionaire tech entrepreneur claimed itlikely that mankind is living in a Matrix-style computer simulation.
Musk was also one of the Silicon Valley billionaires, along with fellow PayPal Mafia members Peter Thiel and Reid Hoffman, who invested $1 billion into an artificial intelligence center in 2015.
On Monday, Business Insider reported that Googles new A.I. had learned to become highly aggressive in stressful situations, turning on each other in a virtual game once resources became scarce.
Charlie Nash is a reporterforBreitbart Tech. You can follow himon Twitter@MrNashingtonorlike his page at Facebook.
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Elon Musk Warns Deep AI Could Be 'Dangerous' to an Already-Cyborg Human Race - Breitbart News
A recent 30-second clip for the March release of Ghost In The Shell offers some new perspectives on sci-fi film and its characters. Here are five other lesser-known movies about the cyborg experience.
Park Chan-wook is better known for his thrillers often grisly such as Sympathy For Mr Vengeance, Oldboy, and Lady Vengeance, with novel adaptation The Handmaiden furthering that reputation. But this 2006 feature, which he wrote, is instead a comedy set within the confines of a psychiatric hospital, as two patients forge a romantic connection. It won an award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Trivia: Hallyu star Rain is featured in the movie.
A highly roboticised military science experiment escapes his facility after a deadly assault and, necessarily, goes on the run. Personal reasons motivate him to find a particular hospital patient but an FBI containment unit is on his tail and closing in fast.
Picked up for production in 2012, racking up over 36 million YouTube view in the meantime, with the full movie still in development.
Though it didnt do well at the box office, Morgan is receiving a new round of interest following another leading role for Ana Taylor-Joy in M. Night Shyamalans Split. This 2016 thriller has Taylor-Joy as the title character, a scientific synthetic hybridisation experiment. Corporate investigator Lee (Kate Mara) is dispatched to take care of the situation.
Not the Marvel superhero movie due in 2020, but an obscure Jean-Claude Van Damme martial arts movie and certainly less well received than the actors earlier iconic film, Bloodsport, his other 1989 classic, Kickboxer, nor the previous decades Mad Max whose influence can be clearly seen.
Regrettable that the trailer doesnt include any character names, which are jumbled references to prominent musical instrument brands Gibson Rickenbacker, Fender Tremelo, Marshall Strat and so on providing welcome levity during the poorly received post-apocalyptic excursion.
Robert Rodriguez is directing a live action adaptation of this Japanese manga under the title Atila Battle Angel, with Rosa Salazar of Insurgent and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials as its lead. Until its release, currently tabled for 2018, theres this hour-long animated feature from 1993 that was at the time very well received outside of Japan.
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