RandySF
RandySF's JournalKorean athlete cheated out of gold medal medal opportunity by faulty clock and bad officiating.
With time running out in one of the two semifinal matches for the women’s individual epee competition, South Korea’s Shin A Lam led Germany’s Britta Heidemann by a single point. Officially, Heidemann had just one second to launch an attack and score a touch, which would advance her on to the gold medal match to face the Ukraine’s Yana Shemyakina, a lack of time which all but ensured that Shin would advance.
Instead, the timing mechanism on the piste became stuck, giving Heidemann extra time to complete her attack and win the bout, which earned her the spot in the gold-medal bout. Officials, unsure what to do without a true, official protocol to follow, eventually decided to award the victory to Heidemann.
As one might expect, Shin and her coaches were enraged with the decision, and launched an immediate appeal. Yet the appeal itself proved to be incredibly lengthy, and also contains a unique bylaw that requires Shin to remain on the piste throughout its duration. Unable to leave the playing surface, Shin bawled uncontrollably for the first 10-15 minutes, often shading her head in a towel while occasionally looking out to the crowd before rubbing her eyes again.
At long last, after more than 30 minutes of a delay that included the Korean federation having to expedite a payment for the use in the official appeal, Shin’s attempt to overturn the result failed, bringing a crushing end to a ridiculously long period marked by piquant discussion between Olympic and Korean officials and occasional announcements trying to explain what was going on to the spectators in the crowd.
http://blog.sfgate.com/olympics/2012/07/30/fencing-controversy-forces-south-korean-to-sit-on-piste-for-ages-eventually-costs-her-medal/
Savannah Dietrich attorney wants Jefferson County attorney's office off case
An attorney for 17-year-old Savannah Dietrich has asked a judge to remove the Jefferson County attorney’s office from her case involving two high school teens who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting her.
Attorney Thomas Clay, who has been hired to represent Dietrich in the juvenile court proceedings, confirmed that he filed the motion Friday to be heard on Monday, but said because of confidentiality rules, he was not allowed to get into specifics of why he is making the request.
Dietrich and her family have criticized the county attorney’s office’s handling of the case, saying the prosecution offered the two defendants a lenient plea bargain on charges of first-degree sexual abuse, a felony, and misdemeanor voyeurism, and that they were unaware of the deal and recommended sentence until just before it was announced in court.
Ordered by District Judge Dee McDonald not to discuss the case, Dietrich angrily tweeted the names of her attackers and criticized the justice system, leading attorneys for the boys to file a motion to hold her in contempt. That motion was dropped Monday after The Courier-Journal ran a story on Dietrich’s case last week and it was picked up around the globe.
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20120727/NEWS01/307270091/Savannah-Dietrich-attorney-wants-Jefferson-County-attorney-s-office-off-case
Bristol Palin to ‘Dance’ again, since media won’t leave her alone
The Palins are creeping up on the Kardashians in their campaign to become the First Family of reality TV with news Friday that Bristol Palin had been cast in ABC’s fall all-star edition of “Dancing with the Stars.”
“I don’t think it’s our business,” Bristol said of her family, when one TV critic asked about the Palin family reality-TV dynasty.
“I just think you guys are going to be talking about us either way, so we might as well be doing something enjoyable and fun.”
“You haven’t gone Full Kardashian,” “Dancing” host Tom Bergeron joked, jumping in.
“No — not at all,” Bristol answered seriously.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/tv-column/post/dancing-with-the-stars--critics-ask-bristol-palin-why-are-you-doing-the-show-if-you-hate-media-attention/2012/07/27/gJQAYgeOEX_blog.html
Would it be wrong to cheer if Romney's horse doesn't medal?
After all, the wingnuts sheered when Chicago did not get the 2016 Olympics.
Pundit Craig Crawford apparently does not know how to use a remote control.
Because, according to his tweet, the Olympic Opening Ceremonies were excruciating. When I got tired of it, I turned the television off.
Craig Crawford ?@craig_crawford
Suffered thru all 5 hrs of UK ceremony, their idiot queen's anniversary was better.
http://twitter.com/craig_crawford
Bristol Palin: 'I like gays. I'm not a homophobic'
Bristol Palin wants to clear up her views on gays before her second go-round on "Dancing With the Stars."
"I like gays," she said. "I'm not a homophobic, and I'm so sick of people saying that. Just because I'm for traditional marriage doesn't really mean I'm scared or anything of anyone else, and I don't hate anybody."
Palin spoke at the "Dancing With the Stars" panel at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, where she was one of the "Dancing" all-stars named for the upcoming season of the show. Of all of the contestants, including Pamela Anderson and past winners Drew Lachey and Kelly Monaco, Palin received the lion's share of the questions.
"You know, people are going to make up stuff about me no matter what," she said. "Whatever. I'm going to go dance and I'm going to have fun. ... It's not about politics and it's not about traditional marriage and anything like that. It's just about dancing, and it's going to be fun."
http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=746609
Eric Cantor doubles down for Michelle Bachmann
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) declined Friday to join many of his colleagues in condemning Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and others for their letters alleging Muslim Brotherhood influence in government.
He hedged when asked on CBS's "This Morning" whether Bachmann was "out of line" -- a sentiment a number of Republicans, including House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), have expressed.
"If you read some of the reports that have covered the story, I think that her concern was about the security of the country," Cantor said. "So that's all I know."
Cantor's silence on the issue comes as more individuals and groups are speaking out against Bachmann and four other GOP members -- Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), Thomas Rooney (R-Fla.) and Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) -- who sent letters last month asking government agencies to investigate a possible Muslim Brotherhood infiltration.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/27/eric-cantor-michele-bachman_n_1709341.html?utm_hp_ref=politics
Beaten down by the SF Unified School District.
We gave it one more shot before moving our son to private school. Before finally pulling the trigger and withdrawing him from the District, we tried to get him into a public school whose administrators organized effective anti-bullying measures. But they are full and the district will not make room for one more student trying to get away from the kids who made his kindergarden year less than fun. We listened to nine months of promises from our principal that safety was her top priority and believed her because we did not want to believe we made a mistake choosing to send him to our neighborhood school (we have school choice in San Francisco). We listened to the PTA president who promised us he was pushing for change by recruiting good families. We listened to parents whose kids were apparently not experiencing the same problems (we finally learned that this year's group of kindergartners was difficult. One even threatened a teacher).
We listened to public school advocates who urged us to keep fighting. We listened to the Parent Voice office who told us they were on our side. We endured the placement counselor who refused to even give us her name. And in one last attempt to avoid the burden of private school, we placed his name in the waiting pool for the closest school that is not ruled by bullies. Today we learned he was not still not allowed in.
We give up. We know when we've been beaten. We know there are outstanding teachers in the San Francisco Unified School District. We know there are excellent principals, too. But if you are a parent that finds yourself in a difficult situation, you are on your own. Our son may be one of 58,000 kids in school throughout the city, but he is the only child we have. So we are going to have to use the well-worn cliche that we going to do what's best for him. But let no one ever say that we turned ur backs on what we believe. San Francisco Public Schools turned their backs on us.
Ficano's former top technology officer pleads guilty to bribery
A top Wayne County official agreed to cooperate in the federal probe of county corruption as part of a deal he reached with the government in return for leniency when he admitted he accepted bribes to help an IT vendor secure county contracts.
Tahir Kazmi, 49, of Rochester Hills served as Robert Ficano's chief information officer until the FBI accused him in February of helping an IT contractor in return for cash, trips and expensive perks for him and his family.
In return for his guilty plea Thursday in U.S. District Court before Judge Stephen Murphy, prosecutors recommended a sentence of between 4 1/2 and 6 years in prison. The maximum penalty for a public official accepting bribes is 10 years in prison
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gardey said Kazmi could receive less time in return for substantial cooperation.
http://www.freep.com/article/20120726/NEWS01/120726036/Robert-Ficano-Tahir-Kazmi-bribery
Wayne County inspectors general donated to Robert Ficano's re-election campaigns
The two people Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano has hired to be independent watchdogs over county government have contributed more than $12,000 to Ficano's campaign accounts since he took office in 2003, records show. Other county officials say the political donations do not compromise the objectivity of the county inspector general, an at-will employee of the executive.
But one prominent watchdog says such contributions could be a problem for potential whistle-blowers, raising trust issues.
"Perception is just so important," said former Detroit Auditor General Joe Harris, who added that he regrets the only campaign contribution he made during his tenure as Detroit's top watchdog from 1995 to 2005.
Harris, who is now the emergency manager in Benton Harbor, said Tuesday that auditors and inspectors general should not make campaign contributions.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012307250095
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Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit Area, MI
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Current location: San Francisco, CA
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