SPORTS: Olympics pay for points system?

Cash exchange at the Olympics

Operating within the rules and regulations of gymnastics, a Japanese coach handed over a wad of $100 bills to the governing body of the sport on Monday night in order to file an appeal on behalf of his athlete.

Kohei Uchimura awkwardly stumbled off the pommel horse in the final event of the men's team competition. His resulting score left Japan in fourth place. But team officials protested that his fall had actually been a dismount and should have earned points based on gymnastic's (confusing) scoring system.

International rules dictate that an appeal fee must be paid in order to file a protest. Japanese officials quickly rounded up a number of large bills and sent a coach, armed with cash and the proper forms, to appeal.

Reports differ on how much Japan had to pay, but a report from earlier in the Olympics had a similar appeal costing $500 for the Indian boxing team. Judging by the thickness of the money stack and the paper clip attached to the Japanese protest, $500 seems like a reasonable estimate.

Had Japan lost the appeal, the money, however much it was, would have stayed with the gymnastics federation. (What happens to it then is anyone's guess. It likely would have been put to use within the sport: ie, going into picking up that night's dinner tab.) Japan won the appeal when it was ruled that Uchimura had dismounted and should have been awarded .700 additional points. That correction moved Japan from fourth to silver-medal position.
All of which leads to the question: Why does a nation have to put up $500 in order to correct a clear mistake made by judges?

The gymnastics federation wanted to cut down on frivolous challenges and make the process more streamlined. It all stems from a 2004 controversy involving American Paul Hamm, who was asked to hand back his gold medal in the men's all-around in Athens after it was determined that judges improperly scored a routine from the bronze medalist.

It was a typical decision of big, disorganized groups: React to a bad situation by over-correcting. The process may be more open now. But in going for fairness, these international federations accomplished the opposite. Big countries like Japan, China, Russia and the United States will have no problem covering the fee. What about athletes who don't travel with large teams and groups of officials? Tuesday, there's a boxer fighting from Mozambique, a country that brought six athletes to London. Some gymnasts are solely representing their nation. Is going to the ATM to protest a call a viable option for them?
How big a problem were frivolous appeals in the first place? Did gymnastics teams appeal any decision that went against them? Was it taking hours to get through events because the coach from Romania challenged everything? Since judging decisions aren't subject to protest, there's not exactly a long list of things a coach could complain about. It's certainly not so big an issue that it needed to lead to the shady visual of money changing hands on the floor.

[Source: Yahoo.com]
[by Chris Chase]

RNN - This seems unbecoming of a world sporting event like the Olympics. It could appear to many  that this is no more that a pay for points system.This type of system can only cause corruption,dishonesty and speculation. Could this be considered bribery?

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WORLD: Al-Assad announces establishment of Syrian anti-terrorism court

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, announced yesterday (26th) the establishment of an Anti-Terrorism Court, based in Damascus, capital of the country. According to local media, the court will be responsible for adjudicating cases related to terrorist actions and the implementation of the conviction and sentence given at trial.

The Syrian crisis has dragged on for 17 months, with constant situations of violence and bloody conflicts. Damascus and Halab, in the north, have recently been the scene of clashes between government forces and armed groups of terrorists supported by the west and some Arab countries.

A spokesman for the White House, Victoria Nuland, announced yesterday at a routine conference that the United States is not planning a military interference in the country, but will continue giving support to terrorist groups, providing communications equipment and medications to help them achieve political transition.

On the same day, the Lebanese foreign minister, Adnan Mansour, pointed out that external military intervention would complicate the situation in Syria.

Regarding the proposal by the Arab League on the establishment of "safe areas" in the country, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow that the mission is impossible while some countries continue to offer assistance to the opposition.

Portal Vermelho, with information from China Radio International

[Translated from the Portuguese version by:
Lisa Karpova]

[Source- Pravda.Ru]

WEIRD: Elderly Swedish Man Wanted for Sheep Rape!

Yikes!

Police in Ronneby, Sweden, are on the lookout for an elderly man who has been accused of having sex with a sheep.
The man -- who an eyewitness described as slightly built, between 60 and 70 years and without pants -- was allegedly witnessed in the act by a farm hand who was passing by the field on Monday afternoon.
"The employee saw it when it all was, so to speak, coming to an end," Ronneby police inspector Ronny Götesson told the Swedish language newspaper Kvällsposten Daily. "He was so shocked that he did not have time to stop the man who did it."
The witness said the alleged sheep rapist bound the sheep's back legs together to make it easier to commit the act, The Local reported.
It is unknown whether the sheep was injured during the act, which could be crucial to any arrest.
Sweden decriminalized sex with animals in 1944, but perpetrators can be tried for animal cruelty if the animal is deemed to have sustained injury.
Meanwhile, the suspect remains on the lam, but could be facing a more serious problem than just being arrested.
A study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine last November found that men who have had sex with animals were twice as likely to develop penile cancer as those who stick with their own species.

[Source - Huffington post ]

NEWS: Ax robber robs man

A 19-year-old man armed with an ax robbed $95 from a man in the West Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side, police said.
Dariel Davis, 19, of the 300 block of West 108^th Place, was charged with felony armed robbery, police said. He is expected to appear in court today.

A 54-year-old man told police he was sitting in a car in the 11600 block of South Harvard Avenue when Davis approached about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, police said.

Davis asked for $2 but the victim told him didn't have any money. A short time later, Davis came back armed with an ax and said: "Give me that money out (of your) pocket," according to a police report.

The victim handed over $95 and Davis fled, but police found him nearby. No one was hurt, police said.

[Source - Chicago Tribune]
[by Rosemary R. Sobol]

NEWS: 21 arrested in auto theft ring in Illinois

State investigators say they have broken up a theft ring responsible for stealing more than 200 vehicles worth at least $2.3 million.

The thieves often masqueraded as transport workers picking up used cars from dealerships, authorities said at a news conference this morning.

But instead of delivering the cars, the thieves sold them after changing the vehicle identification numbers and applying for an Illinois title using fraudulent documents from other states, according to the Illinois State Police and Illinois Secretary of State officials.

The ring targeted luxury cars like Cadillacs, Mercedes and BMWs and sold them through Craigslist and other places for as little as 20 percent of their value, investigators said. The ring operated in Cook, DuPage, Will and Lake counties.

So far, 21 people have been arrested in connection with the investigation, which began in April 2011. Most of those in custody, some of them related to each other, live on the South Side and in south suburbs, investigators said.

[Source - Chicago Tribune]
[By Mitch Smith]

SPORTS: Murdock dies in apparent suicide

Murdock dies in apparent suicide

 

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tennessee Titans reserve receiver O.J. Murdock has died of an apparent suicide, Tampa police say.

 

Police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said officers found the 25-year-old Murdock inside his car Monday morning with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The car was parked in front of Middleton High School, where Murdock attended school.

He was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he later died.

Murdock did not report to training camp over the weekend because of what the team said at the time was a personal issue.

"We are shocked and saddened to hear of O.J. Murdock's death this morning," the Titans said in a statement Monday. "In his brief time here, a number of our players, coaches and staff had grown close to O.J., and this is a difficult time for them. He spent the last year battling back from an Achilles injury as he prepared for this year's training camp. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends as they try to cope with this tragedy."

Murdock signed with South Carolina out of high school but played in only four games, making one catch, after redshirting his first season. He was arrested for shoplifting at a Florida department store during the 2006 season and suspended.

Murdock transferred to Pearl River Community College in Mississippi and then to Division II Fort Hays State in Kansas. As a senior in 2010, he had 60 catches for 1,290 yards and 12 touchdowns.

That earned him an invitation to the NFL scouting combine. After going undrafted, he was signed by the Titans last summer but spent the 2011.

[source -  The Associated Press]