Rootbeer

I have delivered babies to two different women who were technically virgins. Both had been assaulted as teens and were unable to have full intercourse due to PTSD/anxiety. Both were married to very patient and understanding men. In both cases, there was external contact and the husband ejaculated in the vicinity of the vaginal opening. One of them remains my patient to this day. She and her husband got counseling and were eventually able to do it the old fashioned way and she had two more children via regular intercourse.

My sister bought an older house in Cleveland with the basement potty. They're not unusual around here, either. As the realtor said, a lot of folks in Pittsburgh (and Cleveland) worked in factories during the day and got very dirty. It was very common for the man of the family to return from work and immediately head to the basement to wash up and change, so their dirt wouldn't get tracked through the house and so their work clothes weren't mixed in with the regular wash. My uncle was a coal miner in PA, not far from Pittsburgh and built a house in the 70's with a full bath including shower off the garage and next to the laundry just for that purpose. My sister ended up finishing her basement into a family room. She had the potty and sink replaced with new fixtures, added a stall shower and had the whole thing framed out into its own room with a door. It's nice to have for guests and also for hanging out in the basement watching sports and drinking beer.

Because we know that the younger the kids are, the more likely they will be exploited and used by adults. If we're going to have kids compete, we need to develop very strict rules and structures to prevent them from being used and thrown away as Eteri has done. Just because an 11 year old can compete against adults doesn't mean they should. Do we know the 11 year old skateboarder is keeping up with his education, that he is properly treated for injuries, that his overall well being is being monitored and, if he shows ill effects from competing against adults and that, if he isn't doing well; the adults will step in and act in his best interest? Do we know if the 11 year old signs a contract to promote snowboards that his legal guardian is going to put away that money for him? That he's got a fair contract and legal representatives looking out for him first and foremost? There needs to be regulation somewhat similar to what Hollywood did to protect child actors from exploitation. Unfortunately, there are far too many adults who are willing to ruin a kid's life for their own profit. And far too many countries, including the US, that have been derelict in their duty to vulnerable children. ETA and to change the subject: If we are casting Eteri: The Movie, there is only one choice, IMO. Natasha Lyonne could bring the crazy and has the chops, too.

From what I understand, the IOC calls her a 'protected person' in the rules but it is not clear what that means. The CAS took it to mean that she would be exempt from suspension but the IOC and ISU argued that it was meant to recognize that a 15 year old was unlikely to truly understand the consequences or even obtain the means to dope, that, if someone under the age of 16 was caught; they would be 'protected' in the sense that their age would be taken into consideration in the length of suspension but, also, most importantly, that it would automatically trigger an investigation of all of the adults working with the athlete, presuming that the doping happened with the approval and assistance of an adult who should then be also sanctioned. It seems the rule as written is too vague and needs to be revised to be veryspecific.

From what I understand, monobob sleds, aside from being lighter, are not allowed to have all the high tech bells and whistles that the larger sleds have. That there is essentially a single sled for all competitors which makes it easier for countries that don't have a huge Olympic program to not only field a monobob entry, but gives them a better chance at placing well in competition which doesn't really happen in the larger sled races as the wealthier, more tech savvy countries are able to modify their bobs to give them a better chance to win.

Wakaba Higuchi, Mariah Bell, Alyssa Liu as well as multiple other ladies performed beautiful long programs. The women in the second to last group were generally all well worth watching, I'm glad I got to see them, too. I hope NBC shows more than just the top 4. If not, look for the replay on USA network or Peacock and turn it off after Kaori skates.

Kamila, would, however, probably experience a growth spurt and her breasts and hips become more prominent which might also hinder her skating. However, I agree that at least part of the reason the Russians were working on her strength and endurance was because they knew she was not getting proper nutrition in hopes of staving off the body changes of puberty and to keep her light to make jumping easier.

I think most of us here feel bad for Kamila. A lot of what happened wasn't under her control, she had little to no choice. And, yes, I expect she will announce her retirement from skating and disappear whch is really sad because she is a beautiful, well-rounded skater. If she'd been born anywhere but Russia, her story could've turned out so much better.

I think Johnny speaks Russian well enough that when he says she doesn't want to go to the podium, he's right. That's really the only thing he's translated. Trusova really needs to get a grip. Now Johnny says Trusova is angry that she didn't win the gold, not anything to do with Kamila. That makes more sense. She's a sore winner, like many Russians before her. I feel for Kaori who is caught up in this emotional maelstrom at what should be a moment of triumph and happiness for her. So glad to see here overjoyed on the podium though. I expect the Russians will soon be holding a press conference complaining that it was the horrible pressure put on Kamila by all the non-Russians doubting her and thinking she cheated that caused her flameout and we should be ashamed of ourselves.

I expect she knows things that we don't know and it's breaking her. I don't think that skating while Russian is a picnic in the park for any of them.

Anyone wonder if the Russians didn't decide that this was the best way to get the problem behind them and she was told to tank?

I don't know how old you are, but, as someone who remembers when school figures were part of the competition, I am not eager to see them come back. Watching skaters make figure 8's and retrace them dozens of times and then see the judges come out and stare at the tracks and get down to look at the ice shavings was less than fascinating. In fact, the networks would only show a couple of minutes before switching to skiing and bobsled. Also, in the days of school figures, you had some skaters who were pure technicians; they could do school figures in their sleep. Put them on the ice, play some music and ask them to perform and they would move like their skates were made of lead. Take a look at Trixi Schuba, a German skater who won the gold in 1972. She would kick everyone's a** in figures and then come out for the short and free skate and plow around the rink like a robot and be awarded the gold, She was a lovely person, just not a performer, no artistry. I'm pretty sure that it was after those Olympics that school figures were dropped.

I won't say much about Shcherbakova's skating because I just don't care, it doesn't matter anymore; but, whoever put her in an outfit that makes her look like her slip is showing should be required to take a drug test. Maybe she got arrested for her crimes against humanity and dragged away in cuffs? A girl can dream.... I'm sure she is busy helping her favored little princess, poor, sad Kamila, get ready for her skate and cannot be bothered with losers like Anna.

Kaori was a breath of fresh air after watching Trusova. She makes it all look so natural and effortless. Of course, the judges won't give her proper credit.

I paused to make some toast before getting to the Russians since I am sure I will lose my appetite soon.. I just want to say that the last half dozen or so ladies have reminded me of why I love skating so much. Their long programs this morning have been superb. Beautiful skating, wonderful artistry and a pure example of the joy that skating can bring. No amount of cheating can take away what those women have brought to the sport today. To have performed so exquisitely under such a cloud in this competition is the true test of champions. Time to take some Tums and watch the Russians. ETA: Watched Trusova. I do not understand how her PCS aren't in the negative numbers. Ugly skating in an ugly outfit to ugly music. I also see Eteri has the full Cruella DeVille going on today, from the stringy hair to the fur cuffs on her sleeves.

Yes, because his coach, Raf Artunian, was born in Georgia in the USSR, learned to skate in that part of the world, and coached there before moving to the US. So, he taught Nathan to jump using the Russian technique and start rotating the upper body before jumping.

The main issue is the size of the hip in question. The smaller the bone, the less mature; the more likely it will be permanently damaged. Women have smaller bones than men, younger women have not finished growing. Therefore, young women are more likely to suffer permanent damage because of their biology. That doesn't mean that anyone who does jumps in figure skating cannot suffer permanent injury, just that women, especially the young ones, are at highest risk.

If preventing permanent damage to the body is the goal, then you'd have to ban virtually every jump, especially for petite women and young women who haven't finished growing. Landing on one foot after a jump puts tremendous pressure on the hip and spine. That is particularly true if the bones are very small or haven't finished growing. Also, the pre-rotation is a technique that has become widespread, especially in Europe and not just amongst Russians. There will be howls of protest from dozens of coaches who have always trained their skaters to pre-rotate their jumps. There will be outrage that the US is trying to stack the deck in favor of Americans since most US skaters don't pre-rotate because they weren't taught to do it. It is also important to remember that the ISU has members from all over the world and Russia has a lot of influence there. Just because the US thinks certain rules need to be tightened doesn't mean the Russians won't manage to block it, just like they did when the US wanted to ban one of the legal drugs Kamila was taking.

I can see that, but, as they say, life is not fair. If a guy who loves to play basketball doesn't grow to be well over 6 feet tall, then he is not very likely to make the US basketball team. Maybe we should be training middle schoolers to be jockeys since small size is required there, too. If a gymnast might grow too tall for the apparatus, then she should find another sport, not expect the rules to be changed so she can compete before she gets grows. Certain body types have advantages in different sports, letting young kids compete with grown-ups is not the answer. If nothing else, this whole situation has shown that the ridiculous rule that any athlete under the age of 16 is a 'protected person' and won't be held accountable for cheating needs to be changed. It seems like that was a major part of Russia's 'defense' of Kamila. If she is old enough to compete with adults, she is old enough to be disqualified if she cheats. I am fine with scrutiny of her coaches and team medical personnel, but she should not be free to compete. For that matter, if Kamila is 'protected' and cannot be suspended, then suspend Eteri and expel her from China. It is incomprehensible that no one can be held responsible for the issue and, until the rules get tightened, the Russians have just found a new way to cheat without consequences.

The medication in question is for people who have angina, that is, chest pain due to lack of blood flow to the heart muscle. I cannot picture a circumstance where anyone, even a 15 year old, who has angina would be able to compete at the Olympic level in any sport. There are multiple drugs that are on the banned list that can indeed by used by athletes who need them. We've mentioned that Simone Biles has ADHD which is treated with amphetamines. Amphetamines are banned, however, an athlete who needs to take them for a legitimate condition can submit evidence and be permitted to take them. However, it has to be done openly and honestly before the competition, which is what Simone did and what Kamila did not do. Interestingly, Kamila did list the two non-banned substances she was taking on her pre-competition medical forms.

Multiple physicians commenting on the theory that Kamila somehow got exposed to her grandfather's heart medication which resulted in a positive drug screen. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/heart-experts-cast-doubt-on-claims-that-russian-skater-s-drug-test-was-contaminated-by-her-grandfather-s-medicine/ar-AATUtVb?ocid=entnewsntp

From what I understand, the specimens belonging to those who finished in the top positions at Russia's national figure skating competition were supposed to have been specially tagged to flag them for rush handling by the lab in Sweden. Instead, the lab says that Kamila's specimen was submitted for routine processing, no indication that it should receive any special handling. Amazing coincidence, isn't it?

More information from experts about the drugs given to Kamila. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/winter-olympics/why-was-russian-olympic-skater-kamila-valieva-using-cocktail-of-substances/ar-AATWnwu?ocid=entnewsntp For those of you who haven't heard of trimetazidine and hypoxen, it is probably because neither of those drugs is approved for any use by the FDA and are unavailable in the US. The article contains information about other athletes who were found to have Trimetazidine in their urine and the consequences they suffered. Hint: none of them were allowed to compete in the Olympics including a US swimmer who was found to have 0.1 nanograms/ml in her urine and was later able to prove that it came from the brand of bottled water she consumed. Kamila's 'accidental' dosage gave her a level of 2.1 nanograms/ml. During her TV interview on the subject, Tara said that the USOC has a hotline for athletes to call with any questions about medications and that she and her mother called it multiple times before she took various things, just to be sure it was ok.

Just because that information wasn't released to the press doesn't mean it didn't happen. Orlando is not podunk, I presume there is a well staffed and equipped investigative unit that does the work and provides the coroner with the information he needs to make a ruling. The coroner says he fell accidentally and hit the back of his head and I would expect that there is plenty of evidence to support that including reports from the investigation at the scene. Or, it was a simple situation, all of the evidence they had including surveillance cameras, indicated that Saget had no injuries when he returned to the hotel alone, no one entered or left his room overnight and there was convincing evidence that he fell and hit his head at some point. I just don't see any reason for anyone to be covering anything up at this point. These days, when celebrities die under suspicious circumstances, we hear about it.

Another expert, the head of the US anti-doping agency weighs in: https://www.insider.com/kamila-valieva-failed-doping-test-usada-head-comments-2022-2 Yup, she cheated. There is also background on the legal substances in her urine, one of which the US unsuccessfully tried to have banned in the past.