The media’s unalienable right to distort reality EDI BIRSAN PULSE OF
CONCORD
The current political environment is rife with media spin, which got me thinking about how historical events might be interpreted by today’s media. There is a great line in the Declaration of Independence that states: “We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Unalienable means that you have certain rights that cannot be transferred or given up. Then how were these rights alienable, such as slavery? Seems to be a little paradox there. But remember that the words were used to inspire people to revolt or commit treason (depending on the
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media spin) against government. So they needed to fit an emotional framework before a rather more mundane listing of offensive actions can be listed. Here’s how MSNBC might have reacted: “It was no surprise that the progressive wing of the Colonist Freedom Movement dominated the new Continental Congress, calling all men equal and entitled to liberty. We have dispatched several reporters to plantations in the South to get the reaction about the apparent liberation, however, the reporters have not been heard from since arriving at the plantations. Women, meanwhile, are beginning to comment negatively on the effort due to their being left out. Abigail Adams said: “I wrote to John to tell him to remember the women.” It’s no wonder why there is now a bed sheet and pillow on the back sitting room couch in the Adams’ house.” Meanwhile, over at Fox News: “In a stunning development, the 13 colonies have unanimously supported prolife positions. It is expected that they are on the path to ban all abortions, which are currently legal throughout the new United States of America even though it is rarely used. Furthermore, it appears that they will establish liberty – which certainly could not apply to the slave population. It may
Koroleva, from page 1
How they integrate music and tie the routine together with the required moves will set them apart with the five panels of judges. Their free routine is three minutes long. Koroleva made her Olympic debut at the 2012 London Games, finishing 11th in duet with Mary Killman. Besides her 40-plus hour weekly training regimen with Alvarez, Koroleva is one of 15 athlete ambassadors who have led the charge for the 2016 edition of Team for Tomorrow, a community outreach program started in 2008 that has featured 59 American athlete ambassadors. The role of Team for Tomorrow athlete ambassadors is to serve as philanthropic representatives of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams, spreading awareness about the importance of living a healthy and active lifestyle, and leading the way through volunteerism
and goodwill. Late last month she was at the Irvin Deutscher Family YMCA in Pleasant Hill speaking to club members about the importance of living an active and healthy lifestyle, and sharing her story of determination and commitment to earning a podium finish in synchronized swimming at the Rio Olympic Games. Following her presentation, Koroleva led participants in various physical activities, signed autographs and donated a sport package to the local YMCA, including a variety of equipment, such as hula hoops, basketballs, jump ropes and cones. The blonde athlete from Concord has also been in high demand for photography sessions and interviews for newspapers, magazines, websites and electronic media. Her image and story are prominently featured on many Olympic-themed sites. The American senior synchro team has been training for
Ipsen, from page 1
ing some with increased difficulty to compete against “a field of so many talented people.” Each of the three rounds is scored separately with no points carried over, unlike at the US Olympic Trials. Ipsen spent his training time this month with his coach of one year, Oleg Andriyuk, at the Stanford Diving Club before departing early this week for Atlanta to join up with the rest of the American diving team. They spent a few days in Atlanta and one day in Houston before heading to Rio. They will acclimate themselves in Rio for a couple days before going to a training camp elsewhere in Brazil, returning in time for the Opening Ceremonies. Brushing aside the widespread fears about the Zika virus (“our team doctor and my mom have lots of bug spray”) Ipsen is looking ahead confidently to competing in Rio at the outdoor Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre where he dove in February in a World Cup meet that served as the qualifier for the US in several events. “I’m used to diving outdoors (at Stanford) and the weather elements seemed to bother many of the divers in Rio,”
Ipsen said. He added he’s going to “soak up the entire Olympic experience” including marching in the Opening Ceremonies. The Olympic Trials were a roller coaster for Ipsen, which matched the last 10 months of his diving journey since he graduated last fall from Stanford.
HAND iNJuRy SCARE He suffered from pain in his right hand for several months during a crowded 2015 diving schedule that included collegiate, national and international competitions. Finally at the end of September it was discovered he had a fracture, spent five weeks in a cast and two more weeks in a splint. This was all in the lead up to the Winter Nationals last December when the 2016 US National teams were being determined. He was finally able to dive without any impediments for two weeks before Nationals and took first in both individual and synchro 3M springboard. That landed him on the National team and early this year he competed in Rio, Beijing and Dubai. He won his first-ever senior level individual international medal with a 3M bronze at the World Cup in Rio including beating
mean a two-week shore leave for all sailors, however, the maritime industry is expected to comment shortly on the dangers of having idle sailors. Pursuits of Happiness are expected to be detailed further when the Christian values have been resolved between the Puritans, Pilgrims, Quakers and others, once the non-conforming sects such as the Papist have been isolated and registered for security purposes.” And over at the National Enquirer: “Scandalous Hypocrisy in Congress: A confidential insider has let it be known that author Tom Jefferson has been found to secretly maintain an intimate affair with his wife’s half sister, who he keeps as a slave. He has fathered several children with her and kept them too as slaves, all the while boasting of his phrase of equality, liberty and happiness. Possibly he actually meant exquisite libido hip-ness. Meanwhile, unalienable is clearly a reference to a failed autopsy or cross-breeding experiment at Area 51 of Monticello that gives new meaning to Jefferson’s call for biodiversity, clearly a hidden agenda masquerading as a vegetable garden. Pictures are too gruesome for this journalist to even describe.” Maybe it’s a good thing that we celebrate July 4th with fire-
the past year at the Soda Aquatic Center in Moraga at Campolindo High School. This has allowed the 26-year-old Koroleva to live at home with her parents and younger brother Ivan, a senior swimmer and water polo player at Northgate High.
AquANuT VETERAN The Walnut Creek Aquanut swimmer has been with the U.S. Senior National Team since 2007 and has served as the Athletes’ Executive Council President on USA Synchro’s Board of Directors for the past two years. She is a 2013 Stanford graduate currently pursuing a master’s degree at the University of San Francisco. Koroleva was born in Russia. Her father was one of a number of software engineers who came to work in Silicon Valley in 1999 seeking better opportunities. Mariya Koroleva was nine and a fourth grade student. She says her Walnut Creek elementary school (“we lived behind Las Lomas High”) was constantly sending home fliers Olympic contenders Chao He of China and Evgenii Kuznetsov of Russia. Then just a couple months before the Trials USA Diving decided to break up the synchro team of Ipsen and Sam Dorman, citing their less than optimal results in international meets this year. They put Dorman with Michael Hixon and reunited Ipsen and Dumais. Unfortunately Dumais suffered an injury that halted any training with Ipsen. They finally got to dive together just before Trials but had a couple missed dives in the preliminary and semi-final rounds that put them too far behind the DormanHixon team to overcome in the final six dives. There are only eight teams in synchro diving events at the Olympics and a country gets only one entry.
SCORiNG SySTEM HuRT Unlike most competitions, at the Olympic Trials the scores from preliminary and semi-final dives are combined with the finals scores. Ipsen and Dumais won the finals session but they were too far behind Dorman-Hixon to win over the three sessions. The synchro event’s first two sessions were June 25 and just two days later Ipsen was back in
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works and parades, so we can would occur today – if such an Send comments to EdiBirdrown out the potential for the event were to occur ... or is it san@gmail.com or 510-812-8180 insane twisting of words that already going on? or visit www.PulseOfConcord.com
Rental vacancies happen even in tight market LYNNe fReNCH
REAL ANSWERS
q. i have a rental property. As hard as this is to believe in this rental market, it is sometimes difficult to keep it rented. Are there any pitfalls in having a vacant property? A. You are right. There is a huge market for rentals. Are you sure you have yours priced correctly? Does it show clean and well maintained? The California insurance commissioner is encouraging California homeowners to review their policies and consider their options regarding vacancy protection. According to the commissioner vacant or unoccupied homes can leave the homeowner exposed to loss and liability about school and community programs. One day she brought home a notice from the Walnut Creek Aquanuts about a twoweek “crash course” in synchronized swimming. Since she had been a swimmer and gymnast in Russia her mom thought synchro would combine those two sports nicely. Mom and daughter both also felt it would be a great opportunity to get involved with girls her age as she was struggling to learn English and make friends in a foreign land. Now 17 years later she is still a member of the Aquanuts and also has coached a young WCA age group team. During the years as she rose through the ranks to make National junior and then senior teams Koroleva has had to make sacrifices while training four hours a day. She never competed in high school sports or clubs at Las Lomas and even missed a month and a half of her senior year as she trained for the Junior World Championships. That same year the family moved to Concord. the pool for the individual springboard prelims and semifinals. “Four years ago I would have been pretty discouraged and nervous [after the synchro misses]. This time I was super motivated and didn’t look at it as ‘do or die.’ I was mentally alert all week.” He landed some excellent dives and moved into first place with his final two semi-final dives, putting him seven points ahead of Hixon but with a substantial 116-point lead over third-place Matt Anderson. Four years ago Ipsen missed a couple dives late in the 3M finals and slipped to third place, missing out on an individual Olympic berth. With two Olympic spots at stake Ipsen and Hixon were able to glide through their final six dives. Ipsen ended up 67.3 points over the runner-up and 152.6 points ahead of Anderson in third. Ipsen says he will be adding two more difficult dives to his list for Rio as he competes against the world’s best where degree of difficulty is very important in the scoring. The Clayton diver expects to have nearly a dozen fans in the stands at the Olympics including his parents, sister, girlfriend (and fellow Stanford diver) Lilly Hinrichs, family and friends.
ing more homeowners to that may not be covered by want them. your insurance. Homeowners’ policies are 3. Outdoor living areas: The days of the McMansions intended to insure occupied are over. Although famihomes. Generally home insurlies still want enough space ance policies include excluto do all they need to do, sions for neglect or property people are much more abandonment on a home left practical today. Using outvacant or unoccupied for a door spaces adds to the livspecified number of days. ing area of the home. Vacant homes pose a higher There has been a trend for risk for damage than occupied creating a more functional homes, so insurance compaspace outdoors with furninies insure these properties ture, outdoor kitchens, differently and usually at a fireplaces or portable fire higher price. pits. Etc. q. My family and i are 4. Energy-saving features: I hope your builder is offering having a home built in one solar for your electricity. It of the new subdivision in is pretty nice not to receive Brentwood. There are many an electric bill. Other things options to choose from. desired by buyers are douWhat are some of the latest ble and triple glazed wintrends for new homes. dows, tankless water A. Nearly 300 Architects heaters, and low maintewere surveyed about the latest nance materials. design preferences. Here are some highlights from the survey. WHAT’S OuT: 1. Exercise rooms WHAT’S iN: 1. Home offices: More people 2. Media rooms/home are working out of their theatres homes or telecommuting , 3. Hobby/game rooms prompting more home- 4. Kid’s wings/guest wings owners to want a dedicated workspace in their homes. Send your question and look for 2. Mud rooms: My favorite type your answer in a future column. Email of space. The need for Lynne@LynneFrench.com. French is additional closets and other the broker/owner of Windermere storage space, as well as the Lynne French & Associates. Contact increasing informality of her at 672-8787 or stop in at 6200 space in the home, is driv- Center St., Clayton.
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