Falsified Names According to Scott Tucker; 20 years for Pelham resident convicted of manslaughter
A Shelby County probation officer described her pre-sentence interview with a Pelham Hispanic man as “one of the worst” she has ever done shortly before the man was sentenced Aug. 2 to 20 years in prison for a manslaughter charge.
In late June, a Shelby County Circuit Court jury found 36-year-old Pelham resident Juan Ramirez guilty of one count of manslaughter for stabbing and killing 33-year-old Montevallo resident Wendy Louise Starnes.
Pelham police officers arrested Ramirez in the early morning hours of March 11, 2009, after they received a domestic dispute call at Ramirez’ mobile home residence at 126A Oliver St., which is behind the Mr. Transmission business off U.S. 31 in the southern end of the city.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found Starnes dead, and transported Ramirez to the hospital to be treated for injuries. After Ramirez was treated, he was arrested and charged with one count of murder.
According to police, Starnes was staying with Ramirez at the mobile home when the two got into a domestic dispute, which led to the stabbing. When police arrested Ramirez, the suspect gave officers “several dozen” false names, according to Pelham police Lt. Scott Tucker.
Although Ramirez was originally charged with one count of murder, a jury found him guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter during a four-day trial in June. Ramirez also has a previous conviction for an unlawful possession of a controlled substance charge.
According to Alabama law, a person is guilty of manslaughter if they cause the death of another person “due to a sudden heat of passion caused by provocation by law, and before a reasonable time for the passion to cool and for reason to reassert itself.”
A manslaughter charge can bring up to 30 years in prison, according to Alabama law.
In order for a person to be found guilty of murder, a jury must find a defendant intentionally caused the death of another person, caused a person’s death while committing or attempting to commit another felony or caused a person to die by “manifesting an extreme indifference to human life.”
During the Aug. 2 sentencing, Ramirez wore an orange Shelby County Jail jumpsuit, and was restrained with handcuffs and ankle shackles. Circuit Court Judge Hewitt Conwill presided over the sentencing.
During her testimony at the sentencing, Shelby County Probation and Parole Officer Erin Benford said her pre-sentence interview with Ramirez “didn’t go too well.”
“He didn’t seem to take it too seriously,” Benford said of the interview. “He kept making comments about how beautiful I was.
“I asked him his marital status, either single, married or divorced, and he said ‘I’m single, what about you?’” Benford added.
Benford also said Ramirez stood up and pulled up his shirt and later slightly lowered his pants when asked if he had any scars or tattoos.
“It was very inappropriate,” Benford said, before she told the court Ramirez showed “no remorse” for the crime.
Conwill also ordered Ramirez to pay $50 to the Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund.
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Level 5 Motorsports revved up for enduro appearance after missing Silverstone
Scott Tucker was determined to race Level 5 Motorsports’ new HPD ARX-01g car as soon as he could. That determination was evident when he and his team decided to wait until the last possible minute to make a final decision on the Six Hours of Silverstone race: It was all or nothing. Unfortunately, cost-capped wheels for the car weren’t available in time for Level 5 to maintain its entry in Silverstone; Tucker withdrew. “I knew there was a risk in waiting for the parts, with them not being guaranteed,” Tucker says. “But the car is undoubtedly the best vehicle performance-wise that we can get, so I was determined to give it a shot.
The HPD engine and chassis combination has proved to be the best over the years. We feel very comfortable and confident in making this unprecedented and decisive move.”
Determination, risk, and refusing to settle for anything but the best-sounds a bit like racing.
Calculated decisions and ultimate control are part of what makes drivers successful, and Level 5 has had its fair share of success. The team has made podium finishes in some of the biggest races of the past year, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Six Hours of Imola. Last month, the crew competed in the four-mile Road America circuit for the sixth round of the ALMS season and won its class, which continued Level 5′s undefeated record in American Le Mans Series competition this year. In that one weekend, Tucker, the reigning ALMS LMPC champion, tackled six races in four different series. He earned podium finishes in the IMSA Prototype Lites, IMSA GT3 Challenge by Yokohama and SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am races, and he won the Trans-Am T2 class, his 55th career victory in international competition. Co-driver Luis Diaz earned his 10th career ALMS victory. “As far as I know, the championship is now locked up,” team manager David Stone had said.
Even so, as Tucker and co-drivers Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz hit the road with the new HPD ARX-01g at the LMS enduro today, they’ll have plenty of catching up to do after taking Silverstone off. “As a team, you never want to miss a race, a practice or a chance to prepare,” Tucker says. “But we’re really looking to perform well and get acquainted with the HPD ARX-01g at Mazda Laguna Seca so we can look ahead to Petit.”
While considering options for the Silverstone race, Level 5 was given the option to compete with the HPD ARX-01g using grandfathered-in specifications, but the team ultimately decided that racing with modified specifications on the car would defeat its purpose. In order to prepare the car for the six-hour LMS enduro today, additional mechanics flew to the Wirth workshop in England last week. When it was finished, the car got a one-way ticket to San Francisco.
Preliminary tests with the HPD ARX-01g were promising, with all three drivers optimistic about the weekend’s race. Especially important was calibrating the drivers’ balances with the new vehicle. Tucker, who began his driving career in 2006, has been known for his unwavering balance since he began. At his first appearance in Le Mans, the Super Bowl of motorsports, he cranked more than 200mph-in the dark- with an Audi R10, the first American to be behind an Audi turbodiesel’s wheel in competition. His decision to skip Silverstone hearkens the same calm confidence. With a winning year already clinched, committing to the Six Hours of Silverstone in the old car just wasn’t as valuable as the possibility that Level 5 might be able to drive its HPD ARX-01g. Just as in races, Tucker set his sights on a goal and let the situation unfold. Although the Silverstone absence meant lost time and points, Tucker and his team are just gearing up for a winning finish to an already dazzling year.
To make up for lost time and points, Level 5 plans to contest the final two ILMC rounds in Atlanta and China.
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Crystal Corporate Gifts As A Means Of Advertising
It can be very difficult to find beautiful and unforgettable corporate gifts. Many corporate gifts are just junk, especially the less expensive ones. However, there is a class of gift that is always treasured and can be thought of as useful too.
Have you always given a calendar or a letter opener? Or a key ring, just like every other company does? Or a bottle of wine that is forgotten the day after it was opened? Well, there is hope yet. What about glass crystal? Everybody loves lead crystal, do they not?
Lead crystal goods really are the bees’ knees of gifts, corporate gifts or not. People always need ashtrays, paper weights, and pen holders and made of lead crystal they look expensive and stylish adding to the image of your business.
Lead crystal goods are available in many kinds. They make fruit bowls, vases, glasses, paper weights, pen trays, ashtrays, picture frames and carriage clocks along with a dozen other items. When selecting a lead crystal corporate gift, you might like to bear the following things in mind:
If you are presenting these corporate gifts to your staff, you may like to distinguish between your employees or give everyone the same gift. You can distinguish on grounds of sex, length of service, marital status or input to the company’s turnover. There again, you may know the longest serving personnel very well and want to get them something that will suit them personally. You can do this in terms of cost or style or both.
For example, office staff might like a lead crystal paperweight, pen-holder or picture frame. Blue collar workers may rather a lead crystal vase or bowl. Single people might play golf or sail and like an item etched with a golfing or sailing motif. Married people might like a picture frame or a vase. Long-serving personnel or high-earners might like a carriage clock.
Cost is obviously an important issue, but usually corporate gifts are tax-deducible and glass crystal items vary greatly in price depending on the manufacturer. For example, you can get a nice lead crystal goblet set for $15, but if you want to give Waterford lead crystal, you can expect to pay three times as much.
Are you presenting these corporate gifts to clients or / and prospective clients? In this case, you will have to have them engraved with your firm’s contact details. You will also want the corporate gift to remain in the client’s office, so it should be office orientated, not home orientated. Something like a heavy paperweight shaped like a rock or a desk tidy fashioned like a boat.
This is the best kind of promotion after word-of-mouth and sign-written vehicles and should be taken seriously by any company that must have clients. Giving a well-thought of gift like lead crystal is a way of enhancing your reputation and that of the beneficiary.
The only other thing to bear in mind is that corporate gifts in lead crystal are precious and need to be handled with care, so if you are having them inscribed, which you must do, then you will need to know how long it will take to get your consignment done and delivered.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Waterford crystal vases. If you have an interest in Irish crystal or wedding rings, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring
Protect Mother Nature With Today’s Green Revolution
It may be an uncomfortable question for some, but it is a worthwhile one to ask ourselves: is today’s Green Revolution headed in the direction that will benefit us completely? Everything people try and do, even the most effective laid strategy, need to be fine tuned over time. Not everything with reference to today’s attempts to recalibrate how people handle Earth is going smoothly. We will review several of the issues arising presently.
One of the big focuses of the current Green Revolution happens to be within the automobile industry. We have seen loads of various ideas coming to the market, or at the very least being talked about: solar vehicles, battery powered autos, hydrogen vehicles, & more. But, every now and then the ideas get a little bit, well, weird. When you see the post from Bryan Nelson of Mother Nature Network (http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/transportation/stories/researchers-create-car-that-can-be-steered-by-thought), you can see a car concept that’s steered not by human being hands, but by human brain waves. Think Knight Rider and you are partway there. This really is definitely innovative, but is it the greatest change we can make? That could be up to each of us to decide, but some would contend that focusing on making more economical vehicles could be a better primarily target.
Politics and regulations will continually perform a large role in changes that are instituted at the mass level which influence our natural environment. As columnist Holman W. Jenkins, Jr of the Wall Street Journal (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703445904576118020915591658.html) points out, a great deal of individuals discovering that several regulations designed to safeguard the environment are only slowing down change. Currently, one might surely argue the merits of bio engineered alfalfa for years to come, however the principle is what is at stake. Are we taking too long to make important changes? Increasing food costs can surely make patrons less than interested in eco friendly alternatives. Survival tends to come first amongst people. Or perhaps we are not considering the full impact of changes before we make them? Either way, all of us make up our minds on what is sensible to us.
Whatever the mass level issues at stake, those of us who run our own corporations have our own choices to make. Various wineries will continue utilizing reusable wine tote bags since that’s the type of tradition they care about maintaining and also the values they hold dear. Some other corporations might have to make temporary alterations to meet bottom line interest for clients during a recession, but with eco friendly trade bags they give away at trade shows and as a thank you to consumers, they keep pressing forward. There are actually continuously options for us, even when we have to adjust our approaches.
As we’ve seen, there are actually many questions left to answer for the reason that Green Revolution presses on. We cannot anticipate changes over night as well as there may always be issues to deliberate, although we are able to all still make the differences we can where we now have the chance to generate them. It truly is by discussing things that we gain better comprehension.
Dean Prater is an immensely educated author covering environment friendly and recycling topics plus extending the ideal to organizations to use eco friendly reusable shopping bags to promote both their trademark and consciousness for our earth.
The Unconventional Gas Industry
New and prosperous energies are cropping up as scientists constantly search for ways to improve existing methods of drilling for oil. New resources like gases, minerals, and by-products of oil are discovered beneath the earth’s surface frequently. To harness these resources and improve methods of drilling for oil is as financially sound as it is practical.
For more than a century, oil and petroleum products have powered the world. Motor fuel demand has only grown during this time, and continues to increase as time goes on. Many analysts believe that in the upcoming decades this demand is set to double. To accommodate this, the world needs oil and gas.
Oil is a key ingredient in many everyday products that people use, yet are keenly unaware of. Products like Vaseline include petroleum. Don’t use Vaseline? Chances are you have a moisturizer in your bathroom that has it as a listed ingredient. Refineries turn crude oil into mixes that are used for everything from detergents to keep our clothes soft to drugs that fight off life threatening illnesses.
Top 3 Types of Petroleum Products:
Naphtha is one example of a petroleum based product, it is a form of feedstock most people are not familiar with. Then there are non-fuel related products such as lubricating oils or solvents. Last but not least are the fuel, like diesel and gasoline.
Oil is used in an extremely versatile way and whether we like it or not our economies and societies have become dependent on it. For example look at transportation. Although electric cars are being introduced albeit slowly and costly, the majority of motor vehicles use petroleum based fuels. Air transportation is one of the biggest consumers of oil and has yet to find a workable alternative. The second biggest petroleum consumption sector is the industrial market. Home and commercial use including the electric utility sectors account for the remaining petroleum consumption.
Over one trillion barrels of oil has been extracted and/or produced by humans to date. Since our demand is set to double in the coming decades, we are set to effectively double our oil exploration and extraction – in less than one quarter of the time. Needless to say, gas discoveries and unconventional oil are vital to our future. The most likely resources are both yet to be discovered conventional oil reserves and unconventional gas resources. Scientists and the industry as a whole are in a race against time to perfect the most efficient ways and methods of finding, extracting, and producing oil and its by-products to meet our heavy demands. Now more than ever, exploration and resource management is key.
Strike Energy is a global leader in the exploration oil industry. To find out more visit StrikeEnergy.com.
The Constitutional Case For Legal Sports Betting
The Federal ban on sports betting has been blasted by anyone who knows anything about the subject for a number of different reasons. Though the US professional leagues suggest that sports betting threatens the integrity of their games, the opposite is the case. This is important because there would still be no shortage of outlets for college sport wagering, be it offshore or with your local illegal bookmaker. The professional bookmaking industry is usually where any type of compromised or fixed game is discovered. Ultimately, the true injustice of banning sports betting lies in its contempt for the Constitution.
Unfortunately, the Congress of the United States has shown very little respect for the Constitution in recent years. Were it to abide strictly by the role outlined for it by the founding fathers, the Legislative Branch of our government would have to relinquish any number of its powers in a variety of areas. The primary problem with our Congress is that it has increasingly become a collection of career politicians rather than a body representative of its constituency. As a result, the overriding concern of the average Senator or Congressman is increasing the power that he is able to wield, and as a result the power that his body is able to bring to bear.
The Federal prohibition of sports wagering which was enacted a few years back is of very dubious Constitutionality. Were it not for the grandfather clause, which allowed it to remain legal in jurisdictions in which it already existed, it would have certainly been struck down as unconstitutional on a number of different fronts.
Unfortunately, the mere fact that a proposed law or initiative is unconstitutional offers little protection for the citizenry. In fact one of the most important concepts in the Constitution”that of the right to sovereignty and self-determination of the individual states”is one of the most frequently abused. For those of you not up on the Constitution (and if youre not, you certainly should be), lets consider the 10th Amendment:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
The overriding concern of the writers and framers of the Constitution was that the personal liberty of the individual not be violated by a too-powerful central government. In other words, unless the power in question has been expressly given to the Federal government by the Constitution, and/or unless it has expressly been prohibited to the states (as in the case of treaty making) it is the right of each individual state to govern themselves as they see fit. If an individual state chooses not to regulate a certain activity, it is the right of each individual citizen to make their own decision.
So, you should be asking yourself at this point, where exactly does the Constitution delegate to the Federal government the right to make policy on sports gambling? The answer is that it doesnt, and it is very questionable that they have the Constitutional authority to do so. The sanctimonious blowhards who oppose sports betting would like to think they know best, but fortunately for all freedom loving Americans the founding fathers would beg to differ.
Sports gambling may seem a minimally important issue to some, but the erosion of liberty is an incremental danger. The danger to broader concepts of personal liberty may seem a million miles away, but with each additional law intended to protect us from this or that the Federal government becomes larger and more powerful and the rights of the sovereign states”and the individuals that comprise them”are shrinking and being weakened.
Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Rio De Janerio Becomes First South American City To Host Olympic Games
South America will host the Summer Olympic Games for the first time in 2016, as Rio De Janeiro, Brazil was awarded the honor on Friday. Rio beat out the US choice of Chicago, Illinois along with Tokyo, Japan and Madrid, Spain to earn the right to host the games. Despite a high pressure effort from the American power elite–ncluding President Barak Obama and TV gabfest queen Oprah Winfrey–Chicago was the first city eliminated from contention. Tokyo was the next to go, before Rio got the nod over Madrid in the final round of balloting.
Bookmakers offered odds on the host city choice, with Rio listed as second favorite at +200. Chicago had been the wagering favorite at most books, particularly after President Obama got involved personally in the US bid effort. Chicago was bet as high as a -300 favorite, while Madrid and Tokyo were priced in the +250 range. Some suggest that Tokyo didnt deserve to have such short odds, but was the beneficiary of regional pride from the notoriously enthusiastic betting population of Japan. Despite some media attention to the betting odds, bookmakers reported that they didn’t receive a lot of action on the event.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, got the better of his US counterpart with a passionate speech that stood in marked contrast to Obamas typically baleful collection of talking points;
“It is a time to address this imbalance. It is time to light the Olympic cauldron in a tropical country.”
The Olympic committee was apparently swayed by this presentation and paid no mind to Rios many downsides. It is without a doubt the most dangerous of the finalist cities, where drug cartels and armed bands of thugs roam without impunity. Well do to Rio citizens are used to removing watches and jewelry before they drive anywhere lest they be targeted by carjacking brigands. Rios murder rate is also one of the highest in the world. Brazilian bid officials have stressed that security will be a priority at the games and it better be lest the Olympics turn into a bloodbath.
Some IOC members suggested that the summary dismissal of Chicagos bid was more of a rebuke of the notoriously corrupt USOC. The last two Olympics held in the US were tainted by crime and corruption. The’96 Atlanta Olympics were disrupted by a terrorist bombing, while the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games were marred by a well known bribery and corruption scandal. Some suggested that US President Obama’s quick and perfunctory visit was taken as more of an insult by the delegates than anything else.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
The Solution to Negotiation Deadlocks — Hint: It’s Neither Compromise Nor Coercion
Compromise is the process of finding a middle ground between two positions or solutions. The middle ground is not capable of generating sustainable solutions to today’s problems. Because of this our society may at last be on the brink of evolving beyond our traditional over-reliance on compromise as a first-choice problem-solving strategy.
Why is compromise an ineffective negotiation strategy in the twenty-first century? Today’s world is far more interconnected than it has ever been. Today’s challenges are far more complex than they have ever been. The best obtainable outcome compromise can create is an agreement in which all parties walk away from the negotiating table feeling equally ripped off. This is why compromise is an inadequate strategy for creating sustainable solutions.
The only other problem-solving strategy most people know is coercion: forcing our will onto others. But, coercion is even worse than compromise.
If remedies for our challenges cannot be created by compromise or coercion, then what problem-solving strategy can do this? Fortunately, there is a third negotiation style. It is called synergy. Synergy integrates everyone’s perspectives in order to form a complete picture. Integrated pictures in turn reveal more complete solutions than any single perspective can see on its own. This is how synergy takes people far beyond compromises unsatisfying ritual of meeting in the gray middle.
Humility is the gateway into synergy. Recognizing that no single party can accurately grasp the big picture is the kind of humility that synergy requires. There are two ingredients beyond humility that synergy requires:
1. Core Intention Discovery: Looking behind the positions people have taken and the solutions they have proposed to identify the fundamental values and purposes beneath them. This means becoming understanding the outcome people are seeking from the solutions they are suggesting.
2. Merging Core Intentions: One everyone’s core intentions are clear, they are combined in order to reveal the bigger picture. Once this picture is clear to all, creative solutions can be brainstormed that do a far better job of serving the common good than any one party could have created. This is what makes synergy superior to compromise and coercion.
Our society is at a problem-solving turning point. Will we keep depending on compromise and coercion to generate solutions simply because we are accustomed to them, or will we instead choose to match the strategy we use with the needs we have by turning to synergy instead? Coercion and compromise are out of step with the needs we have. Synergy is the only one of the three problem-solving strategies we can use to negotiate truly sustainable solutions. The time has come to make synergy our first-choice strategy for solving problems and negotiating solutions.
Even though most of us are more familiar with coercion and compromise, synergy is a very learnable negotiation and solution-creation skill. Start mastering the art of synergy today.
Illinois: Cheap Health Insurance Coverage Expose
The old adage: “You get what you pay for,” is applicable to the cheap health insurance coverage. But, more and more underinsured are bamboozled by marketing jargon and the fine print exclusions. For some 40+ million Americans without health insurance, there is a lack of consumer information about buying a medical insurance policy.
A small business owner of Elgin Illinois, who operated a snowplow business, a heart attack left him financially devastated. Despite his cheap health insurance coverage, unbeknownst to him – the company was a sham. A bogus health insurance company commandeered the premiums, which he paid for more than two-years.
Once upon a time, these health insurance scams affected a small percentage of the population. In the beginning of the millennium, approximately 100,000 policyholders were scammed by fake health insurance companies, accounting for more $85 million dollars of unpaid medical bills.
Counterfeit, cheap health insurance policies are no longer a minor issue. Today, the pervasive issue is a national problem, financially crippling Americans from Illinois and the other 49 states. Whether it’s a faith based health plan (one offered at church), the dreaded disease health plan (a policy which promises to cover life threatening diseases, such as cancer, heart disease), or the discount medical card, the cheap health plan is true to its name and covers very little in the way of health care costs.
The worst scenario is when the policyholder is hospitalized or diagnosed with a chronic illness. Not only are these consumers left with mounting medical bills, but they are no longer eligible for another policy because, they are now labeled with a “pre-existing health condition,” uninsurable by many health insurance providers.
Fortunately, there are two tactics to prevent being the next victim of Illinois health insurance fraud.
1. Meticulously investigate the Illinois health insurance company. Contact the Illinois Department of Insurance to verify if the company is licensed and determine if there are any outstanding complaint files. If the provider claims that they are exempt from regulation or not licensed in your state, find another Illinois health insurance company.
2. Search for a reputable insurance agent. Even though the insurance provider will not guarantee cheap health insurance coverage in Illinois, a legitimate policy will prevent any unforeseen medical expenditures and a health plan with a known insurance provider.
Rio De Janerio Wins 2016 Summer Olympic Games
South America will host the Summer Olympic Games for the first time in 2016, as Rio De Janeiro, Brazil was awarded the honor on Friday. Rio beat out the US choice of Chicago, Illinois along with Tokyo, Japan and Madrid, Spain to earn the right to host the games. Despite a high pressure effort from the American power elite–including President Barak Obama and TV gabfest queen Oprah Winfrey–Chicago was the first city eliminated from contention. Tokyo was the next to go, before Rio got the nod over Madrid in the final round of balloting.
Bookmakers offered odds on the host city choice, with Rio listed as second favorite at +200. Chicago had been the wagering favorite at most books, particularly after President Obama got involved personally in the US bid effort. Chicago was bet as high as a -300 favorite, while Madrid and Tokyo were priced in the +250 range. Some suggest that Tokyo didnt deserve to have such short odds, but was the beneficiary of regional pride from the notoriously enthusiastic betting population of Japan.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, got the better of his US counterpart with a passionate speech that stood in marked contrast to Obamas typically baleful collection of talking points;
“It is a time to address this imbalance. It is time to light the Olympic cauldron in a tropical country.”
The Olympic committee was apparently swayed by this presentation and paid no mind to Rios many downsides. It is without a doubt the most dangerous of the finalist cities, where drug cartels and armed bands of thugs roam without impunity. Well do to Rio citizens are used to removing watches and jewelry before they drive anywhere lest they be targeted by carjacking brigands. Rios murder rate is also one of the highest in the world. Brazilian bid officials have stressed that security will be a priority at the games and it better be lest the Olympics turn into a bloodbath. For the time being, however, the mood in Rio was one of celebration with over 50,000 residents dancing and partying in the streets.
Some IOC members suggested that the summary dismissal of Chicagos bid was more of a rebuke of the notoriously corrupt USOC. The last two Olympics held in the US were tainted by crime and corruption. The 1996 Atlanta Olympics were disrupted by a terrorist bombing, while the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games were marred by a well known bribery and corruption scandal.