Blogs

A selection of posts from The Times' Ticket to Beijing blog (at latimes.com/olympics): BEIJING -- Jamaica's Asafa Powell, former world record-holder in the 100 meters, thinks the doping control folks are going overboard. "About two days ago, I got pretty upset, because since I've been here, they have tested me four times, and took blood, a lot of blood," he said at a news conference Tuesday. "I'm saying that they are taking so much blood that we are going to be very weak for the finals of the 100 meters.

BEIJING -- For years Jimmy Goldstein, the Los Angeles superfan with the wild wardrobe -- he's especially fond of snakeskin, so if you've ever seen him, you'd remember him -- has been courtside at every big NBA game, whether the Lakers or Clippers were involved, not to mention sitting in on the postgame news conferences -- without credentials. However, he just pulled his masterpiece. Jimmy turned up at Tuesday's Spain-China game -- having just flown in and come directly from the airport, he said.

A selection of entries from The Times' Ticket to Beijing blog (at latimes.com/olympics): And you thought the Chinese government was repressive. The International Olympic Committee has decided it has the right to control the way medal winners treat their medals. Remember Ara Abrahamian, the Swedish Greco-Roman wrestler who felt he should not have lost his semifinal match against Italy's Andrea Minguzzi?

Selected entries from The Times' Olympic blog, Ticket to Beijing: A case of national anxiety turned into what will be thought of as a national disappointment when Liu Xiang, the most popular Chinese Olympic athlete, withdrew from the Olympic high hurdles this morning. Liu appeared to be laboring as he warmed up for his qualifying race. He settled into the blocks, and when the gun went off, he took a few steps. When the second gun went off signaling a false start, he pulled up lame.

BEIJING -- If the basketball competition is assuming an old pattern, with the U.S. dominating and attention shifting elsewhere, the U.S. players, superstars all, are still the lives of this party. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Jason Kidd went to see Michael Phelps win the 200-meter butterfly, the race in which his goggles leaked. Monday night Phelps and about 20 members of the U.S. swim team returned the favor, attending the 106-57 rout of Germany.

BEIJING -- The U.S. Olympic Committee has a hospitality suite called the USA House here, where Olympians and their friends and family can meet, along with those associated with the Olympic movement. It was at the USA House that I attended an event to honor Olympic legend Bob Beamon. The event was to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Bob's historic 1968 long jump of 29 feet, 2 1/2 inches, still an Olympic record. I've gotten to know Bob pretty well over the last few years. What a great man.

Michael Phelps' endorsements of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and McDonald's have attracted criticism from the Children's International Obesity Foundation.

Becky Hammon never intended to make a political statement. She simply wanted to play basketball in the Olympics. And despite the criticism she absorbed by deciding to play for Russia, Hammon said Saturday that the joy of helping her new team unite to win the bronze medal outweighed all the negatives.

ABC's Charles Gibson has jumped on the blogging bandwagon. The "World News" anchor posted his first dispatch Monday from the Democratic Convention in Denver, saying he hoped his efforts wouldn't be "embarrassing." In his post, Gibson noted that the confab marked his 18th national convention, and reminisced about how the passion for Ronald Reagan at the 1976 GOP gathering presaged his nomination in the following election.

The gravitational pull of Planet Huffington drew them in relentlessly in this convention-besieged city: news anchors, U.S. senators, Hollywood luminaries and everyday folks, orbiting like so many moons. Everyone here at the Democratic National Convention, it seems, can't wait to trade a greeting, an air kiss or a little banter with Arianna Huffington, founder of the most popular blog in America. I confess I'm as charmed and amused by the beguiling Ms.