Thursday, May 17, 2007

Hue - Day 4 Observations

If Patrice Brunet didn't know French terminology for the scientific methods in this case, the record would be a little goofed up. The latest is the difference between "Mrs Mongongu "informed" Frelat" and "Ms Mongongu "trained" Frelat". Also the french term for the scientific terms "precision" and "accuracy" arose and Brunet came up with "l'exactitude" for accuracy whereas the translator had been using "l'accuracy" and "precision" was agreed by all to be the correct term for scientific precision.

I think.

[MORE]


It is a little confusing.

It plays directly into the Landis camp case that Ms. Mongongu was Frelat's trainer because to whatever extent they have called Ms Mongongu's competence into question, if she trained Frelat, then Frelat has been trained by an incompetent person. We will see how this plays out.

Thus far, Ms Frelat is much more willing to discuss scientific principals rather than what she documented as compared to Ms Mongongu, who was quite willing to be walked through her testimony and documentation but didn't engage in a demonstration of her knowledge of the science.

Ms Ferlot can't figure out the laser pointer but Mr Young gave her a quick lesson with his back to us and she is right on it now. Dr Botre is the WADA Rome lab director and Ms Frelat talked about being shown to do something by Dr Botre, not Dr. Bordry (head of the AFLD), a completely different person. Dr Botre is behind the witness and he confirms he showed Frelat how to do it.

The Panel's "Independent" Expert from the Rome WADA lab, has just walked over to Brunet and asked to have Suh's projected "blow-ups" of documents include entries before and after the ones he is showing. That will help him help the Panel.

Just to be clear. The lab director at WADA's UCLA lab (Hensen) is sitting directly behind the USADA lawyers at counsel table, assisting them. The director of WADA's Rome lab is the Panel's "Independent" expert, assisting them on technical issues and he sits behind the witness and has, on occasion, moved over to the Panel's bench to speak to Brunet. He is now correcting translation, too, noting mistranslation of the term "valve".

I wonder whether the "tag team" of Mongongu and Frelat , who seem to be the IRMS "team" at LNDD are the technicians who have declared positives for testosterone to the tune of 300% more than any other other WADA lab on Earth or if there are other testosterone technicians at LNDD?

I think that having failed to gain access to Mongongu and Frelat prior to their testimony here, the Landis team is double docked on time. First, unlike USADA, they have never heard or seen them before. USADA has. USADA can get their testimony in quickly while Landis has to cross examine on the fly and that takes real time investment. Second, when Landis has to take the time to cross examine on the fly, they have to do this using the translator and that takes more time. This inequity has not been addressed at all. However, Young will figure out a way to blame Suh (probably for failing to ask for an adjournment Young would have successfully opposed) and it will thus end up being Suh's fault.

Suh has been highly effective demonstrating the many errors Frelat made throughout the testing. She is more than willing to admit them, with a confidence, it seems to me, that she is Teflon.

Her mannerisms and expressions seem arrogant to me but maybe that is cultural. We have been talking amongst ourselves and maybe her attitude is common to individuals around the world who have security in their job status, punch the clock and because they don't have a personal investment in the job, don't see or care to see the "big picture" or implications beyond their individual tasks. They don't know science but they may know how to run the steps. Maybe.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

<< he is more than willing to admit them, with a confidence, it seems to me, that she is teflon. >>

no. bill, she's french.

(and i actually say that not as a negative)

Laura Challoner, DVM said...

Cam,
that is why i said it might be cultural

Anonymous said...

Does the infamous USADA rebuttal come out of their time allotment? If so, can Landis' witnesses do some gamesmanship so, eating up time with a out of "I don't understand the question"?

Anonymous said...

Bill,
Repeating the essence of a post to last of tbv: Does the LNDD lab do anything besides sports doping tests? Do they do criminal work and if so, do they have a different CoC for those procedures?
pcrosby