Transparency

I will say this about the Kim/Sotnikova uproar:  The idea of anonymous judging is laughably stupid.

The arcane mathematics of the judging is (are?) impenetrable anyway, but it would have been comforting to see each judge's score and their nationality.   It gets back to Maria Bartiromo agreeing with Todd Thompson's idea of kicking everybody off the Citigroup plane and just the two of them flying back from Singapore, or wherever, alone.

Maybe they played backgammon the whole way back.   Or tickle and slap.

Who wouldn't want to play tickle and slap with Maria?
I hear you.  I bet she slaps hard.

Either way, it's about transparency.  Hell, one of the judges scoring the ladies' program had already been caught trying to rig results two Olympics prior.  Another was married to a formerly-high-ranking Russian skating official.  Who thought that shit was a good idea?

I'd go with "is".
What?
Mathematics is impenetrable.
You think?
Yeah.  It's a collective singular.  And you're not British.
No I'm not.
Because those blokes are always treating collective singulars as plurals.
Example?
Manchester United are having a lousy season, by their standards at least.
Hmmm.  Nicely said, although I'm not sure Manchester United is a collective singular.
Hell, it's barely a soccer team these days.

Did I mention it's snowing again?  Crikeys.