olympics deprecation thread
Posted by: winkyincanada on 26 July 2012
Because it feels good to skewer the twin evils of corporate thuggery and repulsive nationalism (borderline racism and bigotry) that pretty much is the olympics, I offer this thread...
To kick off (get it?), here is a photo of the crowd at one of the women's soccer matches. Apart from the empty seats, it looks like some one had to quickly do the signwriting with some masking tape. I believe that they actually paid someone to come up with that font! And the Lisa BJ logo; and the mascots! Honestly, you couldn't make this stuff up.
At the same match, the wrong flag was shown, causing fervently nationalistic competitors and officials to take so much "offense" that they delayed the match for an hour. Luckily, as it was women's soccer, no spectators were inconvenienced.
In other news, the organisers have had to refund some money to people who bought tickets to seats at the aquatic centre that didn't allow them to see anything.
In other news the net bill to you UK taxpayers is now estimated at $16Bn. No small change, eh?
Well done Greg - awesome.
Mo Farah - that was absolutely unbelieveable. There is not a dry eye in the SKD household...
Same here.
unreal night.
His daughter and wife with one in the oven for the future Brilliant.
In my 57 years i do not remember a day/ night like this.
6 golds in one day.
Stu
Our greatest day in a hundred years.
Man is it going to hurt when she wants to have a baby though.
Women like that don't have babies. They fall for women ...
Nothing very naturally female about ultra-athletic females in my view.
Though they can be fanciable in an impossible way ...
ATB from George
Dear Jim,
Sorry, but I like ladies with a little covering over their frame!
ATB from George
George,
One of GBs best ever daughter was running this morning after being hit by a car and other set backs.
Liz Mc Colgans daughter Eillish.
Makes me feel old.
Her dad was not that bad also.
Stu
Women like that don't have babies. They fall for women ...
Nothing very naturally female about ultra-athletic females in my view.
Though they can be fanciable in an impossible way ...
ATB from George
Twit.
Dear Jim,
Sorry, but I like ladies with a little covering over their frame!
ATB from George
In George's deffence, I know what he meant.
Jess Ennis - wonderful
Greg Rutherford - amazing
Mo Farah - superb
Katherine Copeland and Sophie Hosking - unbelievably good
Andrew Triggs Hodge, Pete Reed, Tom James and Alex Gregory - magnificent
Dani King, Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell - incredible
absolutely brilliant and Andy & Laura through to the final
Surely one of the best days ever.
Jess Ennis was incredible I think she should get 7 Gold medals - one for each event
Her winning the 800 by a country mile was the icing on the cake
The Greatest Show ever just gets better and better
The only dilemma is what to watch
Oh yes and Kevin Pietersen is 149 n.o.
What a great day ... ,in the last week the world has become a much better place thanks to our and the rest of the world's wonderful sports men and women ....
Dear Jim,
I simply do not follow sport. It is [to me] boring, and it is currupt.
I may be digging a hole, but I cannot tell untruths from my own perspective. I dislike [in the main though Olga Corbet - Russian in the Moscow Olympics - was nice] female athletes.
I like the female form as shown by by Botticelli, or Rubens. The muscular woman, reminds me of arrested development male adolescents.
Okay, one does not have to fancy ones heroes or heroines, but they can be more or less repugnant.
I wish athletics was the domain of the male human, and even then I'd take no interest.
ATB from George
Dear Jim,
Sorry, but I like ladies with a little covering over their frame!
ATB from George
Jessica had all the covering she needed - a beautiful Gold medal.
> I may be digging a hole
I think you are George - Jessica is the best in the world at what she does and has every right to the acclaim. She also comes across as a splendid person too.
Botticelli and Rubens - what did they ever win? A couple of ineffective Belgian strikers if I remember correctly who appeared in the 1962 world cup qualifiers.
Come on George, this week has has been absolutely wonderful and there is another week to come.
We were even sporting enough to let the Koreans beat us at football (which we ensured when we named Stuart Pearce as Team GB football coach) so they could enjoy a moment of glory too,
[Pedant's note: Olga Corbett wasn't Russian she was from Grodno in Belarus, although she was obliged to compete for the USSR].
The races I saw today weren't boring, they were among the most exciting events I have ever seen - edge of the seat stuff: quite superb.
Here is a song to bring you some cheer
All the best, Guy
Come on George, this week has has been absolutely wonderful and there is another week to come.
Only another week or ten days to go! [Hell for non-sports-fascistas].
The reporting of the catastrophe in Syria can then continue ...
I could not give damn for physical exertion, or artless spectacular, or female musculature monsters.
Even the four minute mile by Bannister makes bugger all diffrence,
It is another diversion from the real problem of how how to reduce the human poulation to a sustainable level before the planet is ruined.
ATB fRom George
George,
Although there's been some very cynical photo oportunities among dignitaries, the nation, for once, was united in celebrating a unity that has not been felt since, I dare say, the late 1940's. It's a sense of jubilation and pride. Throught the history of the olympics games, conflicts of all kinds have cast a shadow over its validity. The London Games once again have proved that we can always put our differences to one side.
KR
Tony
> It is another diversion from the real problem of how how to reduce the human poulation to a sustainable level before the planet is ruined.
I wouldn't worry about that if I were you because as the great Bob Marley once sung Everything's Gonna Be All Right. Planet's have a habit of sorting themselves out and if they don't well ... that's the way of the world.
TBH the BBC News is often quite depressing so I rarely watch it ... except for the sports news which for some reason is at the end when it should be on first like it is now. That is why I oscillate between Radio 4 Extra (no news) and Radio 5 Live (sports) ... I do make an exception for Prime Minister's question time as that is usually entertaining and it is good to know our country is in safe hands.
To me great events like London 2012 is what life is really about ... the bits in between can be quite dull at times - politics and economics are no doubt necessary for our existence, but sport and music is what we exist for ... at least what I exist for.
All the best, Guy
George,
Athought there's been some very cynical photo oportunities among dignataries, the nation, for once, was united in celebrating a unity that has not been felt since, I dare say, the late 1940's. It's a sense of jubilation and pride. Throught the history of the olympics games, conflicts of all kinds have cast a shadow over its validity. The London Games once again have proved that we can always put our differences to one side.
KR
Tony
+1 ... superb post.
George,
Although there's been some very cynical photo oportunities among dignitaries, the nation, for once, was united in celebrating a unity that has not been felt since, I dare say, the late 1940's. It's a sense of jubilation and pride. Throught the history of the olympics games, conflicts of all kinds have cast a shadow over its validity. The London Games once again have proved that we can always put our differences to one side.
KR
Tony
Great post Tony. Today was wonderful. The brilliant rowers this morning, our record-breaking women cyclists this afternoon and that wonderful, wonderful hour in the stadium this evening - mighty Mo, super Greg and the nation's sweetheart. What performances, and what a crowd. Feeling very proud to be British today.
And you know the other thing about the athletics tonight? Those three Golds were won by a mixed-race girl from Sheffield; a bloke of Somali descent from Bedford; and a ginge from Milton Keynes. The mad mish-mash of modern Britain at its bloody brilliant best. The racists from the BNP and EDF and all the Blimps and Bufton-Tuftons , not to mention that pillock Aidan Burley, must be absolutely livid - all those superb athletes from different backgrounds, all draped in the British flag. Best thing I've seen in yonks.
I confess I went into these games cynical and negative for all the well documented reasons but I've been completely hooked this week. So many wonderful performances. The facilities and the BBC's coverage have been the best ever. Tonight my wife, generally not interested in sports of any sort, was sitting on the edge of her seat screaming at Jennifer Ennis, Mo Farrah, and couldn't stop talking about how cute and gallus Rutherford was and how much she wanted him to win. It was unbelievable. And she also loved how feminine most of the female winners were, Ennis and Pendleton being prime examples.
If a daft old buffer had told her in person they were barren lesbians she'd have given him a rather potent kick in the nads.
Sheesh.
As of today the USA has less than twice the number of medals that GB has despite having a population more than 5 x as high as the UK.
China has less than twice the number of medals that GB has despite having a population more than 22 x as high as the UK.
Given the differences between the sizes of populations GB will never have more medals than the US and China
However when we look at the amount of medals per capita we can see the US and China will never have more medals than GB.
Well done Jess, the girl with the golden bum.
Really doesn't matter how many people you have. It's what you do with them that counts.
About 10 years ago, there was a calculation that they did in Germany: They looked at the amount of money the govt. invested in sports, in fostering talent, in getting hold of talent, and prepping them for the olympics etc. I might by off by an order of magnitude, but the net result was something like 18 Million dollars per gold medal that Germany got in the olympics.
Looking at it that way, if it's more about fostering the talent you have, you might be better off with fewer people that you can invest more in...
"It is another diversion from the real problem of how how to reduce the human poulation to a sustainable level before the planet is ruined."
Yeah fat chance...
The big plutocratic corporations that rule this world would never allow any reduction in world human population, it would go against their business ethics of exploitation of the unemployed masses that cause buck cheap labour and the ever increasing supply of more customers for MacDonalds and Coca-Choka, and which bring in bigger profits, wealth, and bigger yachts for the very few at the top.
Guess they’ll need to rip up more rain forest to make room for the extra cattle for the extra sales of big macs too.
Sad world we live in : (
Debs
Come on George, this week has has been absolutely wonderful and there is another week to come.
Only another week or ten days to go! [Hell for non-sports-fascistas].
ATB fRom George
George - For Radio 4 and BBC News 24 it is for the most part business as usual.
"It is another diversion from the real problem of how how to reduce the human poulation to a sustainable level before the planet is ruined."
Yeah fat chance...
The big plutocratic corporations that rule this world would never allow any reduction in world human population, it would go against their business ethics of exploitation of the unemployed masses that cause buck cheap labour and the ever increasing supply of more customers for MacDonalds and Coca-Choka, and which bring in bigger profits, wealth, and bigger yachts for the very few at the top.
Guess they’ll need to rip up more rain forest to make room for the extra cattle for the extra sales of big macs too.
Sad world we live in : (
Debs
Don't share your pessimism Debs. For every extra $ made by the rich there is an opportunity for many more. You need to create wealth to re-distribute and exploit. Silly example maybe but for every Naim/Bentley owner there are skilled people involved in the creation, manufacture, distribution etc.