Just when I thought the Olympics couldn't depress me further....

[extra dry]

Next Olympics 'Team Mcdonalds?'

 

[youngian]

The latest Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney demonstrating how utterly crap he is, he caused me line up behind Boris.

And no I'm not depressed about the Olympics, I watched the torch go by, the local children were going nuts and their enthuiasm is infectious. Perhaps I'm a bit too old to want to be the coolest teenager in the room by slagging it all off.

 

[treelover]

Rumours are for the opening ceremony the 800 NHS Nurses will be doing a dancing routine!, tbh, i would have preferred to see them marching, more dignified...

 

[Pickman's model]

Rumours are for the opening ceremony the 800 NHS Nurses will be doing a dancing routine!, tbh, i would have preferred to see them marching, more dignified...

i don't know, i've seen nurses dance before and it's always worth a look.

 

[treelover]

the to

The latest Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney demonstrating how utterly crap he is, he caused me line up behind Boris.

And no I'm not depressed about the Olympics, I watched the torch go by, the local children were going nuts and their enthuiasm is infectious. Perhaps I'm a bit too old to want to be the coolest teenager in the room by slagging it all off.

the torch relay is something I think we can be proud off, except for the ridiculous coca- cola(tm) vehicles with sound systems, such a simple thing, but it was in its own way very moving seeing millions come out to wave it on, I saw it and am glad i did..

 

[Pickman's model]

The latest Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney demonstrating how utterly crap he is, he caused me line up behind Boris.

And no I'm not depressed about the Olympics, I watched the torch go by, the local children were going nuts and their enthuiasm is infectious. Perhaps I'm a bit too old to want to be the coolest teenager in the room by slagging it all off.

yes, instead of trying to be cool you've lined up behind an old etonian member of the bullingdon club.

 

[treelover]

i don't know, i've seen nurses dance before and it's always worth a look.

ah, i was expecting that...

btw, the criticisms, disparaging, moaning about the 'Lympics' is even more pronounced on Guardian CIf, all the left posters are at it, bit much really..

 

[DaveCinzano]

Jesus, you're one thick fucker.

Truly the Christ-cock is a miracle!

And that is why we celebrate His girthday every year.

 

[treelover]

Btw, what would happen if a certain Ex Pm left this earth at the same time as the olympics?

 

[Meltingpot]

Oh I know, I'm not defending Romney. I enjoyed watching him almost apologise

"We're at a point here where we have two different roads we can go down," he said on Wednesday. "One leads to Europe. The other leads to the kind of dynamism and prosperity which has always characterised America."

Mr. Romney, what planet are you living on? There are people sleeping in cars in supermarket car parks in your "prosperous" country because they lost their jobs and couldn't keep up the house payments. Other people in the US go bankropt when they can't afford their medical bills. And you think THAT'S a model we should follow in Europe?

 

[DotCommunist]

Btw, what would happen if a certain Ex Pm left this earth at the same time as the olympics?

Mayb they would stick her in that giant bowl of fire they have

 

[8ball]

Mayb they would stick her in that giant bowl of fire they have

It would get me in the party spirit.

 

[harpo]

Btw, what would happen if a certain Ex Pm left this earth at the same time as the olympics?

*they* would most likely keep it a secret until after the Olympics, for fear of 'alternative' celebrations on a world stage.

 

[treelover]

'Carl Lewis on Mitt Romney: 'some Americans shouldn't leave the country'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/27/carl-lewis-mitt-romney-olympics

latest

 

[DotCommunist]

*they* would most likely keep it a secret until after the Olympics, for fear of 'alternative' celebrations on a world stage.

or keep her on life support till the glorified sports day is over

 

[youngian]

'Carl Lewis on Mitt Romney: 'some Americans shouldn't leave the country'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/27/carl-lewis-mitt-romney-olympics

latest

Romney's reamarks weren't that extreme, its just his foolish unstatesman-like bumbling that has attracted the full piss take.

 

[equationgirl]

It's not the sports I'm finding depressing, it's the corporate hoopla, ridiculous rules and stupid mistakes that depresses me. All these restrictions over what people can bring into the events, even how they can pay (not by mastercard) - at Hampden, the Irn-Bru corporate sponsorship was covered up by coca-cola signage and the usual catering was removed. It's horrendous.

I'm not trying to be cool by 'slagging off' the Olympics, it angers me that after all this time and expenditure this great sporting event is marred by stupid errors and unhealthy corporate sponsors.

 

[8ball]

I don't find the stupid mistakes depressing. Every one does a teeny bit of damage to the coalition.

 

[equationgirl]

I don't find the stupid mistakes depressing. Every one does a teeny bit of damage to the coalition.

The rest of the world doesn't care about the coalition though, mistakes make us look like a bunch of fuckwits who can't organise a piss-up in a brewery.

 

[8ball]

The rest of the world doesn't care about the coalition though, mistakes make us look like a bunch of fuckwits who can't organise a piss-up in a brewery.

I have no issue with the Emperor's clothes falling off once in a while.

And there is no 'us'. This is nothing to do with me.

 

[equationgirl]

I have no issue with the Emperor's clothes falling off once in a while.

And there is no 'us'. This is nothing to do with me.

us as in the whole of Britain.

 

[UrbaneFox]

There is supposed to be 45 minutes of news on R4 at lunchtime. I don't know why they bothered today, as apart from the boy being sentenced to 30 years for murdering an Indian student, there was no news apart from the Olympic games opening tonight. They even had Jeffrey Archer* reminiscing about his past athletics triumphs, and pretending to joke with Ming Campbell.

I don't think I can stand Eddie Mair tonight. They were all so excited about the mystery celebrity who will star in the ceremony.

I am betting on Jeremy Bentham or, if he can't make it, The Turin Shroud. I don't see why the dead should not have a voice.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01l1g5r
* At 18.30, Archer managed to cock it up by claiming that flag muddling is not an issue. "These things happen. Get out and celebrate. Let London celebrate".

At least Ming knew otherwise, and saw such things as a tighrope over a minefield, and thinks that diplomacy is immensely important. Phew.

 

[8ball]

us as in the whole of Britain.

I don't blame the whole of America for the shit their idiot Government gets up to.

I could organise a sports day, but no one asked me. Not my problem.

 

[two sheds]

Yes indeed there's no criticism that I've seen of the competitors, good luck to them all (I particularly enjoyed Senegal's spirited performance the other night).

It's cynical promotion of unhealthy companies - McDonalds & Coca Cola ffs getting centre stage on the world's highest-profile event supposedly promoting fitness and good health, and BP using it to promote their 'green' credentials. The games as done this time are actually making things worse, and it is our patriotic duty to take the piss. Give us an event that gets back to the 'Olympic ideals' that all this is supposed to represent and I for one will fawn over it unthinkingly.

More miserable gits, aren't we allowed some clean healthy fun?

 

[gunneradt]

I actually enjoy the athletics - it's all the corporate shit, OTT security and branding rules that fucks me off. And it's the same for many I guess.


Why are we not Team UK?? Northern Irish athletes compete for 'Team GB' don't they?

Rather strangely, I believe athletes in Norethern Ireland have a choice whether to compete for Ireland or Great Britain. I'm not sure why.

 

[2hats]

I recently enjoyed B.R. Myers' book on DPRK society, although have reservations. He disregards Juche as an interpretation of Marxism-Leninism converging with a Confucianist Korean national culture, and instead points to Japanese colonialism and the racial myths of superiority exported by Japanese nationalists pre-1945 (fascism is still a contested definition for the 1930s) as having a significant influence in shaping DPRK national politics.

Quite likely.

If there is one country they hate as much or arguably more than the US, it's Japan. Experiences at the hands of Japanese obviously influenced a lot of KIS' thinking and clearly they have seen Japan as their main regional competitor/threat. However the last ~20 years of KJI have focussed heavily on weaving a creation myth around the father, the son (and the holy spirit, Kim Jong-suk) and building a personality cult that's pretty much second to none (Turkmenbashi wasn't even close, as lunatic as he was).

PS The book - nice spot. Must read a copy.

 

[2hats]

Rather strangely, I believe athletes in Norethern Ireland have a choice whether to compete for Ireland or Great Britain. I'm not sure why.

On a practical level, because they can apply for Irish passports?

 

[equationgirl]

Latest mishaps:

Lord's cricket ground has turned away spectators trying to get in to watch archery amid confusion over ticketing. The London 2012 website advertised the event's preliminary rounds as "unticketed", which some people interpreted as open to the public;

Ticketing delays at St James' Park in Newcastle, which meant some fans missed a men's football match on Thursday, were unacceptable, a senior 2012 official has said;

Three people due to work as staff at an Olympic venue in Newcastle were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of immigration offences following accreditation checks

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt narrowly avoided hitting a group of women with a handbell after it flew off the handle on HMS Belfast during the co-ordinated ringing - he called the moment a "classic"

from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19008471

 

[grit]

The rest of the world doesn't care about the coalition though, mistakes make us look like a bunch of fuckwits who can't organise a piss-up in a brewery.

The rest of the world already thinks that

 

[ayatollah]

Don't miss the hapless Jeremy Hunt on BBC News Website, ringing ceremonial handbell, whilst posing about on HMS Belfast, until the bell flies off the handle , narrowly missing removing an onlooker's head ! There's something very "Arnold Rimmer ish" about that man.