# Heading For Disaster? (beijing Olympics)



## adrian (May 23, 2004)

Air pollution, earthquakes, trampling on human rights, personal freedom and privacy. And the games didn't even start.



> Despite Olympic organizers' promise that there would be blue skies for the Games, thick smog was rampant Monday, and the United States issued special masks to its athletes ahead of their trip to China, The Times reported.
> 
> Organizers say the smog is from humidity, not pollution, and the conditions could subside when the region is hit with storms this week.
> 
> The International Olympic Committee has said it would cancel some endurance events if pollution levels are too high on the day of competition, The Times reported.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,397722,00.html

It doesn't get any better. Thank you IOC for your decision to send the games to China.


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

adrian said:


> Air pollution, earthquakes, trampling on human rights, personal freedom and privacy. And the games didn't even start.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


A bit of the old propaganda machine in action again from the Yanks me thinks, I've been and it just wasn't that bad. In any case most of America couldn't find China on a map so you could tell them anything :lol:


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

The weather I mean, human rights are a different thing all together, but in some case they aren't all that great for the poor in the US either.


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

I bet a lot of peoples lives in China have been ruined by these games, I saw a 'protest' by a old woman who had been evicted from her family home to make way for part of the Olympic complex, she was manhandled away by members of the public....


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## Running_man (Dec 2, 2005)

I'm having nothing whatsoever to do with the Olympics this time. I'm "boycotting" it because of China's ***** human rights record. It won't make a scrap of difference to anybody but there you go.


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## James (Jul 17, 2006)

Dunno its a touchy subject. To some point I hold back my thoughts but enjoy the media coverage for sure


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

Running_man said:


> I'm having nothing whatsoever to do with the Olympics this time. I'm "boycotting" it because of China's ***** human rights record. It won't make a scrap of difference to anybody but there you go.


Yeah, but who's going to lecture China on human right? The USA? The UK? Turkey? A lot of hypocrisy is surrounding these games and we will reap what we sow in 2012.


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Yep, your right there Mark, 2012 will be disastrous for the country..

I sort of feel sorry for Boris inheriting it, but then he did know that he would....


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## thunderbolt (May 19, 2007)

The ITV reporter tonight said that they were followed by the Police and when they tried to interview the parents of the children killed in the earthquake, plain clothes police appeared and ordered them not to speak to the relatives and to leave the area. So much for openness and tolerance.

Old habits die hard I guess.


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## Running_man (Dec 2, 2005)

MarkF said:


> Running_man said:
> 
> 
> > I'm having nothing whatsoever to do with the Olympics this time. I'm "boycotting" it because of China's ***** human rights record. It won't make a scrap of difference to anybody but there you go.
> ...


You're right Mark, China will do whatever they want and won't give a damn who says anything. To be honest, in my opinion the Olympics is just an expensive PR exercise for whatever city has it at the time run by a corrupt body.


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

Who are you going to give the games to? What country does not have somebody with a grievance against it, real or percieved, Ireland maybe? Nobody has a beef with Paraguay, not any more anyway, but I can't see the Asuncion or Limerick Olympics can you?

Surely it's non-event nowadays? Big business, professionalism and worst of all drugs, has rendered it meaningless unless you are really into archery or something, it's like a modern day "World of Sport" a mish mash of WGAF "sports" and the only ones that matter are tainted by drug association, why do we still have them and why would any country want them?


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## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

You forgot the enormous bill that's left at the end for the host country Mark


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## unlcky alf (Nov 19, 2006)

MarkF said:


> Surely it's non-event nowadays? Big business, professionalism and worst of all drugs, has rendered it meaningless unless you are really into archery or something, it's like a modern day "World of Sport" a mish mash of WGAF "sports" and the only ones that matter are tainted by drug association....


It's for these reasons that I rarely watch any of the olympics, I do however watch much of the Paralympics. It seems to me to be a much better expression of the olympic ideal, though I don't know for how long that will continue.


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

i think they should allow drug taking, **** it let's just see how far the human body can be pushed, plus it will get the whole sorry affair over faster!

Now then what babes are you going to be looking out for at the games?

No. 1 for me will be french swimmer Laure Manaudou


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

pg tips said:


> i think they should allow drug taking, **** it let's just see how far the human body can be pushed, plus it will get the whole sorry affair over faster!
> 
> *Now then what babes* are you going to be looking out for at the games?
> 
> No. 1 for me will be french swimmer Laure Manaudou


Hmmm! why does serious discussion on this forum always descend to this level!







and almost always at pg's behest? :yes:

Personally I think they should be "permanised" back to a purpose built set of stadia and facilities in Greece, paid for by each country who wants to take part contributing to the pot of money needed to build the thing in the first place, and held there every 4 years till the costs are fully recovered. If you want to have twenty athletes in the games, pay for them to attend, or a 100, or a 1000 even. Hold them in the off holiday season to extend the tourist potential for poor old Greece :lol:

Anything to keep them away from this country - we'll be paying for them for bloody years - and I don't see any real benefit for Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow or Stornoway, Shetland, Abergele or Aberdeen say?


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## Mrcrowley (Apr 23, 2003)

jasonm said:


> I bet a lot of peoples lives in China have been ruined by these games, I saw a 'protest' by a old woman who had been evicted from her family home to make way for part of the Olympic complex, she was manhandled away by members of the public....


I saw that - disgusting.

With their human rights record which goons awarded them the games in the first place?


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## Stuart Davies (Jan 13, 2008)

I think these games is going to pass me by with very little viewing.

Sure the track cyclist's are going to bring a host of medals home but other than that it holds very little interest to me I'm sad to say.

It all seems very quiet in the media front too with no big build up.

I read the other day that the UK government have invested 3-times the amount of money that they did for the last Olympics (Â£240 million if memory serves me rightly.)


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## unlcky alf (Nov 19, 2006)

Mrcrowley said:


> jasonm said:
> 
> 
> > I bet a lot of peoples lives in China have been ruined by these games, I saw a 'protest' by a old woman who had been evicted from her family home to make way for part of the Olympic complex, she was manhandled away by members of the public....
> ...


That would be these goons..... not that I'm suggesting anything underhand went on


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

Yeah, the Olympics and the World Cups are just junkets, a merry-go-round of political back scratching and backhanders, we ALL know this, so where is the appeal?

Still don't get the hypocrisy about China though :blink:


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

Here we go, typing in "China olympics hypocrisy" brings up some belters. 

Rant1

Rant2

(As if China needs a lesson on human rights from the USA)

There always more than one way of looking at things as these two rants show. I expect everybody now bleating about the China games were doing so over the past three years+, I don't think so







Nor, in the interveing did did they support this venomous regime by purchasing Chinese goods, right?

Given the choice of freedom for Tibet or Â£2 Primark polo shirt or a Â£7 sandwich toaster I'd expect the UK public to take the latter every time.


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

pg tips said:


> i think they should allow drug taking, **** it let's just see how far the human body can be pushed, plus it will get the whole sorry affair over faster!
> 
> Now then what babes are you going to be looking out for at the games?
> 
> No. 1 for me will be french swimmer Laure Manaudou


I think the Olympics should go back to its roots.....let it be held in Greece, and of course all the competitors took part completely naked.......mmmm Laure hot and sweaty and naked.....might get interested in sport again! :tongue2:


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## ncon (Sep 14, 2005)

I see in the UK press online that this report in our local Sydney Telegraph has been quoted in the UK press, but thought you would like to see it for yourselves.










In fairness, I see the UK target as being a teeny bit ambitious, but the Aussies really are the biggest whingers going (for the record, I am a Wog, so I can happily watch the Poms and Aussies bash each other, all in good fun of course!)

Anyone care to predict total medal count for either country (or any country for that matter!)


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## Robert (Jul 26, 2006)

Now thats entertaining journalism. 

Its the bookies that are saying 41 is the most optimistic outcome but with one boxer sent home already we're not off to a good start

The good news about the Olympics is that a lot of daytime TV has to take a break for a few weeks


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## SharkBike (Apr 15, 2005)

Must be the only one...but I've enjoyed the games so far.

The men's 4x100 swim relay last night was incredible, the China/USA basketball game was a spectacle....and I was glued to the opening ceremonies...pretty damn impressive.

But, I do wish GW would go home and start behaving like a proper lame duck. h34r:


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

So now we hear the opening firework "foot steps" were faked! Took a year to make the opening foot step sequence (something I find very hard to believe having worked in and with special effects and CGI gurus in the past) but sounds good...better than 3 months 2 weeks and 12 days! :lol:

As for the Oz article.... :lol: :lol: :lol: bleedin' stripey clothed tea leaves couldn't even alf inch a loaf bread without gettin' caught!

Good on yer bruvvas.....next time yer in the old country....c'mon ave a glassin' in Basildon....you'll luv it :lol: :lol: :lol:

(language and non PC tones excused by an early single malt this evening...**** its been a hard day!)


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

ncon said:


> I see in the UK press online that this report in our local Sydney Telegraph has been quoted in the UK press, but thought you would like to see it for yourselves.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Apparently what the Aussies fear most is beaing beaten by the bloody pommes! 

Today at 1300 BST

...............G.....S....B...TOT

3rd GB....11....6....8....25

5th Aus....8....10...11...29


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## James (Jul 17, 2006)

Well let me see. We have had fake opening singer, fake television fireworks display. The singer was lip synching to a voice of a less cute kid that actually sang the opener. The fireworks extravaganza was "enhanced" if you want to call it that for tv viewers it was found out. Par for the course considering


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Today at 1900 BST

...............G.....S....B...TOT

3rd GB....16....10....11....37

5th Aus....11....12...13...36

We've 3 more to come in Boxing (even if you lose your semi final bout you get a bronze as they don't have a 3rd / 4th fight) so that will be a total of 40

I'm now hoping for Germany to knock Aus down to 6th :lol:


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## Robert (Jul 26, 2006)

SharkBike said:


> Must be the only one...but I've enjoyed the games so far.


Nope you're not alone - I'm enjoying it too. Ignore the politics, fakery etc and there are a lot of individuals trying to be the best they can at what they do. All credit to them.


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