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ive never written them off..sure they are a distinct possibility for gold. that goes without saying.
but the fact that they are such a yuong side who have had limited play together does them no favours. they are a chance at gold, but they are definately a chance at flopping out. greece, argentina and spain are strong contenders for gold. some of these stars also have egos larger than a japanese sumo wrestler, and if they are expecting things to be on a silver platter both on and off the field then they are definately in trouble. -----Added 26/7/2008 at 01 : 14 : 38----- looks like gebrselaissie wont be contesting the marathon after all. if the best athletes in the world of this magntude refuse to compete then the beijing olympics wont be the drawcard people expect it. apart from athletics and swimming im not that keen for much else..except the synchronised swimming maybe:rolleyes: Quote:
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Washington Park is nice and used by actual Chicagoans for their own self-organised sporting events. There are lots of runners and soccer players and little leaguers out there using it every day. I think they should get priority over a bunch of chemically enhanced beings pimping sneakers. And yes, pimping sneakers is what the post-Cold War olympics are all about. Even if it's a blow up stadium, i don't think the park is going to be the same afterwards. I hate the Olympics for what they do to cities. Tokyo lost much more than it gained from the 1964 Olympics. Yes, that swimming pool is a cool piece of architecture, but think how much cooler Harajuku would be if there more of Harajuku. What the Americans didn't do to the Yamanote in the war, the Olympics finished off. And it didn't stop in Tokyo, either. Route 16 (of Yumin fame) was made to get people to the yachting events in Hayama, and that ruined some nice coast. As a former resident of Yokohama & Kanagawa prefecture, i paid quite a bit in taxes for the 2002 World Cup. The world cup came and went. The stadium is still there, only there isn't much to do with it now. A few concerts and soccer games, but mostly it sits empty. Yokohama already had an Olympic soccer stadium left over from 1964! I also go to help finance the crumbling and now largely unused Big Owe in Montreal. Aside from the big debt, Montreal also got such gems as the Mirabel airport -- make that cargo airport -- no, make that amusement park. Any argument that Big Sports benefit their locales should end with Montreal. |
guyy - the CTA is involved in the plan. There is a transportation committee that has heavy CTA representation.
As for the apartments and condo's, well, the consensus is that the real estate market is a temporary thing, at least by 2016 comparison. Are you seriously saying that the real estate market will still be in the tank so much in 8 years that it will be impossible to rent the units out as apartments? Besides, lakefront real estate is pretty much immune from the burst right now. |
The smog in Beijing should be relatively under control for the Olympics.
They are shutting down all factories for two weeks prior to the events. They are also removing close to 50% of cars from the roads. Interestingly, they are also making *everyone* learn how to queue properly (every Thursday is learn to queue day) and they have made it illegal to spit on the streets (if you know anything about the Chinese it is their love hoarking up a great loogie and spitting it out). This is the power of centralized government. |
ive spent my fair share of time around the chinese community in Sydney and yeah they do like to hoark one back. it really does annoy me.
then again i do see a bit of it here in UAE with the indian sub-class. although there are hefty fines if you get caught spitting on the streets here. charl - are there fines for not queing on thursdays? |
I don't know if there are fines of they don't practice queueing... I just thought it was odd enough that they have to practice en masse.
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i dont know how much of this is true, but if it is i can only imagine the chaos.
then again is the media just giving the chinese a hard time? Quote:
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I have lived with, worked with and shared a city with many Chinese who do not hoark up phlegm. But I have to say that the clearing the throat of phlegm and expectorating is a lot more common. These actions are not about "being cool for the ladies" they are about promoting good health. There are many cultural differences here that I can and have adjusted to, but this is not one of them. |
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P.S. - I thought it was illegal to spit in Singapore? |
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well maybe it is the latinos and blacks that started the whole spitting thing.. since the chinese are the masters of copying everything under the sun, then they must have copied the nth and sth americans in hoarking one back and giving it a good lunge... anyone seen titanic? |
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Nah, just different cultural norms. In China, eating with your mouth open and chomping loudly is a sign you are enjoying your food, whereas in the west it is very rude and bad mannered. |
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as for my comment.. it was tongue in cheek. i was taking the piss out by emphasising the prejudice that chinese copy everything...from clothes to personal actions.. never mind.. bad humour |
I dunno, I think spitting may be a male juvenile phenomenon rather than an ethnic one. In the examples I use, the reason why I witness more blacks and latinos spitting is because I have more interaction with them, especially on the football field or basketball court. I see Asians spitting too on the playing fields. However, the Chinese spitting thing stands out. And it's more specifically China. I don't see it in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, or Macau to the extent that they do it in China. Not really sure why. I think it has to do with the perception that clearing out the phlegm is healthy or something.
The eating thing is just cultural. I think it always will be. There was this Vietnamese guy at work who would burp loudly and proudly after lunch in the office. It was ... odd. But then again, tons of dudes burp loudly and proudly all the time, albeit at the pub etc. I think the only way to get "accustomed" to it is to join in. Most Chinese restaurants are noisy enough in general that I don't notice too much. |
Should I just change the title of this thread to "Is Spitting Racist?" or can we get back to actually discussing the Games?
Back on topic, there are a bunch of athletes considering wearing breathing masks during the Opening Ceremonies. As I understand it, the OC are the complete purview of the host committee, with the exception of the athletes. The Chinese are certainly going to take mask-wearing seriously. Thoughts on what would happen if a participant is allowed to wear a mask by his country? |
well theres one aussie swimmer by the name of grant hackett. not too sure how well known he is in the states, but hes won the 1500m swim for the past 2 olympic games, maybe three and a swag of other medals at world championships etc.
he has already said that we will do whatever it takes to not get sick including wearing breathing mask in the street as well as on the plane. when ive seen news reels and they do takes on people in chinese cities and i see many with masks on. so why is it an insult if you wear it at the opening ceremony as opposed to every day living? i say let the truth be told. then again if you think you're going to be sick becuase you are out in the open, then you shouldnt be at the opening ceremony |
I think health comes first. If you need to wear a mask wear a mask. I think the Aussies are distributing them to their team in their Olympic Kits. Lots of athletes are staying outside of China (Korea, Japan) to wait for the last possible minute before arriving in Beijing.
I feel like the Chinese government is in denial. They had years to take care of their pollution problems. There's no ideology here - just look outside. But instead, they waited until the last possible minute and it's still no guarantee. In some ways I hope for epic failure, not to humiliate the Chinese people but to hopefully get the government to see that they need better long term planning and not smoke and mirrors. I realize this is supposed to be their coming out party but I feel like it's been in bad faith. But that could be disastrous and counterproductive too. A success, while nice, could just reinforce the government's tactics and policies. There's an outside chance that the skies could clear in time too. But I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing. And no, spitting is not racist, it's just gross. |
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As for 1936, Hitler and Leni Riefenstahl more or less created the modern Olympics. The fascists were first to discover the political uses of Big Sport, but the Cold War Olympics were more or less the same thing. |
Welp, 7 members of the Russian team, including the women's 1500M world champ, just got busted for doping along with a Jamaican athlete.
Wonder how many more busts we'll see prior to the Games ... |
I think it's way too early to declare the Olympics a bust before it has even begun. There's lots of compelling stories out there, such as Phelps' quest for 8 golds, the US men's basketball team trying to redeem themselves from their crap-tastic '04 showing, and China trying to overtake the US in medal count. We need to wait until the Olympics are over before we jump to conclusions about it.
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but the olympıc games arent just about the US winning anything or beating anyone...its not all about me me me. |
Many from the Canadian Olympic team are staying here for the fresher air, the great sports facilities and the fact that it's in the same time zone. There's going to be a party to wish them luck... many that are not competing until later in the games are going to be here until well after the opening ceremonies.
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The Games start in four days, and one of the headlines on today's online NYTimes was in regards to the air quality, with these pictures:
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...cs/smog533.jpg Caption: On Monday Beijing’s air-pollution index rose above the World Health Organization recommended maximum for the first time in four days. http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...ics/air190.jpg Caption: The Bird’s Nest stadium in smog on Monday, top, and under clear skies on Saturday. Quote:
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forget about the pollution... 4 days out and we have a security threat...
16 policemen killed in attack in China Quote:
forget about the pollution... 4 days out and we have a security threat... 16 policemen killed in attack in China Quote:
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Forget about the athletes, what about the poor people who live in that smog 24/7/365? Yuck!
That cannot be healthy by any measure. dlish, China's has had terrorist threats for years but no one from the international arena really took them seriously. At least it's "only" Chinese people who died. Wait for a Tibetan or white person to get killed. Then the shit will hit the fan. |
And we're up and running! Missed the opening ceremonies due to work but heard they were pretty spectacular.
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went ahead without a glitch except for the final guy over running the flying carpet at the end.
neatly done. i do hope they go well and without any glitches. i just dont see the worlds' media being as understanding though. |
I gotta say... that opening ceremony was pretty damn impressive. the chinese really know how to put on a show!
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I was in awe with the opening sequence of those flashing table/drum things. It's like they intentionally touched on the "sweat shop" aspect, and turned it into something to be proud of. Still made me feel weird, though.
The running guy and fireworks finale was awesome, though. This is the culture that gave us gunpowder, so I'm glad they didn't disappoint. As for the rest of the games, I know China is going to do it's best to look good for the next 2 weeks, but I'm afraid of somebody over-reacting during a protest and stirring up some crazy shite. I'm also interested to see if the smog is really going to be a factor. |
I was very impressed by the opening ceremony.
I know China is trying hard as can be to put on a great face for the Olympics, and so far they seem to be doing it. We'll see what the deal is with the stabbing that went on of the volleyball player's family, though. You know that's going to be under a microscope. I hope politics doesn't overshadow the Olympics. It's great that this makes people really look at what's going on in China, good and bad, but I'd like everything to go smoothly for all the athletes. |
On the first day, we have the father in law of the US Men's Volleyball Coach stabbed to death at a tourist attraction. The mother is in serious condition.
I really hope Kobe Bryant makes it out of there alive. As spectacular and passionate as China is striving for these Olympics to be, this is a big giant powder keg. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/oly_china_american_killed Quote:
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regardless, Lakers wont make the finals next year..with him or without him.
id like to see him come out alive..so i can see the dream team come back with another bronze. |
I have to say, the relay races are my favorite Summer Olympics events (both swimming and track), and so I stayed up late last night to watch the Men's 4x100 Freestyle Swimming Relay. All I can say is... WOWWWW!! It was just an insane race for so many reasons, and the ending was simply unbelievable. If you haven't seen it, you NEED to watch it.
2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games | Men's 4x100 Freestyle Relay Final |
thats the greatest swimming race Ive ever seen. The American guy MUST have taken a yard off the Frenchmen from 10 yards out - unbelieavble... they had no right at all to win that race.
-----Added 11/8/2008 at 02 : 26 : 47----- oh - and apparently Phelps gets a big payout if he wins 8 golds... if he does it, I hope he gives a slice to the old guy who swam 4th in that relay. And the local council swimming pool in Mansfield is now being renamed the "Rebecca Addlington" swimming pool... Perhaps for the big countries they have so much success that a gold medal doesnt mean that much... but every single British athlete who comes back home as champion of the world is going to be a hero for me. |
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Poms smell Aussie blood as medal haul grows - Off The Field - News - Olympics Quote:
On a side note, my Olympic highlight was yesterday - watching the Aussie girls take gold and bronze in the triathalon. Just the ending, where Emma Snowsill is draped in the flag and high-fiving everyone....before she'd even crossed the finish line and seeing the other Emma (whose name I've forgotten) stop to pick up the Aussie flag that was thrown out to her, was just fantastic. |
ugh...judged events should not be olympics, or there should be more than 4 judge's scores that matter. Stupid gymanstics.
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spindles, if we take it per capita, i think we'll outdo most countries.
with a population of 21 million and with a haul of 35 medals, 11 of them gold, i'd be hard pressed to find a country that'd be as competitive on a per capita count. where the hells canada? hellooooooooo |
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I'm a huge baseball fan but I can see that subjective strike zones can kill games. Umpires can blow all sorts of other calls that have huge impacts on the game as well. |
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