Olympic Torch Relay

[marcopolo]

I get the impression there will soon be some openings for runners in the Olympic Torch Relay. Better be wearing ATGATT, though.

[Paul_Burkett]

I think that this will be the first time ever that the torch will be flown to the Olympic site.

[Tank]

Paul, Just curious, Please explain briefly to me why its being flown in.

I, with no tv, nor read daily rags .... thanks

[Ken H.]

The protest in the UK and France over the last couple of days have been massive and growing more violent.

[marcopolo]

Yes, and I did notice a phalanx of R12RTs ridden by French police at the head of today's "parade". The police seem to be getting more of a workout than the runners.

[Paul_Burkett]

Tank, the usual manner of bearing the famed torch is to have people run with the torch to the place of the Olympic games. Right now the protests against China and their Human Rights Violations has sparked riots in England and France, and who knows what kind of mayhem will happen as the torch passes through Russia, the land of the free and the home of Stallin. OOOPs did I say that out loud?

[Tank]

Golly, Don't these countrys have enough tanks to crush these silly protesters????

[notacop]

It's odd that the Greek beginngs of Democray allows the center of opression to host the Olympics. Must be the garment manufacture union!

[velomoto]

Yeah, this is going to help bring in the big $$$ sponsors... Hopefully it won't only be the broadcast companies who take it in the shorts.

[Mark P]

Tank, the usual manner of bearing the famed torch is to have people run with the torch to the place of the Olympic games. Right now the protests against China and their Human Rights Violations has sparked riots in England and France, and who knows what kind of mayhem will happen as the torch passes through Russia, the land of the free and the home of Stallin. OOOPs did I say that out loud?

 

What happened in London was a long way short of a riot, there were some scuffles and the relay was harried by protestors along it's route, but it wasn't a riot.

 

The Chinese have their own security people 'protecting' the torch, but they seem to have been pretty heavy-handed, which has attracted some criticism here.

[Mike O]

I get the impression there will soon be some openings for runners in the Olympic Torch Relay. Better be wearing ATGATT, though.

I read this today in an AP wire story:

 

"As runners carry the torch on its six-mile route Wednesday, they will compete not only with people protesting China's grip on Tibet and its support for the governments of Myanmar and Sudan, but also with more obscure activists. They include nudists calling for a return to the way the ancient Greek games were played."

 

I don't know about anyone else, but I only want to see weightlifting competitors dressed! And cycling would just be down right painful to watch.

 

Mike O

[subvet]

Tank, the usual manner of bearing the famed torch is to have people run with the torch to the place of the Olympic games. Right now the protests against China and their Human Rights Violations has sparked riots in England and France, and who knows what kind of mayhem will happen as the torch passes through Russia, the land of the free and the home of Stallin. OOOPs did I say that out loud?

 

I don't get it. Wouldn't these "Free Tibet" protests be alot more effective if they were held in Tibet, or better yet, China?

[ghaverkamp]

I don't get it. Wouldn't these "Free Tibet" protests be alot more effective if they were held in Tibet, or better yet, China?

 

I guess it depends on how effective protesters who are bludgeoned, shot, and arrested are.

[smiller]

If these protests grow it could threaten the very foundation of the games... money.

[Gary in Aus]

"The Chinese have their own security people 'protecting' the torch, but they seem to have been pretty heavy-handed, which has attracted some criticism here."

 

One of our senior police made the same observations about the chinese "security" being heavy handed.

I am confident our police will keep a very tight reign on these "security" people and won't let them interfere with our runners right to run and the protesters right to protest.

 

 

According to friends in Beijing there is nothing in the media about these protests and the torch relay is running as it should.

 

Sidenote:How annoying is it with half the media pronouncing "bay jing" as "bay shing" , I wish they would listen to how the locals pronounce it.{like calling Washington ,Wajington or Sydney ,Jydney}

 

Ignorance is bliss.

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

Anyone hear about the shenannigans in SF today? Hee Hee!

[ghaverkamp]

Anyone hear about the shenannigans in SF today? Hee Hee!

 

Yes. Despicable. If a torch runs through a city but nobody sees it, does it leave an image?

[Gary in Aus]

"Anyone hear about the shenannigans in SF today? Hee Hee!"

 

In China , probably not !

 

Where's Rupert when you need him ?

[chrisd]

Sidenote:How annoying is it with half the media pronouncing "bay jing" as "bay shing" , I wish they would listen to how the locals pronounce it.{like calling Washington ,Wajington or Sydney ,Jydney}

 

Ignorance is bliss.

 

Don't know about that. Not too many people outside New York City or Boston pronounce those city's names the way the locals do (nor should they, it rarely sounds authentic). And what about saying Paree for Paris? So what is the correct pronunciation, the way locals say it? New Yawk? Bahston, Bawston, Paree, Bay Shing, Bay Jing, Bay Zhing???

[Boffin]

So what is the correct pronunciation, the way locals say it? New Yawk? Bahston, Bawston, Paree, Bay Shing, Bay Jing, Bay Zhing???

 

Peking.

 

Andy

[Francois_Dumas]

You beat me to it Andy, I shouldn't have stayed in bed so long

[Gary in Aus]

Quote

"Don't know about that. Not too many people outside New York City or Boston pronounce those city's names the way the locals do (nor should they, it rarely sounds authentic). And what about saying Paree for Paris? So what is the correct pronunciation, the way locals say it? New Yawk? Bahston , Bawston , Paree, Bay Shing , Bay Jing {yes}, Bay Zhing ???"

 

Recognising a local pronunciation with out using a dialect or a slang/strine influence would be seen as curteous without affectation.

 

The city of Guanghzou is pronounced "chung chow" and it is considered polite by locals to attempt to pronounce it correctly.

 

Similar to when in New Orleans, to me the locals called it "nawlins" which I found easier to say than New Orleans as I kept lengthening the Orlean to "ore leon" as you would on France.

 

Actually for a really different pronunciation ask a Kiwi to say Whakatane, "wha" is pronounced "fuk" . Something that my 14 year old godson took endless pleasure in when announcing the correct pronunciation of every town or locality that had this spelling during a 6 week holiday of New Zealand.

 

There are a lot of places with this spelling or he just enjoyed the reaction everytime .

 

Actually in relation to the bottle water thread the capital of Fiji is Nadi pronounced "nandi" and Pango Pango is pronounced pago pago .In those places it pays to say it like a local

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

...and Pango Pango is pronounced pago pago.

 

I thought it was the other way around, no?

[Boffin]

This kind of thing always bugs me, especially where the local script is not the latin characters we use. If they do not want it mis-pronounced they should spell it the way it sounds.

 

Some other annoyingly miss-spelt names:

 

How would you pronounce Featherstonehaugh?

 

I can't hear your guess, but nonetheless I'm going to say, Nope. That ain't it.

 

It's Fanshaw.

 

Here are some more impressively counterintuitive pronunciations:

Cholmondeley, pronounced Chumley

Caius, pronounced Keys

Woolfhardisworthy, pronounced Woolzey

Dalziel, pronounced Deeyell

Menzies, pronounced Mingiss

Marjoribanks, pronounced Marchbanks

 

If you spell the name differently to how its pronounced dont whinge when people get it wrong.

 

Andy

[Francois_Dumas]

I had Dalziel right... we had that series on the 'tele' here !

[Gregori]

Then you get cities or countries that aren't spelled the same abroad as they are locally.

Austria = Österreich, and Munich = München. Or vice-versa.

 

And then there is Switzerland, which has four names within itself, as there are four native languages: (German: Schweiz, French: Suisse, Italian: Svizzera, Romansh: Svizra)

But of course, the official name for the country is Confoederatio Helvetica, which is Latin. Who knew?

[keithb]

The media totally butchered the name Nagano in Japan when the olympics were held there.

[Gary in Aus]

My apologies ,my typo.

 

I have fished out of there .Pago Pago is not a good example of colonial influence.

 

I prefer Manu Samoa and Apia.

 

Stayed at the original Aggie Greys when I was 21 . It was an amazing place ,full of tradition and charm. On warm tropical evenings you had to wear a tie and jacket to dinner and Aunty Mary {Aggies younger sister} would lead a sing a long , a card game every evening or we would all sit by the radio listening to the cricket or BBC radio world news. Duringthe afternoon rain guests would sit on the open verandahs and write postcards or read .

 

On Friday nights they would show a movie in the garden which would be shared with all the locals. The old building was used as a reception area and dining area and we stayed in fales in the garden. As you entered the building there was a old timber notice board and every gusts full name was on the board in brass letters, from memory there only about 6 guests when we were there.

 

Ours was the John Wayne fale , they were named after people who had stayed in them. It was a very gracious place ,with very gracious people. I was back there about 10 years ago and the old hotel has gone to be replaced with a new Aggie Greys but it's just another modern hotel you could find anywhere ,kind of sad.

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

Anyone hear about the shenannigans in SF today? Hee Hee!

 

Yes. Despicable. If a torch runs through a city but nobody sees it, does it leave an image?

 

You must have gone out to see it then.

 

I think that it was the perfect response. The torch is about international good will and sharing the spirit of ameteur atheletics. It's not about who's doing what to whom. That is covered in everyday life all over the planet. It's obvious that the people with a political agenda are out to ruin something as non-political as an amateur sporting competition. They are the ones who ruined it for the rest of us. Not those who made the bold decision to move the route in the name of security. A good move, I say, and not entirely unexpected.

 

Ask me what I think they should have done when the jack-holes climbed the GGB with their banner. I dare you!

[Paul_Burkett]

I dare you. what would you say they should do?

[bmweerman]

Anyone hear about the shenannigans in SF today? Hee Hee!

 

Yes. Despicable. If a torch runs through a city but nobody sees it, does it leave an image?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You must have gone out to see it then.

 

I think that it was the perfect response. The torch is about international good will and sharing the spirit of ameteur atheletics. It's not about who's doing what to whom. That is covered in everyday life all over the planet. It's obvious that the people with a political agenda are out to ruin something as non-political as an amateur sporting competition. They are the ones who ruined it for the rest of us. Not those who made the bold decision to move the route in the name of security. A good move, I say, and not entirely unexpected.

 

Ask me what I think they should have done when the jack-holes climbed the GGB with their banner. I dare you!

 

I quote from forum rules

 

Stuff that doesn't fit elsewhere. No politics allowed.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

The torch is about international good will and sharing the spirit of ameteur atheletics. It's not about who's doing what to whom. That is covered in everyday life all over the planet. It's obvious that the people with a political agenda are out to ruin something as non-political as an amateur sporting competition.

 

Indeed. China may be hosting, but it's not "The Chinese Olympics."

 

Unfortunately, this is not the first time the Olympic games and its pageantry have been used for political ends; the US-led boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow (in protest of the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan the previous year) was disgraceful, as was the USSR's tit-for-tat boycott four years later of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

[Lets_Play_Two]

I like the nudist protest. They think the Olympics should return to nakedness!!!

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

I dare you. what would you say they should do?

 

PM sent. Politics you know.

[ghaverkamp]

You must have gone out to see it then.

 

I think that it was the perfect response. The torch is about international good will and sharing the spirit of ameteur atheletics. It's not about who's doing what to whom. That is covered in everyday life all over the planet. It's obvious that the people with a political agenda are out to ruin something as non-political as an amateur sporting competition. They are the ones who ruined it for the rest of us. Not those who made the bold decision to move the route in the name of security. A good move, I say, and not entirely unexpected.

 

I didn't go to see it. Not really my cup of tea.

 

I don't really give a hoot about the protesters getting their platform or anything else. What I found despicable is the huge waste of resources. The city would have been better to refuse it and save a ton of money (as you know, we already pay you city employees a lot of overtime) than to do it this way. There were many people who wanted to see the Olympic Torch as a celebration of the games, and many of those people were among those who lined up on the designated route, only to have the thing take off into the middle of nowhere.

 

It was a waste. Run the thing where people who want to see it can see it and control the crowds, or don't run it at all, rejecting it at the airport. But don't waste even more money amassing a huge security farce operating on overtime as a decoy, when you're really just going to hide the thing anyway. That's just typically stupid San Francisco government, and there's nothing good about that.

 

Ask me what I think they should have done when the jack-holes climbed the GGB with their banner. I dare you!

 

And they should be appropriately punished. (Though the wannabe First Amendment absolutist in me says such things shouldn't be punishable.)

[exwingnut]

I look forward to the new olympic sport of Torch wrestling. Two teams will compete to see if one can arrive with the flame burning and the other will see if they can forstall this or put the torch out. Fire extinguishers, water hoses, and wet blankets will be allowed. Points will be scored for style of extingushing, diffculty, evasive maneuvers, team particpation in blocking and accessing the torch, and the number or extinguishes per kilometer. Physical contact is discouraged, but it is noted that the very nature of the sport may involve inadvertant contact. Points will be deducted for intentional injury and ethnic slurs.

 

This should provide ample opportunity for athletic prowess to be displayed and should provide an engaging spectacle for the spectators.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

I look forward to the new olympic sport of Torch wrestling. Two teams will compete to see if one can arrive with the flame burning and the other will see if they can forstall this or put the torch out. Fire extinguishers, water hoses, and wet blankets will be allowed. Points will be scored for style of extingushing, diffculty, evasive maneuvers, team particpation in blocking and accessing the torch, and the number or extinguishes per kilometer. Physical contact is discouraged, but it is noted that the very nature of the sport may involve inadvertant contact. Points will be deducted for intentional injury and ethnic slurs.

 

This should provide ample opportunity for athletic prowess to be displayed and should provide an engaging spectacle for the spectators.

 

Sounds like a variation on Capture the Flag.

[marcopolo]

I thought the best move was made by the British cop on bicycle who was behind the flag-waving demonstrator, proceeded to catch up to him, then leapt on the demonstrator's back -- while still on his bike. Down they went in a heap. He's definitely got a future as a linebacker.

[MattS]

I thought the best move was made by the British cop on bicycle who was behind the flag-waving demonstrator, proceeded to catch up to him, then leapt on the demonstrator's back -- while still on his bike.

Even the East German judge gave him a 6.0 for that one.

[DavidEBSmith]

The torch is about international good will and sharing the spirit of ameteur atheletics. It's not about who's doing what to whom. That is covered in everyday life all over the planet. It's obvious that the people with a political agenda are out to ruin something as non-political as an amateur sporting competition. They are the ones who ruined it for the rest of us. Not those who made the bold decision to move the route in the name of security. A good move, I say, and not entirely unexpected.

 

From Wikipedia and the BBC:

 

The relay of the flame from Greece to the site of the modern games had no ancient precedent and was introduced by Carl Diem, with the support of Adolf Hitler, at the controversial Berlin Olympics as a means to promote Nazi ideology. . . .

 

The modern convention of moving the Olympic Flame via a relay system from Olympia to the Olympic venue began with the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany.

 

The relay, captured in Leni Riefenstahl's film, "Olympia", was part of the Nazi propaganda machine’s attempt to add myth and mystique to Adolf Hitler’s regime. Hitler saw the link with the ancient Games as the perfect way to illustrate his belief that classical Greece was an Aryan forerunner of the modern German Reich.

[David]

Well, whatever. Other than that, it was about good will.

[bmwdude]

But of course, the official name for the country is Confoederatio Helvetica, which is Latin. Who knew?

 

I just can't trust people who come from a country named after a font. By the way, how do you pronounce "Escalante," as in the town on the way to Torrey?

[MattS]

the US-led boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow (in protest of the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan the previous year) was disgraceful, as was the USSR's tit-for-tat boycott four years later of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles

I don't know if "disgraceful" is the right sentiment. Those were some scary times (the Cold War was still in full swing in 1980; slightly less so in 1984).

 

Certainly it was a major disappointment for athletes on both sides of the curtain, but my suspicion has always been that the Soviets simply didn't care for Lionel Richie.

[Whip]

I don't know if "disgraceful" is the right sentiment.

 

 

 

 

Leslie Kerr......TAMU

 

43.8...... 400 meters......he could fly!!!!!

 

 

He graduated with a degree in poultry science. Never did get a chance to show the world what he could do.

 

 

I haven't heard from him in over twenty years.

 

 

I think "disgraceful" is the right sentiment.

 

 

Whip

[Timmer]

Ask me what I think they should have done when the jack-holes climbed the GGB with their banner. I dare you!

 

You mean these yahoos?

 

 

Whatever you wanted to do to them couldn't be as bad as what I wanted to do after sitting stuck in traffic for almost 2 hours.

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

Ask me what I think they should have done when the jack-holes climbed the GGB with their banner. I dare you!

 

You mean these yahoos?

 

 

Whatever you wanted to do to them couldn't be as bad as what I wanted to do after sitting stuck in traffic for almost 2 hours.

 

I think we're on the same page. Maybe for different reasons. And I would'a gotten them before the banners came out.

[Bud]

Yawn.........

[MattS]

Leslie Kerr......graduated with a degree in poultry science. Never did get a chance to show the world what he could do.

Yes, Comrade Whip. I gladly would have lost the Cold War to the rooskies so that Mr Kerr could show the world what he could do, turn the world on with his smile.

 

I mean, really. If AQ could host an Olympics (which, at least for the time being, they can't), would you send? Highly doubtful.

[GeoffCee]

Golly, Don't these countrys have enough tanks to crush these silly protesters????

 

One person's silly protest is another's desire to right a wrong. The Chinese have enough tanks to crush silly protesters, you can be sure of that, it's what they've been doing on a daily basis in Tibet since they walked in and took over the country in 1951. IMO some things are worth protesting about.

[MattS]

IMO some things are worth protesting about.

Do you mean, like, Northern Ireland?