Olympic News Dump

[lookout123]

I think the competitions have been legitimate and excellent except for the known cases of changing athletes ages for eligibility. I don't mind them switching out pretty for not quite pretty enough girls. I don't mind digitally enhanced fireworks displays. I don't mind having standins for the different ethnic groups.

I do mind when those things are supposed to be secrets.

We all know the fireworks display is mostly for the people sitting at home watching on tv. I'd have been more impressed if they'd explained how cool the technology is that made that replication possible, rather than pretending it was all happening just like we saw.

I actually think the putting up the pictures of the building is pretty cool, especially the two guys in the window. Nice touch. I'd think it was way cooler if they hadn't spent all that money to do when they are covering up slums with walls nearby.

I would have been much more impressed to hear the reason for the standin children is because the land is so widespread and diverse that it can be difficult to actually gather real representatives.

I don't have a problem with the games, other than where the cheating has been blatant. The athletes have given us some great entertainment and to them I say well done. China has hosted the games and for the most part they've done a good job and for that I say well done. If they ever get the chance to do something like this again I hope they do it a little different.

But then again, I was seriously irritated that before each of the Super Bowls that Phoenix has hosted we had cops rounding up the homeless and giving them one way bus tickets to anywhere they wanted to go. Welcome to life.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by lookout123

I think the competitions have been legitimate and excellent except for the known cases of changing athletes ages for eligibility. I don't mind them switching out pretty for not quite pretty enough girls. I don't mind digitally enhanced fireworks displays. I don't mind having standins for the different ethnic groups.

I do mind when those things are supposed to be secrets.

We all know the fireworks display is mostly for the people sitting at home watching on tv. I'd have been more impressed if they'd explained how cool the technology is that made that replication possible, rather than pretending it was all happening just like we saw.

I actually think the putting up the pictures of the building is pretty cool, especially the two guys in the window. Nice touch. I'd think it was way cooler if they hadn't spent all that money to do when they are covering up slums with walls nearby.

I would have been much more impressed to hear the reason for the standin children is because the land is so widespread and diverse that it can be difficult to actually gather real representatives.

I don't have a problem with the games, other than where the cheating has been blatant. The athletes have given us some great entertainment and to them I say well done. China has hosted the games and for the most part they've done a good job and for that I say well done. If they ever get the chance to do something like this again I hope they do it a little different.

But then again, I was seriously irritated that before each of the Super Bowls that Phoenix has hosted we had cops rounding up the homeless and giving them one way bus tickets to anywhere they wanted to go. Welcome to life.

Yeah. Well put. The whole post expresses my feelings far better that I could articulate them. Further, I find the fact that many people, especially in China, no.... anywhere, will be mislead by these, uh, well, let's face it. These lies. That's why I'm chapped.

[lookout123]

WooHoo!

US women beat Brazil 1-0 for the Gold in soccer!

ESPN

This is the result we should have seen at the World Cup if the former coach hadn't decided to be nostalgic and a big softy before the final when he switched keepers.

[Aliantha]

I would have been much more impressed to hear the reason for the standin children is because the land is so widespread and diverse that it can be difficult to actually gather real representatives.

Why would you think the children were from each individual province anyway? Surely no one here is that naive? Why would they bother? If someone was showcasing the US and wanted someone to represent each state, do you really think they'd actually get someone from that state to do so? Especially if they didn't have a speaking part. Especially if they just had to parade around in a costume? I don't think so.

[lookout123]

If they represented each of the 50 states? yeah, I would expect it.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by lookout123

If they represented each of the 50 states? yeah, I would expect it.

Here, I would expect it too, because there would probably be a competition in each state, sponsored by Coke, Pepsi or maybe McDonald's, and the winner in each state would be related to a large campaign contributor of the current state governor.

The Chinese just did the economical and expedient thing, by calling central casting. After all, don't all those orientals look alike?

[Bullitt]

WHAT MAKE YOU THINK I CHINESE!? I AM KOREAN! Do I rook Chinese to you!?

[Aliantha]

Right. So do they choose someone who lives their now? Lived their most of their life but has moved? Wasn't born there but lived there most of their life? Or do they put an add in the local paper and ask for people who have a connection to the state in some way? What's your criteria of a representative?

Seriously, if these representatives were being presented to the rest of the world, do you think the rest of the world would really know the difference or even care if you had someone from south carolina representing georgia?

I don't think so.

[Clodfobble]

These are, however, not just municipal border distinctions but actual race distinctions for them. It would be more like if the U.S. were trying to show off our racial diversity, and we marched out a train of white people wearing the traditional clothing of Africans, Mexicans, etc.

[lookout123]

Certainly you're not saying someone would care about that? Don't be naive.

[Aliantha]

Originally Posted by lookout123

Certainly you're not saying someone would care about that? Don't be naive.

Well I thought you cared since you took the time to make a point of it. Anyway, obviously we disagree on what sort of job China has done of the olympics.

The end.

[xoxoxoBruce]

[Clodfobble]

Just the other day during a discussion of the Olympics my (half-Vietnamese) stepdaughter declared loudly, "I hate Chinese people!" Shocked, we asked her what she was talking about. She mumbled, "Well, because everyone always says I look like I'm Chinese..."

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Had you ever mentioned there were and are ethnic Chinese in Viet Nam? A minority, but they're there.

As for looking Chinese, the most distinctive Vietnamese feature I remember, aside from them not wearing a Chinese-society face (Japan has a lot more of that anyway; you can often tell a Japanese by how he holds his face) is the Vietnamese nose.

[Clodfobble]

Nah, we try to reiterate as often as we can that she's American. Aside from the factual nature of it, that side of her family has been known to use their "minority" status as an enhancement to their perpetual victimhood.