I like the Olympics, but these Londoners are a bunch of whiners. Just 'cause Paris murdered their princess a few years back, I don't know why they have to take it out on the rest of us. Where's Ed so he can make some excuses for them?
The Mermaid is really excited too. As a kid she had no TV - except every four years when they'd rent one for the olympics (then every 2 years when that happened).
My brother is there right now - his band is playing some kind of pre-opening ceremonies party.
His band is on Fire this month!
They played Bonaroo, a major festival around here as a headliner, they were on a national talk show with a really famous guy this week, this, and then some private party for some rich person in Miami next week. Everything's coming up Millhouse for him right now! I hope it's a real tipping point.
I really wish I could post the clip of him on the show - but well that's not possible any more here.
BECAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY ME, TAM! Hahaha! you go get 'em, though!
This message has been edited by SquiddyBoy on Jul 26, 2012 12:17 PM
Me too, Lisa! They're being so secretive about it. I know Sir Paul is singing. I think it would be cool if Springsteen came out with him after what happened with them getting the plug pulled on their duet.
This message has been edited by Cuppajo on Jul 26, 2012 8:35 PM This message has been edited by Tamrah on Jul 26, 2012 8:35 PM This message has been edited by Tamrah on Jul 26, 2012 8:34 PM
Did you hear that this is the first year that Saudi Arabian women are allowed to compete in the Olympics? It's awesome, but sad that it took so long.
I've got the DVR all set up for tonight's opening ceremonies!
No she didn't seem like she wanted to be there but she had to utter the I declare the games open thing. Wills, Kate, Harry, Charles and Camilla looked like they were enjoying it. Prince Phillip appeared tired.
I thought the torch trip was pretty neat. I wondered what those brass things were that were carried alongside each country's athletes and the only clue was that they had something to do with the flame thingy.
While I get the fact that the Brits contributed to the global music scene, that part seemed like what Bloomin' said, an extended superbowl half-time show.
I did like the cyclists with wings and the grassy hill where all the flags went. One thing did amaze me though.
Almost everyone volunteered for that and those drummers who had to drum while the parade of nations went on? They had to do that for a long time.
I caught most of the opening ceremony last night but missed the begining so I didn't see the parachute bit. And the IOC are a bunch of Nazis so I haven't been able to find footage of it anywhere. But from what I saw, great job UK! It cost like half as much as China's and I thought it was still great. Plus I like how they herded those folks along during the parade of nations so it didn't take 10 years "Get your arses in gear we got an old lady who could croak at any moment falling asleep up here!"
Emokid is throwing slomo dove at my face, I guess that means he flipped me the bird
First fucking Brian Williams tells me the results of the swimming relay last night right before they air it, and then tonight they run a promo totally tipping off an American upset just before it happened. Why? Assholes, fucking assholes that's why. A.S.S.H.O.L.E.S
LONDON (The Borowitz Report)Today NBC Sports issued the following message to viewers of its prime-time coverage of the 2012 Olympic Games in London:
Dear NBC Viewers:
Last night, millions of you were thrilled to see the U.S.A.s Missy Franklin win the gold medal in the hundred-metre backstroke race. That is, you would have been thrilled, except that just before the race we showed promos of Missy Franklin appearing on the Today show with the gold medal she won for the hundred-metre backstroke race.
If youve been watching NBC in prime time the past few nights, youve probably noticed how, night in, night out, weve been wrecking the Olympics for you. All we can say is, our bad. At NBC were just not used to broadcasting things that people want to watch.
But all thats about to change.
Tonight, for those of you who like watching the Olympics without having every moment drained of its entertainment value, we are launching a new premium service called NBCFree: the Olympics without any contributions from NBC whatsoever.
For only $29.95 you can watch the Olympics with no spoilers, no maudlin personal narratives, and no promos for NBCs new fall shows like that egregious one with the doctor and the monkey we show like every five minutes. And for $39.95, no Ryan Seacrest.
So contact your cable or satellite provider and order NBCFree today. And if you dont? Well, all we can say is, we already know what other medals Missy has won, and were not afraid to tell you.
you likely know the results already but if you want to catch women's gymnastics, I know there are a lot of fans here, NBC at 8 EST is covering today's event.
And just now a local casino advertised some touring gymnastics show and showed a screen shot of all the medal winners on the stands (in the middle of NBC airing the gymnastics). If I hadn't already known it still would have been blown. Assholes.
I think I was clear that I'm currently watching it. I'm in CA, a hour behind you. No, they haven't even finished the gymnastics yet. So bummed. I'm out.
I am sorry. I thought since you said you saw the girls that you were watching the same time as me. I thought nobody could be watching it any later than this. I just re-read what you wrote and saw that you said "in the middle of the gymnastics." I am really sorry. Going to bed now.
OK, so I understand how... nerdy? it is, but I want to watch syncronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics!
My step-kid has never seen either. So I looked up the schedule for synch-swimming, and it looks like they only do duos? Do they not do whole big teams anymore?
And UGH - I felt so bad for that little Russian gymnast. Looked like she was about to have a serious panic attack.
yes Mustafina. So on edge, focused, so DON'T TOUCH ME!!
I was shocked at how poorly Russia and Romania did though. The US was awesome. One gripe I have though.....and not just with gymnastics...it's the pan to the parents. Or I should say constant panning. I've tuned in to the athletes and performance. I could give a rat's arse about the grimaces, hand waves, facial expressions and clothing that Ms Phelp's has going on. She's gotten more coverage than some athletes. Same with gymnast Ali Raisman's folks. Enough already. Reality Olympics. No ta
This is some of the poorest olympic sportsmanship I've ever heard of. I watched a little of one game and it was so blatantly obvious, it bordered on pathetic.
Mar, I didn't see it live but I saw some of the replays today. Such a ridiculous thing to watch. I can't even imagine being there in person and having to witness that.
Any time a tournament is set up in such a way that it's sometimes beneficial for teams to deliberately lose just means that the tournament was set up really badly, and that goes for any sport.
ETA: and Lol at Queenie in those gifs. (can I call her that?)
This message has been edited by potato222 on Aug 1, 2012 8:02 PM
if you click through the dates at the top (takes a moment to load) it shows the size of countries relative to how many medals they won, and it just really drives it home how the olympics are really a first world event
Yeah, it costs money to train, you have to have a stable political system, you have to know you will be eating on a regular basis, your government has to have the money to spend to support athletes
When are they going to televise women's boxing is what I'd like to know. From the Googles, I think it begins August 5th, but who knows if NBC will show it.
ETA: Also, why no quid pro quo with the male beach volleyballers? They wear all this baggy shit. C'mon lads, let's have some T(highs) and A(bs)!
This message has been edited by Victoriabitter on Aug 2, 2012 2:01 PM
We're waiting on women's boxing too, Veebs. Autumn has been watching the men's all this week.
Just this morning Autumn and a few of her boxing sisters were interviewed by the newspaper to talk about women's boxing and the Olympics. Photo shoot is tomorrow.
That's fantastic, Sinadie! You must be very proud of her. I wish the boys would find a sports focus. They do play sports but never seem to stick to them. One is going to do lacrosse this fall and I'm hoping he really gets into it. Of course, the other one, the one that is doing badly in summer school, has not signed up for a fall sport. That's the one I really wish would.
This message has been edited by Tamrah on Aug 2, 2012 2:52 PM
Lacrosse in the Fall? It's a spring sport up here.
I loved playing Lacrosse. I wish my coach had been cooler, but I loved the violence and the speed of it. I was a little too small to play football in High School, but not Lacrosse, because I had a good mix of speed and low center of gravity that allowed me to put a pretty good hit on someone.
We have 8 channels broadcasting the Olympics live here in Latin America. 5 through DirecTV and 3 for ESPN Latam. It's nauseating Olympics, but I'm loving it.
Fail is right. NBC just keeps committing one spoiler gaffe after another. They should be really embarrassed but instead they seem as oblivious as Michael Phelps' mother.
Oh, and another thing. Trampoline is a freaking olympic sport? Seriously.
Edited to add: yes I know I sound a little hypocritical, but to my credit I was embarrassed at my spoiler gaffe. And I just made the one.
This message has been edited by Tamrah on Aug 3, 2012 10:42 PM
Actually it added up just fine. He qualified, same as all the other runners. I watched him run. He doesn't have any more bounce than the others. His stride is the same as theirs. He is a great runner, same as the rest. Only he can't bend his ankles or feel his feet.
So, what you're saying is, even thougb he never chose to have them invent the para-olympics, if he's a gimp he has to be in those. Even if he qualifies to be in the regular Olympics.
I'm saying it has nothing to do with him. If they are cool with letting disabled people into the olympics, then just do away with the paralympics and just say whoever qualfies qualifies.
Why should they do away with the paraOlympics? They aren't the Olympics. They started out independently and the IOC eventually started recognizing that they were something hopeful for paraplegics and started helping out with them. Unless you think paraplegics are just getting way too many perqs for losing their legs.
You could argue that people using hearing aids are getting mechanical assistance. Or pacemakers. Or glasses. Or....The Olympic Committee determined that his prosthetics weren't better than legs. So it's his talent that got him there.
I don't know if I agree with that finding. He doesn't have an ankle that could turn, or laces that could untie, or calf muscles that could cramp. Maybe he doesn't have more "bounce" than normal legs, but with the metal legs there are elements he doesn't have to deal with, that the other runners do have to deal with.
I'm still on the fence about this guy. I kept wondering why he wasn't in the ParaOlympics. I read all the arguments above, and am even more confused. Why was he allowed to be in this? I'm sure his "handicap" can be argued on so many fronts. I think it's awesome that he is even considered for the Olympics, but what am I missing?
He has competed in the paraolympics. The fact is he was good enough to run with guys with legs. Then he was good enough to make the Olympics. Is it wrong for him to strive? If anyone else in the paraolympics were able to compete in the Olympics, don't you think they would? And as far as his legs go, as he said, thousands of people have these springs instead of legs, and you don't see any of them running as fast as me. It is about his talent, not about a couple pieces of metal.
I agree with Aurora. This guy is awesome, yes, but clearly "handicapped" in all ways that are clearly defined. Since when has the line between "The Olympics" and the Para Olympics been so hard to define?
Nobody ever said they were mutually exclusive, is all. Nobody ever said, "Once you're defined as handicapped, you don't get to try to qualify for the Olympics. Nobody said, "Your place is over here and only over here." It's sort of like saying, "You negros have your own baseball league. Why do you want to be in ours?"
Um...I don't get what you're saying, Caps. Nobody "let" him come to the regular Olympics. He earned it. He raced in regular races with guys with legs. You don't get a trophy. I don't get a trophy. We aren't as talented as him. And while we're at it, the remark makes me think you're a little confused between "special" olympics and "para" olympics. One is for people with physical disabilities, one is for people with mental disabilities. And for the latter, I say, a trophy for everyone! And I hope nobody would be mean-spirited enough to think that's not okay.
Edited to say, sorry about the "um..."
This message has been edited by Tamrah on Aug 5, 2012 10:32 PM
What I'm saying is your arguments are equivalent to the namby-pamby attitude youth sports leagues have adopted. "Everyone gets a trophy". Is the guy talented? Absolutely. Does it suck that he ain't got no legs? yup. Should he be allowed to run in a race wearing mechanical implements? Nope.
The fact is he can't run as fast as an able bodied person without the mechanical assistance of a man made device. They developed his prosthetic to not only help him run but run faster. I'm sure he'll go home and work with some engineers to develop some new prosthetic to help him run even faster for the next Olympics.
Frankly, I think your arguments are all over the place on this one. This is not comparable to the exclusion of people over race. Not even close.
My arguments are all over the place because there are so many angles I can come from at which I have valid arguments. You say the fact is his prosthetics were developed to make him go faster. They are not bionic, they have no special springs. The IOC decided they didn't give him an advantage. And anyway, even if you posit that the Olympic Committee is wrong and you are right, and they do give him an advantage, can't the same be said for custom sneakers, and aerodynamic helmets, and expensive bicycles? The fact is, they have an advantage over people from poor countries. Everyone has advantages and disadvantages. Why should his advantage exclude him, when his disadvantage is he HAS NO LEGS?
Shoes are available to all. I don't know that that is true. I do know that custom shoes and custom bikes and custom clothing is not available to everyone. But you know what is available to everyone, except him? Legs.
He's not self propelled! I'm sorry. I just can't agree with the premis that the guy with no legs is a big cheater. Everyone does what they can within the rules and their means to compete to the best of their own ability. I guarantee there are more engineers working on running shoes for big companies like Nike than trying to help a guy with no legs run faster than the poor dummies not smart enough to hack their limbs off.
Well, I don't agree. The IOC determined they don't allow him to do anything more than a person with feet. A person who has muscle going all the way to their toes has MORE muscle, not less. They are allowing him to use the muscle he has to run, they aren't doing the work for him.
No, as it happens, it's not tough shit. It's good on him because he made it fair and square. And as for your contention that he has an advantage, there are two camps on that and both sides have valid points, but the fact is the IOC decided in his favor, which is tough shit for his naysayers.
Just because I have passion doesn't mean my argument isn't logical. You really can't point to one illogical thing I've said. And you won't address the real issue. He earned his way there and the IOC said he deserved to be there. That's reality. It's ultimately illogical to rail against reality.
I just saw an old lady in a walker going past my place yelling at her grandkids who were ahead of her "I AM hurrying, dammit! This is me running an olympic 50 meter dash!"
I know it! The next thing you know walkers will be the hottest trend. And young men will be whacking off their legs so they can run faster. It's a slippery slope!
That's a totally emotional argument. You're the one getting emotional. The guy won his spot. You say he couldn't run without the metal legs. Without legs none of them could run. He just got his legs from a box. It's not like all of a sudden there are legless men running all over the tracks. If there were, your argument that it's all about the metal might make sense.
Anyway, good debate. I would argue that Ginny and I won, but I'm sure there are a few of you who would disagree. I hope you, Aurora, and you, Caps, don't take any of it personally. Or anybody else on the other side. Night guys!
Because the guy with no legs didn't train hard? He trained harder, and then some.
Why make that assumption? There's no way to know how bladerunner would run with two legs. There's no way to know how hard he would have to train. Because he has no legs.
Because Caps. You are assuming he runs fast because he has part of his legs missing, and that's kind of ridonkulous. They allow him to run upright, they aren't made of muscle. He is missing a lot of the muscles runners use. He has to use the muscles he does have better in order to compete with guys who have full legs. I think it is a pretty safe bet that he had to train harder to get the same results as someone who has more muscles in functioning legs.
You just couldn't let it go, could you? It just kept eating at you and eating at you until you had to dirtypool post. An hour. And a half. Later.
What I was referring to:
"Enjoy you're uplifitng. Meanwhile, some dude who trained his ass off is sitting home because he got beat by two pieces of carbon fiber."
How bleeding heart is that? Awww...poor baby sitting at home because someone else won, "and he didn't even have feeties! Me has feeties and me sitting at home!"
Even the Olympic ruling bodies couldn't decide if he had an advantage or not, at first
From wikipedia
In 2007, Pistorius took part in his first international competitions for able-bodied athletes. However, his artificial lower legs, while enabling him to compete, have generated claims that he has an unfair advantage over able-bodied runners. The same year, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) amended its competition rules to ban the use of "any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides a user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device". The federation claimed that the amendment was not specifically aimed at Pistorius. After monitoring his track performances and carrying out tests, scientists took the view that Pistorius enjoyed considerable advantages over athletes without prosthetic limbs. On the strength of these findings, on 14 January 2008 the IAAF ruled him ineligible for competitions conducted under its rules, including the 2008 Summer Olympics. This decision was reversed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 16 May 2008, the Court ruling overall there was no evidence that Pistorius had any net advantage over able-bodied athletes.
"Me and my tampon, just kickin' it." Cornbread McIncest
Just got done watching the women's volleyball semifinal. The Chinese against Misty and Kerry. If you get a chance, it's a nailbiting edge-of-the-seat match. I won't tell you the outcome, but my heart is pounding from watching it.
More like the other way around. The Russian coach said the girls make his life miserable. They are all drama queens having tantrums every day and he has to baby all of them.
LONDON Most of Canada will disagree, but some have found justification for the controversial calls made by Norwegian referee Christiana Pedersen late in the second half of the U.S. soccer team's 4-3 overtime win against Canada in Monday's semifinal.
First, to review:
With Canada protecting a 3-2 lead with 12 minutes left in regulation, Pedersen flagged Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod for holding the ball longer than six seconds, a rarely invoked infraction. But rather than issuing a warning or a yellow card, the referee gave the U.S. an indirect free kick.
Then, with Megan Rapinoe's close-range shot heading directly for Marie-Eve Nault's chest, the Canadian defender twisted her body, moved her arm in front of her body and the ball struck her elbow. Pedersen called a hand ball and awarded the U.S. a penalty kick that Abby Wambach converted to tie the score, 3-3. The U.S. then won the game in overtime on Alex Morgan's header with less than minute left in stoppage time.
Now the analysis:
Mike Woitalla, writing in the online newsletter Soccer America Confidential, says the referee's calls were correct.
McLeod admitted an assistant referee reminded her at halftime that she was taking too long to get rid of the ball after making saves, though she said she didn't take it as an official warning. So with a fatigued Canada trying to run out the clock McLeod held the ball for more than 15 seconds, well over twice the permitted time, four times in the second half before the foul was assessed.
"In the 58th minute she held the ball for 17 seconds, in the 59th for 12 seconds, in the 61st for 16 seconds, in the 68th for 11 seconds," Woitalla writes.
As for the hand-ball call, Woitalla consulted FIFAs rulebook guidelines for help. There referees are told to take into consideration the movement of the hand toward the ball and the distance between the opponent and the ball.
"On the second point," he writes "Nault would have expected the ball to come her way because she was standing in front of a free kick. On the first point, her hand did move toward the ball."
If Nault had not raised her arm she would have gotten blasted in the chest, he continues, so a case can be made that she was punished for protecting herself. But that is not something FIFA has asked the referees to take into consideration.
"So if there is injustice in the call," he concludes "its the rulebooks fault and not Pedersens."
This message has been edited by SquiddyBoy on Aug 8, 2012 1:26 PM
I can see how any fan would be upset. That said, being the victim of a judgement call by a reasonably functioning referee and being 'robbed' are pretty different things.
I personally don't care about it. I think soccer is stupid. But the canadian players made some remarks filled with vitriol about the refs after the game, so apparently those involved in the game not just fans, also think the calls were messed up. They were really pissed at the refs, and now the comments they made are being investigated by FIFA to see if they should be penalized for their post game actions.
Yeah, any time you have a nuance rules and the stakes are the championship (or in this case Gold Medals), people go a little crazy.
Unless a given sport has an instant replay review rule, the human error of referees is part of the game as much as the condition of the turf. It seems like it's not a slam dunk that an error was even made here. I hope the investigation turns up something satisfying for everyone - but it probably can't.
Believe me I get it. If this were Sox - Spankees, I'd be googling the ref's home address and plotting atomic wedgies.
OMG! Did anyone see those adorable remote control mini-coopers that get sent out to retrieve stuff like shotputs and discuses? Cool little British touch.
Conspiracy theory
Soccer has been promoted non-successfully to Americans for years and years. What better way to get the children of the US to play their little hearts out for soccer than to give the citizens a Gold Medal from the Olympics?
Follow the money trail people! haha
The US Women's beach volleyball team won gold tonight! And I'm not spoiling anything. Because The US Women played the US Women. So one team won gold, and the other silver. And I'm not saying whether it was Misty and Kerri, or April and Jen. What a matchup! Both teams are excellent. Great sport.
So, come on: was it a boner? Nope! If I did have one you can bet I would've tried harder to cover it up with the flowers. Those spandex are pretty tight fitting and whatever position it happens to be captured in, it's staying that way.
"There is a much wider range of size in men's penises when flaccid, with the average ranging from 1 to 4 inches. In general, smaller flaccid penises lengthen at erection by a greater percentage than do larger flaccid penises, with most men reaching an average size of 5 to 7 inches, so the flaccid size of a penis is not a good predictor of erect size. The vast majority of men measure within the average genital size range and have a penis size that is more than adequate for sexual functioning."
I'm watching synchronized swimming on The Today Show. It is really stupid. But strangely mesmerizing. Maybe it wouldn't be so queer if they didn't have those stupid grins plastered on their faces and those stupid noseplugs. No, it'd still be queer. And yet I can't look away.
So - why does South African blade runner guy get to compete in Paralympics if he competed in London Olympics? Won't he just steal somebody-less-abled's thunder?
I had a similar thought - why does he get it both ways?
Then I thought, jeez, the guy has no feet. Why do you care where and when he wants to run. There's no dispute at all that he's qualified for these games. He won the legal right to compete in the other, and didn't exactly blow Bolt away or anything, so no sense obsessing about that any more either.
I don't think he should be denied the right to run in the paralympics because he was allowed to run in the regular olympics. They didn't declare that he was able bodied, they just said he didn't have an advantage. I still say their logic is flawed though.
But, he should definitely be allowed in the paralympics. It's where he belongs.
And I totally agree. It just doesn't seem fair he gets to compete in both when there are plenty of athletes out there that have worked very hard to qualify.
FWIW, I think it was gimmicky to allow him in the "regular" Olympics. Generates viewership, donchaknow.
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