Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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So I'm watching the opening ceremonies (pretty cool so far) and the commentary/news is all about new drug tests for synthetic hormones casting suspicion on the US Track and Field team and a sudden rise in athletes discovering "last minute injuries" or "that they've left the iron on at home" and withdrawing rather than get busted by tests they thought didn't exist yet.
Personally, I'd vote for two categories of sport. Purist: absolutely maniacal drug testing to create a level playing field. Positive drug test gets you a lifetime ban and your team kicked out. Unlimited: any drugs you want, artificial limbs, exoskeletons, whatever. Let's see how far a human can go. But don't complain if your head explodes or your nuts shrivel. |
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25 chars of wasted space.
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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First Opening Ceremonies I've ever seen where the march of the athletes is set to modern music by some Greek DJ who's won world titles (and reputedly gets the entire stadium dancing in the rehearsals). The camera is alternating between athletes partying and spinning decks.
Loved the 'artistic' part with evolution of sculptures, mythic body image of the gods/athletes and origins of Olympic ideals. Centaurs throwing glowing javelins, humans as animated art from the classical period, ancient sports demonstrated in slow motion wirework as if marionettes from Mt. Olympus, lasers tracing out dna... worth catching the replay for later if you missed the show live. |
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hustlin
Join Date: May 2004
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But now I have that daft punk song stuck in my head. |
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www.stevegongphoto.com
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The opening ceremony was absolutely awesome.
I was watching it on both Italian TV and French TV. The Italian reporters kept dowplaying other countries ("Sudan is a very poor country"..."It's quite impossible that Singapore will win a gold medal"..."Look, not so many people are cheering for the Americans") and how so many people cheered for the Italians, and how they're the most enthusiastic. The French reporters were doing a game of guessing wat the capital is of each of the countries, and they would point out every time there was a country that used to be former French colony. What was it like on US tv? |
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BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope. Join Date: May 2004
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US tv? o, you mean the tape delay we get. well, that starts in 2 and a half hours. god i love NBC. |
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www.stevegongphoto.com
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Really, and on top of that, sophomoric close mindedness. When italian football team lost at Euro 2004 everyone thought it was other people's fault. I missed Italy so much when I was in the US. now I'm so ready to go back to UVa, land of the hicks. sad thing is I know I'll miss Italy again when I go back. I have an incurable disease. |
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M AH - ch ain saw
Join Date: May 2004
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God NBC sucks. AND, they're not rerunning it again, at least not when I check last night. I have to work tonight, therefore I can't watch the ceremonies, arguably the best part of the Summer Olympics. How its the situation on Canadian TV, I get some of that maybe I'll tune into that.
EDIT: Never mind, NBC is playing them on MSNBC @ like 1 in the morning my parents just informed me. User formally known as Sh0eWax Last edited by Maciej : 2004-08-13 at 16:59. |
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BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope. Join Date: May 2004
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id say i would look for a place in the middle but I think id kill myself in Kansas |
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I shot the sherrif.
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full doping olympics would be the shit, but i would bet that nobody would watch the regular ones anymore. it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining.
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www.stevegongphoto.com
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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The Iraqi team got a huge standing ovation (much louder than the US or anybody but the Greeks).
Perhaps unsurprising given the location and popular sentiment in Greece. |
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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Senior Member
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I really don't like the commentators for NBC over here. They make comments that seemed to be aimed to the lowest common denominator.
Oh yea, WTF is up with Taiwan being called "Chinese Taipei?" That makes me mad on some inner level "It's a good thing there's no law against a company having a monopoly of good ideas. Otherwise Apple would be in deep yogurt..." -Apple Press Release |
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Student extraordinaire
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Canberra, Australia
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Chinese Taipei? That makes so little sense on so many levels...
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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The "One China" policy precludes Taiwan from being listed as a separate country.
De facto, yep. Officially, no. Upsets the old guard of the PRC Communist Party. |
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Veteran Member
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Could we get HALO in the Olympics?
We seem to have virtually every other irrelevant sport added in now |
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BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope. Join Date: May 2004
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The lighting of the giant joint was um....interesting. Nothing compares to Barcelona and Lillehammer. The bow and arrow and ski jump remain the coolest. |
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Does this year's olympics have dodgeball? If so, I'll be tuning in whenever that happens.
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Veteran Member
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OK,
Personally I have never been able to understand synchronised swimming. Do they dope test sychronised swimmers... cos they must be on something! Football.. I personally loathe... but putting that to one side.. Why in the Olympics? And another thing... how come the entire Greek Baseball team is made up of Americans? And why Baseball? In the Olympics? Why team sports at all? Maybe I am mad!?!?! 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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Student extraordinaire
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Canberra, Australia
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Columbus, Georgia
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Overall coverage tonight was OK, I felt that we missed a lot of things that happened because NBC mashed a multi hour event into three hours of heavy commercial laden coverage. I also felt myself thinking several times throughout the evening and sometimes even yelling aloud for Bob Costas to STFU. JFC let me watch this and if I need to know the average flipper size of the Algerian underwater basket weaving team I'll look it up. What Adobe Updater‽ What‽ What‽ WHAT‽ |
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www.stevegongphoto.com
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Well, there was also a country called Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia. Why aren't you mad on some inner level about that? But this taiwan problem really is starting to get very pressurised. I really hope things turn out for the best of everyone's interest, though I don't know what's going to happen. |
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Student extraordinaire
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Canberra, Australia
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Probably because at the time Macedonia was in flux... whereas Taiwan has been an independent county in all but name since 1949.
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Senior Member
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I'm mad because it seems that China is able to bend world opinion against a sovereign, democratic state. I don't want to hear that "Well China did own Taiwan..." If I recall correctly, Taiwan is home to the legitimate Chinese government, making the Mainland Chinese government the rebels. The World is just too pussyfooted to make an issue of the human rights, trade, and IP violations that occur in Mainland China.
So yes, that is why I'm mad. The World turns a blind eye to China, to the extent of pretending that Taiwan is really part of China. Oh yea, look who gets to host the 2008 Olympics! "It's a good thing there's no law against a company having a monopoly of good ideas. Otherwise Apple would be in deep yogurt..." -Apple Press Release |
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It's rife though dude...
Come on look at the situation in the middle east. It's ok for Israel to build it's own version of the Berlin wall and have nuclear weapons! The real perpitrator of the 911 horror is still at large and (whilst he was a very nauty man) the dictator of another country is now in jail and the country he once ruled so badly is in a state of chaos... all because he happend to have a few phone calls with people who happened to be in the same room as Bin Laden once. Christ on that basis half the rulers of the modern world should be clapped in irons! Oh yes and lets not forget about good old Libya... Our bestest oldest mate all of a sudden.... And why? Capitalism, trade, politcal affiliations and Oil. F&%k the little people! 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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careful with axes
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hillsborough, CA
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I loved the opening ceremonies...the best since Barcelona's. It was much better than Sydney parading Greg Norman and Olivia Newton John on floats or Atlanta's godawful chrome Chevy pick-ups. I loved the drum and bouzouki intro, lightshow, centaur , human sculptures, the wirework...everything except Bjork. Jeez, I've never, ever appreciated her singing. |
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Mr. Vieira
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
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Of course, I wouldn't expect anyone involved to acknowledge that. Bad form and all... |
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Veteran Member
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I'm just glad that it was pure genuine love of people that brought the ousting of that 'a-hole' about and not self centered misguided capitalist greed and ignorance.
But then hey... What do I know! :smokey: 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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www.stevegongphoto.com
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I think people in the US know far too little about China and Chinese history to understand China. I am certainly not a chauvinist, but what you are saying here I don't find appropriate. I think people should at least visit China before formulating conclusions and spreading anti-China negativisms. What do you think? And can we please try to not turn this into a political argument? We need more love and understanding in the world, not hate. Last edited by stevegong : 2004-08-14 at 10:27. |
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