Posts by Russell Brown
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I couldn't find that interview on the website, Simon, but it looks like al-Jazeera is doing its usual unflashy good job of covering the news -- not shying from the human rights issues, but not patronising the genuinely proud and excited people either.
Why can't all news networks be like this?
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This is quite cool, in the circumstances:
GEORGIAN, RUSSIAN SHOOTERS EMBRACE
Georgia's team offered to quit the Games over the conflict with Russia in South Ossetia. But President Mikheil Saakashvili sent instructions to stay "in the best interests of the country".
In a deliberate show of unity, Georgian shooter Nino Salukvadze hugged Russian rival Natalia Paderina after they took bronze and silver respectively in the 10-metre air pistol.
"If the world were to draw any lessons from what I did there would never be any wars," Salukvadze said.
"There should be no hatred among athletes and people."The same link also has a brief report on the eight people who died in separatist suicide attacks during the weekend, 3000km away in Xinjiang.
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The Olympics on one level represent an opportunity for those in the West to display any conscience they may have in solidarity with the voiceless multitudes who perhaps don't see the games as a true expression of their homeland.
Sure -- and all power to the 40 athletes who signed a letter urging China to improve its treatment of Tibet and ensure religious freedom, and got it reported around the world.
The Chinese leadership has fallen short of its international promises in any number of ways, but Charles is right: the Chinese people probably have more rights than they have ever had, and certainly more opportunity to improve their lives. And everything I've seen indicates the "multitudes" are very largely proud and excited about what's happening.
There's not just one thing happening here.
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Who knows? We’re crossing to the soccer.
Bastards.
I'd love to know what went on there. It was probably a reasonable call to cut to our plucky lads playing Brazil (although I found it a bit dull), but to just ignore the women's road race once they'd actually got us interested ... the TVNZ Sport Extra channel on Freeview was whiling away the time with British coverage of the women's teams events in the gymnastics, of all things.
My favourite competitor so far is the Chinese woman who kicked ass in the weightlifting. I liked the way she barked out motivational statements before every lift, and the local crowd seemed to absolutely love her.
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That'd be great. Unless there's a revolution in London, I won't be wathing those Olympics, either.
But I trust you'll keep letting us know how much you're not watching it.
And if they have a revolution
Which they won't.
the new government will hopefully either cancel the games
Which won't happen.
or turn it into a corporate-free, amateur event in line with the original concept.
Which won't happen either.
Plus it'd be nice if each country was expected to put up their top competitor in each event, whether or not they are actually any good at it.
Which would be pointless and impractical. How many heats would you have for every individual and team event if every single participating country was entered in everything?
Rich, you've got every right to be a grinch about the Olympics, but it does seem to me that you've set the bar on non-grinching improbably high.
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True to my word, I am refusing to watch the Berlin games of our times.
Yes, because China is just like Nazi Germany ...
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Nor was legalisation of prostitution, or the Civil Unions legislation.
Like the anti-smacking bill, those last two were private members bills which the Labour leadership decided to make a party issue.
Tim Barnett's prostitution private member's bill was a conscience vote, not a whipped vote, and passed only narrowly. It would not have done so had not several National MPs voted for it.
The civil unions legislation was not a private member's bill -- it was promoted as part of their ministerial responsibilities by Lianne Dalziel and David Benson Pope -- and it had been signalled in at least the last two Labour manifestos. Even Jenny Shipley effectively promised civil unions in a rash moment when she attended the Hero Parade as Prime Minister. The idea that the electorate was hoodwinked over it is nonsense. And the consistent polling support and subsequent failure of a petition to overturn the legislation equally suggests the public did not feel hoodwinked either.
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What will the London Olympics do? I wouldn't even try to top Beijing. I'd maybe just light the flame and organise a sausage sizzle for the athletes.
I'd organise a rave -- seriously. What London has over most other places in the world is the vitality of its popular culture. They'd be well advised to start arranging giant holograms of The Gorillaz now.
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.. but I also kept making jokes about how much Leni Riefenstahl would have loved it.
I was thinking more in terms of how power has always thrown shapes and conjured magic -- from the cathedrals of Europe to the movies of Hollywood.
I think you can admire the creative vitality, technical excellence and sheer scale of the opening ceremony while simultaneously holding a thought in your head about how China's human rights performance needs to improve some more.
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Imagine the power of Rich's boycott on a large scale.
What's stopping us? The "spectacle"?
On whose behalf would you be staging this boycott though? As Simon notes, the Chinese people seem very largely supportive and excited. And the exiled Tibetan leadership has repeatedly said it wants the games to go ahead and be a success.
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