Yeah, the Olympics are off to a good start- and they haven't even started yet

[cali]

Several Americans have been deported for protesting China's occupation of Tibet. The air quality continues to deteriorate. My bet is some athlete will collapse and die due to the massive air pollution.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw an interview with a mountain biker who talked about what happened several months ago in a preliminary held near Peking: 46 out of 58 riders got ill during the race and couldn't finish. Hell, many teams aren't even training anywhere near the Olympic sites. Many are training outside of China. Some athletes aren't competing in their best events- marathoners, for example.


Political strife and poisonous air. Great recipe for a successful Olympics.

[Selatius]

1. You have to expect grade-A fuck ups in totalitarian dictatorships. The IOC never learns.

This may go down as one of the more tarnished Olympic games in decades. I wouldn't say it will beat the worst of them all: The 1936 Olympic Summer Games, dubbed the "Hitler Olympics."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/07/olympics2008.architecture

[shadowknows69]

5. 72 wasn't exactly a great one either

I'd have to nominate that one as worst ever I think

[Earth_First]

2. It's just 'overcast'

[HCE SuiGeneris]

9. "Fog"

Yeah, sure....

[malaise]

3. Do you think foreign athletes would be allowed to

protest at Olympics in the US? Tommy Smith and John Carlos merely raised their fists in Mexico after winning gold and silver and Brundage and the USOC kicked them out.

These days US citizens can't even protest outside a Rethug Convention.

[cali]

4. I don't know. Interesting to research and see whether there have

been protests at Olympics held in the U.S.

In any case, my main concern isn't the Chinese gov't but the massive pollution that literally poses a real threat to the health and lives of athletes participating.

[Postman]

6. It's the America rightwingers want. No regs and business free to do whatever they want.

In fact we already had it here once.

It was called the Robber Baron Era.

Then the LIBERALS changed things for the better.

[eshfemme]

7. Do you mean the Gilded Age? n/t

[Postman]

8. Yes.

n/t

[eshfemme]

10. I always thought that was such a perfect name for that era. n/t

[Javaman]

11. and no one even mentions the frequent sand storms.

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/3934