Author Topic: This Olympic torch thing (Read 26332 times)

Arch · « **Reply #100 on:** 02 June, 2012, 08:57:46 am »

Quote from: andrewc on 01 June, 2012, 06:20:22 pm

Judging by all the fuss & the number of police in town it would appear to have reached Liverpool $:-\$

We saw it on the telly last night, the local news overran half an hour to cover it. 28.5 minutes of talking about how wonderful it all looked*, as the flame came over on the <sings> Ferry 'Cross the Mersey, </sings> and dithered about being transferred between torches and 90 seconds of it being carried by a blind soldier to light a cauldron. In which time, remarkably, no one tried to nick it**...

<ducks barrage of missiles thrown by aggrieved Scousers>

*They did have a lovely evening for it, and the Three Graces looked good in the sun.

**At one point, an interviewer was talking to three torchbearers from the day, and took the torch one of them had, to have a hold. I noticed that the torchbearer in question took it back as quickly as he could without looking like he was snatching it. I wonder how much he hopes to get on EBay....

rogerzilla · « **Reply #101 on:** 02 June, 2012, 09:45:44 am »

Quote from: Arch on 02 June, 2012, 08:57:46 am

We saw it on the telly last night, the local news overran half an hour to cover it. 28.5 minutes of talking about how wonderful it all looked*, as the flame came over on the <sings> Ferry 'Cross the Mersey, </sings> and dithered about being transferred between torches and 90 seconds of it being carried by a blind soldier to light a cauldron. In which time, remarkably, no one tried to nick it**...

Or hand him a 4 foot dildo instead...

Arch · « **Reply #102 on:** 02 June, 2012, 09:50:26 am »

Peter · « **Reply #103 on:** 02 June, 2012, 10:03:53 am »

Quote from: +paul on 24 May, 2012, 06:02:05 am

Quote from: AndyK on 23 May, 2012, 06:56:59 pm
Mark Steel got it right:

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/mark-steel/mark-steel-they-cant-license-the-olympic-spirit-7778726.html

Thanks for that AndyK - Great article!

And thanks from me, too.

barakta · « **Reply #104 on:** 02 June, 2012, 10:19:18 am »

I object to the vicious profiteering going on "visa only" "removing all other branding" "telling people to move their cars" and the bollocks that is the torch relay with it being a few hundred metres by foot and the rest by car - that's pathetic. It's all a bit cheaty con.

And I hate the way the tickets were distributed, the wheelchair space ones can't be booked online (I ran out of energy to make a DDA/EA2010 complaint about that "less favourable treatment") and how lots of BigCo.s got "free" tickets while normal people had to fuck about in the stupid lottery.

I object to volunteers being used and expected to cover their own costs when so much profit is being made. I hate the sodding flags (both for jubilee and Olympics) because it's all awful jingoistic tediousness. And yes if I live in London I'd be FURIOUS at the disruption to my basic life in not being able to get to work because we don't have a good enough transport infrastructure as it is and it was decided to fuck over the regulars for the Olympics.

I hate the anti protest attitude that we're not allowed to dissent or protest and the government are using it as an excuse to bring in police powers which I don't think will be scaled back to what they were before which disproportionately affects groups like young Black and Asian men who will be stopped and searched even more.

And the Olympic committee is still letting various countries (Saudi Arabia) compete even though they've not agreed to basic equality (no female athletes) and human rights rules.

They're cutting basic survival benefits from disabled people "we can't afford it" when the sums are a few million yet as others have said 9bn and counting on this profiteering, expensive, timewasting, crap!

So no, not pro Olympics at all over here and I wasn't impressed when we found we'd won either.

citoyen · « **Reply #105 on:** 02 June, 2012, 11:25:36 am »

*Like*

tonyh · « **Reply #106 on:** 03 June, 2012, 06:49:17 am »

ESL's little film (see reply 86) is excellent!

Biff · « **Reply #107 on:** 08 June, 2012, 06:57:46 pm »

Quote from: Rhys W on 24 May, 2012, 11:02:51 am

I've just a look on ebay - plenty of them on there now, going for thousands rather than hundreds of thousands. Also selling well are empty Coca Cola bottles, each one described as "rare".

Oh and some really good spoofs that are worth a look!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FLAME-FROM-THE-LONDON-2012-OLYMPIC-TORCH-/170852289802?pt=UK_Sports_Memorabilia_ET&var=&hash=item27c7970d0a#ht_720wt_1185&clk_rvr_id=351319269393

Wowbagger · « **Reply #108 on:** 11 June, 2012, 06:57:52 am »

I have just seen an Olympic Torch.

I had been lying awake in our Stornoway B & B, suffering as I am from the Common Cold (the Official Respiratory Tract Infection of the London 2012 Olympics^TM) and I could hear a lot of childish jollity from the street outside. I emerged from the B & B just in time to witness a figure clad in white and about 300 yards away, run away from me to the cheers of 6.30 Stornoway.

I feel vaguely uplifted.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #109 on:** 11 June, 2012, 09:50:23 am »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 11 June, 2012, 06:57:52 am

I feel vaguely uplifted.

Wowbra. The Official Moob Support of the Olympics^TM.

Feanor · « **Reply #110 on:** 11 June, 2012, 06:58:01 pm »

Just went past the bottom of our street.

Causing me to use an off-road lane to get home from Athletics.

madcow · « **Reply #111 on:** 11 June, 2012, 08:30:45 pm »

Passing through Brentwood today I saw a great sign that set my imagination going.
" Due to this road being the Olympic torch route, the gas work has been delayed until 9/7."
Now that would have made good television- "here come the flame now, and BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!WTF"

David Martin · « **Reply #112 on:** 12 June, 2012, 12:28:29 pm »

Watching it amble along our course for the 10TT tonight -it's right outside the end of Maverick75's street right now.

Pingu · « **Reply #113 on:** 12 June, 2012, 01:22:42 pm »

Loadsa neds sporting corporate tat in the city centre last night.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #114 on:** 12 June, 2012, 01:25:45 pm »

No change there then, surely?

It's coming past me on Thursday morning, about 0740. Not sure I can be arsed going out to see it. I might.

padbeat · « **Reply #115 on:** 12 June, 2012, 01:31:55 pm »

While I agree that the Olympics are hugely expensive and commercialised and the torch Relay is a part of that, for the individual torch bearers it's quite different.

I'm at least as cynical as the next man, but we nominated a friend of mine to be a runner - he is a youth rugby coach, a rugby referee and an extremely active member of Round Table which in our area (of about 14.000 souls) raises about £10,000 a year every year for good causes which all stays in the local area.

Did he deserve the recognition? Did it mean something to him? Absolutely. Think of it as an Honours List - recognition by his peer group.

So is the Olympic Torch relay a good thing or a bad thing?
As usual, it's more complicated than that.

clarion · « **Reply #116 on:** 12 June, 2012, 01:33:39 pm »

It could be a whole lot better.

David Martin · « **Reply #117 on:** 12 June, 2012, 10:50:15 pm »

Smallest small went with a friend to see the torch in Dundee. Had a great time. Eldest small asked "was it as good as the Tour in London in 2007"?

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #118 on:** 12 June, 2012, 11:01:49 pm »

Sensible question. What was the answer?

Feanor · « **Reply #119 on:** 13 June, 2012, 08:29:57 pm »

Just got to fondle one.

Here's a pic of Junior holding it down at Aberdeen Sports Village earlier this evening:

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #120 on:** 14 June, 2012, 10:03:54 pm »

Here's my video from this morning. I was somewhat underwhelmed.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v379/Flossiesdoll/Videos/?action=view&current=OlympicTorch14June2012.mp4

Rhys W · « **Reply #121 on:** 14 June, 2012, 10:06:37 pm »

The crowds were out then.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #122 on:** 14 June, 2012, 10:33:36 pm »

It wasn't even eight o'clock.

mr magnolia · « **Reply #123 on:** 14 June, 2012, 10:44:24 pm »

should have come down to the seaside at 0835.

Even my cynical view of life was touched by how fab a time the selected runners were having, after being nominated and selected by their own communities. And the childer of course had a late to skool day in the sun.

We had croissants from the oven with fresh orange juice. We saw a relay change over and bumped into a few peeps we hadn't seen for a while and had a change to the normal routine. I saw a lot of commuting cyclists go by me on the way back again that I normally see in a different part of town. I even got to cycle into town with mrs m after dropping off at skool. A bit of upset to the routine with the family in the sun is a great thing.

don't know who our runner is, but it took me until I heard him say it to realise that he was blind...

padbeat · « **Reply #124 on:** 15 June, 2012, 12:12:31 am »

My mate Lee with Primo and Secundo in Crianlarich at the top of Loch Lomond. The party went on until 3am back at their house and the sun was coming up again, apparently!

Mrs PB was slightly surprised by something ...

And yes, Lee is actually pointlessly tall.