Olympics and Paralympics 2012 (and now the legacy-part one)

So the Olympics is going to offer Pop Concerts to entertain the crowds....it"s the Mums and Dads who should be entertained



LONDON (AP) -- The athletes and the Olympic torch have arrived in London - and so has the party.

For those keener on celebrity-spotting or dancing the night away than medal counting, the British host city has plenty of action to offer during games time. Away from the track and field, Hollywood royalty such as Brangelina and Nicole Kidman will be rubbing shoulders with diplomats and businessmen at the city's glitziest clubs and grandest historic buildings. Meanwhile, Dizzy Rascal, Snow Patrol and other musicians will keep crowds entertained at outdoor concerts across the capital - though there won't be cocktails and canapes.

The party vibe kicks off Saturday with the sold-out "River of Music" festival, which features six stages along the Thames, each named for a different continent. Musicians from the Americas, for example, are taking over London's iconic Tower of London, headlined by a gig by the Scissor Sisters. Other performers from across the globe include Baaba Maal, Wynton Marsalis and the Kronos Quartet.

One of the most glamorous bashes in town will be a charity gala dinner at the Victoria & Albert Museum on Wednesday, two days before the Olympic opening ceremony. Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Christopher Lee and Bob Geldof are expected to attend the black-tie event, which is organized by the charity Sports for Peace and held in honor of boxing great Muhammad Ali.

Others reportedly attending include Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Prince Harry. The organizers did not immediately confirm the reports, but judging from the list of celebs sitting on the charity's committee - George Clooney, Catherine Deneuve and Hilary Swank, to name a few - there will definitely be no shortage of VIPs.

In Soho, London's buzzing restaurant and nightlife district, luxury watchmaker Omega, the Olympics' official time-keeper, will be hosting its own A-list soirees in a specially-refurbished townhouse until the end of the games on Aug 12. Kidman is expected at a launch party on July 28, while a space-themed bash on Aug. 2 will feature American astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Gene Cernan and Tom Stafford. A publicist said other guests will include swimmer Michael Phelps and Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan.

Other celebrities will make appearances during the games - but only on video. "Harry Potter" stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, actress Helen Mirren and boxing star Amir Khan are among those who recorded a "goodbye" video that will be played on screens as fans leave the Olympic venues at the end of each sports session.

It's not just the celebrities who know how to party.

The Russians are planning to bring Moscow nightlife to a VIP pavilion in Kensington Gardens, which for the duration of the Olympics will be home to all things Russian. Not on the guest list? "Russia Park," as it is called, will be free to enter during the day, and the public can enjoy the country's food, music, or have a go at ice curling.

Dozens of other countries will set up their own "national hospitality houses" across London, and several are open to the public. Casa Brasil at Somerset House will showcase Brazilian culture and sport - and promote Rio's hosting of the 2016 Summer Games. Beer lovers should focus on the German House's party held on the cruise liner MS Deutschland, the Irish House at a pub at King's Cross, and the Netherlands' "Heineken House" at north London's Alexandra Palace.

The Olympic opening and closing ceremonies will also be focal points for celebration in London. On the night before the opening ceremony, a concert at Hyde Park will mark the arrival of the Olympic torch with performances by Dizzee Rascal, The Wanted and DJ Mark Ronson. The park will continue to host outdoor concerts throughout the games, with Snow Patrol and Stereophonics headlining on July 27, and Amy Macdonald and Alyssa Reid among the scheduled performers in following days.

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Sylvia Hui can be reached at http://twitter.com/sylviahui

BY DAVID FEITH

What are the Olympics for? Awesome displays of physical ability, mainly, but with a heavy helping of politics—from mere kumbaya globalism to notorious whitewashes of Nazism and Communism. On rare occasion, though, the Games inspire displays of sound political judgment. This year's first medalist in that category is television anchor Bob Costas.

The NBC veteran has revealed that his broadcast of the July 27 opening ceremony will include a minute of silence for the 11 Israeli Olympians murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Games 40 years ago—a minute of silence that the International Olympic Committee has refused to arrange .

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444464304577539093437689220.html?KEYWORDS=bob+costas#articleTabs%3Darticle

On the night before the opening ceremony, a concert at Hyde Park will mark the arrival of the Olympic torch with performances by Dizzee Rascal, The Wanted and DJ Mark Ronson. The park will continue to host outdoor concerts throughout the games, with Snow Patrol and Stereophonics headlining on July 27, and Amy Macdonald and Alyssa Reid among the scheduled performers in following days.

Hope they know that there is a 10.30pm curfew with concerts in Hyde Park! They will turn the sound off bang on 10.30pm

United Kingdom

The Orwellian Olympic spirit


20 July 2012
The New York Times New York Comment8


Security planning exercise for the Olympic Games in London, 19 January 2012.

AFP


As the world’s athletes get ready for the start of the Olympic Games on July 27, Londoners are griping about huge traffic and public transport delays, and a massive, hectoring security presence.

Sarah Lyall


While the world’s athletes limber up at the Olympic Park, Londoners are practicing some of their own favorite sports: complaining, expecting the worst and cursing the authorities.

Asked “What do you feel about the Olympics?” the other day, a random sampling of people here gave answers that included bitter laughter; the words “fiasco,” “disaster” and “police state”; and detailed explanations of how they usually get to work, how that is no longer possible and how very unhappy that makes them.

“At the end of the day, it’s a pain in the backside,” Steve Rogers, a construction site manager, said as he puffed on a cigarette near Victoria station the other day. Particularly painful, he said, were the subway plans (“absolute shambles”), the road closings (“complete nightmare”) and the fact that instead of creating construction jobs for Britons, the Olympics had provided work for “a bunch of Lithuanians, Romanians and Czechs.”

Even in the best of times, whinging, as Britons call the persistent low-grade grousing that is their default response to life’s challenges, is part of the national condition – as integral to the country’s character as its Eeyoreish attitude toward the weather (“Start Planning for Floods,” The Daily Mail advised recently).

But even allowing for the traditional exaggeration, this degree of distress has a different tone to it.

“We’re looking at something above and beyond the solace and comfort that the British seek in gentle moaning,” said Dan Hancox, 31, a freelance writer. “The Olympics is actively antagonizing people.”

On Twitter, Mr. Hancox said that for Londoners, “it’s as if someone else is throwing a party in our house, with a huge entry fee, and we’re all locked in the basement.”

He elaborated.

“The traffic infrastructure has shut down to the point where we’re being prepared for a military conflict,” he said in an interview. “They’re telling businesses to stockpile goods, advising people to stay at home, don’t go anywhere, don’t travel on the tube, stay on your sofa – it’s like it’s for your own safety. We have an army on the streets. We’re being put on a war footing, and it’s not something, after 60 years of peacetime, that the British people are comfortable with.”

Read article in full at The New York Times en

On the web
Original article at The New York Times en


Theyv'e got our measure.

During a discussion just now about the Olympics a Butcher on the video link said he had the Olympic symbol made up of 5 sausages dsiplayed in his
Shop Window. A Few days later someone from the Olympics Committee told him it was illegal and he had to take his display down, which he did. When
asked what was displayed in his window now, he said 5 Frying Pans.

Dear xxxxxxxx

Thanks for contacting us regarding our Olympics pages on the BBC Sport website.

We have received a range of feedback about the errors on the BBC Sport Olympics page and we feel it is worth explaining that a considerable number of those have been generated by online lobby activity. In order to use licence fee resources appropriately, we have investigated your concerns with those responsible for the website and the response below strives to address concerns you have raised. Nevertheless, we’re sorry that we’re not able to send you a more personalised reply.

The Olympics page on the BBC Sport website provides extensive information on the London 2012 games, including the profiles of all the teams taking part.

Due to an error which was made at the time the information was added onto the website, incorrect details and mistakes appeared on the Israeli and Palestinian team pages. This has since been rectified in line with BBC policy.

The BBC as an impartial broadcaster remains committed to accuracy and we regret if anyone was offended by this.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us.

So it's official BBC policy to not tell people that Israel has a capital? That's a bit insulting for the Israeli athletes who are, after all, guests in this country!

David Beckham has been given a special role in the opening ceremony of the Olympics after being left out of the Great Britain football squad, it is claimed.

Organisers are said to have added a new section just for the footballer, although it is claimed they want to keep it a ‘surprise’.

In what was seen as a snub to the 37-year-old, former England team mate Stuart Pearce chose not to include him in the Olympic football squad.

According to The People newspaper, Lord Coe then began ‘plotting’ to give the ex-England captain a prominent role in Friday's ceremony at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford.

An un-named ‘source’ is quoted as saying: “It is all being kept secretive because both the Olympics committee and David Beckham's camp want it to remain a huge surprise.

“It is something no-one will be able to guess. It is different from anything anyone would expect.”

Beckham helped Britain secure the Games and accompanied the Olympic flame from Athens to Britain and carried it before the torch relay.

However, the source claimed he will not be lighting the stadium torch nor carrying the Olympic flag into the arena.

It is claimed British Olympic officials told Stuart Pearce he would have the final decision on who to include in team GB and was under no pressure to include Beckham.

He decided not to include the midfielder after watching him play several times for his club, LA Galaxy.

Beckham's wife Victoria is already in London preparing for her part in the closing ceremony where she will sing with the Spice Girls.
Article:
Aussies Offer Olympic Advice Aussies Offer Last-Minute Olympic Advice
Updated: 12:24am UK, Sunday 22 July 2012

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

Australians are watching closely as London counts down to the start of the Olympics and are asking themselves if it will steal the title "best Games ever" - which they are largely credited with holding onto for the last 12 years.

The phrase was used at the end of the Sydney Games by the then-International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch.

Sydney residents are following news reports from the UK about the failure of security contractor G4S to provide enough staff, are aware of transport and industrial action concerns and of course have noted the lack of sunshine in recent weeks as final preparations get under way.

Graham Richardson, who was heavily involved in the planning of the Sydney Games and mayor of the athletes' village, told Sky News that issues in the days running up to the opening ceremony can be ironed out in time.

He recalled Sydney had its fair share of concerns as the Olympics got close, including a crisis with the contractor providing the buses.

"Things got so serious that the staff at the athletes' village couldn't get home at night and the athletes couldn't get anywhere - it was becoming a complete mess," he said.

"One week before the Games began we had to do an entire (new) transport plan... it was only really one day before the Olympics that it was working."

Even the current International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has commented on the problems Sydney faced.

"Just before the very successful Sydney Games we had the bankruptcy of the company that was to deliver the buses. Overnight the organising committee found more than 300 buses to cover the shortfall," he said.

"Other issues come up in other Games.

"I think and I hope London is going to be successful. There has been a good preparation, in spite of the problems of the security."

Sydney radio presenter Murray Olds, who has reported from the last four Olympics and will in be in the UK for the London Games, recalled the negativity from many Australians in the days leading up to the start of the event.

"People were very worried. We had all sorts of naysayers saying 'it's going to be terrible'. They were getting out of town, they were flying to Fiji, flying to New Zealand, doing anything to get away from the 'chaos' of Sydney.

"There were issues, there is nothing that size that is going to go 100% smoothly, but it's going to be alright on the night. That was the experience of Sydney and I bet it's the same in London."

As well as trying to overcome public complacency in the build up, organisers also were hit by a ticketing fiasco, with the public misled about the number of best seats reserved for high profile figures and corporations.

In the end though it all came good for Sydney and, despite the huge sporting rivalry between Australia and Britain, Graham Richardson was happy to offer some advice for London's organisers.

"Remain calm, take three deep breaths, go and have a pint, and turn up on the day," he said.

http://news.sky.com/story/963661/bus-doing-push-ups-created-for-olympics

This is clever.!!

A comment from a Reader in a European Newssheet.


In light of what has become of the Olympics in terms of cost and attacks on personal liberty, the French can thank the Londoners for having beaten them to the right to host the Games."

Chris Hoy is to light the Olympic Torch...he deserves the honour.

A dress rehearsal last night of the opening ceremony brought comments from some attending " absolutely fabulous"and "Danny Boyle is a Genius" so I think I have had my moans and will probably sit back and enjoy the Games. The people attending are sworn to secrecy, so don't expect any leaks.

You didnt hear then about the problem on the Central Line which led many fuming last night!

cherry1 wrote:You didnt hear then about the problem on the Central Line which led many fuming last night!

Now you have gone and spoiled my day cherry1, I was just getting ready to stop the carping and enjoy the spectacle.

Just one other little comment, why start the opening ceremony at 9pm, how the Hell are people going to get home????

UUM, what was the problem on the Central Line. I lived in London for 6 years and can testify to the chaotic underground travel, I dread to think what Tourists will make of it all.

Panda, they were going on about it this morning on radio, some guy said central line
wasnt working from certain stations - and he said the employee at the station told him that
it was being done to see if the underground could cope if there was some failure!
Others came on and said they arrived late for rehearsals cos of the problem but someone from
the underground came on and said it was a problem at St.Pauls, now rectified, he didnt say anything
about it being done on purpose as a training exercise. So am none the wiser, was it a training exercise and the employee wasnt supposed to tell anyone that, or why did the employee say that? - unless he was winding people up saying that but I havent heard this confirmed. They are just saying there was some
problem at St.Pauls.

Well, the latest is the Government is taking the Border Agency to Court to try to stop the strike on the grounds I think that only 1 in 8 voted for it.
Whether the Government wins is debateable but apparently no one else knows why they are striking , unless they are miffed about all the stick they are
getting over the queues at Passport Control.

Whoever, their Union Leader is, he wants flogging for holding the Country to ransom and giving Britain a bad name when millions of Tourists have come to see the Games and spent a lot of money on travel. The Government is also supplying 1,200 more troops .

Panda wrote:

Chris Hoy is to light the Olympic Torch...he deserves the honour.

A dress rehearsal last night of the opening ceremony brought comments from some attending " absolutely fabulous"and "Danny Boyle is a Genius" so I think I have had my moans and will probably sit back and enjoy the Games. The people attending are sworn to secrecy, so don't expect any leaks.

Chris Hoy is leading team GB out, carrying the flag

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2012/07/24/london-olympics-sir-chris-hoy-says-being-chosen-to-carry-team-gb-flag-is-the-stuff-of-dreams-86908-23911956/

I don't think we know yet who will light the flame?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/18975735

Speculation in today's papers that it might be Princess Anne. She represented GB in Montreal and her daughter Zara is riding in this year's Olympics.

The 2012 Olympic Games began with a bang for Great Britain as the host nation's women footballers earned a victory over New Zealand at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Arsenal's Steph Houghton notched the decisive goal midway through the second half as her superb strike from a direct free-kick flew past New Zealand goalkeeper Jenny Bindon.

I don't think that the North Korean team would have been too impressed.

Iris wrote:I don't think that the North Korean team would have been too impressed.

OMG! Can you believe that mistake?!

wjk wrote:

Iris wrote:I don't think that the North Korean team would have been too impressed.

OMG! Can you believe that mistake?!

Errr.. NK is the one with the nukes, and the bampot dictator. Isn't it?

Iris wrote:

wjk wrote:

Iris wrote:I don't think that the North Korean team would have been too impressed.

OMG! Can you believe that mistake?!

Errr.. NK is the one with the nukes, and the bampot dictator. Isn't it?

THAT THE ONE
LETS HOPE THERE ISN'T ANY MORE CLANGERS.

Lea Valley Olympic venue

Iris wrote:

wjk wrote:

Iris wrote:I don't think that the North Korean team would have been too impressed.

OMG! Can you believe that mistake?!

Errr.. NK is the one with the nukes, and the bampot dictator. Isn't it?

Yep. Oh dear!
Clanger is a good word Bb!