Beijing 2008 Olympics

Am I the only one who actually gets excited about the Olympic Games? I mean, since I can remember, I've always liked watching the sports, and the media coverage...what about you?

i watched the opening ceremony, and although it was very impressive, i couldnt help but think it was a waste of electricity and a big two fingers up at global warming and pollution

i cant wait for the track and field events though, hopefully we should see some top athletes dropping to the floor gasping for breath as they choke on chinas filthy air

also you never know if someone is gonna blow up the birds nest stadium (hopefully whilst george bush is in it)

i was really put off this olympics, by the heavy handed way the authorities dealt with people who had issues with chinas human rights policies, and also with the large and heavy millitary prescence including missile launchers?

Quote:
hopefully we should see some top athletes dropping to the floor gasping for breath as they choke on chinas filthy air

Provided these athletes did at least some of their training in TO or LA, they should be fine.

I watched a little bit of Olympic coverage yesterday and all they kept talking about was how smoggy and polluted it was over there. They even showed the weather over there with comments about how hot it would feel.

It wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement for tourism.

Speaking of which, check out what happened in Toronto at 3 am this morning. There's a video on the mainpage of the explosion. Around the 2 minute mark (or maybe 2:30) you see this HUGE explosion. It rocked houses miles away.

http://www.cp24.com/

One of the guys says it looked like War of the Worlds, lol. Another said the streets were full of people walking on the streets. Some of the footage looks like Cloverfield.

---

[Post edited by Falcon01 on Aug 10, 2008]

Quote:
Am I the only one who actually gets excited about the Olympic Games? I mean, since I can remember, I've always liked watching the sports, and the media coverage...what about you?

I'm with ya mvckalel!

The Olympics is about the only time I enjoy sports on television. And now that I can see it in hi-def makes it all the better!

I'm watching the US basketball team play China right now. I have to admit, China is keeping up pretty good, so far (2nd Qrtr).

Yeah, that them there openin' ceremoy's was awesome!

Glad to see you started this thread. We should keep some stats going on medals -- you know, post some updates day to day.



EDIT: I found the official site:

http://en.beijing2008.cn/

Stats on Medals won:

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/GL/95A/GL0000000.shtml

---

[Post edited by Tim Raynor on Aug 10, 2008]

Falcon, that's freakin' huge. Sunrise Propane living up to their namesake? Seriously, it's amazing only a handful of people were injured and no one killed.

As far a Beijing's air quality concerns, I can't help but hear a kettle calling a pot black. Toronto and the rest of Southern Ontario has had a lucky cool, rainy summer (rain everyday!). Normally, we get 20 smog warning days each summer that extend as far north as Ottawa in Eastern Ontario, more than 300km to the north of TO! Then again, most summers in Southern Ontario are like Beijing's - 33 degrees and about 90% humidity with still air. Look outside, everything is green and we've got to cut our lawns twice a week in freakin' August. Very unusual.

Since one of my hobbies is collecting spores, molds, and fungi, I'm really looking forward to this fall's mushroom season. Oh, and watching Ghostbusters on Blu-ray too!

Micheal Phelps already broke his own record and has a gold. He could possibly get 8 gold medals by himself. Crazy.

If the U.S. Mens basketball team doesn't win gold again, wow is all I can say.

Skyhawk I can't speak from first had experience but a friend of mine once did a tour of Asia and he said Tokyo was unbelievably smoggy, to the point where it felt like a blanket was being placed over him as soon as the door to the airplane opened.

He also said China was pretty bad but I don't remember what parts he was referring to.

So yeah Toronto has had some pretty smoggy summers (which is not even our own pollution BTW, it comes up from the U.S.), apparently it's not as bad as over there.

Still, it could have just been a really bad season when he went which was around...7 ish years ago.

BTW is looks like the opening ceremonies in Beijing was one of the most watched ever...

[Updated, 1:04 p.m.] -- NBC’s Olympic dream of ratings fireworks came true.

The network’s coverage of the Games got off to a roaring start Friday with the most-watched and highest-rated non-U.S. summer opening ceremony telecast ever.


The Beijing event averaged 34.2 million viewers and received an 18.6 national household rating.


In the nearly 50 years of televised Olympics, that's higher than any previous non-domestic summer opener -- up 35% in viewers from the Athens ceremony in 2004 (25.4 million, 14.6 rating) and 25% higher than Sydney in 2000 (18.5/32). The household rating bested the 1960 Rome Games on CBS (18.1) -- a record that's stood for 48 years, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The mammoth figures weren't quite enough to overturn all opening ceremonies based in the U.S., however. The rating was 14% shy of the Atlanta Games in 1996 (39.8 million, 23.6 rating).

http://www.thrfeed.com/2008/08/ceremony-rating.html

---

[Post edited by Falcon01 on Aug 10, 2008]

Falcon, I've been to Tokyo more than once during the height of summer during the past 10 years, and it's not bad now (much like Toronto on bad days). But when Japan was rapidly expanding its manufacturing base during the 70's, I remember seeing on TV that traffic cops on the street had to wear gas masks in Tokyo it was so bad. Japan is rather "mature" now, and like the rest of the developed world, enjoys outsourcing its most polluting industries to countries like China for the most part.

Places like Hong Kong (where I've also been to many times) should be much worse than it is given the population and pollution output, but topography and weather normally keep things looking a bit better than Toronto. Same with Manila even (smog-wise I mean). Weather and topography are definite factors in smog formation. Some places luck out.

And yes, I'm aware that a great deal of smog in Ontario is from south of the border. What's bad is that many National parks in the USA fail even the old EPA's standards for air quality. The "Smokey Mountains" got its name originally from the humid air given off by trees - but now the name sake is more associated with the smog which exceeds that of most American cities: http://articles.latimes.com/2004/apr/08/nation/na-parks8. Seems like there's no escaping poor air quality, even when you leave the city down there.

I enjoy watching the Olympics too, but skip some events - totally not interested in watching badminton, fencing, water polo, cycling, canoeing/sailing, or the the archery/shooting events.

Judo, swimming, weightlifting and wrestling are OK, but I'd rather watchdiving, soccer, basketball, baseball, volleyball (also beach volleyball), boxing, track and field, gymnastics, etc. Also, I usually watch much more of the winter games (especially hockey) than the summer games.

_____________
-JOE-
(Jimi McLovin - Love Hendrix!)