London Olympics

[Archaic]

Hi everyone.

I enjoyed the opening ceremony. I think it was pretty cool of the Queen to go along with the Bond thing- though it's generally considered unwise to skydive into a stadium while wearing a skirt!

As someone mentioned previously, I too enjoy seeing the athletes come in behind the flags of their countries and suddenly discovering the existence of obscure little countries. (How did I not know there was a nation called Andorra?) I like to see all the happy, proud, smiling faces and the unique national uniforms; I especially enjoyed Cameroon's colorful garb.

I don't care about national medal counts, though the news channels usually blather on about the numbers...that's not what it's about. I enjoy learning about the lives of athletes from all over the world, whether they come from a tiny mountain village or a massive city.

Today a cyclist from Kazakhstan won a Gold Medal, and that was terrific! I love it when little countries get a surprise win like that. Think how happy it must make all the folks back home! (The Good Michael is probably dancing in the streets right now.)

Lastly, I hope we can all agree that the 2012 Olympics have already achieved something quite remarkable, and long overdue-
for the first time ever, every single nation competing in the Olympic Games is represented by at least one female athlete.

That's a milestone for all of humanity.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/07/how-women-have-already-triumphed-at-the-2012-olympics/260301/

Best regards,
Archaic

[Magpie]

As for Pink Floyd and Iron Maiden, really? That old tosh.

Monty

You dare besmirch the good name of Gilmour and Dickinson?

You sir, are a cad and a rotter


Ironically, it turns out Maiden is touring Canada at the moment....

[louisa]

I'm not bashing Britain. I would have moved there at the age of 12 if I didn't require more sunlight than the average English day provides. I wanted to be a British archeologist. I wanted to live in Scotland, work in a museum, curate hoards, live in a stone cottage with a big vegetable garden out back... I had a healthy crush on the Island as a whole. Still do.

Scotland isn't an island, neither is Britain.

[Fleetwood Mac]

Still, at least we have a history. I once did a degree course in American History. It began at 9.00am one foggy morning, and I was all finsihed at just before lunchtime, and I got a first.

This, I feel, is going off-thread again.....

Graham

Graham, in the event you spend the next hundred years posting at great velocity, you won't write a bigger pile of nonsense than the above.

The United States may have a short history, but it's a fascinating history - and one which has laid down markers for the rest of the world. From its focus on individual representation, to a democratic system which far outstripped the European systems in its democractic approach, to the trend of isolation, which, quite rightly advocated sovereignty of nations. All of which led to a highly politicised and comparitively wealthier, healthier and better educated American population/middle class.

The United States has lost it way a little bit in recent times, but on the whole, it has had a hugely positive influence on the world.

[Carol]

Hi everyone,

Per-Åke and I watched the Opening Ceremony from start to finish and were very impressed. The lady singing 'Abide with me' in honour of the 7/7 bombings was the most moving for us. My husband said 'You couldn't do that here in Sweden. Sweden is too secular'. That made me feel really proud to be British.

I think it was 'Norway Phil' who said the ceremony made him feel homesick. Me, too! Sometimes it really hurts to be an ex-pat.

We loved the Queen's participation as a Bond girl! She'll never live that down!

Also, I really appreciated Paul McCartney singing 'Hey Jude'. That was a first-class finale that everyone, both at the Ceremony and at home, could join in with. I thought it really felt that the world was 'at one', even if we know it was only for a short time. A little foretaste of heaven.

Just one more thing - Rowan Atkinson was great. Only problem was that in looking at his sketch I 'missed' one of my favourite film theme tunes. (At my advanced age I'm getting more and more unable to multi-task!).

Take care of yourselves.
Carol xxxx

P.S. Wasn't it a wonderful idea to have the seven young athletes light the Olympic 'cauldron'? And that the cauldron was composed of the copper leaves that accompanied each country around the arena? Another great 'uniting' theme! I could go on and on really.

[Rubyretro]

Johnny Rotten is famously opposed to any form of 'establishment'.

[/QUOTE]

Hmmmn -I thought that he was a 'National Treasure', now ?

[Robert]

The US has given the world many good things and one of the best things about the country is that the citizens have a deep, abiding distrust of their Government. Other countries please note.

[Robert]

Doesn't make up for Barbara Streisand's singing, though.

[Rubyretro]

[QUOTE]

Doesn't make up for Barbara Streisand's singing, though.

Nor KFC

[Errata]

Hey, until you have spent three years and filled out literally more than 500 forms in pursuit of trying to get some kind of health insurance that by law you already qualify for, you don't know what fresh hell the US can inflict.

But we have Tex-Mex, which makes up for a lot. Not to mention we gave the world hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, and buffalo wings. And the Blues. Oh and Shark Week. And the US and UK together produced Star Wars and the Muppets...

But on behalf of the nation, I really do apologize for Twilight. That was uncool.

[Limehouse]

Graham, in the event you spend the next hundred years posting at great velocity, you won't write a bigger pile of nonsense than the above.

The United States may have a short history, but it's a fascinating history - and one which has laid down markers for the rest of the world. From its focus on individual representation, to a democratic system which far outstripped the European systems in its democractic approach, to the trend of isolation, which, quite rightly advocated sovereignty of nations. All of which led to a highly politicised and comparitively wealthier, healthier and better educated American population/middle class.

The United States has lost it way a little bit in recent times, but on the whole, it has had a hugely positive influence on the world.

I think there is quite a lot to be challenged in this post - even by many Americans - but this is not the right thread.

[Limehouse]

It's a bit worrying that so many events have empty seats - evidently allocated to members of 'the Olympic family' but not being used.

[Robert]

Well, when we look around the world at names like Leonardo, Mozart, Shakespeare, Einstein and Newton, then OK, the US haven't produced anyone of comparable stature in those fields, but then they've had less time.

However, they did give the world Oliver Hardy. Britain supplied Stan Laurel. That's rather like Mozart and Beethoven sitting at the same piano together. Pure genius.

On the negative side, the Americans never seem to say goodbye on the phone. In all the films, someone will be taking down information on the phone, say "Right" and hang up. Yet the person at the other end may have had more to say.

And US TV is pretty dire these days. I'd rather have a tooth extracted than watch it.

[Monty]

Hey, until you have spent three years and filled out literally more than 500 forms in pursuit of trying to get some kind of health insurance that by law you already qualify for, you don't know what fresh hell the US can inflict.

But we have Tex-Mex, which makes up for a lot. Not to mention we gave the world hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, and buffalo wings. And the Blues. Oh and Shark Week. And the US and UK together produced Star Wars and the Muppets...

But on behalf of the nation, I really do apologize for Twilight. That was uncool.

Tex Mex is influenced by Mexican food, Hamburgers and Hotdogs are German. Pizza Italian. The Blues was born from African influence and you aint palming the Muppets off on to us.

Monty

[Limehouse]

Well, when we look around the world at names like Leonardo, Mozart, Shakespeare, Einstein and Newton, then OK, the US haven't produced anyone of comparable stature in those fields, but then they've had less time.

However, they did give the world Oliver Hardy. Britain supplied Stan Laurel. That's rather like Mozart and Beethoven sitting at the same piano together. Pure genius.

On the negative side, the Americans never seem to say goodbye on the phone. In all the films, someone will be taking down information on the phone, say "Right" and hang up. Yet the person at the other end may have had more to say.

And US TV is pretty dire these days. I'd rather have a tooth extracted than watch it.

Gershwin? Does he count? What about singers such as Paul Robeson, Billy Eckstine, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and songwriters and performers such as Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger and many more I could name.

And Americans have produced some wonderful literature.