The Olympics!
Moderators: GreenCrayon, Lethal Interjection, Kimra, Oldrac the Chitinous, Amerika, Cirtur, Kisai, Astrogirl, Kovvy, carbonstealer, Apocalyptus, PyroPrav, Felstaff, smiley_cow, Sahan, Euclidthegreek, Kaharz, Asherian, FengharTheNord
- smiley_cow
- polite but murderous
- Posts: 6508
- Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:15 pm
- Location: The vast and desolate prairies
The Olympics!
Oh man, the Olympics start tomorrow!
I know it's been poorly managed, I know there's been all sorts of annoying controversies, such as Vancouver cutting a program for finding missing children to help pay for the games, or spending millions of dollars to hire an American company to build the Canadian pavilion and still have it look like a large retail store. I know our mascots are bastardizations of sacred figures from aboriginal traditions all around the country. I know that on top of that, the Olympics are generally problematic, full of political posturing and scandals anyways. But I can't help it, I'm still excited. I don't know, maybe I'm ill?
I know it's been poorly managed, I know there's been all sorts of annoying controversies, such as Vancouver cutting a program for finding missing children to help pay for the games, or spending millions of dollars to hire an American company to build the Canadian pavilion and still have it look like a large retail store. I know our mascots are bastardizations of sacred figures from aboriginal traditions all around the country. I know that on top of that, the Olympics are generally problematic, full of political posturing and scandals anyways. But I can't help it, I'm still excited. I don't know, maybe I'm ill?
DonRetrasado wrote:Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose... Bitcoin.
- LordRetard
- The Most Retardedest
- Posts: 9967
- Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2005 8:44 pm
- Location: My Parents' Basement
Re: Post More Inane Drivel
This is the important part; we're like the only country that has actually protested its own goddamn olympics even though they're always a bad idea.smiley_cow wrote:I know that on top of that, the Olympics are generally problematic, full of political posturing and scandals anyways.
- Lethal Interjection
- Death by Elocution
- Posts: 8048
- Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2005 2:17 pm
- Location: Behind your ear. It's magic!
- Contact:
Re: The Olympics!
I thought I'd split this. I think it'll be a big enough topic of discussion over the next few weeks to warrant its own thread.
I still remember hearing about some of the controversy a few years ago when Vancouver started shipping out its homeless to other cities (Calgary, for one).
Stay classy, Vancouver!
I still remember hearing about some of the controversy a few years ago when Vancouver started shipping out its homeless to other cities (Calgary, for one).
Stay classy, Vancouver!
- smiley_cow
- polite but murderous
- Posts: 6508
- Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:15 pm
- Location: The vast and desolate prairies
Re: The Olympics!
Fair enough, I can see this being a big enough topic to merit it's own thread. Though I almost wonder if it would fit better in the News subforum than in Outlandia, since I was torn over where to post this:
Georgian luger dies in crash
Not the greatest beginning to the games. We were talking in my PD before this happened about how you'd have to be crazy to want to try the luge, scary how prophetic that turned out to be.
Georgian luger dies in crash
Not the greatest beginning to the games. We were talking in my PD before this happened about how you'd have to be crazy to want to try the luge, scary how prophetic that turned out to be.
DonRetrasado wrote:Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose... Bitcoin.
- Cirtur
- Licensed Troll Pornographer
- Posts: 9960
- Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:13 pm
- Location: Europe
- Contact:
Re: The Olympics!
Why don't they have a separate Olympics where everyone can use whatever steroids or robot limbs?
They could call it the Super-Lympics!
They could call it the Super-Lympics!
- Edminster
- Tested positive for Space-AIDS
- Posts: 8832
- Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2005 9:53 pm
- Location: Internet
- Contact:
Re: The Olympics!
Okay I've gone ahead and found the only page that is important so pay attention as this is literally the only thing worth watching for the Winter Olympics:
fuck yeah
fuck yeah
ol qwerty bastard wrote:bitcoin is backed by math, and math is intrinsically perfect and logically consistent always
gödel stop spreading fud
- Cirtur
- Licensed Troll Pornographer
- Posts: 9960
- Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:13 pm
- Location: Europe
- Contact:
Re: The Olympics!
I am excited for Curling.
It is the greatest of sports.
It is the greatest of sports.
- Lethal Interjection
- Death by Elocution
- Posts: 8048
- Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2005 2:17 pm
- Location: Behind your ear. It's magic!
- Contact:
Re: The Olympics!
I thought about it, but I wasn't sure I was able to, as I'm not a global mod. I didn't really check though, and thought I'd wait until some others chimed in.smiley_cow wrote:Fair enough, I can see this being a big enough topic to merit it's own thread. Though I almost wonder if it would fit better in the News subforum than in Outlandia, since I was torn over where to post this:
Georgian luger dies in crash
Not the greatest beginning to the games. We were talking in my PD before this happened about how you'd have to be crazy to want to try the luge, scary how prophetic that turned out to be.
- Edminster
- Tested positive for Space-AIDS
- Posts: 8832
- Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2005 9:53 pm
- Location: Internet
- Contact:
Re: The Olympics!
I will give this thread it's own section at the top of the Forum as long as there is a clever reference to Curling in the section header.
curling owns
curling owns
ol qwerty bastard wrote:bitcoin is backed by math, and math is intrinsically perfect and logically consistent always
gödel stop spreading fud
- Cirtur
- Licensed Troll Pornographer
- Posts: 9960
- Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:13 pm
- Location: Europe
- Contact:
- Edminster
- Tested positive for Space-AIDS
- Posts: 8832
- Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2005 9:53 pm
- Location: Internet
- Contact:
Re: The Olympics!
ol qwerty bastard wrote:bitcoin is backed by math, and math is intrinsically perfect and logically consistent always
gödel stop spreading fud
- Lethal Interjection
- Death by Elocution
- Posts: 8048
- Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2005 2:17 pm
- Location: Behind your ear. It's magic!
- Contact:
Re: The Olympics!
Notable opening ceremony things...
Great anthem. Imaginative. Though I'm a little bored with that girl and her stupid I Believe song.
Nelly Furtado pooching the lipsync.
The whale thing. Really awesome.
Most of the autumn segment. Loved the fiddling/tapdancing, and was happy to see MacIsaac jump out at the end.
KD Lang. She's a lot better than I've given her credit for. I did not like her in the 90s. But that was pretty good, and the only performance of the night that I was convinced wasn't synced. Although, I'm pretty sick of people covering that as, even though she recorded a version quite some time ago, it is the 5th (Buckley, Rice, Wainwright, Timberlake) version I've heard. Still good, though.
Romeo Dallaire. The other people? Fine. But I was happy to see him included. I would've liked a more forefront position, ultimately. But I didn't even think of him as someone to be used, even though I think he represents the global picture of Canadia better than anyone else that was involved.
Great anthem. Imaginative. Though I'm a little bored with that girl and her stupid I Believe song.
Nelly Furtado pooching the lipsync.
The whale thing. Really awesome.
Most of the autumn segment. Loved the fiddling/tapdancing, and was happy to see MacIsaac jump out at the end.
KD Lang. She's a lot better than I've given her credit for. I did not like her in the 90s. But that was pretty good, and the only performance of the night that I was convinced wasn't synced. Although, I'm pretty sick of people covering that as, even though she recorded a version quite some time ago, it is the 5th (Buckley, Rice, Wainwright, Timberlake) version I've heard. Still good, though.
Romeo Dallaire. The other people? Fine. But I was happy to see him included. I would've liked a more forefront position, ultimately. But I didn't even think of him as someone to be used, even though I think he represents the global picture of Canadia better than anyone else that was involved.
- Oldrac the Chitinous
- Chicken O' the Sea
- Posts: 3476
- Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 11:41 pm
- Location: The Perfect Stillness of the Deep
- Contact:
Re: The Olympics!
You can't. I learned that the hard way (by deleting a bunch of people's posts).Lethal Interjection wrote:I thought about it, but I wasn't sure I was able to, as I'm not a global mod. I didn't really check though, and thought I'd wait until some others chimed in.smiley_cow wrote:Fair enough, I can see this being a big enough topic to merit it's own thread. Though I almost wonder if it would fit better in the News subforum than in Outlandia, since I was torn over where to post this:
Georgian luger dies in crash
Not the greatest beginning to the games. We were talking in my PD before this happened about how you'd have to be crazy to want to try the luge, scary how prophetic that turned out to be.
Luge works like this: You get on a sled, you go down a slide, and sometimes you die.
I think the Canadian Olympic Committee dude could benefit from a bit of perspective. I found all the talk of heroism and the great good the athletes were doing a little bit hard to swallow. Also, his French was abominable.
Apart from that, I liked what I saw of the ceremony. The bit with the mountains was my favorite.
And from what I've seen of the aerial propaganda shots, Vancouver looks like it's be a neat place to live.
Police said they spent some time working out if they could charge the man with being armed with a weapon, as technically he was armed with part of a fish.
- smiley_cow
- polite but murderous
- Posts: 6508
- Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:15 pm
- Location: The vast and desolate prairies
Re: The Olympics!
Curling is the event I'm most excited for! It helps that I'm from the prairies, and this is pretty much all we do because you can do it while drinking.
Did not like the popped up version of Oh Canadia. She did it well, I just don't particularly like that style of music.Lethal Interjection wrote:Notable opening ceremony things...
Great anthem. Imaginative. Though I'm a little bored with that girl and her stupid I Believe song.
Nelly Furtado pooching the lipsync.
The whale thing. Really awesome.
Most of the autumn segment. Loved the fiddling/tapdancing, and was happy to see MacIsaac jump out at the end.
KD Lang. She's a lot better than I've given her credit for. I did not like her in the 90s. But that was pretty good, and the only performance of the night that I was convinced wasn't synced. Although, I'm pretty sick of people covering that as, even though she recorded a version quite some time ago, it is the 5th (Buckley, Rice, Wainwright, Timberlake) version I've heard. Still good, though.
Romeo Dallaire. The other people? Fine. But I was happy to see him included. I would've liked a more forefront position, ultimately. But I didn't even think of him as someone to be used, even though I think he represents the global picture of Canadia better than anyone else that was involved.
I'm glad Furtado screwed up the lip syncing. Teach them to force all the singers to do it. Also I liked her dress, she looked like she was wearing a giant bow.
So that was MacIsaac. I thought it was, but I don't know him well enough to be sure.
I've always quite liked KD Lang, though I'm really disappointed she couldn't be singing live, she's pretty good live. (In case you can't tell, I'm really pretty disappointed about the whole not trusting performers to actually sing bit.) I am also very happy to report that the only cover of Cohen's Hallelujah that I have ever heard is KD Lang's, and I don't want to change that because that is an amazing song, and I don't need to hear it by any other artists, it's perfect as is.
Romeo Dallaire is one of my heroes, and I was so excited to see him carrying the flag, even if he wasn't as prominent as he deserved to be.
Other thoughts I had:
Why not have a guy with his hair gelled into horns on a canoe playing the fiddle?
I'm not sure I got the symbolism of the prairie part. I'm also pretty certain that most people in the prairies don't fly (at least not that I've ever noticed), so I must be missing something.
I'm pretty sure Harper and Jean were sleeping one of the times they went over them.
I'm pretty sure the First Nations dancers were getting pretty bored/tired by the the time Uzbekistan went through.
I can't say I'm fond of Ron MacLean as an announcer. 90% of it was idle chit chat to fill time that I didn't care for, and some of it was just bizarre, like saying '[insert random former Soviet Union country] is looking forward to defeating the Russians after being occupied for so long' as though it was just a friendly rivalry, or 'We're going to look at this Inuit Creation story. Try and suspend your sense of logic for a little bit here.' Could you imagine if someone was going to put on the story of the Virgin birth and begin it with, 'Now try and suspend any sense of logic you might have.' Just before? Or if someone was about to put on the story of Cinderella and someone made that comment? Whether it's a widely believed story or not, he's immediately making the insinuation that the people putting it on, or where the story comes from are ignorant and believe a story that's obviously not true. It just struck me as a bit patronizing. And then there was that Hitler comment...
I couldn't figure out if my favourite thing about Measha Brueggergosman was her hair, her dress or her voice.
All those torch bearers looked kind of awkward while they were waiting for the floor to open up again, but I'm pretty sure the worst was Steve Nash. That smile looked pretty plastered on, poor guy.
DonRetrasado wrote:Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose... Bitcoin.
- Oldrac the Chitinous
- Chicken O' the Sea
- Posts: 3476
- Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 11:41 pm
- Location: The Perfect Stillness of the Deep
- Contact:
Re: The Olympics!
Y'know, I don't think Hallelujah was a great choice. It's a terrific song, but it has too much bitterness for the occasion. Bird on a Wire would have been a much better pick.
Fix'dsmiley_cow wrote:I couldn't figure out if my favourite thing about Measha Brueggergosman was her hair, her dress, her voice, or her name.
Police said they spent some time working out if they could charge the man with being armed with a weapon, as technically he was armed with part of a fish.