#81
Post rating: ~
Remember these were sold on the promise of being a low-profile, "green", subdued and localized version of the Olympics after the bombast of Beijing, hilarious.

I'm not sure if it's online but the new preface to "Ground Control" absolutely savages the Olympic preparations, especially in regards to development in the East End
#82
Post rating: ~
Haha

http://tenant.net/alerts/mega-events/Olympics_Media_Release.pdf

The Centre for Housing Rights and Evictions estimates that two million people have been evicted since 1988 by the Olympics- overwhelmingly the poor, working class and ethnic minorities

#83
Post rating: ~
whats that sport where the people throw that big metal rod with a bulb on the end, they like spin and throw it.
#84
penitent
Post rating: ~
given that the arms industry is literally the last remnant of large-scale western industry the olympics will probably be well worth the expense from sheer advertising potential alone
#85
penitent
Post rating: +
heads of state from around the world will come and admire the british panopticon, and in turn be admired by it
#86
Post rating: ~

Ironicwarcriminal posted:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/may/03/olympics-2012-kabul-baghdad-london-avoid



badass

#87
Post rating: +
I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo glad this thing didn't come to Chicago
#88
tardy on these heaters
Post rating: ~
i like watching baseball on tv
#89
Post rating: ~
it wasn't too bad here in Sydney, but that was in a Pre 9-11 World.

There's nothing worse than "security lockdowns" of the city you love. When we had APEC and bush and hu-jintao were in town there were snipers all over the roofs and steel mesh fencing and blackhawks everywhere. It cost $300m and got shown up to fuck by these guys. I've posted it before but watch it if you haven't, I hope someone in London does something similar



I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo glad this thing didn't come to Chicago



Don't you have NATO though? that should be just as fun

#90
Post rating: ~
what happened to the chasers? did they ever get back on tv or what?
#91
Post rating: ~

Prospero posted:

what happened to the chasers? did they ever get back on tv or what?



They burnt out a bit. They got super popular and pressured to turn out too much material and the standard slipped and they retired the franchise for the moment.

When they were good though, they were really good.

#92
FLAWDA
Post rating: ~
i think it was in freakonomics or some other similar book where they were talking about how for the olympics in atlanta the city was purposely not logging certain events the police were responding to (like under-reporting homicides, assaults). so basically what im getting at, is i really like when the olympics make life difficult for all the plebs
#93
Post rating: ~

Ironicwarcriminal posted:

When they were good though, they were really good.


yeah i remember seeing them on youtube some years ago and they could be quite great. im still baffled by this one

#94
Post rating: ~
#95
FLAWDA
Post rating: ~
oh bugger theyve really gotten our goat with that one
#96
penitent
Post rating: -----
my 1000th upvote. i did it. i have broken these mortal shackles, and now i am as the gods
#97
London
Post rating: ~
The last few summers in London have allready raised the bar for the carnival of daytime-drunk violence and stupidity. The anger many people feel at the Olympics for its over spending is going to amplify this, but what's going to tip it over the edge is the total distrust of the police, and how it's going to be nightmare trying to do anything for the duration. The Mayor is already advising people that they should allow an extra hour's wait to get on the central line, the VIP highway system is going to wreck a load of already barely usable roads, it's going to be fucking hillarious.
I live in an "Olympic Borough" at the moment but for a few years I had a live/work right on the edge of the development. That place is full of middle class dickheads drinking expressos out of boat shoes now and sadly these appalling people are some of the few that are going to do well out of the whole venture as tourist flock to the area and everyone starts selling quince jelly and Brooks saddles with swearwords embroydered on them.
I'm doing an outdoor education project in countryside for part of August and I'm going to try and avoid the rest of the horrorshow by only leaving the house to go to Epping Forest.

My partner's a park ranger in Tower Hamlets. She is completely fucked.
#98
[account deactivated]
#99
Post rating: +
looking forward to some of the events this year, just think the general atmosphere of london will be a massive drag on the athletes willpower. hopefully the foreigners have been training in some derelict towns or maybe some ancient ruins to acclimatise themselves
#100
London
Post rating: ~
Olympics = Bourgeois
#101
[account deactivated]
#102
[account deactivated]
#103
London
Post rating: ~
The people get the government they deserve.

Actually, if that were true London would have got the Ukip candidate.

#104
penitent
Post rating: +
low voter turnout should be celebrated imo, it indicates a refusal to co-operate with the scam that is representative democracy
#105
Post rating: ~
the most laudable thing in this corrupt world is to do nothing at all
#106
Post rating: ~
That's why I have depression.
#107
Post rating: ~
bartlebyian ethics should be our guide imo
#108
[account deactivated]
#109
Mike Nelson here.
Post rating: ~
representative democracy is pretty cool.
#110
Kurdt
Post rating: ~

tpaine posted:

B0rtle0rt teh Scriven0rt

this is also my sons name too

#111
Post rating: ~
its not a real olympics unless there are nude buff greeks somewhere
#112
Post rating: ~

aerdil posted:

bartlebyian ethics should be our guide imo



i read this as babylonian ethics and thought you were referring to the mass self-exodus of city folk that occurred in ancient Mesopotamia whenever debt and slavery become too widespread but then i was disappointed

#113
Post rating: ~
are there any nomadic groups in the british isles that londoners could assimilate into? and more importantly, any nomadic groups that would be willing to accept londoners?
#114
tardy on these heaters
Post rating: ~

Scrree posted:

are there any nomadic groups in the british isles that londoners could assimilate into? and more importantly, any nomadic groups that would be willing to accept londoners?



jews

#115
Post rating: ~

FrancoNero posted:

The last few summers in London have allready raised the bar for the carnival of daytime-drunk violence and stupidity. The anger many people feel at the Olympics for its over spending is going to amplify this, but what's going to tip it over the edge is the total distrust of the police, and how it's going to be nightmare trying to do anything for the duration. The Mayor is already advising people that they should allow an extra hour's wait to get on the central line, the VIP highway system is going to wreck a load of already barely usable roads, it's going to be fucking hillarious.
I live in an "Olympic Borough" at the moment but for a few years I had a live/work right on the edge of the development. That place is full of middle class dickheads drinking expressos out of boat shoes now and sadly these appalling people are some of the few that are going to do well out of the whole venture as tourist flock to the area and everyone starts selling quince jelly and Brooks saddles with swearwords embroydered on them.
I'm doing an outdoor education project in countryside for part of August and I'm going to try and avoid the rest of the horrorshow by only leaving the house to go to Epping Forest.

My partner's a park ranger in Tower Hamlets. She is completely fucked.




Haha. Yo, like your style, please keep us updated with observations in the leadup to the games

#116
penitent
Post rating: ~

Scrree posted:

are there any nomadic groups in the british isles that londoners could assimilate into? and more importantly, any nomadic groups that would be willing to accept londoners?



pikeys

#117
Post rating: ~

Scrree posted:

are there any nomadic groups in the british isles that londoners could assimilate into? and more importantly, any nomadic groups that would be willing to accept londoners?



Poles

#118
Post rating: +

discipline posted:

38% turnout lmdfao

turdout

#119
Post rating: ~
i was able to vote in the election in 2008 and couldnt be bothered because it wasnt my town and i was leaving soon, i wonder how many londoners feel that way + whether its a significant factor vs ppl not actually liking either ken or boris
#120
Mike Nelson here.
Post rating: ~
in ontario's last municipal election i voted for someone my father said was a good guy and i never looked into anything else about him.