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Follow the flame
Yesterday marked the beginning of the Olympic torch relay in Olympia, Greece. Carried by thousands of torch bearers, the flame will cover more than 85,000 miles in 34 days, visiting 23 cities across five continents. CNN and TIME have nifty graphics that illustrate the torch’s path. It will only make one stop in the United States, passing through San Francisco on April 9.
Topic: Just for Fun, WorldMagBlog
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back to top21 Comments to “Follow the flame”
Is it just me? Or am I the only one who is just over the Olympics these days? Ever since the Olympics entered the political realm and the IOC became a big business and so many companies have bencome the “official _____ ” of the Olympics, nothing has been the same. The every two year format alternating summer and winter games seems to have taken the uniqueness out of it. Although the athletes compete every four years, we still see the Olympics every two. It now feels like just one of many other world class competitions. With all the cheating and allowing pros to compete, the Olympics aren’t what they used to be, and sportsmanship has gone out the window.
Sorry to be such a wet blanket this morning, but I just wanted to get that off my chest.
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My thoughts exactly…yawn
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Not only that, with which I agree, but I don’t plan to support this year’s Olympics at all. It won’t make a difference to anybody else, but it bothers me to see China repeatedly rewarded when they have so far to go.
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Cameron is right. Where is the outrage over China’s treatment of Tibet? Why are there no announcements of boycotting the Olympics?
Israel puts up a fence and the world goes crazy with indignation. China kills protesting Tibetans, and the world keeps preparing for a sporting event.
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Kyle: note the seven reasons given here.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/printpage/?url=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/why_do_palestinians_get_much_m.html
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The Olymmpics…hmm. A lot goes on there and it is a tremendous opportunity for many. People set their eyes on competing there and it gives them the focus to work hard. It takes a huge number of support people to run an Olympic Games and so exposes many people from different cultures to others, opening eyes to the idea that not all is as one thought. This is especially true with the Beijing Games as people realize those little rumors they had heard but dismissed as impossible in this day and age are indeed true. The whole Tianeman Square broadcasting question points that out. And for some of the people living there, they have a once in a lifetime opportunity to get a glimpse of the rest of the world directly. What an opportunity for not only Christians but for free people.
As for watching them, I gave that up years ago as I do not like watching people get hurt. I don’t watch football either. Hubby worked for SLC, Athens, and Torino. Son did those three and continues to work in Vancouver. We were there for all of them and I never did go see any of the events. Of course, I also had the little known fact that one could go watch the World Cup and other “practice” games on the same venues with the same athletes competing against the same competition for free in the weeks and months preceding.
And the para Olympics are amazing in their own right though we in America don’t get to see them as it does not pay as well.
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I agree with klasko and Kim. I always looked forward to the games but now I could care less. Every two years spoiled the anticipation of the Olympics.
China is a problem in many ways, Tibet being the most recent. I don’t believe China should have ever been awarded the opportunity to host the games.
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We enjoy the Olympics but liked them better before professionalism took over. In 1992, a guy I went to college with was still competing and I thought–”20 years of running around the track in chase of a medal? What a waste of a life.” Of course he had gotten a law degree in between and made tons of money, but I didn’t cheer for him. There comes a time when we need to step aside and let others get a chance.
I thought the same thing when Chris Evert took a slot–what more could she hope to gain? Why not let some real amateur experience the event?
I read George Foreman’s memoir recently (not recommended), but was touched by how much it meant for him, a poor black kid from the ghetto who literally fought his way up, to represent the US and then win the gold. I say more power to athletes like him.
And the latest travesty out of China just continues to mar my enthusiasm. You’re right. If we boycotted Moscow because of Afghanistan, perhaps we should at least complain about China.
(My husband’s boss was in training for Moscow–four years of crew down the drain, perhaps, but the boycott forced him back to college, and into real life. Maybe it was good for him in the long run.)
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My thought is, if “they” boycott the Games, fine. If “they” don’t boycott the Games, fine. There is a great deal more to human rights violations going on there than Tibet. Putting a window in for people to see the truth is going to help. Maybe just a few more people will see what is going on, maybe a lot but every open eye helps. Some are bothered by Tibet. Some by one child policy. Some by the razing of the homes of hundreds of thousands to make things pretty. Some by the refusal for broadasting live. Some by the dog “solution”. All of these things and the many more are there and if that can be made known, maybe people will start caring more than “I wish America would boycott the Olympics”.
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Mumsee you make some good points. However the Chinese government isn’t going to ’showcase’ the part of China that would send messages back home to ’showcase’ the abuses.
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No, they are definitely trying to hide things and it will have to be up to the Light to shed light on these things. I am just optimistic that the Games will be a tool He uses.
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Amphipolis, thanks for the link. Prager is right, I think.
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Well, I’ve been pitching a fit about China hosting the games for quite awhile on here and have received zero support.
Bush is going to the Games, and he refuses to criticize China for it’s actions in Tibet. In fact, there has been nary a peep from conservatives about him going to the games. It’s been those of us “lefties” who have raised cain about the human rights abuses and the lack of press freedom in China. Thanks to Yahoo and a few other American companies, internet and e-mail will be censored. Everything from clothing to hand-made signs will be inspected by the Chinese authorities. The athletes will be confined to the Village and cannot leave without a government “escort”. Books and literature deemed offensive to State Security will be confiscated.
China will use the Olympics just as Hitler did the Berlin Games. What you will see on TV will be filtered through the Chinese government censors. At the moment, China is rounding up it’s “trouble makers” in advance of the Games. Lawyers, journalist, and human rights activists are at the top of the list.
We may well see blue skies over Bejing in August, but that will be because the citizens of the city will be under house arrest and forbidden to drive. The factories will be closed. The economic hardship on the average person in China will not be part of the discussion. ABC or whichever network broadcasts the Games will tell us how wonderful it is in China.
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I wouldn’t expect any concern from the US as long as the US and China continue their symbiotic relationship.
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HRW, I haven’t heard anything about Canada boycotting the Olympics?
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Of course not, as long as Steven Harper remains in charge he will dutifully wait his master’s instructions from Washington.
However, Canada is not in debt to China and China is not dependent upon the Canadian market. The US is in debt to China and China is dependent upon the American market — hence the symbiotic relationship.
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Oh, and now it’s Washingtons fault.
Poor Canada.
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HRW,
How long before you get to vote on Steven Harper again? Does he not govern by coalition?
At least we know our long national “nightmare” will be ending in 300 days, 4 hours, and 19 minutes!
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Whenever the Liberal party decides they are ready to take him on.
Technically, if a money bill or a vote of confidence is voted down then the gov’t is voted out and either an other party can try to form a gov’t or an other election is called. The “crown” decides.
The conservatives can’t find a coalition partner so they get bills passed through compromise with one of the three other parties.
Victoria — my first line reflects my opinion of Harper whereas the second line reflects my view of why America and China are stuck in a weird co-dependent relationship.
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Anlir, the topic has come up before, and many of us have severely criticized China’s practices and politics. How unfair and unkind of you to say otherwise.
I don’t know when you will finally realize that many of us conservative evangelicals are not blind supporters of President Bush. Many of us are very disappointed with his presidency and were not totally behind him to start with. And we have said so many times.
Where is the Democratic-led Congress in all this? Name a Democrat in Congress who has proposed a resolution to comdemn China or a bill to boycott the Olympic games or to impose trade sanctions on China?
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Kyle neither Democrat nor Republican will do anything as long as the symbiotic relationship or co-dependency continues .
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