The Gold, Silver and Bronze pro-Olympics Thread

[Lateralthinking1]

Federer had to lose. He needed to retain his gentlemanly persona and keep the public on side.

Still, a good enough effort by our Andy. Well done Mr Murray.

[vinteuil]

... did I misremember?

Some time back we were told the biggest threat would come from the Australians.

A week into the Games, we have 16 gold, the Australians have one.

wh'appened???

[Lateralthinking1]

... did I misremember?

Some time back we were told the biggest threat would come from the Australians.

A week into the Games, we have 16 gold, the Australians have one.

wh'appened???

80% of them became British in 2011.

[John Wright]

List them Lat

[Lateralthinking1]

List them Lat

I would do but I've been focussed on other arithmetic. Five amazings, three unbelievables and two incredibles in two minutes, six seconds, is good going by anyone's reckoning. I am full of admiration for the training that must have gone into it:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19137390

[Lateralthinking1]

No, I think it's you that has missed the point - Lat commented on the competitors crying when they won, & you responded with a comment about the relatives of competitors crying.

You have no idea if Lat has had the same experience - that is, seeing a relative winning something. I don't see how Lat's comments could be construed as disrespectful; if they are, yours are rather more so.

Yes, that first point is fundamental. Arguably JW comes across better than some of the competitors in that respect because at least his tears of joy are about other people, albeit those connected to himself and in that way felt approximately to be owned.

Someone's tears of pride in his or her own personal success are an outburst of mixed emotion. There is a lot of self-congratulation to it, a feeling of reward for effort, perhaps a sense of reward to others for their support and a bit of indistinctly placed gratitude. They are also the sight of someone becoming secure, at least in that moment, following compulsive traits to live life on the edge, not that in many they then go. There are probably other things too that they and others rarely, if ever, acknowledge.

For example, there might be on one level sadness that the same level of achievement can no longer be attained from the position of not having achieved at that level before, a realisation that the entire business has been something of an unnecessary ego trip, and even guilt about the inequity that is an inevitable consequence of success. Societies don't permit that to be analysed by individuals because they have to be positively competitive. Hence, they operate in a blur of fantasy and call that real.

Of course, those who are pulling the strings are crystal clear. I'd be fascinated to know how 'unbuffoonlike' Johnson was earlier in his life. He was very clever, and disingenuous, in recognising that the politician who presents as useless is hard to knock down.

I could mention occasions as a younger person when I cried in relation to my own or others' achievements but I am not sure that it was a good thing so I won't. I was raised to have a practical approach to success in which any striving for achievement was expected to occur alongside support for, and consideration of, the least achieving. That I did, even at the risk of compromising my ability for achievement. Often I achieved more in that way as a child. It was called being down to earth.

At the same time, I am very emotional indeed in a positive way in regard to the countryside. What is extraordinarily moving about aspects of natural phenomena is that battling for status has no part in them at all and can truly be shared freely by everyone.

[John Wright]

Lat, I'm a member of the local Wildlife Trust so I guess we have something in common. The changes over the last 30 years to create habitat for wildlife in our local reserves is quite wonderful to behold. Or would you not agree that such human action is positive?

But, back to Olympics and shedding tears, for anyone lacking a life experience of pride in accomplishments by themselves, their family or for people they see on TV is sad, yes we are all different but pride and tears must be a natural experience and a positive one. As I said elsewhere I accept that politicians may use the Olympics as a tool, and corporates will use it it for business advantage, but the people who attend events and the majority of TV viewers are engaging in a very human experience, one which I have experienced - pride and joy of my family's sport and other talent accomplishments - I know the feeling, and to watch the Olympics is a human experience of sharing, it's a strong emotional moment to shed a tear with Jessica Ennis and her family, it's a very positive thing to share that pride.

[Richard Tarleton]

What is extraordinarily moving about aspects of natural phenomena is that battling for status has no part and can truly be shared freely by everyone.

Lat please can you explain what you mean here? Are you referring to people who enjoy natural phenmomena, or the natural phenomena themselves?

[Lateralthinking1]

Lat please can you explain what you mean here? Are you referring to people who enjoy natural phenmomena, or the natural phenomena themselves?

RichardT - I believe I mean the appreciation of them by people. Unlike competitive sport which is bizarrely described as a leveller, that is a true leveller. It offers the potential to everyone to find and even share a natural 'high' with no losers. I would be interested to hear why you have asked this question as I would like to know what it was that you had in your mind.

Incidentally, this isn't wholly some sort of dreamy Wordsworthian viewpoint. It isn't anti-activity. People can go walking, cycling, swimming, hang gliding, sailing, etc etc without being in any kind of competition. Constant competition is imprisonment. In fact, that is shown clearly in the tears released in victory. For a moment, competitors have escaped it.

JohnW - I agree that people have contributed in a very positive way to improving wildlife. Your pleasure for Jess Ennis and her family is fine but I would prefer competition simply to be in a sensibly proportioned stadium. Currently it seems the stadium is enveloping all of life itself to reinforce increasingly intolerant survival-of-the-fittest attitudes and requirements.

[Richard Tarleton]

RichardT - I believe I mean the appreciation of them by people. Unlike competitive sport which is bizarrely described as a leveller, that is a true leveller and it offers the potential to everyone to find a natural 'high' with no losers. I would be interested to hear why you have asked this question as I would like to know what it was that you had in your mind.

Not sure whether their activity counts as enjoying natural phenomena, but the army of "twitchers" who aim to see in excess of 400 species of bird in a year are intensely competitive (I hasten to say I'm not one of them). A world away from the Reverend Gilbert White

[french frank]

Just a reminder - this is the positive, pro-Games thread. Some recent posts have been moved over to Olympinonsense

[John Wright]

Constant competition is imprisonment. In fact, that is shown clearly in the tears released in victory. For a moment, competitors have escaped it.

Hmmmm, have you asked supreme competitors if they feel that?

Your pleasure for Jess Ennis and her family is fine but I would prefer competition simply to be in a sensibly proportioned stadium. Currently it seems the stadium is enveloping all of life itself to reinforce increasingly intolerant survival-of-the-fittest attitudes and requirements.

Eh? So now the Olympic Park is too big? Surely it was designed to meet with the demand? 80,000 seems to have worked. If it was a small stadium of just 2000 spectators that would hardly be fair, how could they fairly sell 2000 tickets? (yes there were issues with selling tickets for 2012 but I expect the final outcome may have been quite satisfactory in general).

Human activity to improve wild habitat - yes a good example, the Brandon Marsh trust centre was a dangerous quarry, now a bird sanctuary in Warwickshire

http://www.warwickshire-wildlife-trust.org.uk/home/nature-reserves/reserves-a-e/brandon-marsh-sssi.aspx

[Lateralthinking1]

John W - In compliance with post 251, I will leave your questions standing. Hope this is ok with you. - Lat.

[Ferretfancy]

Ferret - ah, but which do you use - "gar- AARJH" - "gar-AADGE" - " GARR- idge" ??

In my own circle I might tend to the first.
But if the 'bus is going to "Willesden Garage" - I might find it safer to use the last...

It really should not be a matter of choice. Kilometre means one thousand metres. The absurd pronunciation killOMMeter would stand for a meter measuring kilos -of what?

[Northender]

A Killommeter is in fact a patented device used by the NYPD and other law enforcement agencies across the water to keep track of the incidence of homicides. A separate device for measuring dead squirrels, skunks etc. on US roads has for the last three years been the subject of ongoing patent litigation (www.wipo_2012_44568_Oppo512_2009)