The thirty-second gloat

[muckefuck]

I'd just like to take a moment to say

IN YO FACE JACK CHIRAC!!

Yeah, that's right, their only contributions are mad cow disease AND THE 2012 OLYMPICS MUTHAFUCKA!!!

We now return to our regularly-scheduled gloat-free programming.

Comments

[tyrannio.livejournal.com]

Bertrand Delanoë said: "
Nous n'avons pas la même culture du lobbying que les Anglo-Saxons". Maybe he should have a talk with de Villepin.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Mme. Carrère d'Encausse may want to have a little talk with him first!

[danbearnyc.livejournal.com]

The only thing that could improve on the happy news that NYC didn't get the games is the better news that Chirac didn't get them either.

Of course the other good thing about the London announcement is that it reduces the likelihood of Celine Dion being invited to sing at the opening ceremony.

[bunj.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how I feel about this announcement, since the Olympics seem to be a boon to moderately-sized cities and a curse to large ones (does London really need a boost in tourism?). Unfortunately, it's gotten a little huge for even a moderately-sized city. Could Barcelona pull off the bloated mess which now constitutes the Olympic Games?

Part of me wanted Paris to get it, so the French taxpayers could pay for the behemoth.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

It can't suck that much or the big cities wouldn't be tussling for it like they are, would they? Or are they all banking on massive subsidies from the national budget?

Personally, I think a model that makes more sense is sharing it between several moderate-sized cities in the same region. Just link them all together with a monorail!

[bunj.livejournal.com]

It doesn't suck that much, but it still doesn't make sense economically for London or Paris. I think civic/national pride still plays a big part in the Olympics, however, and that's why they're tussling for it. Still, I wonder how the Greeks feel now that the fun is over and they're faced with a massive bill.

I like the idea of several moderate-sized cities sharing the fun. Already, the venues tend to be pretty far appart.

[snowy-owlet.livejournal.com]

As a lifelong, devoted Olympiphile (is that the worse fake Greek EVER? Also, please see as an example the stamp on -e's mail), I feel very strongly that the Olympics need to be drastically overhauled to remove bloat, even if that means giving up my beloved Modern Pentathlon.

I mean, come on. Seriously, now. Curling? And don't even get me started about "DanceSport" ...

[bunj.livejournal.com]

I also have a great fondness for the Pentathalon. It's cool, and it has a rich history. For me, the Olympics are all about the athletes who normally don't get to shine. I'd dump every sport which has a professional league (basketball, baseball, soccer, etc.). Each of these also takes up a lot of space, venue-wise.

[snowy-owlet.livejournal.com]

I think that's a marvellous idea. Now all we need is to get you elected as head of the IOC. My theory is that many bribes of tres leches cake will be involved in this process.

[lhn.livejournal.com]

It can't suck that much or the big cities wouldn't be tussling for it like they are, would they? Or are they all banking on massive subsidies from the national budget?

That's my guess, plus excuses to hand out pork like there's no tomorrow. ("We have to build that new stadium/road/gold statue of Mayor Daley-- it's for the Olympics.") It strikes me as a huge inconvenience for most of the locals but a big concentrated boost for various politicians and industries. (Not to mention the prestige value, and politicians-- for obvious reasons-- tend to value prestige more than average.)

[mollpeartree.livejournal.com]

Or are they all banking on massive subsidies from the national budget?

Bingo! The Londoners on my friendslist have already been notified of an upcoming special council tax for it. On the other hand, there is also hope that they'll finally have to fix the train system which has deteriorated rather badly lately. On the whole I think it will probably be a boondoggle for them, but best wishes and all that.

[bunj.livejournal.com]

I do like caddyman's idea to fund the games through the EU rebate. That's a special kind of mean.