Sod the Olympics.
They tried to drape Edinburgh Castle with their logo. We sent them homewards to think again. It’s bad enough that we’ve got two days of road closures while they lug round a sparkly cheesegrater. London, you have my sympathies.
People are coming to Scotland this year to get away from that tat.
I wish Paris had won.
Driving me around the bend at the moment with all this bogus threatricality and faux-gravitas surrounding the flame being lit and transported; really, all these young women in their white robes and shit. Do me a favour.
It’s just a private franchise that knows how to squeeze an awful lot of money out of taxpayers.
Don’t forget that there’s also the Diamond Jubilee, Wimbledon and Euro 2012 to endure beforehand. An entire Summer packed with fun.
I remember when the Olympics were at Atlanta… everybody was bitching about how the traffic would absolutely be a disaster, etc.
Except that most people took that week off of work, made other arrangements, etc. The Olympics was actually the easiest time one had driving downtown @ 7:30 in the morning since the 1960’s.
Your mileage may vary, though. 
I for one am grateful for the opportunity to pay additional tax for several years to fund an event which will increase the price of everything within miles of the site and make it virtually impossible for me to get into work, which the UK will not do any better than normal at and which then will result in the whole overpriced Olympic site being sold to government cronies at vastly reduced prices so they can knock the whole thing down again and put up “luxury flats”.
Go Team UK!
The London Organising Committee of the Games and Paralympic Games
Sounds more like a ritual sacrifice to me.
Oh yeah, I think a minute’s silence should be held for every Lebanese civilian killed in the latest incursion by Israel there. That way we could skip commentary for almost a day.
I don’t mean to hijack a Pit thread (is that even possible?), but what legal mechanism of British law do they use to enforce this? It just seems crazy to me that they could force local businesses to take down signs. I’d like to think that this kind of thing wouldn’t stand in the United States. Does anyone know if something similar happens here in the states when the Olympics roll into town?
And to think I tried to help the NYC 2012 Olympic Committee way back when.
Shudder.
I recall the 2004 Republican Convention at Madison Square Garden and what a pain it was for me to get to Penn Station to go home on the LIRR.
NYC would have had the most compact modern Olympics ever. Everything would have been local. But the big sticking point was a new stadium to be built on the west side. The NY Jets would have had a sweetheart deal and the pols were still smarting from getting screwed over by the Yankees and Mets. (IIRC)
So now the Jets and Giants share a new facilty across the river in New Jersey and the west side yards are still there along with a few not so beautiful businesses that can’t afford ritzier digs.
I am terribly sorry that this once-in-50-years event that spans all of 12 days is going to mess up you’re commute. Isn’t stuff like the Olympics kind of the point of living in a world-class city?
I think most of your rant is valid. But, why shouldn’t the tickets be expensive? Most of the world will watch it on TV for free, they have to recoup costs somehow. $474 for a ticket doesn’t seem that bad, given how much they cost to put on. I’m just happy they haven’t gone to pay-per-view!
Anyway, it seems dumb to build a bunch of new infrastructure every 4 years. Why don’t they just pick one location and host it there every time?
I’m looking for the cite, but Harry Shearer had a bit on his weekly radio show recently about how the International Olympic Committee required the host nation to change its laws to favor rigorous protection of the Olympics’ and their official sponsors’ trademarks. I can’t recall which show but here’s his website:
Found it on “The Guardian” web site on 4/13/12:
Olympics 2012: branding ‘police’ to protect sponsors’ exclusive rights
Imagine how expensive the tickets would be if all the pro athletes received their usual compensation.
Free? Are you kidding me?
Do you have any idea how much the broadcasting television stations pay to the Olympics people for the rights to broadcast the games? And how much those TV stations, in turn, charge advertisers for spots during the coverage?
The fact that the schlubs sitting at home watching NBC (or whatever) don’t have to pay directly for the coverage does not mean it’s free.
I thought we were getting stuck with some of the footballup here?
Seconded. OP, you have my sympathies.
I think the Olympics are the least of your … concerns.
OP sounds like some kind of a nut.
DVR works on the Olympics, too. It’s quite possible to record the stuff you want to see, and fast forward through the commercials.
I saw what you did there.