Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 3392 Location: peoples democratic republic of yorkshire Country:
Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 5:01 am Post subject:
Eyeyore wrote:
If you are a British, this is something I wanna share:
People in China were asked how they feel about the Olympics in London. A Chinese journalist replied," In the Beijing Olympics, China showed the world that she is strong. In London Olympics, Great Britain made the world feel she is strong."
Well, patriotism is generally frowned upon here for we are made to feel we are alienating non Britons. These games made us feel good to be patriotic. _________________
Joined: 18 Jan 2004 Posts: 851 Location: USA Country:
Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 3:30 am Post subject:
If you are born British you will die British no matter which country you live in and even if you are holding dual citizenship. Patriotism is a very deep and sticky glue.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 5:04 am Post subject:
Tokyo to host 2020 Olympics
The 2020 Olympic Games will be held in Tokyo, the International Olympic Committee announced Saturday.
Istanbul and Tokyo were the final two competitors for the honor. Madrid was eliminated in the first round of balloting. Madrid and Istanbul were tied in the initial balloting, but a runoff vote gave that edge to Istanbul 49-45. Tokyo had outpolled both of them in the initial round of International Olympic Committee voting, which took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Both Istanbul and Tokyo offered notable steps forward for the Olympic experience. Istanbul would be the first time that a primarily Muslim country would host the Olympics, while Tokyo would be the first Asian city to host it twice. Tokyo last hosted the Games in 1964.
Madrid had attempted three straight times to win the Games, but failed yet again despite a pitch for a "sensible, reliable and trustworthy" Olympics. Madrid officials noted that 80 percent of facilities which would have been used for the Games were already built and in use.
Tokyo, meanwhile, positioned itself as a safe option, indicating that no radioactivity from the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster would affect the Games in any way.
"Some may have concerns about Fukushima," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking in English, told the IOC on Saturday. "Let me assure you the situation is under control. It has never done and will never do any damage to Tokyo."
While Tokyo had appeared the favorite, concerns over safety had reportedly weakened the city's bid in recent weeks. Abe took pains to dispel those concerns under repeated questioning from the IOC. "There are no health related problems until now, nor will there be in the future," he said. "I make the statement to you in the most emphatic and unequivocal way."
All three cities were repeat bidders. In addition to Madrid's three tries, Tokyo had attempted twice in the last two bids, while Istanbul has now failed in five attempts.
Istanbul's bid was reportedly hampered by the ongoing war in neighboring Syria. But members of the Turkish delegation painted their nation as a bridge between Europe and Asia.
"We believe that hosting the Olympics in Istanbul will give this signal, this spirit of friendship and sharing and peace," said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "And our country is a place where there is a lot of unity and diversity, and that is the idea that we can share on a broader scale with the Olympics Games being hosted in Turkey."
The International Olympic Committee votes for the host cities via secret ballot, with multiple factors beyond simply economic viability coming into play for each voting member.
Last edited by gaijinmark on Sun Sep 08, 2013 6:20 am; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 5:16 am Post subject:
gaijinmark wrote:
Tokyo to host 2020 Olympics
The 2020 Olympic Games will be held in Tokyo, the International Olympic Committee announced Saturday.
Istanbul and Tokyo were the final two competitors for the honor. Madrid was eliminated in the first round of balloting. Madrid and Istanbul were tied in the initial balloting, but a runoff vote gave that edge to Istanbul 49-45. Tokyo had outpolled both of them in the initial round of International Olympic Committee voting, which took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Both Istanbul and Tokyo offered notable steps forward for the Olympic experience. Istanbul would be the first time that a primarily Muslim country would host the Olympics, while Tokyo would be the first Asian city to host it twice. Tokyo last hosted the Games in 1964.
Madrid had attempted three straight times to win the Games, but failed yet again despite a pitch for a "sensible, reliable and trustworthy" Olympics. Madrid officials noted that 80 percent of facilities which would have been used for the Games were already built and in use.
[Photos: Tokyo awarded 2020 Summer Olympics]
Tokyo, meanwhile, positioned itself as a safe option, indicating that no radioactivity from the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster would affect the Games in any way.
"Some may have concerns about Fukushima," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking in English, told the IOC on Saturday. "Let me assure you the situation is under control. It has never done and will never do any damage to Tokyo."
While Tokyo had appeared the favorite, concerns over safety had reportedly weakened the city's bid in recent weeks. Abe took pains to dispel those concerns under repeated questioning from the IOC. "There are no health related problems until now, nor will there be in the future," he said. "I make the statement to you in the most emphatic and unequivocal way."
All three cities were repeat bidders. In addition to Madrid's three tries, Tokyo had attempted twice in the last two bids, while Istanbul has now failed in five attempts.
Istanbul's bid was reportedly hampered by the ongoing war in neighboring Syria. But members of the Turkish delegation painted their nation as a bridge between Europe and Asia.
"We believe that hosting the Olympics in Istanbul will give this signal, this spirit of friendship and sharing and peace," said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "And our country is a place where there is a lot of unity and diversity, and that is the idea that we can share on a broader scale with the Olympics Games being hosted in Turkey."
The International Olympic Committee votes for the host cities via secret ballot, with multiple factors beyond simply economic viability coming into play for each voting member.
All the athletes can dine on sashimi from three eyed fish off the shores of Fukushima. Big win for the city but I'm somewhat surprised.
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 3:59 pm Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
Maybe if all of the swimmers wear lead-lined Speedos.
Don't expect any records to be broken.
Lol. Sadly that whole area is f&cked forever. It's obvious to even the most dense and idiotic that the handling of that situation has been an unmitigated disaster. They've tried to downplay the damage at every step and it's obvious that is just a huge cluster f&ck. TEPCO is a bad joke. A really bad one.
Lol. Sadly that whole area is f&cked forever. It's obvious to even the most dense and idiotic that the handling of that situation has been an unmitigated disaster. They've tried to downplay the damage at every step and it's obvious that is just a huge cluster f&ck. TEPCO is a bad joke. A really bad one.
Yup, that entire area will be a dead zone for generations...
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 1:40 am Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
Yup, that entire area will be a dead zone for generations...
Yes, unfortunately. I'm genuinely concerned not just for those from that area but for the long term consequences for the people at large that are even further out. I mean they've finally begrudgingly admitted that the radioactive leakage from the plant's contaminated water is in fact very substantial.
I'm happy for Tokyo. But now with the world's attention on Japan (for the Olympics, that is), I hope this will spur the government and TEPCO to actually do much more to help the Fukushima area. Really, they have got to man up quick and deal with the problem properly. _________________
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 10:06 am Post subject:
junny wrote:
I'm happy for Tokyo. But now with the world's attention on Japan (for the Olympics, that is), I hope this will spur the government and TEPCO to actually do much more to help the Fukushima area. Really, they have got to man up quick and deal with the problem properly.
I am on the fence on this, I am super happy for those here in Japan who care about the games and see it as some sign of hope. Though most Japanese friends here have not been as extatic as the Media wants us to believe.
BUT I am also sad, Abe lied to the Olympic Commitee and they bought it. And isn't it sad that most Japanese friends see the Olympic win as something that will finally force Tepco and the government to do something?
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 6:19 pm Post subject:
EstherM wrote:
BUT I am also sad, Abe lied to the Olympic Commitee and they bought it.
I was watching the NHK coverage and the voice over translated Abe's statement saying he "guaranteed" Fukushima would have no affect on Tokyo. I was thinking, "Shinzo-kun, you're in no position to "guarantee" anything!!"
I am on the fence on this, I am super happy for those here in Japan who care about the games and see it as some sign of hope. Though most Japanese friends here have not been as extatic as the Media wants us to believe.
BUT I am also sad, Abe lied to the Olympic Commitee and they bought it. And isn't it sad that most Japanese friends see the Olympic win as something that will finally force Tepco and the government to do something?
Yes, let's be real. I love Japan but the handling of Fukushima has been an unmitigated disaster of bungling fools from TEPCO on up to the government ministry officials. Those ppl in the North have been consigned to oblivion and the radioactive damage from Daichi has been allowed to continue unabated until now because the problem is patently obvious and has gotten much worse than they wanted to ADMIT to despite the reality of the situation. This is a situation were Japanese culture norms of being discrete have obviously worked against the TRUTH and the well being of the country.
Those international sporting committees such as the Olympic Committe and FIFA are a joke. They are bribed, someway or another, over and over again.
Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 2331 Location: in South Atami Country:
Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 3:17 pm Post subject:
gaijinmark wrote:
I was watching the NHK coverage and the voice over translated Abe's statement saying he "guaranteed" Fukushima would have no affect on Tokyo. I was thinking, "Shinzo-kun, you're in no position to "guarantee" anything!!"
Nope, unless someone died and made him an all-knowing deity. Well at least he got heavily critised for this, and polls are showing that 95% of the participants believe Fukushima remains a serious problem, Olympic win or not.
Tu_triky wrote:
Yes, let's be real. I love Japan but the handling of Fukushima has been an unmitigated disaster of bungling fools from TEPCO on up to the government ministry officials. Those ppl in the North have been consigned to oblivion and the radioactive damage from Daichi has been allowed to continue unabated until now because the problem is patently obvious and has gotten much worse than they wanted to ADMIT to despite the reality of the situation. This is a situation were Japanese culture norms of being discrete have obviously worked against the TRUTH and the well being of the country.
Those international sporting committees such as the Olympic Committe and FIFA are a joke. They are bribed, someway or another, over and over again.
Yep, completely agree, not saying my country would be any better, but it's so shameful that people still live in temporary housing, funds for Fukushima have been diverted to projects all over Japan, no Tepco responsible is going to be trialed and Abe and his clown ministers are lying.
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2013 7:43 am Post subject:
EstherM wrote:
Yep, completely agree, not saying my country would be any better, but it's so shameful that people still live in temporary housing, funds for Fukushima have been diverted to projects all over Japan, no Tepco responsible is going to be trialed and Abe and his clown ministers are lying.
Yes, I mean "come on" the parliamentary report that was presented to the Japanese Diet concluded that Fukushima was a MANMADE DISASTER. Hello?!?!? That's the official government report yet the prosecutor's office recently decided that no one will be prosecuted over this tragedy. Un-freaking-real.
Yeah I agree I'm not saying the US reaction would be any better. Look at the financial calamity that befell this country and the world from the trading in mortgage-backed securities and the subsequent crash on Wall Street. YEARS later neither the SEC nor the Justice Department has prosecuted even ONE person. What a farce.
As the saying goes, "Money talks, and bullsh*t walks."
Yogi once said, "90% of this game is half mental." And for the most part all Billy Mills talks about is the mental aspect, very little on the physical.
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玉木宏、藤木直人、佐藤健 
