http://www.webcast.ukcouncil.net/hosted/london2012/

Hmm, perhaps the video we are talking about isn't here. I'll keep looking!

http://www.london2012.org should have it, but it looks like the server might be overloaded at the moment!

Let me just say, as a New Yorker, I'm glad it's not here :D Have fun...

> Let me just say, as a New Yorker, I'm glad it's not here :D Have fun...>

Agreed even though I am no New Yorker. I have this eerie feeling that one of the Olympics coming up will be bad because of some terroristic activity. Its been almost 4 years since 9/11and people have begun to forget the threat and the damage. The only way terrorist win is to keep people in fear and how much damage and fear do you think they can cause at an Olympic with all its attendees?

Congratulations to the British.

And I too am happy that the Oympics aren't here in New York. New York and New Jersey got severly shortchanged with the Homeland Security budget as did many other areas. We don't need an Oympics here that we cannot handle.

John

Speaking for myself, terrorism wasn't on the mind. It's more of a situation of big events like this being a painful inconvenience for people living in and commuting to work in the host city. For the poor and working class surrounding that area -- people who have little political muscle to have their say heard -- they are so often displaced casually by legislature and business in the name of supporting a quickly passing event.

In 2002 I think it was, I was living in Philadelphia during the Republican Convention. Streetways and walkways that had long suffered neglect were rapidly repaired with what ammounted to little more than temporary patchwork to make way for the big business the event was supposed to bring. Entire hotels and convention centers were built largely around the premise of increased business and tourism. Restaurants poured money into prepairing themselves for the anticipated windfall of business. The whole city busied itself getting pretty looking and secure.

In reality, the Republicans stayed in their hotels, attending banquets and having food catered to them. Restaurants and businesses, especially the "little guys," but also on up to the 4 star level places, suffered big time. At the time I worked in one of the highest rated restaurants in the country -- and you could hear a pin drop on most nights. I remember a newscast that showed small restaurant owners just throwing out masses of spoiled food once the convention left. The potholes and other eyesores soon returned, and remained until I left last year.

When I was looking for an apartment here in NYC last year, I made the mistake of trying to enter Manhattan via the Holland tunnel on the day of the Puerto Rican parade. It literally took me two and a half hours to traverse two city blocks once I'd gotten through the tunnel. I can only imagine what travel during an Olympic event might be like, and thankfully that's all I'll have to do :D

- jim

Oui, but what about the food?

;-)


Pierre

By 2012, you can bet your lens cap that there won't be anything being broadcast in SD....so you'd better be into HD by then.

There were no terrorist incidents at the 2002 Oly's in SLC, even though Homeland Security wasn't really set up at that point. Local and Federal had this very much under control even without Homeland Security sticking it's nose in and screwing it up. The one "terrorist" incident came from an animal rights group, who in their zeal to protect animals, caused a horse to have to be put down because they threw marbles on the streets ahead of mounted officers. SLC had portable jails brought in from the military, and ended up not using them at all. They even had borrowed an urban assault vehicle

Spot, agreed, but that was before we invaded another country and created more terrorists. Hopefully everything will continue without incident but I wouldnt be surprised if something drastic happens sooner than later.

....and SLC had a perfomance by KISS!

Maybe for the 2012 Olympics they will have gotten new hair weaves, new hips, and convinced Ace and Peter to play the show for $100 each.

Sorry, I digress. Having an event like the Olympics is a cool thing for any major city, but it is a pain if you have to work in and around the hubub.

Anyone that wakes up every day worrying about terrorists is either working for Homeland Security, or is watching WAY too much TV news. This is NOT something any of you need to be worrying about.

Quick, how many people were killed in the Atlanta Olympic Park bombing?

One.

How many people were killed in the 1972 Munich Olympic terrorist massacre (including the terrorists and police)?

Seventeen.

How many people will be killed today, just in the US, in auto accidents?

One hundred and seventeen.

I don't mean to make light of deaths and accident statistics, especially having recently had two close members of my family contribute to these figures. I just want to point out, however, that if you find yourself waking up feeling miserable about life, or if you start worrying about whether your city did or did not get the host the Olympics because you are worried about terrorist attacks, you have definitely been brainwashed by TV coverage. The problem is that TV brings every bad thing happening anywhere in the world directly into your living room. Those bad things have been going on since the beginning of time. What has changed is the vividness and immediacy with which we all now can experience them. If your natural instincts are to empathize with those who are injured or hurting -- a wonderful trait to possess -- then you are eventually going to be eaten alive watching too much TV news.

We in this forum are all people who edit video, so we should all be able to understand the incredible power these images have on people. This doesn't, unfortunately, make us immune to the afflictions caused by consuming too much of our own product.

My advice is to limit your intake of news, and try, whenever possible, to supply your own perspective to events -- something that is usually lacking in media coverage. Also, use your own eyes and ears. Are things around you really that bad, or is it just your perceptions that have changed?

I used to work with some of the best public relations firms in the world (Burson-Marsteller and Regis-McKenna). One of the pet phrases they used was perception is reality. It is too bad that, for many people, their perceptions are no longer based on reality, but instead on fantasies created by the constant bombardment of the images that we all help create.

The KISS performance was one of the highlights for me, personally. Seeing those guys come out on an iceberg on the ice rink was pretty amazing. yeah, we'll all be much older by then, but imagine all those grey heads rocking out!~

Well - when it kinda calms down . .here is the link . .presently the server must be in meltdown - HAH!

Here yah goes:

http://www.webcast.ukcouncil.net/hosted/london2012/

Grazie

Not sure if THIS is the video or not.

Found the link on another site. Interesting video anyway.

Love the scene showing the Virgin and British Airways flight attendents "racing" across the road. Hilarious.

"What have you done to make me feel proud".

GO LONDON!!!!

Yeah . . that's - The 1

. .. interesting? Oh yes .. Liam, did you catch where we had the beer on the Thames?


Grazie

. .and what about the pole vaulter, right at the end?

Great video. Go London!

Very funny... and did we see "Tony Blair" at one point (or was that his stunt double?)

I got <most> of the celebrities who are "featured" in the video... but a few of them I just don't know... been away from the UK for too long!

p.s....yes... I saw where we had beer... in fact if you look closely... there we are!!!

(just kidding.... about Grazie and me being in the video).

Yes, Blair . .and Ken, and a whole bunch of movers 'n shakers mingling amongst us "ordinaries" . . . I love this town!

G

Big thumbs up for London!

Good deal, and what event are you competeing in Grazie ? I kind a picture you as maybe one of those platform diver dudes!! Or water polo with those cool hats!

Good for London, I had a chance years ago to see several events in Atlanta. Was a once in lifetime experience , great,cept the bomber dude of course.