Hounding After Hours

slcboston said:

Is this because the IOC still refuses to make caber tossing an official sport?

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The fascist overtones from the beginning of the modern games, the early abuse of colored sportsmen and women for the entertainment of the crowds, the pandering to Hitler's government (another element of the fascist history popping up), the complete lack of respect for history... Man, there are so many reasons to be disgusted by the spectacle, but the worst has to be the hundreds who died on mountain mines providing material for the Beijing games. Nothing good comes from it. Medals? What the hell use is a medal when the debts and cost to life accumulated from the avenues of "sporting excellence" thus far has gotten so high.

I'd rather watch Jerry Springer, and everyone knows my opinion of reality television...

Whoa, dude.

Mostly valid points, I will grant you (the Chinese workers would have died in the mines anyway, given their abhorrent safety record)...

But there is something to be said for the guy or girl out there representing some smaller, unlikely to medal nation, who is there just to compete for that momentary shot at being among the best at whatever sport it is, able to represent their homeland. And while yes, it has its moments where that has been corrupted, both now and throughout history, there are still enough of those pure moments, enough of the athletes who are just there to compete and don't care about the politics or the wrangling amongst nations or anything else, that makes it worth it.

Name one other thing where so many people from so many diverse places come together, more or less harmoniously, in what is still a blatant exercise in national pride, and make it work?

Do I agree with the IOC? Meh, a lot of times, no. But for those two weeks, it's not about them. It's about the men and women who compete.

I watch for them.

I should add that long, LONG ago, I used to compete. Not at that level, by any means, though there were a couple on our team who could have been but for a little more talent/opportunity/whatever.

But it does change how you look at things. (Though it does not change the commonly held conception that many athletes are, in fact, jerks. Because they are. )

Yeah, but it isn't The Olympics, it is an olympics - even if it were the only time people came together in harmony (and I would argue that in Europe the Champions Cup or the World Cup is more important to a lot of people) it still isn't even close to being a representation of what it was originally - the competitors aren't naked, and the contest isn't dominated by wrestling (having the basic understanding of the original games should be mandatory for everyone involved in the current mess).

Those mines weren't there originally, BTW. The Chinese government set it up to build all the Olympics buildings. There are photographs of the "scaffolding" (planks of wood about six inches wide) floating around the internet.

I went looking for the story of the tribal peoples the olympics had perform so they could be mocked, but the piece isn't there...

Everything about the olympics makes me less than reasonable though, so my extreme stance against it should probably be taken for what it is.

BigWords said:

the competitors aren't naked, and the contest isn't dominated by wrestling (having the basic understanding of the original games should be mandatory for everyone involved in the current mess)

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Two words: weight lifters.

Or is that one word?

Either way.

BigWords said:

Those mines weren't there originally, BTW. The Chinese government set it up to build all the Olympics buildings. There are photographs of the "scaffolding" (planks of wood about six inches wide) floating around the internet.

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Yes, but having lived in China, I can attest that's their standard scaffolding anywhere. It's scary, without doubt, but it isn't anything that isn't par for the course there. And the workers in those mines, had they not been there, would have been put to work elsewhere in similar conditions. So the larger concern there is about worker safety in general.

It's a lousy situation there in China, period.

DL Hegel said:

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Something we should know, DL?

No, why do you ask Boston?

DL Hegel said:

No, why do you ask Boston?

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Just checking to see if you need an alibi or anything.

BigWords said:

Yeah, but it isn't The Olympics, it is an olympics - even if it were the only time people came together in harmony (and I would argue that in Europe the Champions Cup or the World Cup is more important to a lot of people) it still isn't even close to being a representation of what it was originally - the competitors aren't naked, and the contest isn't dominated by wrestling (having the basic understanding of the original games should be mandatory for everyone involved in the current mess).

Those mines weren't there originally, BTW. The Chinese government set it up to build all the Olympics buildings. There are photographs of the "scaffolding" (planks of wood about six inches wide) floating around the internet.

I went looking for the story of the tribal peoples the olympics had perform so they could be mocked, but the piece isn't there...

Everything about the olympics makes me less than reasonable though, so my extreme stance against it should probably be taken for what it is.

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You'll change your mind on the Olympics when I teach you the drinking game I play while watching curling.

Isn't curling a winter sport?

Not that it isn't a fun sport, though. Kind of like a cross between ice hockey and those little lawn balls the Italian guys are always playing.



ETA: Another sport not to do naked: speed skating.

Also, luge and fencing.

Not good naked sports.

Naked luge? That'd be some serious road rash.

Naked fencing? Nope, ain't gonna' go there (keeps "hotdog on a stick" metaphor to himself).

Naked pole-vaulting? Didn't they use to call that "impalement" back in the day?

Now, there are ways they could spice the games up quite a bit. The javelin toss comes to mind here. Stake child molesters out on the field as targets. The best kill-shot wins. I'm given to understand that certain pRon starlet often have some amazing, er, "talents" and that could certainly be, um, entertaining (and would be in keeping with the original games where, according to legend, the competitors competed in the nude). Fencing could certainly be spiced up by giving the competitors gladii and tridents and telling them to fight to the death. The triathlon could be spiced up too - the swimming portion would be naked, with a bloody wound, through a river full of piranha, the running portion could have zombie hordes added, and the shooting portion could also have the competitors in a Zulu-like siege situation against zombie hordes.

See, it could work. It'd be exciting too. Will the competitors survive the siege of Isandalwana by zombies as the British did against the Zulus? How many competitors will make it across the river? How many will even try? Will the fight between Marcus Sensellus and Antony "The Bull" Miritus end with the Bull's blood spilling on the sand after all his previous victories?

See? See? I think I'm onto something here (or maybe on something).

FOTSGreg said:

See? See? I think I'm onto something here (or maybe on something).

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Will there be a poll on this?




Also, naked beach volleyball.

No, wait, that *would* work.


I'll come back to this.

Hi folks

Bos, on my wrestling team in high school was a World Champion, a USMC/Armed Forces Champion, a couple NCAA Champions and a whole slew of state champions. They were all jerks and I wouldn't give you a dime for any of them.

Ever come home and feel like you want to nail the door shut just to make sure the rest of the world doesn't invade what little personal space you have?

TedTheewen said:

They were all jerks and I wouldn't give you a dime for any of them.

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Oh, no arguments there on most of them. I said as much earlier.

TedTheewen said:

Ever come home and feel like you want to nail the door shut just to make sure the rest of the world doesn't invade what little personal space you have?

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Um, Monday through Friday?

Ted, are you trying to give me another reason to drink heavily?

Friday's only a few hours away. Payday comes at 3am too. Then 2 days off. Then it'll be Monday again. I love my new job, but I still hate Mondays.

I wanna hide with a blanket over my head.

I can't invent a monster more terrifying than the thought of having to go back to work tomorrow.

*hugs Ted*

Hope your shift goes by fast and you can go home to some beer and relax. xx

TedTheewen said:

I can't invent a monster more terrifying than the thought of having to go back to work tomorrow.

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Just remember, it's better than not getting paid. Which was the only thing that kept me going into some of the jobs I've had to hold over the years.


Which is not to say you shouldn't be looking for another job, because clearly you should be.

Bos, no poll, no. But there might be a test later.



Hope you studied...

A new monster?

Oh, let me!



Gimme' a minute. I know I can come up with something...

Oh, I'm looking alright. In fact, the place where I'm trying to get hired at just fired a friend of mine. It would be creepy to get his position but the pay would be so much nicer.

TedTheewen said:

I wanna hide with a blanket over my head.

I can't invent a monster more terrifying than the thought of having to go back to work tomorrow.

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This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Good evening, hounds.

I met up Mrs. Bluntforcetrauma in Salt Lake City yesterday (she was returning from a wedding near Bri's stomping grounds---they even go to the same coffee shop there--small world). After a 42 minute ground delay on flight #4684, we finally got back to Austin.

We're now in Red Rock, Texas readying her house to sell. Once the last of the furniture is out we're driving back to Indiana. I have nothing against Delta airlines (free flights the rest of our lives) but we need some road trip time. Back roads all the way.

Good night...I'm exhausted.