Watching the Olympics

I have never watched much TV during the day because I have always had 'more important things to do' but since I cannot physically do those things this month I have watched the Olympics during the day. I am impressed with the number of races that represent the USA and England. Other countries, say China for instance, have all Chinese or Turkey has all Turk participants but the United States and England are different. Black, Brown, Yellow, Red, White! That makes me proud of the USA and the Brits.

Love,

Betty

I loved the opening ceremonies.

Last night I got a bit testy. One of the runners sprawled on the ground because he did not win.

What an attitude.

I am proud, too, Betty. When we criticize elements in our country for bias and prejudice, we are still a country that at its heart accepts everyone - eventually. I noticed the mixture in the stands, too. Look at those wrapped in British flag cloths - a regular United Nations. Differences make governing much more challenging and requires people with a world vision. It's much easier to govern a people of the same culture and religious beliefs. Yet, even they have their political challenges. Add the mixtures in the U.S. and Great Britain and it's amazing we hold together as well as we do! Great observation!

Alas, Alice, Everyone takes defeat differently, and at different times. I'd certainly hate to face defeat on television during the Olympics. I have great admiration for the athletes and the struggles and training it took to get there. Sometimes the nerves are just so high that it's difficult to control the response.

I am square-eyed. I have watched everything!

You can be very proud of your country too, Shelagh.

Dear Shelagh,

Did you watch the lady weight lifters? What butts! Snort!

Love,

Betty

The Chinese basketball team has a very tall, very hook nosed, very skinny lady. I liked her a lot.

Love,

Betty

Where is the score for all events available? Who won the men's tennis today?

The Chinese basketball player sure wipes out stereotypes regarding Chinese!!!

It's all good. I have enjoyed every bit.

Love,

Betty

dkchristi wrote:

Where is the score for all events available? Who won the men's tennis today?

We did! Go Andy Murray!

I just watched the 400m race and they showed a clip of Derek Redmond in the 1992 Olympics. Here's the clip: you'll need a box of tissues!

One box was not enough.

Love,

Betty

If only every child had a father like this.

I'm glued to it when I can find time. They have sports that I never heard of.

Thanks for the clip, Shelagh. Love conquers all.

I'm enjoying the Olympics. Watching those who have worked so hard for so long and then finally achieving their dreams is inspirational.

I sort of miss the amateur years when new stars were born. I know it was corrupt; so they went to professional and amateur to overcome the corruption.

Saw a report by Fox news that complained that the Gold winner gymnast didn't wear clothes that showed patriotism.
I wonder what they would think if Atheletes performed nude as the original Olympians did?
Fox is like the Pox. A disease.

You know, Abe, we are too close in political observations and there is an entire 50% of the U.S. that thinks FOX and Rush Limbaugh and that bunch of ratings whores are telling the truth and that the rest of us are ignorant socialists.

I don't like labels; they are used to classify people who very often have many dissimilar traits. But if socialist means I believe in the scripture that tells us we are our brother's keeper and that those who have much are obligated to share with others, then I guess that's me.

I don't understand people who are struggling to keep their children fed, clothed, housed and educated and still believe that the wealthiest people are entitled to a fantasy life that only gets more obsessive with each downturn in the lives of the working poor and former middle class. How they can believe that those people promote "family values" and "religious morality" are drinking strange water. The constitution? The main importance of the constitution is that it provides for orderly changes in government and a framework to provide for the health and welfare of the citizens. "Health and welfare" of the citizens - which seems to apply to the wealthiest.

Why should those who have benefited the most from the U.S. economic system be able to hide their corporate and personal gains through overseas loops and corruption while the working stiffs pay their full tax on their meager incomes because they don't have the excess to find offshore havens or the money to hide there?

I love the wealthy; I loved being wealthy; I loved the choices and the lack of financial stress. I also was aware of those with less who needed help; I served them by a career with poor financial remuneration - you know, the educators and social workers and other leaches on the government system that need to be further reduced in income and benefits so the wealthier don't need to be taxed fairly.

Social security and medicare can be easily fixed by social security taxes being applied to all income regardless of its source, period. It's fair and it makes sense. Imagine how little Romney paid into Social security since little of his income is from "salary" like most working stiffs today.

Alas, my friend, you touched on my wire - I am just amazed at the people who love to listen to hate television and radio, half-truths, bias, and whatever it takes to make a buck off the lemmings out there. God help us; what people do in the name of religion to harm women and children and the most needy is beyond my simple mind.

And now back to the uniforms for the Olympics. There's always something. I was at first excited about the "made in China" uniforms, but everything is made in China, even the U.S. souvenirs - just ask LC who tried to find a U.S. souvenir to take to China, but they were all made there except the mint sets of coins - and those may be made there yet.

I've always felt that a bikini for beach vollyball was a bit unfair to potential players with a higher level of modesty. There was some flack over a Muslim who wanted to wear a scarf. There's a whole industry built around swimming attire with the least resistance. I think you are right, the most fair was probably naked; but that goes back to the concerns of the more modest (most of us today). However, the original olympics were male only - which makes a difference - and today still - some countries are just allowing a female to excell in athletics.

Such a world, huh. So many differences of opinion: political, religious, cultural and just plain ethical.

I have good, lifelong friends who believe that the government should rule against abortion, limit the right to vote, end the safety net for the poor and disabled and let everyone fend for themselves with the cream rising to the top - and their comfortable position on Social Security, Medicare, investment income and good health means that they are the deserving cream. They quote Rush Limbaugh as though he's the Dahli Lama. Yet, they are in other respects lovely, kind and generous souls. I just don't get it.

Don't the dopes see that the Republican platforms that deny women health benefits and forbid abortion represents the government specifically damning women and putting government in the bedroom? How can government be more intrusive than that?

Don't they understand that a democracy is dependent on universal education and a healthy electorate? That people are dying in other countries for the chance to vote for that very reason? Are we just going to allow the voting limitations to go into effect with a whimper? In one state, those needing identification can't even get it in time to vote.....that's how awful those laws are.

Big money is in control. It's not a democracy; it's an oligarchy and is only getting worse. We need our own American Spring when we take back the Congress and make it representative; overhaul the tax system and make it representative of the welfare of the nation and benefits derived therefrom; overhaul the budget so the priorities are education, health and the welfare of the citizens not the pockets of the global corporate pirates. We need to encourage and support innovation and business creativity which comes from an education system that encourages the same. We need music, art, ethics, starting a business, physical activity, careers, science, math, technology and literature - all part of the education system to which all youth have choices and direction. We need to elevate teachers and social workers and downgrade lawyers and CPA's and mortgage brokers and wall street hedge fund managers.

Let's get our priorities in order or this great country will be left in the hands of the few - and we all know what happened to the rest of the great empires of the world when they had a two class society. We need a society of upward mobility, of community, of acceptance, of tolerance.

DK,


I agree.

They are so blind they can't even talk about a reasonable solution. Just call President Obama a liar and anyone who agrees with his efforts a Democrat. Read my Face book page.
You will see even more clearly how impossible they are.

DK. well said. Every word. If you were within reach, I'd hug you.

Among my relatives, I find the same Repub thinking. At one time I refused to talk religion or politics with them so as to keep the peace. I don't bring up the subject, but when they get on their bandwagon, I no longer keep quiet. Anyone who believes that Fox News is the greatest news program where they find truth, is not only blind, but also ignorant. They appear on the brink of stupidity. If they would broaden their reading by reading more than what they're told to read they may, just may learn more. Many don't read. They would rather sit back and let someone tell them what is newsworthy and how it should be interpreted. Too lazy to think.
In my young days with IBM, every employee had a company issued sign on his/her desk. It said, "THINK".

Good motto--Think --I love that.

We are too inclined to rely on the media to do our thinking for us.
Glen Beck and Rush have too many folks fooled.

.

And if you have problems with the corporate giants and obscenely rich not making fair contributions to the country that gave them the opportunities to get there, well, you are "against" the job creators. I'm for corporate responsibility. I'm for the guy in the town a couple years ago who had a great home and retirement and investment and riches from the company he built that supported the whole town, until the economy went bad. For the business to survive he needed to lay off workers. He started by taking no salary himself. It was still a problem; he mortgaged his house and kept making payroll. He sold off his savings to keep making payroll. He downgraded his lifestyle to keep making payroll. He kept it going by his own sacrifice ("after all, I would have nothing if the employees had not been exceptional; it's the least I can do") and before there were no more resources to make payroll and the employees took as deep a cut in their salaries across the board so all would have something, he was able to make more adjustments and bring in more work and start rebuilding again.

That's corporate responsibility. Imagine what that behavior multiplied across the U.S. would have done for unemployment? That's a "job creator." Not the selfish collectors of people, places and things today, not the contributors to campaigns that represent nothing - nothing! All that money going into a campaign of lies and half-truths and emotional appeals to people with little knowledge about the financial workings of a real global economy of excess and lifestyles beyond imagination. All those gigantic salaries, bonus payments and perks to executives who cheat and thieve and take their companies bankrupt and walk away with their golden parachutes while Molly in the mailroom goes on, God forbid, Food Stamps to get her children from starving because Molly's jobs are the first to go. And the guy on his golden parachute or his medicare and social security "mad money" decries those money sucking food stamp programs and safety nets. "They have a safety net," says Romney as he supports policies to remove it first for women and then the rest, healthcare the first to go.

I lived a lifestyle of excess in S. Korea and it troubled me. I was glad to get home where the obvious lines between the haves and have nots weren't so stark. Today, Korea has a middle class (S. Korea) and for a while a strong economy as the result. Even when I was there, the government artificially controlled consumption to create full employment even if it was breaking rocks with a pick ax. Full employment equals pride; pride gives hope; hope builds an economy. It worked. They also had high education standards and 100% of the citizens, rich and poor, could read. A person who reads can become educated. A person with a healthy body and mind can struggle without dying and can start again.

You should see the Obama hate mail and videos that are sent to me by "friends." I tried to answer them with facts, but learned they were not reading my responses and now I just delete them. They are horrid things, many of them, full of blatant racism and lies.

I don't know, my friends, when decent people behave in indecent ways; when educated people follow liars and "hate" their president; something is wrong with the society. I found President Bush a miserable failure of a man, but I pitied the country and was simply sick that he was able to fool so many so long. The lesson was not learned.

How anyone can support the Republican Party that is controlled by a few rich men and a few powerful lobbyists, and I mean very few, that have effectively stopped the current president from implementing the measures that would lead to employment - measures that meet with the standards of both political parties - is beyond me. It makes me tired to think on it.

And this is Abe's thread so if we need to take it back to the Olympics, I'll take his word on that :-)

http://voices.yahoo.com/ceo-lenovo-1-percenter-reinvests-his-wealth-11601364.html

Not in the U.S. of course, but an example of "corporate responsibility" in another country. Article is well-written and reasonably free of bias.

Oops - Sorry Betty, it's your thread. Sorry if I ruined it with my rant. We can delete it all and start over.

I love the Olympics, the youth with dreams, the magnificence of the human body, the joy of patriotism, the excitement of viewing the same events from around the world and learning about the athletes and their stories.