***** This thread is now closed, please CLICK HERE to go to Volume 4 *****
Continuing discussion.
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 23 Jul 12 at 00:30
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Any truth in the rumour that the 4 in G4S relates to the amount of people who turned up for work this morning?
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I'll tell you one thing - makes the Capita/ONS' handling of the 2011 Census the paragon of good management !
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Bad management from the governement also.This company was and is allowed to make ongoing mistakes whilst the taxpayer picks up the bill.
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>> Bad management from the governement also.This company was and is allowed to make ongoing mistakes
>> whilst the taxpayer picks up the bill.
>>
Little choice I suspect. Stop paying and G4S will produce NO staff at all. Bit late now for anyone else to pick up the pieces. Remember, the recruitment process - including checks - takes months rather than weeks. so if you switched off G4S the Olympics would have zero temporary security staff.
My view is they offered jobs to the kind of people whom no sensible person would think of relying on ..just to make up the numbers. 10,000 temps is a LOT of people.
Yes: Makes The Census and Capita look first rate.
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As pointed out on R4 just now - the Police (Met) were in sole charge of the Flame - seems to have gone rather well !
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I saw the flame pass by in one place, well away from the Met district.
The Met supply the runners who provide the inner protective ring, they also supply the "point" - cars that run the route a few minutes in front of the torch relay, and they provide the first bike out-riders.
The runners for the most part are a sullen miserable hostile bunch of ruthlessly efficient officers somewhat prone to heavy handedness. I saw some of the crowd being forcibly pushed aside quite hard.
The local forces (camb lincs and Leicester in this case) mixed in however were happy, carnival in mood, playing up to the crowd, stopping the bikes, chatting, showing off horns & lights, some of the cars even sported union jacks waved from Windows.
The difference was really rather noticeable.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 18 Jul 12 at 08:06
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>> The runners for the most part are a sullen miserable hostile bunch of ruthlessly efficient
>> officers somewhat prone to heavy handedness. I saw some of the crowd being forcibly pushed
>> aside quite hard.
I cannot find it now but there's film on the net of them manhandling to the ground a teenage cyclist who'd somehow got inside the fencing and ridden to head of parade. Unnecessarily violent; they could have just stopped him and ticked him off.
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Think Met + Ian Tomlinson, to a lesser degree
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When the torch passed through here, I spotted police from four forces, the Met, Durham, Cleveland and Northumbria.
Funny how we can get dozens of coppers for a stupid parade, but if you get burgled or filled in, you are lucky to get the services of any.
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some of the cars even sported union jacks waved from Windows.
>>
Was that Windows 7 or Vista?
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Heres`s a thought! - Tis the football closed season, so all those (already CRB`d and checked out) crowd control stewards aren`t doing much at the Mo, probably not all of them will have full time jobs elsewhere, why not "hire" them off the London Football Clubs?
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> Tis the football closed season, so all those (already CRB`d and
>> checked out) crowd control stewards aren`t doing much at the Mo, probably not all of
>> them will have full time jobs elsewhere, why not "hire" them off the London Football
>> Clubs?
Are they CRB checked?
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First competition is at the Milenium Stadium in Cardiff - Women's soccer - local news running a atory yeaterday that they've barely half filled the stadium for the event (and have been giving away tickets which is going to cheese those off who paid) - they were focussing on the G4S story. The manager of the stadium (ex South Wales Police senior type) was gloating that they'd told G4S to get stuffed and that they were going to be using their own staff.....he's secured his bonus then !
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>> First competition is at the Milenium Stadium in Cardiff - Women's soccer - local news
>> running a atory yeaterday that they've barely half filled the stadium for the event (and
>> have been giving away tickets which is going to cheese those off who paid) -
Look at my face, Am I surprised? WHo the hell is going to pay to see ladies Olympic soccer? Specially in Wales.
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>
>> they were focussing on the G4S story. The manager of the stadium (ex South Wales
>> Police senior type) was gloating that they'd told G4S to get stuffed and that they
>> were going to be using their own staff.....he's secured his bonus then !
He best hope nothing happens then, it'll be his neck on the line big time.
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News today that Olympic police can't carry anything in public with a brand name on it, such as a packet of crisps, in case it takes business away from the sponsers. There will be other police to police these police.
Or maybe it wasnt the news, maybe it was a script leak fromTwentytwelve.
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>> News today that Olympic police can't carry anything in public with a brand name on
>> it, such as a packet of crisps, in case it takes business away from the
>> sponsers. There will be other police to police these police.
They are called "Protection", their role is to manage the non appearance (by accident or by deliberate ambush marketing) of non Olympic family brands.
Do not knock it, we have ended up with a free wrist watch! Worth 30 quid.
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SWMBO spoke to helicopter jr on the phone Sunday.....
..... lucky so and so has secured tickets for the beach volleyball but is going with a friend and not his old dad.......
I'm thinking of cutting him out of my will.......
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Beach Volleyball in the UK.
At least there will be somewhere to hang your jackets.
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>> SWMBO spoke to helicopter jr on the phone Sunday.....
>>
>> ..... lucky so and so has secured tickets for the beach volleyball but is going
>> with a friend and not his old dad.......
>>
>> I'm thinking of cutting him out of my will.......
>>
Still beach volleyball tickets available for £50-£100. (Or there were last week.) In reality they're wash-out volleyball tickets.
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That'll be genuine, it's all about the money.
Also seen in football:
UEFA fine levied on Porto (i.e. an entire club) for their fans repeatedly making "Ook ook" noises at black players, 20,000EUR.
UEFA fine levied on Nikolas Bendtner (i.e. one person) for displaying an "ambush marketing"[1] slogan on his underpants, 100,000EUR.
You can see where the priority lies there, despite any hand-wringing platitudes (Platinitudes??) about how dreadful racism is from that organisation.
[1] Exactly like ordinary marketing, only without greasing the right palms first.
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According to the Telegraph it was the police themselves who issued the instruction, and the organisers (locog?) subsequently said they weren't bothered about snacks people brought in, they only wanted to 'protect' the key sponsors McDonalds, Coca-Cola and Cadburys IIRC.
Nevertheless they seem ready to be heavy handed which is another reason I am peed off with the whole idea. There are 'Advertising Regulations' which under the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006 give rise to an offence if they are breached with up to £20,000 fine.
We have a village show coming up. We usually have a contemporary theme, and one suggestion was "Alternative Olympics". Of course that is a non-starter, the word itself being a trademark. But even the word "Summer" in conjunction with "2012"could land you in trouble.
I sincerely hope nobody cares about a village show, but nothing would surprise me.
From the Indie blog:
Next week 300 Locog ‘enforcement officers’ will fan out across the country in an attempt to eliminate any unauthorised ‘association’ with the 2012 Olympiad.
Under the terms of the 2006 London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act, these ‘brand police’ will be able to impose fines of £20,000 on businesses, shops and charities that engage in such activities.
They can also penalise athletes who mention brands not included with the official sponsorship roster, and prevent the unauthorised use of ‘listed words’ such as ‘London’, ‘London Twenty Twelve’, ‘Gold’, ‘Silver’, ‘Bronze’ and, most ludicrously, ‘summer.’
Luckily, if you live in ‘Gold Street’ or ‘Silver Road’, you can still say so. But if you are an airline company, you better not hand out complimentary t-shirts saying ‘flying you to London, Olympic host city’.
Don’t put up posters saying ‘backing the 2012 Games’ or ‘supporting the London Olympics’ or you will have to take it down, as the University of Derby was told to do this April. And woe betide a hotel that offers a ’10 per cent discount for London 2012.’
These obsessive restrictions form part of a censorship regime that one might associate with China or North Korea, and which calls into question Locog’s representation of the Games as a promotional platform and an engine of economic regeneration for London (or should that be ‘the capital’) and the country as a whole.
The idea that giant multinationals like Dow Chemicals, McDonald’s and Proctor & Gamble need ‘protecting’ is ludicrous, since they are already guaranteed unrivalled publicity even without Locog’s attempts to enforce their monopoly.
Why should a pub, a hotel or a restaurant – or a charity – not be able to make money from the Games too, as long as they aren’t engaging in fraud or producing counterfeit products?
The last para raises an interesting point. The economy as a whole was supposed to benefit from the Olympics. That doesn't just mean the large multinational sponsors does it? Perversely, some tourism related businesses may well have a worse summer as a result of the Olympics, since many normal tourists will be substituted by Olympics related visitors who may spend less anyway and will be concentrated in event areas. And what normal tourist wants to pay €700 a night for a room at a Holiday Inn as I had to do on a business trip to Athens in 2004?
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Will armed officers have to file the maker's mark off their weapons? Glock and Browning are not among the sponsors.
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in 2010, some lads did a roaring trade in FICK OFF FUFA! t-shirts.
Crazy that the 'exclusion' zone round the stadium where advertsing was banned included several pubs, who had to cover up their non-K9P beer adverts.
Crazier still, back when we hosted the cricket World Cup in 2003, Pepsi was a main sponsor. BUT at the time, you couldn't get Pepsi in S Africa. So they had to ship the stuff in, just for the stadia, as otherwise people may have been seen on TV drinking c*ke!
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>> Will armed officers have to file the maker's mark off their weapons?
I am told by a friend who worked on the design of the Olympic Park that the contractors were sent out to remove the manufacturer's name from the manhole covers with angle grinders.
What a waste of time. How many visitors are going to say, "That's a lovely manhole cover. I must have one just like it. If it is good enough for the Olympics it is good enough for me."?
Maybe we can have a new Olympic sport for the spectators. Spot the unofficial logo.
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It actually shows up the incompetence of the egos doing this. Non-official-sponsors started signing up sports stars for their advertising long ago, like Virgin with Usain Bolt.
I don't really believe the manhole cover story. I just can't, much as I'd like to.
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>> I don't really believe the manhole cover story. I just can't, much as I'd like
>> to.
I don't either, but you can't believe me or not about this.
The games still relies heavily on paper, results are printed and rushed around by teams of volunteer runners. In some areas the results are printed on Xerox printers, but Xerox is not a games sponsor so the Xerox logos on the front are covered up with stick on paper labels.
The radio system is supplied by Airwave as a turnkey system, but airwave don't make the radios, they are supplied by Motorola. Motorola is not a sponsor so the logo on the radio handset is covered up with a purpose made plastic stick on bung.
All seen with my own fair hand.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 18 Jul 12 at 17:35
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Maybe if anybody is going to the Olympic Park, they could take note (and pictures?) of the manhole covers.
We could ask for a public enquiry. We have one for everything else.
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>> Maybe if anybody is going to the Olympic Park, they could take note (and pictures?)
>> of the manhole covers.
I was going to suggest this and even offer a virtual pint to the first person to prove me wrong.
I will admit I had consumed several real pints when this story was told to me but the friend who told me is a fine and upstanding gentleman with a whole career in civil engineering design. So I will stand by this story until someone disproves it!!!
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Going there on Monday, will let you know.
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>> Going there on Monday, will let you know.
Some googling suggests that Durey Casting have supplied quite a few person-hole covers to the Olympic Park.
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Having seen 'ambush marketting' paranoia at its worst, even i'm disinclined to believe this one, Zero.
However, I'm sure you'll find during your close inspection that a lot of the manhole covers are welded down, as an anti-terrorism measure. The council did that here a few years back when some US Vice-President was in town. Peeved the local fire chief off no-end - he thought having access to his hydrants was quite important, for some reason.
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>> However, I'm sure you'll find during your close inspection that a lot of the manhole
>> covers are welded down, as an anti-terrorism measure.
Thats been standard practise in London for about 35 years, usually prior to Lord Mayors Show or stuff by the Queen. Roadside Comms cabinets, Lampost access covers, anything with a door that could hide things are also examined and then sealed with tamper proof labels or telltales if opened.
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Thnx.
Just thinking about this advertising ban... how on earth are they going to do the marathon? Will they go out and whitewash any windows and cover signage along the route, so nobody can see it is a Tescos or M&S? Or just employ some clever camera angles?
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>> so nobody can see it is a Tescos or M&S? Or just employ some clever
>> camera angles?
Mostly they will yes. You won't see anything on TV thats not an official sponsor. The O2 arena, for the period of the games, is not Called the O2 Arena, and has all signs indicating that, removed. Its the "North Greenwich Arena"
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Can they call it "The Marathon"? - that is a brand name of Mars Confectionery not Cadbury`s!,
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Yes as long as you call it "The Marathon" and not "The Snickers"
As far as I know, Mars stopped calling it Marathon, when it shrunk in size and was in danger of being called the Half Marathon.
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It may make a "come-back" like most of the old stars try to!
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-565849/Farewell-Snickers-Marathon-bars-make-comeback.html
Last edited by: devonite on Wed 18 Jul 12 at 19:41
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Please don't be offended. It is, after all, unbelievable!
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Not offended at all. I too hope it is wrong.
I was also told they were removing manufacturers' markings from bridge parapets and handrails. That is going to make maintenance more difficult than it needs to be.
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Sorry, was going to post, but had to go and be sick. Can't use the word Olympic! What a load of Horlicks. Why don't these nobody's get stuffed.
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Over 20 years since I even raised an eyebrow in the direction of the Olympics or professional football.
The amount of the UK's productivity that is pointlessly wasted on these 'Sports stars' rather than improving the country we live in is second only to the massive amount wasted simply paying bank interest so we canlive in our overpriced homes.
The Rangers fiasco will hopefully cause a re-jigging of priorities and cashflow in football but while TV rights bring so much $$$$ in the balance between club income through gate receipts and expenditure through player signings will be hopelessly unbalanced.
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>> The Rangers fiasco will hopefully cause a re-jigging of priorities and cashflow in football but
>> while TV rights bring so much $$$$ in the balance between club income through gate
>> receipts and expenditure through player signings will be hopelessly unbalanced.
The Rangers fiasco is pretty unique. The standard of Scottish football is dire. The Scottish premier league consists of two clubs of English League division 1 standard, and the rest would be seen off by any pub team down on Hackney Marshes. No-one outside Glasgow wants to watch it, yet they spent money as tho they had an international pay to view audience throwing money at them.
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>> No-one outside Glasgow
>> wants to watch it, yet they spent money as tho they had an international pay
>> to view audience throwing money at them.
>>
Both the big Glasgow clubs have an international fan base south of the border and elsewhere, comparable to most of the premier league clubs, there are (or were) hundreds of coaches to their games every week.
They regularly have gates as big as any in the premier league.
Whatever you may think of their football quality, their internally generated income was not an issue. The levels of expenditure were another matter.
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TV revenues for scottish football is poor compared to premier league.
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>> TV revenues for scottish football is poor compared to premier league.
>>
And they are struggling to sign a deal for next year.
When I lived in Scotland, the football was dynamic. So what if most of the team on the field on New Year's Day were drunk, Celtic won the European Cup.
It's been a long downhill not helped by the disinclination of Scots to do any exercise except drink and eat. The Scots have a real health problem caused largely by a dependence on welfare. Football as a sport is too energetic for most Scots to take part in as youths...
It's a sure sign of national decline when life expectancy and football standards are headed in the same direction in Glasgow.
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>> TV revenues for scottish football is poor compared to premier league.
>>
Absolutely, they were spending at the same level without the money to back it up.
As a glaswegian who has little interest in football, still think it's a shame that a club with a long and (mainly) proud history can be so damaged by a few unscrupulous individuals.
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>>No-one outside Glasgow wants to watch it,
Think it was season 2011-12, one of the Celtic v Rangers games was Sky Sport's most watched game that season.
I am an expert in the Rangers fall from grace, any questions just shout!!
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And I also know that the HMRC investigation of Rangers for EBTs, once fully completed, is also going to have huge implications for at least 6 Premier League Clubs!
HMRC were not interested in getting a single penny from Rangers, thats why they left them liquidate, what HMRC want is the decision so that it can be used against clubs in England where the amounts are very much higher (and are obtainable).
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Interesting Bobby! I hope one of the English clubs is Man City. They have plenty of cash to give to the country. And they deserve it too IMO :-)
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Unfortunately not one of the ones I am aware of though thats not too say that they aren't!
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Most have settled and paid up to HMRC, Chelski, Tottingham, arsenal are three.
Last edited by: VxFan on Fri 20 Jul 12 at 16:16
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>> The runners for the most part are a sullen miserable hostile bunch of ruthlessly efficient officers somewhat prone to heavy handedness.
They seem very on the ball judging by the speed and force with which they captured the youth who tried to seize the torch yesterday.
Looked as if he wouldn't be having too easy a time for a minute or two after they had whipped him off-camera. I hope he thought his last hour had come. Twozzer. Can't stand the modern exhibitionist saboteur.
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G4S was offering ex-cops £14.00 quid an hour last week before the cover was blown, but there was a confidentiality clause.
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For once I can't think of a comment!
tinyurl.com/c3voly5
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Good, because its not true.
I have the conditions of entry for ticket holders here, there is no restriction on branded clothing for spectators unless its part of an ambush marketing exercise.
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Camberwell cafe told by jobsworths to remove an Olympic shaped bagel display from their window ! ( Not sure if I can use the 'O' word )
You'd think they would encourage a national celebration of this unique event. Flower shop in Stoke similarly chastised for a flower display.
Madness ! Olympic Taxis round here might be next.
Just keeping one eye on the footie..GBR stick Sweden...but it's the girls ! Not premier league but entertaining fun and just right to get an ageing pervoyeur into the mood for the beach volleyball !
Ted
Last edited by: Webmaster on Tue 31 Jul 12 at 09:28
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im praying for rain during the beach volley ball, well a constant fine mist/ drizzle....wouldnt want rain to stop play
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Perhaps with air temperature around 5-6c, or a decent bit of windchill.
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>> Perhaps with air temperature around 5-6c, or a decent bit of windchill.
>>
Perky.
As 'Dave' from Minder once said, after looking at Pg3... "Phwoooaarrr, you could hand your hat on one of them!"
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are they staging it on horseguards ? plenty of standing to attention then i summise?
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>> Good, because its not true.
>>
>> I have the conditions of entry for ticket holders here, there is no restriction on
>> branded clothing for spectators unless its part of an ambush marketing exercise.
>>
tinyurl.com/cjvbm5t
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Are you really going to make me cut and paste the relevant section from the conditions of entry?
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Nope - just saying that either (a) Sebastian Coe is a *** or (b) our wonderful dead-tree press never minds "borrowing" a story from a rival!
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 21 Jul 12 at 21:41
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>> Nope - just saying that either (a) Sebastian Coe is a *** or (b) our
>> wonderful dead-tree press never minds "borrowing" a story from a rival!
Or maybe the press were quoting him out of context. Like the bit about Thermos Flasks. They are not even mentioned in the ticketing regulations. Or the Bible - neither is that.
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 21 Jul 12 at 21:41
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thermos flask has never been mentioned in the bible zeddo
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Wasn't aware of this until I was given a little 'Asda Sunday Trading Hours' card at the checkout this morning:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17419351
I guess because we'll all be glued to our seats watching the Games during the week we're being given longer to shop on Sundays; Asda are opening 9am to 8pm. Hurrah! :)
Last edited by: Focus on Sat 21 Jul 12 at 09:32
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Well, I spent 2.5 days this week driving into and in central London. Approaching from the north and departing the same way it wasn't too bad. Traffic a bit heavier maybe but manageable. A colleague coming from the west fared less well. Chiswick and its environs were hellish apparently.
Stayed just off Marble Arch overnight. Witnessed lots of people in hi-vis vests stopping people loading and unloading outside my hotel. Even to the point where when the doorman hailed a taxi for some other guests, the taxi pulled in and was moved on by the day-glo squad. Even the dustcart was not allowed to to pause which caused a bit of a fracas. The driver of the bin wagon was, shall we say, loudly underwhelmed...
There did seem to be some confusion over what was permissable and what wasn't.
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Sat 21 Jul 12 at 09:47
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Makes you laugh that Humph - Probably "trained" to the highest standards - I'd 'ave told them to f off I fear, such have my standards sunk. Hi Vis Britain eh ?
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The driver of the dustcart did more or less exactly that ! A Ray Winston lookalike with a similar voice he advised the day-glo wombles to go and be somewhere else...
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In all seriousness - I was wondering how much of the adult population actually care about all the advertising fascism, the ZIL lanes, the security and the actual games. My view may be skewed but the 100 people I've spoken to this week about lost jobs, capped benefits, unjust tribunal decisions, very ill health, marriage breakdowns and the general crappiness of real life actually really care or actively despise the billions spent on this event ?
And in the name of all that is Holy a sovereign state making laws to kow tow and protect some meglomaniacs right to use the word Olympic Games or 2012 !
I think we've lost it - big style.
Last edited by: R.P. on Sat 21 Jul 12 at 10:16
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Fiddling while Rome burns comes to mind.
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I was thinking that - The Daily Mail crowing about how much a glass of beer costs in Spain for tourists this summer because of the "strong" pound.....it's only because of the fact that our biggest trading partner's currency has gone to hell in a handcart..."oh I can buy a beer for less than a quid in Greece".....bloomin marvellous.
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Our own economy's egg-timer has also just about run out. We read the spin on "slight" downturns in retail sales in the press but there are those of us who see the real numbers.
As a result of my job I'm fairly drilled in to the trading activities of some of the biggest high street retailers and closely connected to and personal friends with many of their senior managers.
The reality is that something less than 20% of goods are currently being sold at full price. Stockholdings are at an all time high. Supply chains are devastated. Our domestic and european manufacturing bases are either gone or on their knees. China, ( the biggest consumer goods source by a country mile ) is in complete disarray and prices are going through the roof.
We ain't seen nothing yet. Mark my words.
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>> In all seriousness - I was wondering how much of the adult population actually care
>> about all the advertising fascism, the ZIL lanes, the security and the actual games. My
>> view may be skewed but the 100 people I've spoken to this week about lost
>> jobs, capped benefits, unjust tribunal decisions, very ill health, marriage breakdowns and the general crappiness
>> of real life actually really care or actively despise the billions spent on this event
Afraid your CAB work has given you copper syndrome. If you are going to spend your professional waking days sifting through the dustbin of life, life outside the dustbin must seem smelly. Its not.
>And in the name of all that is Holy a sovereign state making laws to kow tow and protect some >meglomaniacs right to use the word Olympic Games or 2012 !
And in what way has this disrupted your lifestyle and daily life? In what way has this impinged on anyones life, lifestyle and freedoms? Not one Jot. Those that moan about it had no intention of getting involved in any way.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 21 Jul 12 at 10:56
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You're probably right Zero. But costs quoted anything between 10 and 24 billion quid - it's an obscene amount of money to be spent at this moment, and really for what - Lord Coe has goes on and on about "Legacy" but what is the true legacy of this ? The Olympic gravy train is well and truly on the rails, I will watch and probably enjoy, especially if there are medal winners for the UK team.....but you have to consider....
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>> it's an obscene amount of money to be spent at this moment,
Its going to be cost neutral once all the economic sums are done.
And at what inconvenience? none really. Everyone moaning about the Zil lanes, funnily tho none of the chief moaners live in London. As for all the other do's and donts, they are not going to the games either so thats not a factor.
It all boils down to moaning carping and complaining just for the sake of it.
and really for
>> what
How about a bit of pride, prestige, feel good factor in hard times.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 21 Jul 12 at 15:00
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I've been far more interested in No 1 sprog's performance in the Cambridge town bumps this week than in our Olympic prospects. Result is her eight stays "head of the river" at the top of division 1. Can't raise her this morning, so she might have been celebrating...
www.cra-online.net/bumps/index.asp
Nearest I'll get to an Olympic medal :-) Forgive the parental hubris.
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No problem Manatee....how it should be !
Feel better now after listening to this...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnfKmNRfLYU
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>> Forgive the parental hubris.
Honest pride isn't hubris. Well done that nipper.
What position does she row Manatee? I did a couple of years of rowing at school to get out of having to play cricket which I hated (quite like it now though). I was No 7, just ahead of stroke. We weren't very good, third eight in a smallish school, but an eight running 'on the cam' (and I don't mean that river in Cambridge) feels wonderful, for about 30 strokes until you start to get knackered.
I'm appalled by all this miserablist carp about the Olympics, people doing their best to talk the games down. What point are they trying to make? The die is cast. Lie back and think of England, you frigid carphounds.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Sat 21 Jul 12 at 12:43
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>> What position does she row Manatee?
6 this week I think but it seems to depend on the crew. She's doesn't mind which side the blade is. I guess she must be in some reasonable level of training at the moment to be in the no 1 boat, though last time I spoke to her she told me she wasn't doing much rowing, at least in eights, this year. I know she's been doing some coaching for her old college boat club and some double sculls. Happy soul with a good attitude to work and enjoying life, my children have taught me quite a lot!
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Daughter was actually at 2, not as per the crew list. In the lead boat here -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRdsTe38rlo
with the shocking pink blades.
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Doesn`t seem much room to overtake!
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>>In all seriousness - I was wondering how much of the adult population actually care about all the advertising fascism, the ZIL lanes, the security and the actual games. My view may be skewed but the 100 people I've spoken to this week about lost jobs, capped benefits, unjust tribunal decisions, very ill health, marriage breakdowns and the general crappiness of real life actually really care or actively despise the billions spent on this event ?
And in the name of all that is Holy a sovereign state making laws to kow tow and protect some meglomaniacs right to use the word Olympic Games or 2012 !
I think we've lost it - big style. >>
Exactly.
Last edited by: Roger on Sat 21 Jul 12 at 12:36
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>> I think we've lost it - big style.
I think you're right. I'm in the miserablist camp.
I fail to see why a Georgian wrestler or Zambian runner needs to be conveyed in a Zil lane. Fair enough if their digs were a long distance and there was likely to be problems in them getting to their event on that event's particular day, but that's not the case is it.....but the trip from the airport or a sightseeing tour? Why can't they travel in the same conditions as the rest of us?
Maybe Silverstone should have some Zil lanes...or Twickenham...or Lords.
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Must say I'm a bit surprised Westpig. Aren't the Zil lanes a bit of a red herring? And isn't it a bit unreasonable, or at least curmudgeonly, to want athletes - even Georgian and Zambian athletes - to have to travel to the venues by bus or tube? They would be able to claim later that all the hassle and distraction had taken the edge off their performance, as it would especially if transport was overcrowded or delayed.
Perhaps you are joking. Canteen gallows humour. I have often said I'm not keen on sport; I don't like the government either (it's hard to remember one that I did like); G4S looks like a disastrous decision. But I hope nothing really bad happens and I don't want the world sneering at a great British cock-up. Call me old-fashioned by all means. I am, a bit.
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>> Must say I'm a bit surprised Westpig. Aren't the Zil lanes a bit of a
>> red herring? And isn't it a bit unreasonable, or at least curmudgeonly, to want athletes
>> - even Georgian and Zambian athletes - to have to travel to the venues by
>> bus or tube?
I'm glad this country is hosting the Games and fully expect it to be a roaring success. I think it will be good for the UK in many ways. I have nothing against folk from other countries and am glad some of them are coming here to soak up our way of doing things.
I'm not at all interested in the Olympics personally.
I see no reason why the Zil lanes should exist. If it was a pre-requisite for hosting the Games, then we should have declined to host them. This is not arranged for other sports, so why athletics etc? Could you imagine FIFA insisting on it so that Blatter could get about quicker?
Our capital city is congested enough without Zil lanes...and...it gives out the wrong message. If a team of athletes were likely to be late for a sporting venue and needed the assistance of police outriders to get there...then fair enough (it works well enough for the Royal family). In all other scenarios, they can wait in the queue, on their coaches/in their cars, just like everyone else.
I mentioned Georgia and Zambia, off the top of my head, because many people in those countries would be grateful for some transport..let alone whizzing along like a VIP (that they are not).
Heads of State/Governments and similar...no problem........anyone else, join the queue.
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>
>> Could you imagine FIFA insisting on it
>> so that Blatter could get about quicker?
Oh Yees.
Of all people Blatter will want it! Never be a World Cup in the UK tho, he fears he might get arrested.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 21 Jul 12 at 18:27
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>> Heads of State/Governments and similar...no problem........anyone else, join the queue.
Heh heh... I knew you were all right really.
Mind you, I would make the heads of state and government (apart from our own monarch of course) go by tube and give the Zil lane to the important people: the athletes.
:o}
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In Athens in 2004 they had special Olympic lanes. Funny thing was, the traffic seemed better during the Olympics than before and after. I wonder if the same will happen in London.
After all, we know that business as usual is to arrange all the traffic lights to screw things up as much as possible. If they are actually trying to improve traffic flow it might get better.
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You can blame the yanks for the Zil Lanes. They made such a screw up of the transport in Atlanta, that Olympic travel lanes for officials and competitors became a mandatory bid requirement. They are also to blame for the strict brand protection, because Atlanta was rife with heavy and intrusive ambush marketing.
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Well, whatever camp one finds oneself in, it really isn't worth worrying about from any rational point of view. The complainers aren't going to stop or change anything now and by and large the money is already spent or will be anyway.
Similarly, those who object to the complainers complaining might as well accept that there are those who hold such views and that they are unlikely to suddenly change them.
Such is the world on most subjects ultimately and at some point in their lives, the penny eventually drops with most people that it's really only worth fretting about that which you can change or influence as opposed to those things you can't.
I'm neither for nor against it all really. The whole thing is mildly diverting and I suppose, if pressed, I'd rather it was some other country's "opportunity" but in the end it isn't and we should, I suppose, try to make the best of it.
I'll be glad when it's over though. To be honest.
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"Witnessed lots of people in hi-vis vests stopping people loading and unloading outside my hotel. Even to the point where when the doorman hailed a taxi for some other guests, the taxi pulled in and was moved on by the day-glo squad".
Unless the Hi-viz brigade were police, what happens if a drivers tells them to go forth and multiply?
I think I would be very much inclined to do so.
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Matt:
"I thought I didn't care about the Games, but it's hard not to get swept up in the wave of cynicism"
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/matt/?cartoon=9416108&cc=9367668
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The Romans kept the mob from rioting by giving them braed and arranging circuses in the Arena,
We have benefits and the Olympics. (and the European Cup)
Not much changes in 2,000 years.
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.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 22 Jul 12 at 17:04
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What was that Zero? Didn't quite catch it.
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What the yanks are saying about the games
today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/48272240#48272240
today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/48275013#48275013
And of course some - sigh - gawd blimey guvner
today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 22 Jul 12 at 17:10
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Can't get anything intelligible from those links either. But it's probably just me.
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>> Can't get anything intelligible from those links either. But it's probably just me.
>>
+1
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>+1
Well thats not exactly useful in terms of finding out why is it.
A description of what happens might have been useful.
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I always believe it's useful to see ourselves as others see us. It was pretty cool. Promise to be positive from now on :-) - Well done to Bradley Wiggins as well - multi Olympic gold winning and now the Tour de France today - and Olympics next week. Bet his rings will hurt. Makes those loathsome footballers look like a bunch of Nancies..
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First time I clicked on 'allow' I got a small grey panel that was blank. Facebook was mentioned somewhere so I quickly sheered off.
Tried it again and found that if you give it time you get a sort of little NBC news item on rhyming slang. So it does work after all.
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Mine worked perfectly.....after a pause.
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>> A description of what happens might have been useful.
>>
A blank screen, except for a long box at the top which says something about sharing with friends on x, y and z.
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you need to wait it seems for stuff to load.
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A little more patience was required. It worked.
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Olympic Miscellany - Vol 3 - VxFan