Friday, February 14, 2014

Freestyle Skiing At Its Best From Russia's Fifty Billion Dollar Winter Olympic Games...

These gold medal images of some of the best skiers in the world show the years of dedication they've put into their sport. Look at the grace, the style, the choreographed artistry that's gone into their delicate and yet freestyle manoeuvres that they carry out at great speed.
These are just some of the world's greatest sportsmen and women who are taking part in Russia's obscenely expensive winter olympics
at Sochi.
Fifty billion dollars could feed a lot of people...
















9 comments:

  1. All I could think of when I saw the first picture on your blog was. . "OUCH!!!"

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  2. Take a look at this Youtube video of some of the falls with a bit of Star Wars mixed in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mKVJeA-wTw&feature=youtu.be Would be a much more interesting sport... :-)

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  3. No (serious) offence meant, but really, Keith. You seem to be occasionally fascinated by the fashion industry and it's pageantry. How is that so much different than competitive sports?

    I was once told by an active auto-cross driver that "If you aren't knocking down cones, you haven't reached your full potential as a driver". As much as professional sports (and collegiate-level competition as well) are money-making franchises, at least the Olympic competitors are amateurs, even though the host country and the team sponsors are making bank.

    Would I cross the street to watch such displays? No, the Olympic track trials have been hosted at Hayward Field, just 60 miles away, and I don't bother to go. Making fun of Olympic bloopers in a blog post may fill an otherwise dull day, but using it as a guilt trip against hunger seems a bit cheap...

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    1. Dear Mr Snarkey.
      Forgive me and I'll never do it again.
      Seriously though, these are some of the world's best skiers. None were named or shamed and their dance routines are fun to see. Apart from participating in the event they had virtually nothing to do with Russia spending the obscene amount of 50b on the games.
      And I'm against people like Putin spending money in this manner when his own people are crying out for a better life and in particular the people of Sochi have all but had their way of life destroyed...

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  4. PRESIDENT PUKEN 50 billion shame.

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  5. Looks like lots of the Agony of Defeat there. These sorts of incidents are to be expected in the lives of top athletes. It can't all be gold medal performances.

    I think the Olympics are a positive phenom - almost the only positive thing the world gets together and does every so often. I don't want anything bad to happen to them. Far greater sums are spent on much worse things, and canceling them would not feed the hungry - not most of them anyway, and not for long.

    Putin is another story. He's a clever nationalist ruler and Russia is doing pretty well economically under him. But he's a villain for sure. Here specifically is what I have against him:

    http://spectrumhr.org/?p=1615

    Also, if you're Russian, being a prominent Putin critic is apparently hazardous to your health. Just ask Anna Politkovskaya.

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    1. I too Kevin think the Olympics are one of a few positive things many countries of the world can participate in. I'm not advocating their cancellation but unfortunately the spectacle of the games overshadows the event. It's well known that hosting the olympics have crippled the economies of those hose country's for some time and these olympics at Sochi are the most expensive ever. Certain parts of Russia may well be benefiting from Putin's economic policies but it is only the people with money already. Not the majority who are poor. And while 50b may not feed the world's poor, it could feed a lot of hungry people.
      And there are a lot of hungry people...

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  6. Here! Here! Keith. You are so right. Also, the Olympics are great for the athletes and those who wish to achieve their own level of greatness. Your blog is much too enjoyable and entertaining for any fussing and fighting my friend, so cool it folks. After all, it's Valentine's day (U.S.), (Now, Now, don't start on that subject! Ha!) and LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Michele but differences of opinion are good and robust debate is healthy.
      So is love...

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