Olympics 20:12

[mr B]

back to the borring world news , i see a mad gun man on the loose at AM university in Texas , hope Richards o.k.


mr B

[richard]

A&M are in College Station - about 200 miles away. This weekend I was actually just north of Broken Bow in Oklahoma. Hiking. Managed to find a skink, a tiny snake and a spiny lizard - although I've forgotten the names of the first two and couldn't positively identify the spiny. Also graptolites - the first I've found outside of north Wales.

Much of the route back this morning we followed a railroad line but no traffic - despite passing a huge paper mill with a yard full of boxcars. (the Broken Bow area is forest)

[manna]

G'Day Gents

The name alone makes it sound delightful, doesn't compare to British names like Pudsey or Wapping

manna

[richard]

Oh there were also lots of stick insects - we're wondering if they're invasive or due to a mild winter.

I find it is the Native American/Indian names that sound the most interesting. Otherwise they're quite boring - eg. the TX-OK border is marked by the "Red River". So after English descriptions, Spanish descriptions (Colorado, Sierra Nevada, etc), and Indian names (Mississippi, Ouichita, Ozarks, Tehachapi,etc) , the rest are all people's names (Houston, Austin, even San Antonio).

UK names add a veneer of age that corrupts words - there are more names like "York" than "Newcastle"!

[manna]

G'Day Gents

I suppose you grow up with names of towns and they become boring, we have a lot of Aboriginal names, they all mean something, 'Booborowie' means Round waterhole, there are quite a few small towns round here that end in 'owie' so lots of waterholes, in there case a matter of life or death.

manna

[Blink Bonny]

G'day indeed!

Interesting factoid indeed, Manna. Thanks for sharing.

[giner]

Indian names are indeed fascinating, especially personal names. We see names like John Running Rabbit, Marie Brokenfingers, James Yellow Bird, etc. Ironically, and this is not some kind of joke, we had a report in the local paper some time ago of a Michael Standing In The Road being run over and killed while walking home one night on an unlit country highway.

Some Alberta place names: Wetaskiwin, Okotoks, Seven Persons, Medicine Hat, Tiger Lily, Red Earth Creek, Red Deer, Manyberries.

[2002EarlMarischal]

I am genuinely in awe of the Paralympic athletes. They put many of us to shame with what they achieve.

So why do they deserve such an irrelevant, tedious opening ceremony devoid of big name entertainers who could have generated a party atmosphere. Rather than treating them as equals, they have been made to look even more different by a bizarre spectacle.

[mr B]

loved the opening ceromony, its just a shame that "hoo i've hurt my leg" brigade compeete those that are born genuine - and beat them

mr B

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

On the flip side to this you have Oscar Pistorius (aka Blad Runner). Not only a Paralympian but also now an Olympian. Now THAT IS an achievement.

[Horsetan]

...On the flip side to this you have Oscar Pistorius (aka Blad Runner). Not only a Paralympian but also now an Olympian. Now THAT IS an achievement.

Also a bit of a sore loser, it would seem.

Whingeing that your rival's blades gave him an unfair advantage tends to make your own argument that your own blades confer no advantage (against able-bodied runners) a little bit suspect.

As Jimmy Carr might say on The Last Leg, that could be shooting yourself in the foot....if you had one.

[richard]

Yes, I'm not sure how he's allowed to compete in both competitions - seems like he's trying to have his cake and eat it.

[Horsetan]

Once you examine the mechanics of what these blades are meant to do, does Pistorius have a leg to stand on?

[2002EarlMarischal]

Once you examine the mechanics of what these blades are meant to do, does Pistorius have a leg to stand on?

Interesting thought, but running with blades is no mean feet.

[Bryan]

Yes, I'm not sure how he's allowed to compete in both competitions - seems like he's trying to have his cake and eat it.

He wasn't the first.
I think a girl in the archery beat him to that point.