Jumping Jehosophat

Hahahha on the boobie note.

My friend watched this and said it was amazing, apparently directed by the Crouching Tiger guy? I never liked the opening ceremonies of Olympic games, but maybe this is one to catch on repeat. I'm sure they'll repeat it, right? Also, another note: do you think America could do something this awesome? Probably not.

It was directed by Zhang Yimou, he directed Hero and House of Flying Daggers.

Ang Lee directed Crouching Tiger.

And NO WAY could America possibly do anything as awesome as that.

Not America.

We do nothing Awesome. Never have.

All we ever do is expose a breast and freak out!

But if only the Chinese didn't treat their women so bad-- it seemed like EVERY young woman in the country was hauled out last night.... And their love affair with the Sudanese, who cares about Darfur... Human Rights... Revoking Visa of Athletes... Threatening "real" journalist.... Shutting down the internet(s) for their jammy wearing friends...)

But they sure can make people fly....

Awesome!!!

I just hope they don't get swallowed up in the smog.

On a side note, was anyone else put off by Matt L and Bob C calling all the clothes the Athletes wore, COSTUMES?

If you're wearing your native clothes is it a costume?

Or if you're a dumb, unartistic American (for you katie) do you refer to anything other than normal "American" clothes as a "Costume"?

And while the definition MAY be understood as including your native dress, in common use it seemed out of place and insulting.

Oh, and how many other Countries have so many difference hues of their people?

Only a few.

And you can see the swath of colonization as (particularly) African nations walked in.

But save for a few, American has folks of all colors and backgrounds.

That gets me every time.

So while we are not as AWESOME as the Chinese at producing Opening Ceremonies, our colors say something wonderful about us.

Very impressive indeed. I especially loved the guys working those boxes that went up and down. We were sure they were computer controlled.

If a designer is hired to created clothing for a group of people, it is generally considered a costume. Not sure I would call the Ralph Lauren costumes our team wore "native garb"

The 50 ft. long LED screen was remarkable. A few years ago I sat next to a man when I was flying back from a business trip. He was a developer who was working on that technology. He told me that not only would televisions in a few years look more like a movie screen, but we'd be able to "wallpaper" an entire wall or room with images.

Politics aside, the opening ceremony was beautiful.

Geez, prof, who pooped in your Ovaltine.

Speaking of boobs, Matt Lauer's never struck me as terribly bright, prof.

Jerseygurl, that you found the opening ceremony "beautiful" probably is no real surprise. But what it most reminded me of is a production number in a low-funded Bollywood musical. So many people ambling around the stadium for no real purpose. (Hey there, it's Upper Volta! And there's the Caymans team, yahoo!) So much noise (hey there, it's Sarah Brightman desperate for a paycheck!). Such lousy architecture for the host stadium. Where's Cirque du Soleil when we really need them? Or even your average Kenny Chesney concert? I know NBC has to tout this stuff mercilessly in order to justify its own expenditures, but really, a lot less would have been quite more enough.

Worst of all, it delayed Jay Leno by an hour. And wasn't even "live" when it was on.

Prof, we were surprised by the "costume" thing too. I miss Jim McKay. That's something I don't see him doing.

We thought Cameroon had the best "costumes".

And you're so right about the many shapes and shades of America. The parade of nations is just so cool and, as you say, reveals so much about the history of each country. Our kids were amazed at just how many different kinds of people there are in the world and all the cool things they wear. But to see how many of those peoples are represented in America makes one very proud. America is AWESOME!

Cathar, since most opening ceremonies pretty much feature a variation on the same theme, are there any (within the past 50 years) that you have found to be inspiring or at least beautifully executed? If not, why bother watching.

I don't know poupon, prof sounds like Mr. Happy compared with cathar.

cathat, I'm guessing you're not a big fan of the Olympics? Or is it just the pomp and circumstance of the opening and closing?

I've watched just about every Olympics since '76, and even been to a couple, but this was by far the most impressive to me as far as the ceremonies go. At $100 million I guess it should be.

sorry, cathat=cathar

Nice picture in the Times katie!!!!

cathar,

So right with "low-funded Bollywood musical".

Mr. pou,

Here's where I call you out for being corny and biting off my sh*t: that I use an abreviation of your amazingly funny handle here- pou, has you then going with all your poop jokes.

N**** Please.........

You continue to be unfunny, humorless and childish. I can take childish, it's the unfunny, humorless part I hate.

State Street ("that great street...in the town that Billy Sunday couldn't shut down"), no, I'm not a big Olympics fan. And if the cost of all this hoopla was $100 million or even more, I'm just reminded of how well that expense might have fed those millions upon millions of Chinese Chairman Mao once purposely let starve to death as an "inevitable" side effect of his revolution.

Jerseygurl, no opening Olympic ceremonies I've ever seen footage of impresses me. It is all overblown and overkill. From the 1936 Berlin version on down. And I do mean "on down" given how the GNP of the Sudan has probably been exceeded threefold by the cost of this Beijing Olympiad.

As I noted too, to see the teams of places like the UAE and Gabon marching in all their probably medal-less glory is no great thrill. Perhaps it is for you, but I have the NFL and some pennant races to watch!

SSP,

Unfortunately, Mr. Grey or Pou, or doyou, whatever, is as stated above, a little too gruff, tasteless and humorless for me.

I'll happily take cathar ANYDAY.

At least I smile and laugh when he calls me a fool.

Whereas, doyou or Mr. Pou or whatever you want to call it, and a few others just light into typical, playground laced insults..... BORING...

(To this end, I try to write what I would say to your face. I believe cathar would too. However, some posters have their anonymity-muscles out.)

Kudos , Baristanet, on Sunday Times article.

I think you all are taking each other too seriously! I spent 8 hrs. last night trying to get back from Baltimore...Soo, I'm going out on this beautiful Sat. and play around Baristaville!

Ah, the Chairman Mao reference... the red scare is long over you shriveled corpse. Please focus, it's August 9th, 2008, George W. Bush is in the White House and he just killed hundreds of thousands of brown people on the other side of the planet. Can we get him a list current atrocities and highlight ones caused by his leader.

One has to realize, Prof. Williams and Cathar are old, jealous, and marginalized and a remarkable performance such as the Olympic opening night makes them feel meaningless, unneeded, and fading into the mist,,,

Yeah, really. I'm normally not a fan of Olympic "spectacle" either (as opposed to the Games themselves), but this one redefined the proper usage of "awesome."

Some will cavil at China spending whatever they spent on this affair, even as we build unnecessary new stadia all over the country, including one right here down the road on Rt. 3, heavily funded by generous tax breaks. Think of all the starving Americans that money could have fed.

Apparently our ever-observant prof missed the part about China's 49 different ethnic groups. Maybe they weren't shipped over from different continents as slaves & pressed labor, so maybe they don't look as diverse as we Americans do to the superficial mind. One sees what one wants to see.

Hey that's not a real blog, there's no place for comments on it!

I liked Warren's observations about the wind. The TV commentators missed that point in their endless prattle about the heat.

I appreciate how American companies are selling out. A stunning example is how Pepsi is "Going Red!". That's right, Pepsi has changed it blue can to red in honor of the 2008 Chinese Olympics. Pepsi is claims it is "Behind Team China". I appears greed has no ideology.

padre: old, jealous, and marginalized?

But if it means being grouped with the HNIC cathar, I'll take it. Because I love his writing and think he's probably a charming fellow.

You however, I have no problem only knowing via your banal posts.

And crank,

I was commenting on the hues, colors and backgrounds of Americans.

I didn't say anything about ethnic groups. Many countries have multiple ethnic groups, yet the folks have the same color and hue.

Besides, if you're gonna get puffy at least get your facts straight-- according to the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco there are 56 ethnic groups in China.

Do you believe everything Matt Lauer and Bob Costa's tell you?

I should add: There's only one race, though--------

THE HUMAN RACE!!!!

Go America!!!

In Costas I Trust.

Seriously, I expect that the other 7 are the ones that the Chinese gov't wants us all to forget about. Good catch prof.

SSP - I was stunned when it showed that those boxes were operated by humans! Also those perfect circles! Fantastic!

I love the Chinese and their culture and looked forward to this opening. No disappointments at all and even some stunning unexpected twists -- like that torch lightning.

What a tough act to follow ---for the next country, who must have groaned --- and then went straight to their drawing board.

Little dopey lasered one, the "red scare" is not over. Communism continues to oppresse the populations of, for openers, both Cuba and Tibet.

Nor, laserlumpenprole, do I think Iraqis (who did not die in the "hundreds of thousands" at the hands of the US, they were slaughtered by their very own co-religionists, such is the sweeping course of jihad) qualify as "brown people."

And if Pepsi is "going red," mikeypal, then I'll just have to stick to ginger ale. And you to whatever emetic you swill on a thrice-daily basis.

padre, haven't you bled to death yet? It's taking much longer than I expected. Someone who chooses as his posting name the agnomen of a fake stigmatic, suffice to say that truly smacks of self-marginalization. And of so many varieties of impotence.

hey laserdouche

Communism killed approx 172 million, compared to all of pre 20th century's 133. And that's not counting combatents.

And you'd be first on the barricades for old Joe.
learn from history? oops my mistake

http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/FREEMAN.INTERVIEW.HTM

Prod, you said that you's happoly take cathar.

Will you please take him a leave hime somewhere.

The choice of where you leave him is yours, but I'd suggest a revival meeting that is selectively discriminatory so that he'll feel most at home and not wander back!

Sic Transit cathar Mundi!

I still like the torch lighting in Barcelona with the flaming arrow. I know, he missed but still great theater.

It would appear that twice as many Iraqis were kill by American forces than Iraqi civilians. Cathar, either you are assuming too much or purposely distorting the facts. Your narrative is false.

theproblem, you are the problem. American has continually wage war since the revolution from the Philippines, South East Asia, Central and South America. You might find that the number of people killed by American actions is substantial. I believe your assertion that 172 million people were killed by "communism" is massive distortion. Did you even read that web page you linked to?
"During this century's wars, there were some 38 million battle deaths, but almost four times more people--at least 170 million--were killed by governments for ethnic, racial, tribal, religious, or political reasons."

Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony Toys

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4392948685183137676&ei=Xh6fSL3JC6euqQLJmZm7AQ&q=olympics+opening+ceremony&vt=lf&hl=en

hey laserdouche,

Read? Read? do you even know how?

First there's the fabrication....
"Soviet Communists top the list, having killed almost 62 million of their own people and foreign subjects"

followed by the ever anathema to your weltanshaung ...

"All told, I estimate communist regimes murdered more than 110 million people."

let's see 62 plus 110 equals
hmm, hmm 172! Amazing isn't it.

Cather's eloquence is correct, you are a useful idiot moron.

Mikey, others above are pointing out your considerable stupidity. I will just observe that your frequent apologies for totalitarian oppression here are very unsettling.

I also linked to no web page. I almost never do. So you've also got to learn to read (and pretty darn quick!), young lasercomrade.

Estimates of how many Chairman Mao purposely let starve, however, range UPWARDS from "just" 30 million. Stalin during the show trials executed 2 million or so, jugged another 7-8 million over the years into the gulag camps, let another 10 million or so Ukrainians starve to death during the 30's, et al. A great, inmpressive record, no? Any one of these totals is far, far more than the total of all American casualties during the wars we've fought.

Even the number of Soviet military executions for "cowardice" (but never for rape, mikeyswine, leaving those estimated 2-3 million or so German and Eastern European violated women at the end of WWII unavenged), the officially acknowledged executions as opposed to those soldiers shot in the back by their officers, approaches a million. (By contrast, all we had was Private Slovik, and since he was played by Martin Sheen that was probably no real loss.) My source for this one is the estimable Professor John Erickson, in both "The Soviet Army" and his two classic volumes, "The Road to Berlin" and "The Road to Stalingrad." And also Max Hastings' and Anthony Beevor's recent fine books on the last days of the war in the European theater.

Stuff all these points into your very tiny cranial cavity, mikey, and let them simmer there. I realize your brain is always clouded by rage, but then there is also very little brain to becloud at any time.

My compliments, as well, to "theproblem" for his/her's use of "useful idiots" above. I did note the reference. Very well done, sir or madam.

(But do we really think that even Himmler or Beria could find some use for mikey? Nah, we don't. Maybe Franco on a very bad equivalent to those slow news days here on Baristanet, but really, who else?)

I somehow missed the opening ceremony. I guess I'm not too plugged into TV these days.

But Cathar's description of it was priceless, especially:
(Hey there, it's Upper Volta! And there's the Caymans team, yahoo!) So much noise (hey there, it's Sarah Brightman desperate for a paycheck!)... Where's Cirque du Soleil when we really need them? Or even your average Kenny Chesney concert?

That last line literally made me laugh out loud.

On a completely different note,
Crap. Isaac Hayes is dead.

Dear Stupid,

"During this century's wars, there were some 38 million battle deaths, but almost four times more people--at least 170 million--were killed by governments for ethnic, racial, tribal, religious, or political reasons. I call this phenomenon democide, and it means that authoritarian and totalitarian governments are more deadly than war.

Many people are aware that some 60 million people died during World War II. What's much less well known is that only about 16 million of the World War II deaths involved combatants. [Most of the remaining dead were killed in cold blood by one government or another. The Soviet Union alone murdered about 10 million of its citizens during the war.]

... read you link again....

Dear Stupid,

"During this century's wars, there were some 38 million battle deaths, but almost four times more people--at least 170 million--were killed by governments for ethnic, racial, tribal, religious, or political reasons. I call this phenomenon democide, and it means that authoritarian and totalitarian governments are more deadly than war.

Many people are aware that some 60 million people died during World War II. What's much less well known is that only about 16 million of the World War II deaths involved combatants. [Most of the remaining dead were killed in cold blood by one government or another. The Soviet Union alone murdered about 10 million of its citizens during the war.]

... read your link again....

> Communism killed approx 172 million,

No it didn't.

Mikey, first really learn to read. Then go read "The Great Terror" by Robert Conquest.

What characterizes your smallness, laserloon, is not your stature. But your essential small-mindedness and your core minginess towards all things. You're truly, and appallingly, pitiful. You are the rotten in spirit, and the Beatitudes foresee no place for you in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Getting back to the topic at hand, now the reports of fakery at the Beijing opening ceremonies are trickling out, such as the lip-syncing singer, or the phony fireworks.

And we're still kicking their butts in the medal count.