Fire Extinguisher Let Off Near Olympic Torch

[ersatz all folks]

Well the Beijing marathon event should be interesting.

[biggytitbo]

Fans of Nazi imagery (not me obviously) must be having a field day this week. First we have stormtroopers recreating Nuremberg in Finsbury Park, then we have Gordon Brown unveiling a swastika as his new logo, now we have some minor celebs and the security might of two nations recreating of the work of Leni Reifenstahl in London. Brilliant. Isn't there something a bit dodgy about foreign police marching around the streets of London? What happens if they injure or kill someone? Also, I wonder why these protests are getting such blanket coverage? I'm not getting suspicious or anything but the 'pro Tibet' protesters that disrupted the Olympic flame ceremony in Greece a few weeks ago turned out to be working for American intelligence! I guess they love human rights too?

[Hank_Kingsley]

An ancestor of our dear Hank Kingsley?

Say what?

[Uncle TechTip]

Foreign police? Where?

The sinister blue-tracksuited 'flame attendants'? They didn't push anyone over.

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Heh, I didn't realise that the first time one of these torch relays was done was in 1936, possibly dreamed up by Joseph Goebbels himself. What an edifying spectacle for London, an event conceived by fascists in honour of a police state.

Makes you proud, doesn't it?

[drberbatov]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7330949.stm

I read that this morning George

[Uncle TechTip]

Parisians didn't let us down: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7334545.stm

[terminallyrelaxed]

Foreign police? Where?

The sinister blue-tracksuited 'flame attendants'? They didn't push anyone over.

No, but they're handy-looking chaps that aren't there to spread goodwill. They are also "members of the chinese security forces" according to The Gonad so basically we've escorted twenty Chinese Secret Police around the streets London, which isn't on. I'm surprised Gordon didn't just bend over when they got to Downing Street.

[terminallyrelaxed]

I like the typo on their arms advertising Beijing 208.

[Blumf]

The one on the left there looks confused, probably thinking "Where are the tanks? Shouldn't they have tanks to run over these protesters?"

Anyhow, didn't any whores here go down and protest, I though we had a few semi-pro protesters here, or are they all banged up in jail?

[biggytitbo]

The 1936 Nazi games where in many ways the first proper modern olympics. They invented the torch thing, and first popularized the 5 interlocking rings. I think New Lab just appreciate the olympic heritage

Is that Fatima Whitbred I can see in the crowd? -


Oops sorry, wrong photo.

[Bingo Fury]

Say what?

Oh, you know. General Haynau. Forever associated with Field Marshal Noflippin and Lieutenant Colonel Shutthefuckupphil.

[Still Not George]

Parisians didn't let us down: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7334545.stm

Was just about to post that. Bloody French, always one-upping us...

[Hank_Kingsley]

Oh, you know. General Haynau. Forever associated with Field Marshal Noflippin and Lieutenant Colonel Shutthefuckupphil.

I getcha. My brain isn't working today...

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Extinguished? So that's it then? No Olympics? Better luck next time Beijing, but you don't go home empty handed, you get to keep the white elephant stadium and the arenas for bizarre, incomprehensible sports that you don't play in your country (handball, baseball). Join us in four years time when London will be attempting to carry the torch around the world...byyyeeeeeee.

[Uncle TechTip]

20 cities to go? I say Anonymous sacks off the Sci protest for this year and instead concentrate fully on hassling the Olympic torch as it continues on its little holiday. Who knows, they might get real change in China? I'm serious! OK then.

[sirhenry]

Police were forced at least three times to put out the torch and carried it onto a bus

The flame itself has been kept alight the whole time in a safety lantern.

So how does that work then?

[Pseudopath]

So how does that work then?

They have a closed propane lantern which they use to transport the flame around the world (as you can't really carry a lit torch onto an aeroplane). Even if someone had wrestled the torch from Paula Radcliffe and hoyed it into the Thames, they'd just get another fancy metal torch and light it from this lantern. I assume the actual lantern is kept on the bus or other motorcade vehicle for security.

Here you go...http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7327079.stm

The torch itself has been produced to withstand winds of up to 65 kilometres per hour and to stay alight in rain up to 50mm an hour. But should it go out, it is lit from one of the lanterns.

This was needed in 2004 when the flame went out in the Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens at the start of the torch relay.

It also went out in 1976 after the Montreal Olympics had started and an official mistakenly relit it using a cigarette lighter. That was doused and it was relit again using the special lantern flame.

Chortle!

[Suttonpubcrawl]

I think they should have a special Olympic clipper lighter to relight it with. Imagine if someone had the wheel from it though...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ox4MiAN3xU

[Pinball]

This Olympics is descending into chaotic farce. I love it! Secret policemen in blue tracksuits, protecting a symbol of... what exactly? If it ever meant anything, it doesn't now. After London, I'd like to choose North Korea for the Olympics. Smiley faces, that's all I want to see. No bad news.

How will the Chinese totalitarian regime deal with thousands of journalists reporting on their every commie nuance? Oh, this will be good! It's certainly a turning point in Chinese history, but which way will it turn?

[Steve Thompson Dance Mix]

I realise Tibet is a different issue totally but I'm wondering if there'll be many countries, especially in the western world that can claim to have moral high ground when hosting the Olympics in the near future.

[Baxter]

For anyone who hasn't seen the official press release here:
http://torchrelay.beijing2008.cn/en/news/headlines/n214296388.shtml

It's slightly scary what with the great firewall of china blocking other viewpoints:

Although it was cold in London, with the temperature at zero degrees Celsius, more than one thousand Londoners from all walks of life participated in the launching ceremony of the London leg of the Torch Relay. London artists gave brilliant performances amid snow; passionate crowds lined the relay route.

Local people in London strongly opposed the attempt to sabotage the Torch Relay. And the behavior of "pro-Tibet independence" activists has aroused resentment and received condemnation in London.

We believe that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay will receive the support of peace-loving people around the world and be a great success!

Asia is rising against me.
I haven't got a chinaman's chance.

[CaledonianGonzo]

San Francisco steps up:



Hopefully the domino effect will continue, though I suspect the good people of Buenos Aires have enough worries on their own doorstep to care too much about Tibet.  I may be proved wrong, though..

[Famous Mortimer]

I cheered while reading the Metro this morning that the Mayor of Paris put up pro-Tibet signs on Paris's city hall, so the Chinese delegation refused to go there. Good on you Mayor!

[Little Hoover]

At the silver mt zion gig yesterday, they dedicated a song to everyone who went after the torch, I instantly wished there was some way I could write the tag - Efrim Menuck mentions Konnie Huq.

[Lady Beaner]

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1312402,00.html

A Tibetan-American, Tenzin Jigme, 26, said: "We were at the waterfront for seven hours and we haven't even seen the torch. It's like someone has crushed our freedom."

CRUSHED OUR FREEDOMMMMMM! Fuck sake.

[its not cool to be weird]

Really scary that. When there are grown adults marching a bloody flame around the world, with a police escort, and a bunch of shady thugs (what a fucking disgrace, if they touched any British citizens there should be consequences) and a pathetic lantern light it if it goes out. Its just tragic. You'd think they might realise that if so many people want to put the fucker out it might not stand for all its mean to anyway.

I wonder how much of this is really China though, as opposed to the IOC. When you sign up to the Olympic farce you commit to doing this expensive run (as well as building a lot of otherwise useless buildings, and evicting people to create parking spaces for the athletes limos etc). There was a news story just the other day about some ridiculous 'aqua sports' centre, a tedious design supposedly the 'centrepiece' of the London Olympic complex, rising from its initial cost (around 70m) to around 300m! In what way is that even remotely justified. The BBC reported the story but it sounded more like an Olympics plug than an investigation into corruption, which is what this all is, a massive scam at the taxpayer's expense.

[biggytitbo]

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1312402,00.html

CRUSHED OUR FREEDOMMMMMM! Fuck sake.

I'm sure that was his actual quote!

[Marv Orange]

Tibetan-American FUCK YEAH!
Coming again, to save the mother fucking day yeah,

[George Oscar Bluth II]

How the fuck do a couple of swimming pools, some changing rooms and a couple of grandstands cost £300m? Are they making it out of gold or something?