Let the Games Begin! Pt. II

Here's one of those Olympic athletes who are lesser known, but far more interesting than some of the big names; Melanie Roach, an ex-gymnast who took up weightlifting to rehab from an injury. She qualified for the 2000 Olympics but ripped up her back shortly before going to Athens, and retired from the sport. So she went out and started both a family and a business. After several years she had back surgery so she could try again, and managed to make this year's team at the apparently old-weightlifter age of 33. Melanie is a definite multitasker. Her three kids are all under six years old, and one is autistic. Her Olympic blog talks about a visit to the Great Wall, and with some kids from a special needs orphanage in China.

She's fun to watch because---well, she looks like a gymnast who just happens to be lifting weights. The first big clue of her background is her smile. This picture isn't staged, it's from a competition. She does that every time she lifts, as opposed to other women who make faces more appropriate to hoisting one's body weight above one's head. You can see her fighting hard after a lift not to do the little gymnast pose.

BTW, she didn't win any medals, but she did make all six of her attempted lifts, and set a new American record. She seems quite happy about her Olympic experience.

Ladies and Gentlemen...

Please cover your ears for our national anthem. Any time a singer has to promise "I'll make it up to you", you know you're in for a bad ride.











If you want patriotism, stick with Cheryl's blog. I only publish the a**hole stuff.

I feel better about Izzy

As a native of the area (Decatur) I can still remember the crushing blow that was dealt to us by the unveiling of the mascot Whatizit (unaffectionately known as "Izzy") before the '96 Olympic games. The world no longer saw us as Southern-fried hayseeds, they saw us as moonshine-addled crackheads. If you need to refresh your memory, or mercifully didn't see it in the first place, here "it" is. But I wouldn't click on that link unless you are mentally able to deal with another look at the little blue sperm.

Now the Brits have outdone us! Their new Olympic logo (I'm putting in all these links so I'm not struck down by the Olympic mafia, plus, you gotta see the various color presentations) is....well, unusual. A post on the BBC's Sports Editors blog summed it up: "I have vomited better logos". Other witticisms from the posters: "reminds me of a bad migraine attack", " a prehistoric earth...land mass", and "a drunk sitting on a toilet, sticking his finger down his throat". And those with dirty minds see...uh, never mind. The overall effect is very '80's, prompting the comment "I keep expecting Simon Le Bon to jump out of it." One pronounced it "codswollop". I think that translates into American as "bullsh*t."

In the spirit of the 21st century, the Olympic organizers have designed an animated version for digital platforms. One concerned poster hoped it wouldn't trigger epileptics to have seizures. Those Limeys are nice people, underneath their bad teeth and all.

UPDATE: oh, you just knew that the outcry would prompt Patriotic U.K. 'ers to design their own logos. Good thing there is a morning radio show to help them rectify the assault on their nation's honour.