Kathleen in VA Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 It would have been the first "Summer Games" post 9/11/01, but there were "Winter Games" in Salt Lake City in 2002. Bill Oh, yes, I remember now. Very brave folks in Utah.:D My daughter read my previous post and said, "Mom, you don't even like going out of the house, let alone the Olympics." She's got me pegged.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 There's a huge section about the summer games in L.A. in my high school senior year book. Personally, I avoided L.A. during all that. I'm far enough south of Chicago that I doubt the games would have affected me here, but I can imagine the chaos it would have caused! On the flip side, maybe all the traffic could have paid off the toll roads! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison_B Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 I actually worked on the Olympics, and edited the videos shown on the big screens during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. It was a pretty heady experience for a young 26 year-old who was just at the beginning of his professional career. Bill I was at the closing ceremony in Los Angeles - you did a wonderful job! I was lucky to get tickets to the volleyball venue and track & field. My favorite activity was the pin trading - still have my pins! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 I actually worked on the Olympics, and edited the videos shown on the big screens during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. It was a pretty heady experience for a young 26 year-old who was just at the beginning of his professional career. What a COOL experience! The LA Games were truly a highlight of my youth. I was old enough to be home alone that summer, but too young to have a job, so I watched 100% of the coverage (Ahhhh...those were the pre-cable station days....didn't have to choose between what to watch on 5 different Olympics-dedicated stations.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 What a COOL experience! The LA Games were truly a highlight of my youth. I was old enough to be home alone that summer, but too young to have a job, so I watched 100% of the coverage (Ahhhh...those were the pre-cable station days....didn't have to choose between what to watch on 5 different Olympics-dedicated stations.) I don't currently have cable, but I understand!! lol Now, I can't imagine a world without hulu or surfthechannel etc Imagine choosing what we will view, when we want to view it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 I was hoping Chicago would win the bid and perhaps finally shed the persistant Al Capone image (Chicago bang-bang). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 I was hoping Chicago would win the bid and perhaps finally shed the persistant Al Capone image (Chicago bang-bang). Which reminds me: In the heat of a summer night In the land of the dollar bill When the town of Chicago died And they talk about it still When a man named Al Capone Tried to make that town his own And he called his gang to war With the forces of the law I heard my mama cry I heard her pray the night Chicago died Brother what a night it really was Brother what a fight it really was Glory be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in NH Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 Which reminds me: In the heat of a summer night In the land of the dollar bill When the town of Chicago died And they talk about it still When a man named Al Capone Tried to make that town his own And he called his gang to war With the forces of the law I heard my mama cry I heard her pray the night Chicago died Brother what a night it really was Brother what a fight it really was Glory be Totally off topic...but I love that song! That is the song (sung by Paper Lace) that I would want to listen to, if I was stuck on a desert island and could only choose one song...stupid, but peppy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 (edited) Thank You, Mr. President by Joe Scarborough Count me as one conservative who is disappointed that President Obama's hometown will not be hosting the 2016 Olympic Games. Chicago is a beautiful city that would have made a perfect backdrop for the Olympics. The President was right to fly to Copenhagen to try to land the games, not for the sake of his city, but for the good of his country. The fact President Obama failed makes me respect him more for taking the chance, and the fact many right-wing figures opposed the President's mission shows just how narrow-minded partisanship makes us all. For the better part of 20 years, a bitterness has infected our politics that has weakened our country. We Republicans spent eight years trying to delegitimize Bill Clinton. Democrats spent the next eight years doing the same to George W. Bush. Now that a Democrat is in the Oval Office again, it is the GOP who is trying to delegitimize a sitting president. When I try to talk to Republicans about the need to break this cycle of viciousness, some cite the chapter and verse of every hateful left wing attack against George W. Bush. Whenever I attempt to have a conversation with some Democrats about the need for us respect our president-- whether he be an Obama or a Bush-- I am told that Bush deserved whatever he got because he was a lying war criminal who hated the Constitution and loved torturing people. Fortunately, there are a growing number of Americans who believe we cannot continue going on this way. You and I may disagree on how the CIA handled terror suspects. But that does not mean that you are soft on terrorism anymore than it means that I hate the Constitution. You and I may have a different approach to Afghanistan. But just because you want to stay there another five years doesn't mean you are an imperialist. And if I believe a decade in that forsaken land is more than enough, that doesn't mean I'm soft on al Qaeda or the Taliban. It just means that we view the world differently. That creative tension--that intense give and take--has been what has kept America strong since Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton fought like hell in George Washington's White House. Hamilton wanted a strong centralized government while Jefferson believed that the government that governed least governed best. Both men were frustrated by the checks and balances that stood in the way of their agendas, but that debate shaped America for years to come. But something has gone terribly wrong. Today on Morning Joe, NBC News Legend Tom Brokaw remarked to Pat Buchanan about how the level of partisanship is even more intense today than during the depths of the Watergate crisis. Brokaw was commenting on Congressman Grayson's comments, but he could have easily been talking about Joe Wilson or death panels or the bizarre claim that the President "hates all white people." Some of the rhetoric is dangerous. But what we saw from some conservative corners regarding the President's failed Olympics bid was just plain stupid. I'm happy for Rio and think it is past time that South America got a chance to host the Olympic Games. But put me down as one conservative who is glad my president flew across the ocean to try to bring the 2016 Games to America. Nice try, President Obama. And thanks for taking time away from your young girls for the sake of your hometown and your country, Michelle. I know that's never an easy thing to do. I found this on his blog post on Huffington Post. Edited October 3, 2009 by priscilla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMary2 Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 I have nothing against the U.S. or Chicago getting the Olympics, but this particular one would have been fraught with fraud and cronyism. President Obama was an embarassment with his pitch. As usual his narcissism was showing. I personally wish he would be quiet. His self obsession and ego are just as bad as all the Bushisms. He has made more speeches than he has days in office. Someone tell him the campaign is over. PLEASE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inactive Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 Both LA and Atlanta had numerous corporate sponors who footed the bill for large stadiums and other venues. Which corporations should we have looked to for the needed investments? If they'd accepted TARP or other government funding, how could they justify spending millions on Olympic venues? No the tax payers of Chicago and the USA would have been left footing the larger part of the bill. I guess we could call it another "stimulus", but I would rather just pass this time. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpupg Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 Haven't looked through all the posts, but I have a feeling it has less to do with the fact that it was Chicago, than the fact that so many of the recent games have been in North America since 1960: 1960 Winter: Squaw Valley, CA 1968 Summer: Mexico City 1976 Summer: Montreal 1980 Winter: Lake Placid, NY 1984 Summer: Los Angeles 1988 Winter: Calgary, AB 1996 Summer: Atlanta 2002 Winter: Salt Lake City 2010 Winter: Vancouver, BC :iagree: I can't believe this didn't play a part in the decision. And I also believe the taxpayers of Illinois just dodged a bullet. In this economy, I have a hard time believing the corporate sponsorship would have been up to it. Especially with Chicago Machine politics in the mix. God bless Rio. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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