Clipmarks | Olympic Clips

Diplomatic Breakthru in Georgia: Red-Faced Russian Party Crashers Retreat

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 06:44:30 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: continued.........but nobody thought it was going to turn into a big ugly scene."

Russia's invasion prompted a quick stern response from GOP presidential candidate John McCain, while Democratic candidate Barack Obama urged Russia and Georgia to "work together to iron out their differences," and "chills, y'all." After learning that Georgia was a US ally, Obama clarified the remarks, demanding that Russia withdraw its troops north to Tennessee and West Virginia.

"Everyone was just sort of staring at Russia, who's in the middle of beating the hell out of Georgia, and Russia's like, 'what? Come on man, you have to admit it's funny,'" said a source with UNSCOM. "So Russia's going around, looking for high fives and is like, 'don't leave me hangin', bro,' but the G8 gives him the total gas face, so he's like, 'whatever, dude, this party sucked anyway.'"

Clip Source: iowahawk.typepad.com

"Look, I don't really know what to say - other than, 'hey, our bad,'" said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an awkward, shoe-gazing statement to the United Nations. "Seriously, dude, it just totally wasn't like us to lash out like that. We've been having a couple of bad decades, and I guess we just sort of snapped."

Lavrov and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin left several messages on the voice mail machine of Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili offering apologies and help cleaning up the damage from the weekend invasion. Sources say an angry Saakashvili was in no mood for forgiveness.

Russia's embarrassing geopolitical faux pas began over the weekend, just as the world was celebrating the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing.

"Russia said South Ossetia invited them, to try out some of their pipeline stash," explained a source with the French Foreign Ministry. "I know Russia used to have something going on with Georgia,

Tags: humor, satire, georgia, russia, south ossetia, putin, mccain

Lion Rides Horse In China Freak Show

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 09:02:21 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: >>>>>INSANE SADISTIC FREAK SHOW<<<<<
Here's yet another form of animal abuse in China - does this country's government have a department dedicated to inventing new and innovative ways of abusing animals?! Skinning cats alive in fur farms, feeding live cattle to lions in one zoo and now making a lion in another zoo (which seems to have had its teeth removed) ride a terrified horse. It defies belief.
What's more unbelievable is how the International Olympic Committee can award the Olympics to a country with such an appauling human and animal rights record.

Clip Source: www.metro.co.uk

The huge male lion clings on to the terrified horse – but this big cat is not about to devour his prey. Keepers in China are training lions and tigers to ride on horseback for tourists.

In one the nation's most notorious zoos, spectators are treated to a bizarre display as the lion leaps on to the horse's back.

Then it rides around the ring while a trainer with a whip keeps it moving. A tiger then jumps up on to the same horse.

The pictures are from a zoo in Xiamen in Fujian, South-East China. They come after bears were shown riding bikes during an 'Animal Games' in another zoo.

At the Xiogsen Bear and Tiger Mountain Village in Guilin, live animals are fed to tigers as a show for tourists.

Bears have also been made to pull cars in races against humans in Jinan.

Tags: china, animal abuse, human right violations, olympic games, beijing, inferior imports

Week in Wildfile - pics

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:16:09 GMT

clipped by: righthand

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

cushion stars feeding on seal faeces in South Cove, Antarctica. Shrinking sea ice is significantly increasing the rate at which icebergs scour the Antarctic seabed, a study has found. About 80% of Antarctic marine life is found on the seabed and these scours crush animals and plants living up to 500m below the surface

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Sri Lanka treats wounded and orphaned baby elephants and sends them back to the wild

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

animal market in Jakarta

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

flamingo chick in Hanover

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Grandma Ding the animal lover has over 250 cats and dogs in her home. Beijing authorities have been clearing the streets of stray animals in the run up this year's Olympic games

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

A painted donkey, known as a Mexican Zebra, dries in the sun after being painted with black stripes in Tijuana

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

2.2m long swordfish found on the beach near Zingst, Germany

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

rose field in Tarnichene, Bulgaria

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Storks circle above the city of Odessa in Ukraine

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

coquerel sifaka, a type of endangered Lemur named for its distinctive alarm call

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

raptor rescue centre in Beijing

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

ladybird

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Tags: animals, photos

Beijing Vice-Mayor Gets Death Sentence

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:44:36 GMT

clipped by: pkronfield
clipper's remarks: China knows how to nip corruption in the bud. Death. Keeps everyone honest for a few years. Good news and bad news in this story. Good news is one less commie. Bad news is Obama is a Commie to take his place. Did you read about Michelle ordering up Dom champagne, lobster and Iranian caviar at her hotel? Yeah, right, these commies are looking out for you, Middle Class. In truth, these elitists feel far above you.

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

A former Beijing vice mayor in charge of overseeing Olympic construction projects has been given a death sentence for corruption, a court clerk and his lawyer said Sunday.

The Intermediate People's Court in Hengshui, a city outside Beijing, ordered the death sentence Saturday after finding Liu Zhihua guilty of taking bribes, said a court clerk

However, the sentence was "suspended" for two years, Ma said. The reprieve means if Liu shows good behavior, his sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment.

The government squelched all reporting on Liu's prosecution in the months leading up to the August Olympic Games to avoid tarnishing its image on the global stage.

Officials said Liu's misdeeds had nothing to do with Olympic projects, but his dismissal put a cloud over preparations for the games and prompted authorities to ratchet up anti-corruption efforts.

Liu was elected to his post as vice mayor of Beijing in 1999, and dismissed and kicked out of the Communist Party in 2006.

Tags: communist rule, death sentence. obama is a communist

Al Franken Moving Up

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:43:40 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern

Clip Source: www.time.com

Not So Funny

If running for Senate were an Olympic event, Franken would win. If it were a battle of wills or a name-recognition poll or some kind of nerdy trivia battle, he'd win those too. Even if it were just a question of having people agree with your policies, he'd win a Senate seat in the state, where Barack Obama is ahead of John McCain. But getting elected means making people believe you can relate to them, and that's why Franken — writer, actor, comedian, talk-show host and longtime denizen of Saturday Night Live — is running behind Republican Senator Norm Coleman.

And at that moment, Franken is an unbeatable politician. Not because he's funny or smart. But because all the people in the room know he understands them.

Tags: franken, politics

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games Tickets: Affordable on Sale this October

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:22:44 GMT

clipped by: madame travels
clipper's remarks: The lottery favors early-birds, so be ready to on October 3.

Clip Source: www.budgettravel.com

the Winter Olympics will be relatively affordable. A large chunk of the 1.6 million-seat pool for sport event tickets is priced under $100 each, including all luge, bobsled, and biathlon competitions—and some freestyle skiing races. Even the most popular events, such as giant slalom and speed skating, will offer back-of-the-venue seats for under $100

Even better: Over 100,000 tickets carry a face value of just $25. No, these seats aren't in the inner circle, but you won't feel like you're viewing the action from Mars, either

The Vancouver Games kick off in February 2010, but the first round of ticket orders will be placed on October 3, 2008. It is a ticket request lottery, but it's not as random as it sounds, because you can pick the events you prefer to see

the official Games website (vancouver2010.com)

only sells to Canadians

Americans should place ticket orders through two authorized sellers

Jet Set Sports

908/766-1001, jetsetsports.com

CoSport

877/457-4647, cosport.com

Olympic Minute

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:42:35 GMT

clipped by: dmtherob
clipper's remarks: Berri Umbebee was a loser in the worst way

Clip Source: www.atom.com

Tags: olympics, loser, odd, comedy

Such Easy Targets

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:24:03 GMT

clipped by: powerof2
clipper's remarks: More flip flops than an Olympic diver.

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

In other words, McCain is running against his own record.

To cite one example, McCain backed landmark legislation in 1999 that removed the walls between banks, investment firms and insurance companies. That bill allowed a company like AIG to expand beyond its traditional insurance business -- which is still profitable -- into exotic new products that ultimately brought the company down.

McCain, who told the Wall Street Journal in March that "I'm always for less regulation," now asks voters to believe he will be a champion of tough, unblinking oversight. He's shocked and outraged that Wall Street's preening Masters of the Universe threw a drunken toga party and smashed all the furniture -- but he helped buy the beer and told the cops to look the other way.

The bladerunner

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:05:06 GMT

clipped by: michellezm
clipper's remarks: Congratulations. You make our country proud.

Clip Source: www.thetimes.co.za

Three more gold medals move SA up to seventh position on log table. Oscar Pistorius stormed to victory in the 200m in Beijing yesterday to defend his 2004 Paralympic title and win his second gold of the 2008 edition.

The double amputee, known as the Blade Runner, beat the field by nearly a full second as he clocked a Paralympic record of 21.67sec.

That time, although slightly slower than his own 21.58 world mark, was faster than the efforts of several able- bodied competitors at the Olympic Games three weeks ago.

Clip Source: images.google.co.za

Clip Source: img.dailymail.co.uk

Clip Source: beijingolympicsblog.files.wordpress.com

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Clip Source: newsimg.bbc.co.uk

LondonTimes: Death of social conservatism in the USA

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 05:21:38 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: "America is imperfect. It has no divine right to be the world's leading nation. And yet - in this glorious political year - something about it sings. And as the American Olympic team reminded us when we looked at it and wondered at its multicolour, multi-ethnic vibrancy (more than 30 members were born abroad) this nation is ours. There is nothing wrong in wishing it well."

Clip Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Nothing Sarah Palin and her followers can do will prevent America's steady movement away from social conservatism

To be precise; at one o'clock in the morning of March 21, 2005, President Bush put pen to paper and (inadvertently) consigned the politics of the Eighties to the trash.

He had been woken by his staff to sign emergency legislation designed to save the life of Terri Schiavo

It never happened. The federal courts backed the local courts (impeach them, the politicians cried, but nobody tried) and the Supreme Court yawned and raised an eyebrow and refused even to hear the case

And something stirred.

Nothing the voters decide this November will change this dynamic. Not even the fantastic Mrs Palin - the Iron Lady of Alaska - who is on the Republican ticket to serve a purpose but not, frankly, to serve in office

The Strange Death of Social Conservatism as the driving force in US politics was under way

No, America is changing and a new era is beginning

Tags: conservatism

Russia's Putin saves TV crew from Siberian tiger

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:52:40 GMT

clipped by: mycelium_obscurum

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

Vladimir Putin was feted by Russian media on Sunday for saving a television crew from an attack by a Siberian tiger in the wilds of the Far East.

Putin, taking a break from lambasting the West over Georgia, apparently saved the crew while on a trip to a national park to see how researchers monitor the tigers in the wild.

Just as Putin was arriving with a group of wildlife specialists to see a trapped Amur tiger, it escaped and ran towards a nearby camera crew, the country's main television station said. Putin quickly shot the beast and sedated it with a tranquilizer gun.

Putin thanked Western researchers for being involved in programs to save the Amur tigers.

Sensitive to a growing environmental movement in Russia, Putin as president redrew a planned oil pipeline route to avoid Lake Baikal and scrapped plans for an Olympic village near Sochi that could have damaged local flora and fauna.

Tags: putin, russia, tiger, amur

WATER FOR PROFITS

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 01:25:47 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: First Food, Now Water and Next will be the clean Air You Breathe-FOR PROFITS and SPECULATION

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Speculators and water an uneasy mix

CANBERRA (Reuters) - On the cracked grey clay of an ancient lake bed on the edge of Australia's outback, Guy Kingwill is at the frontier of a global rush to commercialize water.

Despite a long-running drought, Kingwill, who runs the vast Tandou farm, 142km southeast of the mining town of Broken Hill, has just sold his property's critical water on a national market rather than pump it into irrigated cereal crops.

"The return on the water is higher," Kingwill told Reuters. "Where we are it's broadacre cropping. But the market now is driving significantly more per megaliter from horticulture than you can get a profit margin out of wheat and barley," he says.

With drought gripping some areas for a decade, prices for one megaliter of seasonal water -- enough for an Olympic-size pool -- are peaking at A$600 ($517), while permanent water entitlements are less volatile, but still pricey at up to A$2,500 a megaliter. Continued...

How the East Was Lost

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:56:40 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: Outstanding article. Hard to find much with which to disagree here.

Clip Source: www.americanthinker.com

Today, China is a brash, tough power -- unfree, undemocratic, enthused with nationalistic self-importance, and hosting the Olympic Games with fake-smiles hiding feral teeth. Today, Russia is a cynical authoritarian state, rallying behind a former functionary of the KGB as its "leader" and pushing around smaller nations, like Georgia, to show who is boss. Today, Moslems believe overwhelmingly that America, the liberator of tens of millions of Moslems from godless Communism, is the "Great Satan." What happened?

Christian Recruiters

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:29:50 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: I couldn't help but picture this "harvest" as the missionaries lop off peoples critical thinking with their dogmatic blades.

Clip Source: www.kwtx.com

Foreign Missionaries Defy Ban During Olympics

(August 22, 2008)--Christian groups including Southern Baptists that ignored a Chinese ban on foreign missionaries say their underground evangelism during the Olympic games was a success.

Drawn to a nation of 1.3 billion people under atheist rule, the groups prepared for years for what the Southern Baptists once called "a spiritual harvest unlike any other."

Missionary Mark Taylor of Awaken Generation says 115 people from 12 countries gathered in Thailand for orientation before scattering throughout China.

The Southern Baptist Convention and Youth With A Mission carried out larger efforts.

Tags: religion, proselytizing, christian

Is a 5.0 Seconds 100 Meters Possible?

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:03:35 GMT

clipped by: Mohir

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

Amazing as Usain Bolt's Olympic record-breaking 100-meter victory was, his time of 9.69 seconds is nowhere near what biostatisticians such as Peter Weyand of SMU thinks is the natural limit for the human body. Experts studying the steady progression of records over the past 50 years, see the limit of the world record, with a probable error of 0.17 seconds, namely, to lie between 9.26 to 9.60 seconds. Some see 5.0 seconds a possibility.

How fast will man eventually run? Will he ever run the 100 meters in five seconds flat?

"Not impossible," says one of the world's best known authorities on physiology and biomechanics. Professor Peter Weyand,

known for his expertise in terrestrial locomotion and human and animal performance. Weyand said that humans would soon have the ''ability to modify and greatly enhance muscle fibre strength.'' This is would actually reduce the difference between the muscle properties of humans and the world's fastest animal, the cheetah, to almost zero.

Tags: human, body, physiology