tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51468860883787293442024-03-13T00:48:59.164+01:00Fly Olympic GamesBlogged thoughts, old news reviews on Olympic sports and swimmingSteve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.comBlogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-68232598878683558042021-07-24T08:00:00.002+02:002021-07-24T08:00:26.066+02:00Who prescribes swimming as antidote to rise in violence?<div class="css-1dbjc4n"><div class="css-901oao r-1fmj7o5 r-37j5jr r-a023e6 r-16dba41 r-rjixqe r-bcqeeo r-bnwqim r-qvutc0" dir="auto" id="id__cakrm40ai9t" lang="en"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Who prescribes swimming as antidote to rise in violence, faith-based thinking, led by rise in global temperatures? esp. during the dog days since ancient Egypt-Greece-Rome etc
Give </span><span class="r-18u37iz"><a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cleanwater?src=hashtag_click" role="link">#cleanwater</a></span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> they will drink and be healthy, swim together, be merry </span><span class="r-18u37iz"><a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rivercide?src=hashtag_click" role="link">#Rivercide</a></span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> </span><span class="r-18u37iz"><a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Swimming?src=hashtag_click" role="link">#Swimming<img alt="" class="r-4qtqp9 r-dflpy8 r-9cviqr r-zw8f10 r-10akycc r-h9hxbl" draggable="false" src="https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags/Olympics_2021_Sports_Swimming/Olympics_2021_Sports_Swimming.png" /></a></span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> </span><span class="r-18u37iz"><a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dogdays?src=hashtag_click" role="link">#Dogdays</a><br /><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/FLYAGARIC2019">https://twitter.com/FLYAGARIC2019</a><br /></span></div></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>www.patreon.com/stevefly</p>Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-20880623125449193922020-03-23T20:31:00.002+01:002020-03-23T20:31:31.098+01:00Follow me at Deep Scratch and Patreon<a href="http://www.deepscratch.net/">www.deepscratch.net</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.patreon.com/stevefly">www.patreon.com/stevefly</a><br />
<br />Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-17080564699694817412020-03-23T20:23:00.002+01:002020-03-23T20:37:39.055+01:002020 Sports Timetable Warped Due To CoronavirusAll sporting events cancelled.<br /><br />Good night.<br /><br />Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-68980804322101091732017-11-14T20:51:00.000+01:002017-11-14T20:51:24.174+01:00T4QS Sodcast (including news and sport)<iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1298723388/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=195157584/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="http://thefuckyousound.bandcamp.com/album/saturday">SATURDAY by The Fuck You Sound</a></iframe>Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-63429970800974081802016-08-04T11:29:00.000+02:002016-08-04T11:29:24.187+02:00You might as well have an event called, the tallest<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">I like sport, but i enjoy music and writing because you can bend the rules, like Herman Hesse's 'glass bead game', and Charlie Parker's Be-Bop.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">As Doug Stanhope sez about the Olympics: </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">"you might as well have an event called, the tallest"<br /><br /></span>
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8Q2N6OioAqk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-80007336174511656692016-08-04T11:14:00.000+02:002016-08-04T11:14:03.113+02:00Olympic Sensing - In case swimmers can't count to 32<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d1e1d; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.998px;">Over the years, technology has improved the accuracy of results at the Olympic Games. In the Rio Olympics, underwater digital lap counters from Omega will be used in the 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle swimming events. They automatically update the lap count when a swimmer hits the touchpad on the wall.--</span><span style="color: #1d1e1d; font-family: Open Sans, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.998px;"><a href="https://www.rcrwireless.com/20160803/americas/rio-olympics-sensors-big-data-tag5">https://www.rcrwireless.com/20160803/americas/rio-olympics-sensors-big-data-tag5</a></span></span></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d1e1d; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.998px;">Almost 20% of the 7.4 billion real ($2.25 billion) total budget the Rio Olympics Organizing Committee announced for the games this year was earmarked to implement information technology and telecommunication solutions. Almost 250 companies, including Atos, Cisco, </span><span id="dscexpitem_1551045862_2" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1d1e1d; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.998px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">América Móvil</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d1e1d; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.998px;">, EMC, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung and Symantec, have provided different levels of technology to build the entire infrastructure, the committee’s CIO Elly Resende told </span><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1d1e1d; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.998px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">RCR Wireless News</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d1e1d; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.998px;">. He added that the committee worked closely with the Brazilian telecom regular Anatel to manage and control frequency band spectrum used for the games.</span> </blockquote>
<br />How about some new sporting facilities for all, and then save your Multi Billion Dollar technology for warfare against the vulnerable and innocent.<br />
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<span style="color: #1d1e1d; font-family: Open Sans, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-75289351296898007392016-08-04T11:05:00.000+02:002016-08-04T11:05:17.365+02:00In a nutshell - the swimming pool problem“The trouble with any swimming pool is that it never makes as much money as it costs, they are very expensive things to run.”-Town Councillor Mark Morris.<br /><br />Read more at:<br /><a href="http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/politics/2016/08/02/campaigners-vow-to-fight-to-keep-church-strettons-pool/">http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/politics/2016/08/02/campaigners-vow-to-fight-to-keep-church-strettons-pool/</a><br />Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-64556903619880989062016-07-14T20:53:00.000+02:002016-07-14T20:53:04.501+02:00The Oxford Olympics Study 2016: Cost and Cost Overrun at the Games<strong style="font-family: Trebuchet, Tahoma, "Myriad Roman", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Roman, Arial, Helvetica, Sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Hat tip to boingboing.<br /><br />--Steve Fly<br /><br />Abstract: </span></strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet, Tahoma, "Myriad Roman", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"> </span><br style="font-family: Trebuchet, Tahoma, "Myriad Roman", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet, Tahoma, "Myriad Roman", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div id="abstract">
Given that Olympic Games held over the past decade each have cost USD 8.9 billion on average, the size and financial risks of the Games warrant study. The objectives of the Oxford Olympics study are to (1) establish the actual out turn costs of previous Olympic Games in a manner where cost can consistently be compared across Games; (2) establish cost overruns for previous Games, i.e., the degree to which final out turn costs reflect projected budgets at the bid stage, again in a way that allows comparison across Games; (3) test whether the Olympic Games Knowledge Management Program has reduced cost risk for the Games, and, finally, (4) benchmark cost and cost overrun for the Rio 2016 Olympics against previous Games. The main contribution of the Oxford study is to establish a phenomenology of cost and cost overrun at the Olympics, which allows consistent and systematic comparison across Games. This has not been done before.<br /><br />Main findings of the study are, first, that average actual out turn cost for Summer Games is USD 5.2 billion (2015 level), and USD 3.1 billion for Winter Games. The most costly Summer Games to date are London 2012 at USD 15 billion; the most costly Winter Games Sochi 2014 at USD 21.9 billion. The numbers cover the period 1960-2016 and include only sports-related costs, i.e., wider capital costs for general infrastructure, which are often larger than sports-related costs, have been excluded.<br /><br />Second, at 156 percent in real terms, the Olympics have the highest average cost overrun of any type of mega-project. Moreover, cost overrun is found in all Games, without exception; for no other type of mega-project is this the case. 47 percent of Games have cost overruns above 100 percent. The largest cost overrun for Summer Games was found for Montreal 1976 at 720 percent, followed by Barcelona 1992 at 266 percent. For Winter Games the largest cost overrun was 324 percent for Lake Placid 1980, followed by Sochi 2014 at 289 percent.<br /><br />Third, the Olympic Games Knowledge Management Program appears to be successful in reducing cost risk for the Games. The difference in cost overrun before (166 percent) and after (51 percent) the program began is statistically significant.<br /><br />Fourth, and finally, the Rio 2016 Games, at a cost of USD 4.6 billion, appear to be on track to reverse the high expenditures of London 2012 and Sochi 2014 and deliver a Summer Games at the median cost for such Games. The cost overrun for Rio – at 51 percent in real terms, or USD 1.6 billion – is the same as the median cost overrun for other Games since 1999.<br /><br />Given the above results, for a city and nation to decide to stage the Olympic Games is to decide to take on one of the most costly and financially most risky type of mega-project that exists, something that many cities and nations have learned to their peril.<br /><br /><a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2804554">http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2804554</a></div>
Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-9665181914521833242015-07-18T20:20:00.000+02:002015-07-18T20:20:03.253+02:00Swimming In Lake Flevo With Fly <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jCMLGH2Rh7o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-59966950459229134792013-08-11T13:41:00.003+02:002013-08-11T13:41:44.658+02:00Swimming Pool closure round up 2013I notice the same cycle over and over again in the UK, swimming pools closed due to structural costs way beyond what the council can afford (so they say) all over the UK i have seen the same process, first in my own back yard in Brierley Hill, and Coseley baths. But i now see the same argument, the same strategy and bullshit double-speak from the M.P's, councilors and even some of the groups, and people within the groups formed to stand up to the proposed closure and try to SAVE the pool. <br /><br />It's a sad state of affairs in the UK for swimming and many other water sports that are impossible without the facilities. The sickly relationship between private business and Government muscle in the UK can be tracked and analysed by reducing the focus down to leisure centers, how they spread like supermarkets such as Tesco, and wipe out whatever maybe in its way. <br /><br />To anybody reading this who is dealing with such scenarios at the moment, my best advice is to get an independent 'estimation' about the structural faults, or the work required to bring the facility up to scratch (according to sticky council regulations) as i have found the costs are usually massive over estimations baed on private contractor work. <br /><br />One day, a community may build a not-for-profit, or community co-op capable of building and maintaining a leisure center, and/or swimming pool. Good luck, best wishes, Steve 'fly' Pratt.<br /><br />p.s Here are some recent news clips to support my claims.<br /> <br />
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"A LAST-ditch bid has been launched to save Haslingden Pool by a group of residents who want to take it over from the council.
<br />
The Friends of Haslingden Baths, a community group look- ing to take
control of the East Bank Avenue centre, are encouraging residents to
show how great the need is for the facility by signing a support
petition. More than 8,000 people signed a petition in 2011 calling on
Rossendale Council to go ahead with a proposed revamp. But the
campaigners fear this will be deemed out-of-date by the council which
plans to sell off the building unless an interested party with a viable
business model is found before September."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/10566384.Residents_launch_bid_to_prevent_closure_of_Haslingden_swimming_pool/">http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/10566384.Residents_launch_bid_to_prevent_closure_of_Haslingden_swimming_pool/</a></blockquote>
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The pool has ‘concrete cancer’ and needs repairs which would cost
around £1.5million, an amount Rossendale Council says it cannot afford.
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Owing to the deteriorating condition of Minsthorpe <a class="kLink" href="http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/wakefield-pool-closed-as-1-2m-repairs-are-ruled-out-1-5888179#" id="KonaLink1" style="font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-weight: inherit !important; position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;"><span style="color: #446688; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-weight: inherit !important; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="color: #446688 !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-weight: inherit !important; position: relative;">Pool</span></span></a>
and the costs to carry out the major repairs needed at £1.2m, it is
recommended that the pool be permanently closed and future provision be
considered alongside wider review into all our leisure facilities. I
understand the importance of people being able to enjoy healthy and
active lifestyles. However, owing to continuing financial constraints
placed upon us we have to review all our services, including leisure,
and cabinet faces some difficult decisions.” <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/wakefield-pool-closed-as-1-2m-repairs-are-ruled-out-1-5888179">http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/wakefield-pool-closed-as-1-2m-repairs-are-ruled-out-1-5888179</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"If you don't have good facilities in the city then you don't have the ability to raise great swimmers.<br />
"I'm very frustrated," added Mr Richardson.<br />
Under the proposals, the Springhead golf course is also
earmarked for closure and the council is considering setting up a
not-for-profit company to run the city's leisure services on its behalf.<br />
A spokeswoman for the council said the proposals were yet to
be discussed and would go out to public consultation, but could not give
further details. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-23576382">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-23576382</a></blockquote>
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<br />Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-80831698289384544162013-03-16T15:17:00.000+01:002013-03-16T15:17:16.315+01:00Olympic 2012 contact list for ads agencies5.3 Million people,<br />
what a great Marketing ploy,<br />are Mcdonalds and Coca-Cola still on-board?<br /> <br />
<br />
"A key component of the London 2012 digital legacy has been secured",
the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games has
said, after awarding the right to use its customer database to three
non-profit development agencies.<br />
Two sports promotion bodies – Sport England and Sport UK – will be able
to use LOCOG's contact database, which currently holds 5.3 million
contacts, to promote sporting events and activities. It will also be
available to London and Partners, "the official promotional organisation
for London". <br />
Anyone on the database will be given the option to opt out. If they
chose to stay on the list, they will receive newsletters "about sport,
volunteering and culture ... across the UK", LOCOG said.<br /><br />
LOCOG said it worked with the Information Commissioner's Office "full
compliance in data protection regulations covering the transfer". A
spokesperson for the ICO said that it had advised LOCOG that it needed
to receive "informed consent" for the data to be reused. <br /><br />
"I am delighted that we'll be able to continue to keep these amazing
people informed and involved in the legacy of the games," said LOCOG
chair Lord Sebastian Coe in a statement. "The group of organisations
taking this fan base forward are at the epi-centre of sport, culture and
volunteering so I am confident they will continue to keep the public in
the loop and deliver great opportunities for everyone to enjoy over the
next 10 years."<br />
-- <a href="http://www.information-age.com/technology/information-management/123456856/contact-database-is--key-component--of-2012-olympics-legacy">http://www.information-age.com/technology/information-management/123456856/contact-database-is--key-component--of-2012-olympics-legacy</a>Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-9287834293598429052013-03-16T15:11:00.000+01:002013-03-16T15:11:35.732+01:00Gold Gold and Gold<div id="story_continues_2">
Some sports people will stop at nothing to get GOLD. Man, they're even worse than some of the international bankers and Royals who are obsessed--to the fringe of insanity and a danger to others--with GOLD. Status, elitism and patriotism. <br /><br />The many, of course do not have such pretentions, but instead enjoy a GOOD game, a fair game, easy, relaxed, shared fun, even with a little competition to build with the co-operation. Unlike the sporting elite who as we have seen recently with characters like Lance Armstrong, lie, cheat and generally are not the kinds of sporting sportspeople they are painted as, by the corporate sponsors (products) and government sponsors.<br /><br />Ah, anbody fancy a game?</div>
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love, fly</div>
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"There was an "increasingly desperate emphasis
on gold", the report said, and morale dropped as the games unfolded
without the anticipated medal haul.</div>
Management appeared unprepared to tackle the absence of
success, it said, leaving swimmers feeling "undefended, alone,
alienated".<br />
"Swimmers described these games as the 'Lonely Olympics' and
the 'Individual Olympics'," the report said, adding that the lack of
cohesion meant that poor behaviour went unchecked. <br />
"Some individual incidents of unkindness, peer intimidation,
hazing and just 'bad form' as a team member that were escalated to
personal coaches were not addressed," it said. <br />
"There were enough culturally toxic incidents across enough
team members that breached agreements (such as getting drunk, misuse of
prescription drugs, breaching curfews, deceit, bullying) to warrant a
strong, collective leadership response that included coaches, staff and
the swimmers."--<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21501881">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21501881</a>Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-65399879478138194542013-03-16T15:03:00.000+01:002016-08-04T10:50:52.209+02:00Charlie Brooker and Weekly Wipe Sum up 2012 Olympic pathetics<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6Psw1BzVF5o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/05/olympics-better-than-looked-on-tin">https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/05/olympics-better-than-looked-on-tin</a>Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-72553915726919856552012-08-09T14:16:00.002+02:002012-08-09T14:35:37.281+02:00Olympic Double Dope StandardsHI readers, and bleeders<br />
<br />
I would not expect any kind of sensible and fair 'drug policy' from the strict Olympic dope police. But recently the issue of 'Marijuana' and SPORTS came up again and spread, like the Blueberry Cheese plant.<br />
<br />
For some clarity i would ask the reader to consider the question of DOSE. Pot brownies (that Delpopolo claims to have ate) are often made with less than half a gram of cannabis, and a lower dose is better for having an enjoyable high, opposed to a strong Knock Out dose. Almost everybody i know has learnt this with Pot food.<br />
<br />
One wonders about how sensitive the Olympic Drug tests are? how many 'particles or UNITS of cannabis' are allowed in the body. ZERO? or are a few allowed for naturally occuring cannabinoids. And what about naturally occuring DMT in the human brain? All athletes and humans, and many animals, birds, insects and plants have naturally occuring DMT (in varying amounts of UNITS) but trace amounts of it are actually present. Are the Olympic Dope Police aware of this fact? so as to build tests that overlook it? I digress.<br />
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I still dream that one day Michael Phelps and Judo fighter Delpopolo, and all the other Marijuana using athletes would come out in support (of small doses, maybe infrequent) but still, come out and say that, for them, Marijauna worked. In fact, these SPORTS characters are what the drug reform movement requires to boost the campaign for responsible drug use, and responsible drug policy. The debate should revolve around dose. Like the question how much SUGAR, how much MEAT and how much ALCHOHOL is healthy for each individual, and, can the individuals and their communities make THEIR OWN regulations based upon their practical knowledge and experience with all Drugs, foods, vitamins, drinks and special E-numbered additive sweeters?<br />
<br />
Good day, thanks for bleeding.--Steve Fly<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lb0zr275LAI/UCOuZW2jtTI/AAAAAAAABt0/fdNjp3NdM5c/s1600/Michael-Phelps-Smokes-Weed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lb0zr275LAI/UCOuZW2jtTI/AAAAAAAABt0/fdNjp3NdM5c/s320/Michael-Phelps-Smokes-Weed.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Delpopolo is 23, the same age <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/People/Athletes/Olympic+Sports/Michael+Phelps" title="More news, photos about Michael Phelps">Michael Phelps</a>
was when the swimmer was photographed inhaling from a marijuana pipe
in 2009. Phelps, who never failed a drug test, apologized, received a
three-month suspension from <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/USA+Swimming" title="More news, photos about USA Swimming">USA Swimming</a> and is celebrated as the most decorated Olympian in history.</div>
<div class="inside-copy">
"That
was evidence that he does do that," Lee said of Phelps during an
interview with USA TODAY Sports on Monday. "And you're still going to be
able to achieve your dreams regardless. Look at him. He's awesome. He's
the best athlete ever in the Olympics. It's a double standard. If you
already make a name for yourself, then what happens afterward really
doesn't matter. … I'd rather have my situation (of not going) than
getting kicked out of the Olympic Village" like Delpopolo.<br />
-- <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/judo/story/2012-08-06/pot-athletes-testing-alcohol/56830434/1">http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/judo/story/2012-08-06/pot-athletes-testing-alcohol/56830434/1</a></div>
</blockquote>Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-36683051249105529632012-08-06T11:40:00.001+02:002012-08-06T11:40:53.680+02:00A message to other countries looking to UK SportsHi, my name is Steven Pratt, i am 36 years old and I grew up in the UK 1976-2000. I was very FORTUNATE to have had a decent sporting career as a junior swimmer. (8-14 years old). Winning literally hundreds of races including over 20 Hereford and Worcestershire titles, and a douzen Midland District and National titles. I was pretty much unbeatable in Butterfly and Backstroke at the age of 11.<br /><br />However, after my sports career ended and I could no longer train 8 times a week, i was advised that SPORTS should be my study, and so i studied sports at college, completing a 3 year 'Sports and Leisure studies' course at Stourbridge college. (1993) I gained employment as a Life Guard at the new Crystal Leisure centre in Stourbridge, which replaced the legendary old pool with a new Multi-million pound fun pool: not much fun for serious competitive swimmers though)<br /><br />After a year or so as a lifeguard I went on to teach swimming in the Dudley area to youngsters for around two years. (and for a while at Brierley Hill Swimming baths, which was demolished under suspect circumstances January 2006. Please seach this blog for 'Brierley Hill' to see more details). All my official (paid) swimming related works ended when i left for America on an intellectual journey. (I should also add that I once gave free swimming lessons to under privaliged children at Layola University, New Orleans in 2003.<br /><br />Something clicked inside me, when i returned from America to the UK after 4 years swimming in rivers and freshwater lakes such as lake Tahoe and the Feather River, both in California. I realised that swimming in the UK is pretty much limited by the swimming facilities provided, and those facilities are being demolished, at least in my local DUDLEY METRO area. This is a fact i have observed over the last 6 years. This blog lays a testament to these facts.<br /><br />Stourbridge Baths, Brierley Hill Baths and Coseley Baths have all been demolished, thats 3 pools that would be full of local swimming talent, training for competitive meets and possibly our future National champions? Water Polo, Sychronized swimming and diving could have been praticed in these pools if only they would have been saved. I hope not to sound like a moaning old bitter man, going on about what might have been and what coulda' or shoulda' happened. I find most political activity does not agree with my personal outlook on life, community, health, fitness and goodwill. <br /><br />In the case of the destruction of swimming facilities by the local Dudley Metropolitan Council (Dudley Metro Culture Police) I cannot say it LOUD and CLEAR enough. Please STOP. Or at least, replace what you knock down with something else, and not a Tesco supermarket, thankyou very much.<br /><br />As i have been saying for the last 6 years, the voices of the swimmers themselves, and the local community have been totally and utterly ignored on the issue of swimming, but now, during the OLYMPIC fever M.P's all around the country have started popping up with their cheap little speeches about SPORTS and PRESTIEGE and how proud we should be and how we should develope new SPORTS facilities across the country. (Aha, i say to myself, this is a trick, a cheap trick to ride the Olympic fever and come out of it as the good guys again, the saviours who will NOW begin to plan new sports parks, new sports programes and sports sponsorship corporations. Oh, thankyou for doing this, for cutting the blue ribbon. For giving us these new sports centers.<br /><br />So i wanted to send a message of warning to anybody reading this blog post, SPORTS in Britain have been ravaged and crippled by both Labour and Conservative governments, SPORTS to mean two things: the facilities at which sports take place, and the inherent meaning in the term SPORTS. The Olympics have cost 25 Billion Pounds, 9 Billion of which is from the UK tax payers, or from the people. The three Dudley swimming pools I have mentioned above , together, would have required approx. 4 Million to repair and keep open. And, I estimate by now (August 2012) would have given more than 5 Million unique immersive swimming experiences to the community.<br /><br />Since the pools were not being built but knocked down in Dudley i turned my interest to the Rivers and Canals, imagining them to be clean enough to swim in at some future point, and what it would take to achieve this, and, if anybody else though it worth doing. From that point i discovered the impossibility of swimming in the Stour due to pollution and obstructions in the first place. Then, once again i was confronted with the only option of doing it myself, since a meeting with my local M.P did not come to anything, not even an email or call to say No, just iced out: (i asked for funds, or donations to aquire a pair of river waders, some rope, and a hook, to begin cleaning the River Stour).<br /><br />And so, you see, i found out that in the larger scheme of things, to me, our rivers are far more important than a swimming pool, and if we could maintain a river properly it could provide a free, zero emissions, zero running costs, swimming facility. As with a lake. Cherish your natural water facilities. This is my message.<br /><br />Steven 'Fly Agaric 23' Pratt<br />Amsterdam<br />Aug. 6th 2012.<br /><br /><br /><br />Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-60441930569866444612012-07-31T15:00:00.000+02:002020-03-23T20:37:00.574+01:00The Silly Olympics (Monty Python)The Silly Olympics!
Monty Python, yes.<br /><br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qgSzGIkFq2A" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-31410625772630254112012-07-31T12:59:00.000+02:002012-07-31T13:45:20.013+02:00No hope without dope (and some Dolphin DNA)<br />
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<img alt="Ye Shiwen" height="276" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/7/30/1343674264188/Ye-Shiwen-010.jpg" width="460" /></div>
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<br />
No Hope without Dope (how about whale DNA Mr Phelps?) <br />
<br />
Hi, I would like to address two hot-potato's from the 2012 games so far, the doping acusation made by an American swim coach about a young Chinese record breaker, and the 'twitter' drama following a journalist twitting a 'semi-public' email address:<br />
<br />
I would point out that the 'comment' from the swim coach did not require twitter to spread an 'unchecked' and 'subjective' message around the world, via the world press (FOX, NBC, CNN, BBC) that not only labels a 16year old girl as a 'drug user' but kicks up the whole Olympic doping debate. As far as i know the swim coach has not been banned from speaking to the world press, yet the twitter journalist is banned due to communicating somebodies email address who did not like that.<br />
<br />
And my next point has already been put out there, nobody raised the alarm when Michael Phelps won 8 Gold medals in Beijing.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I think it is not proper to single Chinese swimmers out once they
produce good results. Some people are just biased," Jiang Zhixue, who
leads anti-doping work at China's General Administration of Sport, told
the state news agency Xinhua.<br />
<br />
"We never questioned Michael Phelps when he bagged eight gold medals in Beijing."</blockquote>
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/31/china-ye-shiwen-critics-olympics?newsfeed=true">http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/31/china-ye-shiwen-critics-olympics?newsfeed=true </a><br />
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<br />
<h1 itemprop="name">
Ye Shiwen's world record Olympic swim: brilliant, or too good to be true? </h1>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For the wider public, and perhaps many people in the sport as well, it
is a matter of debate and personal opinion as to whether Ye deserves the
benefit of the doubt or not. There is no evidence to condemn her other
than her own brilliance, and it is hard to judge a 16-year-old girl on
the basis of that alone. Instinctively, many fans will want to believe
in her talent. Others, scarred by years of doping revelations across a
range of sports, would say that view is naive. Ye could simply be the
shining light of the first products of the heavy investment the Chinese
made in the sport before the Beijing Olympics. -- <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/30/ye-shiwen-record-olympic-swim?intcmp=239">http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/30/ye-shiwen-record-olympic-swim?intcmp=239 </a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="widget storyContent article widget-editable viziwyg-section-1024 inpage-widget-6138696 title">
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#NBCFail: Backlash as Twitter locks out reporter Guy Adams
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The Independent’s Los Angeles correspondent Guy Adams has account frozen after criticising US TV network.-- <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nbcfail-backlash-as-twitter-locks-out-reporter-guy-adams-7987906.html">http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nbcfail-backlash-as-twitter-locks-out-reporter-guy-adams-7987906.html</a></blockquote>
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<br />Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-17893027369241372902012-07-31T12:43:00.000+02:002012-07-31T12:43:03.621+02:00Lockdown 2012: Security at the Olympics<div class="span-24 toptype3 s-titre-container">
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<span class=" label label-cat label-eu"></span><span class=" label label-cat label-5482"></span>
<span class=" label label-cat label-eu"><a href="http://owni.eu/category/bestof" title="Best-Of"></a></span><span class=" label label-cat label-5482"></span>A fact full and condensed summary of the massive expenditure and cock-up's at the London 2012 Olympics.<br />--fly</h3>
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<span class=" label label-cat label-eu"></span><span class=" label label-cat label-5482"></span>
<span class=" label label-cat label-eu"></span><span class=" label label-cat label-5482"></span><span style="font-size: large;">Lockdown 2012: Security at the Olympics</span></h3>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-44654" height="511" src="http://owni.eu/files/2012/07/311113211RcaLeIz.gif" title="311113211RcaLeIz" width="336" /><br />
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For the XXXth Olympiad, which opened last Friday in London,
organisers have placed a heavy emphasis on security. One figure that
illustrates this emphatic approach to security: for every one athlete
competing, there are four security personnel working at the Games (see
our visualisation below).<br />
<br />
The British Army is providing 17,000 personnel, 70% more than the
number of British troops currently deployed in Afghanistan. Some 3,500
of these soldiers were called up at the last moment, bailing out the
private security company G4S, undisputed gold medalists in the field of
cock-ups.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://owni.eu/2012/07/31/visualisation-olympic-security/">http://owni.eu/2012/07/31/visualisation-olympic-security/</a></blockquote>Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-10149476868082377052012-07-28T12:23:00.000+02:002012-07-28T12:40:06.549+02:00Feedback from Chinese Olympic ceremony<b>July 27, 2012. Cafe Zen, Amsterdam. (Watching the early opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games on T.V, which was in fact the Beijing Games on replay)<br /></b><br />
How to compare the Occident and Orient in 2012? just look at the stylistic features and sources of inspiration for their respective Olympic openiong ceremony. One rooted in many thousand year old traditional arts and crafts that reflect the natural world, the other somewhat recent fictional characters from the world of make believe, television and film, the projection of recent popular mythology. Both have merits and points of criticism. <br />
<br />FEEDBACK!<br /><br />Ideographic dance,
synchronized floor painting,
atop huge scroll
projection onto surface,
trad. Oriental instruments
strings lift canvas into air,
camera flashes, red glow.
Billions of body mind eye systems
synchronize, remotely.<br />
<br />
People emerge, like seeds
from center flower in silver glowing suits
red, blue, and little white lights
glow in crowd.
Tai Chi and Kung Fu in stone henge
collection of monoliths,
more light fantastic projections,
nothing on seeper. Water projections, waterfalls
but no water!
imitation of school art square
all within the scroll
large multi colored
Crayola type brushes in hands of
children, surrounded by perhaps
thousansands of Tai Chi, kung Fu
practitioners. Amber lights,
paint brushes dayglo in back sacks
Large Trad. Chinese landscape
painting rises into the air.<br />
<br />
Space-man suspended on chords, now the
space theme, some
men in a pentagon stance atop a sphere, now earth
and stars, fireworks shoot miles into the London night sky. Projected out of the sphere
some Escheresque--concentric circles--10 tracks, opposite directions,
giant whales swim around stadium pano while
duo of singers,
fireworks all over London and Beijing
smudge a red hue. Faces projected around stadium.<br />
<br />
Olympic flames enter stadium
surrounded by nations flags blowing in wind,
passing the fire
a
Chinese man lifts into the air, his
torch almost going out, gasping for air, then he is
lifted onto the panorama rim of the stadium,
running in slow motion under spotlight,
behind him the scroll unravels
classic sport footage. He runs the whole stadium and lights up the fuse,
massive flames flare up
(I get the feeling of old Greek Olympics)
more fireworks
pop off up the river Thames for many miles, it seems.<br />
<br />
Footage of Beijing Olympics?, oh yes. Anomalous incidents
and crashes, falls, slips, balls in the face, arse in the face,
great rallies, exceptional performances
and near death and very dangerous looking images of sport, memorable due to great
stupidity and great genius mixed.<br />
<br />
I missed the rest of the ceremony, thankfully, my first impressions kept a positive note, i thought. --Steve fly<br />
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<br />Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-8833572834362393122012-07-26T02:51:00.000+02:002012-07-26T02:51:31.265+02:00Boris Johnson's Olympic Welcome (cassetteboy)<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zEDFMKjhLRw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-70855602494517318932012-07-26T02:07:00.001+02:002012-07-26T02:07:50.673+02:00Approx 9 Billion Pounds<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /><br />With 4 billion viewers the stakes<br /> are high nations going<br /> for gold Athletes on the brink of red out<br /> Greenland ice sheet melts when the stadium <br />lights turn on <br /><br />UK icons mashed up like a Christmas <br />variety performance, Harry Potter Prince <br />William, Mary Poppins Ms <br />Obama, Willy Blake Orwell<br /> already well represented <br /><br /> Thanks to my coach, <br />to my my family and pastor<br />sponsor...<br /> how about surprises from</div>
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sportspeople? <br />Thanks to my pet goat<br />my shoes and breakfast</div>
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Do you eat at Mcdonalds drink coca-cola,</div>
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invest in B.P? any comment </div>
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about these entities? </div>
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how about three ways <br />to better the world? <br />what you saying with rag-flag? <br /><br />Gonzo rock drill marrow!<br />Javelin of truth strikes the<br />reff.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the total carbon footprint <br />of the games vs. the potential total amount <br />of sports facilities that cd/ be built worldwide<br />using PUBLIC game-funds<br /> (approx. 9 Billion?) </div>
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ever thought of sport?<br /><br />--fly<br /></div>Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-66752507008374642282012-07-26T01:46:00.000+02:002012-07-26T01:46:47.659+02:00W is for WrestlingW is for Wrestling<br />body nestling spoon grabs<br />toss turn pull up, tight<br />
shorts<br />
<br />
--fly<br />
<br />
<b>Wrestling</b> is a form of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_sport" title="Combat sport">combat sport</a> involving <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grappling" title="Grappling">grappling</a> type techniques such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinch_fighting" title="Clinch fighting">clinch fighting</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throw_%28grappling%29" title="Throw (grappling)">throws</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takedown_%28grappling%29" title="Takedown (grappling)">takedowns</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_lock" title="Joint lock">joint locks</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinningholds" title="Pinningholds">pins</a> and other <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grappling_hold" title="Grappling hold">grappling holds</a>.
A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two (occasionally
more) competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain
a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grappling_position" title="Grappling position">superior position</a>.
There are a wide range of styles with varying rules with both
traditional historic and modern styles. Wrestling techniques have been
incorporated into other martial arts as well as military <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand-to-hand_combat" title="Hand-to-hand combat">hand-to-hand combat</a> systems. --<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrestling">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrestling</a><br />
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<br />Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-8712603630215505842012-07-26T01:41:00.000+02:002012-07-26T01:41:26.244+02:00V is for VolleyballV is for Volley ball<br />leaping to strike the ball<br />with hand, slap down<br /><br />--fly<br />
<br /><b>Volleyball</b> is a team sport in which two teams of six players are
separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball
on the other team's court under organized rules.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volleyball#cite_note-0"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup> It has been a part of the official program of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Olympic_Games" title="Summer Olympic Games">Summer Olympic Games</a> since 1964. It is also the national <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_Sri_Lanka" title="Sport in Sri Lanka">Sport</a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka" title="Sri Lanka">Sri Lanka</a>. -- <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volleyball">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volleyball</a><br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jDBuNVqb5Ac" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-32240922462420075512012-07-26T01:30:00.001+02:002012-07-26T01:30:46.232+02:00U is for Unidentified Fly OlympicAha, <br />U again, writing and making<br />
jokes of sport, u contradict<br /><br />--fly<br />
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<br />Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146886088378729344.post-26500023738010437452012-07-26T01:26:00.002+02:002012-07-26T01:26:50.124+02:00TTT is for Taekwondo Trampoline TennisTTT is for Taekwondo<br /> Trampoline Tennis,<br />give it a go<br />
<br />
--fly<br />
<br />
<b>Trampolining</b> is a competitive <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games" title="Olympic Games">Olympic</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport" title="Sport">sport</a> in which <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnast" title="Gymnast">gymnasts</a> perform <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrobatics" title="Acrobatics">acrobatics</a> while bouncing on a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trampoline" title="Trampoline">trampoline</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trampolining#cite_note-0"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup> These can include simple jumps in the pike, tuck or straddle position to more complex combinations of forward or backward <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somersault" title="Somersault">somersaults</a> and twists.<br />
There are three related competitive rebound sports, synchronized trampoline, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumbling_%28gymnastics%29" title="Tumbling (gymnastics)">tumbling</a> (or power tumbling) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trampolining#" id="_GPLITA_0" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="Powered by Text-Enhance">double</a> mini-trampoline. -- <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trampolining">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trampolining</a><br />
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<b>Taekwondo</b> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul" title="Hangul">태권도</a>; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanja" title="Hanja">跆拳道</a>; <small>Korean pronunciation: </small><span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_Korean" title="Wikipedia:IPA for Korean">[tʰɛk͈wʌndo]</a></span>; <span class="nowrap"><span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English">/</a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;" title="'t' in 'tie'">t</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;" title="/aɪ/ long 'i' in 'bide'">aɪ</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;" title="/./ syllable break">.</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;" title="'k' in 'kind'">k</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;" title="'w' in 'wind'">w</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;" title="/ɒ/ short 'o' in 'body'">ɒ</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;" title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;" title="/./ syllable break">.</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;" title="'d' in 'dye'">d</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;" title="/oʊ/ long 'o' in 'bode'">oʊ</span></a></span><span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English">/</a></span></span>) is a <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_martial_art" title="Korean martial art">Korean martial art</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_sport" title="National sport">national sport</a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea" title="South Korea">South Korea</a>. In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_language" title="Korean language">Korean</a>, <i>tae</i> (태, <a class="extiw" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E8%B7%86" title="wikt:跆">跆</a>) means "to strike or break with foot"; <i>kwon</i> (권, <a class="extiw" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%8B%B3" title="wikt:拳">拳</a>) means "to strike or break with fist"; and <i>do</i> (도, <a class="extiw" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%81%93" title="wikt:道">道</a>) means "way", "method", or "path". Thus, <i>taekwondo</i> may be loosely translated as "the way of the hand and the foot."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taekwondo#cite_note-0"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup> The name <i>taekwondo</i> is also written as <i>taekwon-do</i>, <i>tae kwon-do</i>, or <i>tae kwon do</i> by various organizations, based on historical, philosophical, or political<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2012">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> reasons. --<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taekwondo"></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taekwondo">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taekwondo</a><br />
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<b>Tennis</b> is a sport usually played between two players (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Types_of_tennis_match#Singles" title="Types of tennis match">singles</a>) or between two teams of two players each (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Types_of_tennis_match#Doubles" title="Types of tennis match">doubles</a>). Each player uses a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racquet" title="Racquet">racket</a> that is strung to strike a hollow rubber <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis_ball" title="Tennis ball">ball</a> covered with felt over a net into the opponent's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis_court" title="Tennis court">court</a>. The object of the game is to play the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a good return.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis#cite_note-0"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup> Tennis is an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games" title="Olympic Games">Olympic</a>
sport and is played at all levels of society at all ages. The sport can
be played by anyone who can hold a racket, including people <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelchair_tennis" title="Wheelchair tennis">in wheelchairs</a>.<br />
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis <br />
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<br />Steve Fly Agarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471582582737353275noreply@blogger.com0