Posted on 07/27/2012 5:02:27 PM PDT by jakerobins
Watching the start of the Olympics in London......Anyone else?
“Like television the internet/WWW devoloped over time and had many contributors.”
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Good point. :) Thanks for the reply.
I did not watch the thing through; but did flip over from time to time, during the evening. The Industrial Revolution part was no more a celebration of historic reality, than the later Health Care coupling with children's literature, was a rational projection.
Frankly, I know nothing of the director, who choreographed the whole mess, but that segment on the Industrialization of Britain was a visual demonstration of Marxist theory--not a tribute to modern Capitalism or British genius. Again, I do not pretend to know anything about the Director--whether he is a Leftist theorist, or simply brainwashed;--but his perspective is hopelessly skewed.
William Flax
The actor that played Onslow has sadly died today.
Didn’t know Keeping Up Appearances ever got shown in the states!
It would make more sense though that the way the AMERICAN announcers present the show for the AMERICAN audience on the AMERICAN network might try to spin it that way.
On a less political note, I think it is a bit shocking to find that, of the 5 or 6 things that the British think are their most important achievements in all of history, the NHS is one of them. Also that the NHS is so underworked or overstaffed that they could afford to send thousands of their professionals off to get trained to dance in the Olympics.
We are told that there are months-long waiting lists for treatment because of shortages, so it seemed a bit surprising.
The tribute to the NHS in an Olympic ceremony was just weird, I thought. Sure, China is an oppressive country, and the people probably were forced to perform and practice relentlessly, but their opening ceremony was one of the best and most visually stunning things I’ve seen.
“Sure, China is an oppressive country, and the people probably were forced to perform and practice relentlessly, but their opening ceremony was one of the best and most visually stunning things I’ve seen.”
I agree. I thought Beijing was spectacular! As far as being forced to perform and practice relentlessly, I think the majority of the Chinese people are proud and hard working...and strive for perfection. I’ll bet the performers chose to practice “relentlessly.”
‘On a less political note, I think it is a bit shocking to find that, of the 5 or 6 things that the British think are their most important achievements in all of history, the NHS is one of them. ‘
In the era covered (not the whole of British history), the NHS IS, for ill or good, one of the most important parts of modern British history. A part of British life used by everyone at some point.
‘Also that the NHS is so underworked or overstaffed that they could afford to send thousands of their professionals off to get trained to dance in the Olympics.’
I assume you are joking.
This is unbelievable... he must have been upset by the snub http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9435358/Coronation-Street-actor-Geoffrey-Hughes-dies.html
I changed the channel partway through the Phelps interview. I kept wondering what they were seeing live while we had that BS to watch. Now I know.
To Pravda-NBC, thanks (sarc) for censoring a tribute about terrorism, while including the NHS BS. I really thought you were above this, but I see I was quite wrong.
China Olympic Opening - Good
UK Olympic Opening - Sucked
I made it through about 1 minute and had to change the channel - Mr Bean?? Get real!
We don’t want to see the history of British sitcoms at the Olympic Opening
Actually, I had originally assumed they weren’t all doctors and nurses, but the announcers kept insisting that every performer on stage was a doctor or nurse.
But I assume that there is a vast NHS beauracracy who was still hard at work while the rest of them were practicing for the olympics.
As to “everybody uses it”, even my family has used it. We were visiting friends in 1994, and one day left our daughter with them to take a quick trip down to see Wimbledon stadium, and my daughter woke up with a fever, so they ran her to the doctor and she had an ear infection and the put her on antibiotics.
That would be what they would call the “positive side” of universal health care.
On the “acheivements” issue, I don’t see something ubiquitous within a country to be the same as an acheivement of the country. Even if you were making an Olympic opening ceremony that was inwardly focused, NHS is hardly an “acheivement” — it doesn’t take special gifts to simply socialize your medical care. Many countries have managed it.
IT’s not an “achievement” like inventing the world wide web, or the Beatles.
But really, the childrens books and the childrens hospital, those were really good things to focus on.
I agree with your entire post. :)
Hurray!.
Passing judgement on a 4 hr show after one minute.
Congrats.
I am not aware that the dancers were actual staff.
Actually, it seems you were right. Albeit most of the 600 ‘nhs’ people there seem to have been the kids of GOSH.
Those who were nurses etc I would assume were there on leave, having taken this as part of their holidays. With NHS cuts, there would be no way imo they’d be pulled off work. The backlash here would have been huge.
Didn’t know Keeping Up Appearances ever got shown in the states!
Thank you for the notification. I'm pinging MagUSNRET to this news, as he's also a big fan. How odd that we were just posting about him yesterday...
28 July 2012 Last updated at 15:23 ET
"Coronation Street and Keeping up Appearances actor Geoffrey Hughes has died aged 68, his agent has said.
The actor, who was known to millions as Coronation Street binman Eddie Yates in the 1970s and 1980s, died "peacefully in his sleep" on Friday night.
It followed a "long courageous battle" with prostate cancer, his family said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19032928
RIP, Geoffrey Hughes
I don’t know. It sure seems some Europeans are flabbergasted we even question “guaranteed” care. It seems to make the news.
I really don’t want to step on your toes.
But how many OCs would really pay an homage to some bureaucracy in their government? Even the Chinese didn’t do that.
Even if it wasn’t a dig at Americans - which it very well might not have been - it’s still strange. I can’t see why it would even come up! Seems to me a seed was planted, somehow. But maybe not - maybe it’s just weird.
Oh BTW, scot, if you didn’t notice - the last Canada Winter Olympics ceremonies were aimed at America. Yes, they really were. Lots of huffing and puffing basically squawking that “we’re not the US!”
So, it has happened.
‘That would be what they would call the “positive side” of universal health care.’
Don’t know why. It’s not as if I can’t call my doc and take my boy to him that morning. And if it’s “off hours” and that bad - take him to a store clinic or those new walk-in clinics popping up all over the place suddenly (1st I knew of was living in CT 15 years ago), never mind ER if absolutely needed. Seems capitalism has already resolved the issue of “off hours” or “out of town” by itself.
“We don’t want to see the history of British sitcoms at the Olympic Opening”
I didn’t get to see that segment, but it reminded me of the Winter Olympics again last out in Canada.
Remember how they kept doing stand-up comedy? 1 guy making cracks in the midst of this giant stadium?
Unfortunately this may now be a trend. Just seems out of place at a spectacle.
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