Olypics Pah

https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2024/0728/1462213-olympics-seine-pollution/

Another 'Punishment from God' for the French.

Mark (formerly Spikey) said:

In school when it came to the picking teams, I was always picked last

That was how it was for me at Felsted. When it came to football I was invariably  picked last for a team, and shoved in goal. The worst place to put a crap player. It was a win/win for  for the human vermin that bullied me though. If they won despite my ineptitude it was proof of their ability. If they lost  it was another justifiable reason , in their  sick, twisted, minds to bully me even more.

I felt that metal horse which went down the river Seine was sinister.  Apparently a United States tech company has pulled all of its Olympic advertising in protest at part of the opening ceremony:

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/us-tech-giant-yanks-paris-olympics-ads-after-last-supper-opening-ceremony-controversy-101722144719699.html

Thrill of the chase is something I don't really feel about many things, the only thing where I think I do is chasing down some obscure piece of history and being able to pin down a theory with some evidence behind it.

The stories of sports people dont' appeal to me, very few biographies do, I just can't relate to them or thier lives, unless they're historical rather than still living or recently dead.

Thrill of the chase.

I prefer following the stories behind the games, rather than any flutters; though I briefly betted on accumulators, with no success.


Which is why I prefer to follow the preliminary/early rounds of the FA Cup, over the TV Leagues. True stories, from those who are servants rather than masters. Plus, I get to know new locations; across England.

Gambling is something I've never understood, I just don't get the appeal of it, I see the glamourous side in things like James Bond films, playing the tables in Monte Carlo, but it's not something I want for myself. I've been in a couple of bookies shops and found them to be horrible smelly places that I wanted to get out of as fast as possible. Maybe I'm just not that attached to being right all the time, certainly not to the extent that I want to put money on it. But then on the few occaisions when I have gambled like the lottery I've never won, over the course of 6 months I barely made my stake money back, so there's no real incentive for me to keep trying.

Iain said:

The advantages of the streaming services is the lack of adverts but then you pay every month for the service so it isn't really that cheap in the long run.

The cheapest plans for Disney+, Netflix, and NOW include adverts.

Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Freevee include ads.

Apple TV+ already has ads (about other shows) before programs and they're rumoured to be looking at introducing more advertising.

TheCatWoman said:

Other things I enjoyed such as Vikings

I would recommend The Last Kingdom - a good intersection of the viking history with English history:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4179452

Shogun is on Disney+ streaming service (most of the newer good stuff is commissioned by these services as they have the money to do it now).

The advantages of the streaming services is the lack of adverts but then you pay every month for the service so it isn't really that cheap in the long run.

A decent internet connection is needed too but you can always choose to watch the episodes/films offline and let it download it in the background so the connection isn't an issue.

I don't watch too much "non weird" stuff so not sure what else to recommend.

Pragmatically - love it or hate it - the world stage / TV will be a purely commercial decision based on how many people are going to watch, and not about inflicting anything.

I understand what you say about competitiveness - I was the same. I am not remotely interested in 'winning'. Christmas board games with my wife's family are funny because I lose track, get distracted and need to ask about rules again or advice for what to do. Another member needs to win at all costs. But do you know what - I really love that person. It takes all sorts, I guess. In school when it came to the picking teams, I was always picked last - even after the overweight asthmatic kid. I never felt humiliation, as I truly didn't care. I still love the Olympics though, I don't think it's about the competition for me, but I couldn't even tell you what it is that I do like - a weird sense of unity with the world, perhaps.

Iain, it's not just me and what I like, it's Mum too, we sit and watch telly together of an evening, I don't thiink she'd enjoy GOT, she's not into to much blood and guts and fantasy. I'm often iffy about costume drama's and I did have a good read up on Bridgerton, it's not really my thing. I like a good historical/archeological documentary, but I get so fed up with so many of them that have so many advert breaks they feel they have to spend most of the next segment catching everyone up on what happned in the previous segment/s that theres actually only 20 mins of program. My Dad was in control of the tv remote and Mum's enjoying widowhood by watching many programs that he wouldn't watch, even things like QI, which for the life of me I can't understand why they never watched it. She's enjoying things like Strictly, Pottery Throwdown, various property programs like Location and George Clarke. She dosen't like anything to weird either, we watched the first episode of High Country last night and I think that's turning a bit weird for her taste. I once persauded her to watch Cockney's vs Zombies and she lasted until the first ad break before announcing it as a load of rubbish. We hadn't even got as far as the zombies, so I think other undead would be out too, I never liked The Walking Dead and I know she wouldn't. Other things I enjoyed such as Vikings, Sons of Anarchy she probably wouldn't like, she might have enjoyed Black Sails, I was surprised she enjoyed Harlots and we had a good giggle as one of our family names is Wells the same as the main characters.

What channel is Shogun on?

TheCatWoman said:

Its still a load of sh1te in my opinion and attempts to mollify me do the opposite and really annoy me.

Noted - sorry for having annoyed you.

Some people get into the gambling aspect of it also, we can potentially bring gambling into almost anything if we want to / are so inclined. I remember hearing that George Best maybe was so into gambling that he'd get bets going on the team coach about which droplets of rain would run down the window fastest to reach the bottom 

Fifteen minutes of fame, for those who compete in events Joe Public don't care about.

All funded by the Lottery. 

And all that flying to Paris, while we're ticked off for having a pie; when away to Middlesbrough.

The Long March through the Institutions.

My wife wanted to watch the opening ceremony last night, it was the ultimate cure for insomnia. I never really have understood sport, all boys at school are supposed to be sports mad, I hated every single aspect of it. I do understand that some people enjoy it, I just don’t.

I can't support extremism but I share your dislike of watching the olympics, tennis, cricket, rugby, baeball, hockey, and MOST OF ALL the fecking winter olympics that my O/H loves so much. 

I do however have the mental lapses when I can watch a bit of Elvira or Hannah Oberg shooting and quite enjoy the sport as well. 

I know what Jim Royle would say about it: 'Olympics, my a#@e!' youtu.be/pUQhN-S-jwM

'War and play have long been linked. In Homeric Greek, 'agon' signifies the rivalry of sport and the mortal combat of war. Both are games, and - save for the glory that comes with triumph or death - neither has an end beyond itself.' - Straw Dogs by John Gray

'War is the final flower of the capitalist system.' - Bertrand Russell (1918)

#HomoRapiens

Happy to show solidarity on this point. I am either indifferent to sport, or, if it inconveniences me in any way, hostile. I have no interest in physical prowess, it leaves me entirely unimpressed. I am only impressed by artistic and intellectual achievement.

TheCatWoman said:

I quite fancied watching GOT again

If you like GoT then there is House of The Dragon - a precursor of sorts to GoT and set in their world a few hundred years earlier.

Period dramas I've enjoyed recently include Bridgerton (surprisingly raunchy and with contemporary music masked as classical) and Shogun (Japanese meets European traders story which is really well done).

If you like SciFi then there is loads of Star Wars spin offs (Acolyte, Andor, House of Fett, The Mandalorian etc) which are in the same league as the films, Start Trek has Discovery and Strange New Worlds that each have their own styles but are worth a watch and The Expanse for a more near future, gritty series that grows to an impressve finale.

What other shows do you like and we can give some recommendations based off of these.

Thank you thank you thank you Martin I was begining to feel totally alone iin my exteme dislike of sport.

I agree, sport is a ridiculous occupation for grown adults. Why would anyone watch another person play or compete? Where is the interest in it?