- BBC News – Arrests in Critical Mass bike ride near Olympic Park
Last night, while it seems like my entire twitter feed was watching the Olympic opening ceremony, a group of cyclists were kettled and arrested. This is a group of cyclists who meet and perform this particular bike ride regularly, and with no problems. It is of course possible that some of them decided to so something stupid and/or illegal this time, but I can't imagine why they would, when they never have before, In other words: this looks an awful lot like the police deciding that an act that is usually legal and problem-free is suddenly illegal just because the Olympics is on, presumably because they believe they'll be able to get away with it because everyone is so dazzled by the opening ceremony. Please, spread this link around, because this would seem to be to high a price to pay for a bit of pageantry.
Tag: olympics
Bookmarks for July 13, 2012
- London 2012 Olympics fails at Internet | THE FREE SPEECH BLOG
It turns out that a certain organisation of dogshit peddlers disguised as sporting event is trying to tell people under what circumstances they may links to said organisation's website. I would put a link to their site calling them a bunch of cunts, in direct violation of those policies, but it turns out I've already done that, years ago, when they first announced the logo, and before they had the ludicrous policy of attempting to tell people what they could do with their own, totally unaffiliated websites.
God, I really do hate the Olympics. I sort of hope everyone who is in any way involved with it gets ebola and dies. Except Doug.
Excuse me, I have to go take a few deep breaths now.
- New Statesman – Lansley opens the door to full-scale NHS privatisation
Oh look: the NHS is now over. And yet for some reason no-one is hounding Andrew Lansley through the streets with whips made from scorpions. Why are we not doing this? I mean, it can't be a crime, can it? To hound scumbags and monsters with whips made from scorpions?
Bookmarks for June 30, 2012
- The Strongest Woman In America Lives In Poverty
This is really saddening. While I don't this sporting prowess should automatically equally riches, the simply fact is that this is an inequality – other olympians can and do get plenty of sponsorship. Her achievement is no less remarkable, and yet it's pretty clear that the reason she doesn't get sponsorship is because her sport means she doesn't conform to a beauty standard. (Bet male weightlifters don't have the same problem.)
Bookmarks for May 24, 2012
- Kosmograd: Olympics Brand Exclusion Zone
If I know anyone who lives in these zones (and I suspect I do) I *strongly* encourage you to buy competitor products, and leave them prominently in your windows. And, indeed, to pass this idea on. It would be *lovely* if the streets in these areas were plastered with the logos of competing brands – not as paid for advertising, but just as spontaneous citizen reclamation of the space that belongs to them, not to advertisers and marketers.