President Obama has made his speech to the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen, advocating Chicago as the site of the 2016 Olympic Games. Other cities making the case to host the games are Rio de Janiero, Brazil; Madrid, Spain; and Tokyo, Japan.
Chicago has a lot going for it (especially if you want to pay a parking ticket, which is the only operating link on its web portal as I write this). It has an airport that's already famous for late flights. It has impossible traffic. It has a city government that's already got plenty of experience with corruption. And it has a cheerful, easygoing citizenry.
What does Rio have? Beautiful beaches? Carnival? Gorgeous women? Great food? Who needs all that?
How about Tokyo? I supposed if "wiredness" were an Olympic sport, Tokyo would win hands-down. But Tokyo offers other advantages, like crazy traffic and professional pushers to help cram the largest possible number of people onto packed commuter trains. There's also a vanishingly low crime rate, unless you piss off a yakuza. And where else in the world could you watch game shows like Bikini Rodeo Pie-Fighting?
And Madrid? Well, if you like art, there's the world-famous Prado Museum, but most people who go to the Olympics don't go for the art, and beautiful, friendly cities are a dime a dozen. On the plus side, since everybody in America is now expected to learn Spanish, communication shouldn't be a problem.
Where will the Olympics go? I don't know, and I don't particularly care. My only real interest in the Olympics is that the games seem to provide a lot of great dancers to compete on Dancing with the Stars. So, knock yourself out, Mr President. I, myself, would vote for Rio...but that's just me.
After all, Samba should be an Olympic sport.
Have a good day. More thoughts coming.
Bilbo
P.S. - Agnes and I will be headed to Pittsburgh later this morning to visit my Dad and to take part in the 40-year reunion of the North Allegheny Senior High class of 1969. I will try to keep the blog and the Facebook page on track, but things may be a bit erratic until Monday. Bear with me. And have a good weekend.
B.
5 comments:
Have fun in the Burgh...there's some good pizza and chili in Chicago ya know...of course there's some good food in Pittsburgh too..just don't let anyone get it in their head to have anything else huge come to our city.
If I lived in Chicago I would be very much opposed to the olympics coming there. But, since I don't, I'm all for it.
BTW, Rio has crime and poverty that makes Chicago look like a clean, well lit place.
My vote would have been for Madrid but it looks like Rio, so polish up your samba.
Actually, Chicago is a beautiful city provided you stay away from certain parts of it which is true for any city. It has a beautiful skyline.
Supposedly, the Olympics committee members could not understand why Chicago would demolish a hospital to make room for Olympics structures. Hospitals are in short supply in many of these countries. They could not understand, too, because of all our talk here about making sure everyone in the U.S. has access to quality health care. Probably a new hospital was going to be built if the Olympics came to Chicago. It may be in the works anyway. But this may explain why Chicago lost out so early in the voting process.
Most people in the Chicago area did not want the Olympics to come here. They were afraid the money would end up benefitting a few at the expense of the many. However, I heard that it would have created 300,000 new construction jobs alone.
I went to see the 'teen murder video in Chicago' and had to sit through an animated Puffs tissue commercial. Not quite the lead in I was expecting.
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