TeamGB Women’s Handball in a practice match during the buildup phase in the Copper Box.
If those Premier League footballers want to know how to commit the perfect professional foul they need look no further than the Handball matches. Held in the Copper Box, the perfect professional foul seems to be the way forward for these athletes. Just lean into your defensive opponent and hey presto you get the ref’s whistle. Now I know little of this sport and have so far seen but one practice match as a Gamesmaker. There’s also more yellow cards in this sport than at a Millwall FC match!
This is an incredibly fast sport and one that the UK has so been missing out on in many years. Those of you that are lucky enough to have tickets will not be disappointed and those of you that missed out, make sure one day you see this sport in action. It starts live today and can be seen on the BBC ‘Red Button’. Hint: you may need to re-tune your system to get the 24 channels. They alone are impressive.
Bog Ben’s Clock Tower, London where the bell ringers are getting ready to put Big Ben through its paces on Friday’s three minute peel.
A leaked memo from the Arts Council to the Olympic Committee’s Art’s Director, shows that the 3 minutes ringing of Big Ben on Friday am, will be in something akin to Morse Code and will apparently spell out a message pertaining to peace across the world.
The memo hints that the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy CBE, has composed the message in prose for the occasion and that if anyone breaks the code whilst the Olympics are taking place, they will be invited with a friend to attend the closing ceremony as VIP guests. My guess is they are not expecting the code to be broken. That has to be a challenge to any aspiring Alan Turing (Enigma Code Breaker). Good luck everyone.
Gold
Always believe in your soul
You’ve got the power to know
You’re indestructible
Always believe in, because you are
Gold
Glad that you’re bound to return
There’s something I could have learned
You’re indestructible, always believe in
Gold
… – Don’t fret, I heard the National Anthem last night as I walked by the Olympic stadium after my shift. Glad they are practicing it, we fully intend to bore the pants off the rest of the world with it over the next few weeks!
On another note (pun intended) word has it that Danny Boyle is at loggerheads with other directors about the use of the overhead cameras during the opening ceremony. Oh these luvvies are such sweeties really. I’m sure it will all get sorted on the night.
An aerial view of the Olympic Stadium on 12 July showing preparations for the opening ceremony. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA
Also it looks like the title sequences from Eastenders(BBC1) from the air. How do they get those pictures with no fly zones in place? Risky business I’ll be bound.
The USA tweeting banter seems to have cooled today after one athlete got lost in a coach and threw a tantrum on Twitter. This is London!
Disappointed so far that the Workforce/Gamesmaker are not getting ‘Innocents’ brand (Coca-Cola) on their menus. I was so looking forward to a free smoothy!
…and finally, everything has to be shipshape and Bristol fashion for the ‘elf&safety’ people. What would we do without them.
Yes and finally, finally, the saga over the missing chocs goes on….
Staging for on Park Entertainment. Copyright the author 2012
Update: I’m reliably informed the forces personnel called in to replace missing G4S personnel, are now being fed correctly and having checked with a few of them, they appear to be pleased. I know I’m pleased with their friendly greetings in the morning before the shift starts. Thank you LOCOG.
Interesting flooring in the centre of the Olympic Park. Copyright the author 2012
Starting on the Olympic Park is an exciting time for a Gamesmaker, but having digested the PR and the training sessions the reality turns out to be not quite to plan. I’m not talking about the venues staff and contractors, they have all proved to be quality hardworking people.
However, when you have been constantly informed you will be fed on venue and the welfare area is still under construction, you begin to wonder if you will ever be fed! As I was the only GM on my venue, it was not something I could confer about with other Gamesmakers. In any case, I’m not concerned for myself, but for the preconceptions being far from the reality on the ground and particularly for those starting at my venue with special dietary requests in this situation. How would they have coped in my position? Badly I guess and their initial impression would have been somewhat unfavorable no doubt.
One of the countless walkways across the Olympic Park. Wear sensible shoes!! Copyright the author 2012
What really got to me though, and hence the rant, was that the British Forces personnel on the Olympic Park are also having to fend for themselves at the three contractor’s burger vans! These young men and women are sent off to fight in Afghanistan and all they get on the Olympic Park is the prospect of a (surprisingly quite decent) sausage sandwich. Shameful LOCOG! Get off you lard arses and take some action now for these brave lads and lasses.
Panasonic’s 3D Theatre for showing Games day highlights. Probably a moneyspinner!
Proud young torch bearer as he passes under the longest pier in the world in Southend. Copyright 2012 the author.
When I looked out of the window early this morning it did not inspire me much given the driving rain. It was Southend’s turn to welcome the Olympic flame and it looked a bit bleak. By mid-morning though, everything calmed down just enough to go and watch the flame come along Southend seafront. Living so close to the estuary has its rewards on days like these. It’s a short walk to the sea and not much further to the esplanade.
Part of the Southend Anthem Choir at the torch relay on the seafront. Copyrght 2012 the author.
Clearly there had been some massive organization overnight with barriers and flags galore along Marine Parade and down Pier Hill. Getting a vantage point was not that easy given that, in my estimation only, over 50,000 people had turned out for the same reason!
An enthusiastic spectator at the Olympic torch relay on Southend seafront. Copyright 2012 the author.
One of the highlights of the day was the 2000 strong childrens’ choir which sang a specially composed Southend Anthem: Let Your Light Shine. Made up of children from 34 local Southend and district schools, they gave a very impressive show. Well two shows actually, since after the flame had left the esplanade the choir gave a second rendition. The song was composed by Tolga Kashif, who previously helped produce a 1997 version of Perfect Dayfor BBC’s Children in Need.
More of the Anthem Choir. Copyright 2012 the author.
There’s no denying the sponsorship with Coca-cola splashed all over the place and even the local Tesco Express had window to window displays of coke cans! Advertising aside, a thoroughly good day out.
Today’s news from CERN that the Higgs Boson may exist given their findings from their two experiments ATLAS and CMS have indicated the same. The findings are as elegant as the presentations they make about them and not withstanding the expense to get thus far, it looks bright for particle physicists in the years to come.
However, as all particle physicists know, Higgs Bosons do NOT account for gravity, therefore their assertion that this news is quite possibly the most startling ‘in their lifetimes’ is both brash and hollow at the same time. Brash because it will provide the oxygen for further funding requests and hollow since it proves very little about the real universe.
HD has already given their alternative universe hypothesis this time last year. The ‘Infinite Black Body Universe’ or IBBU principle that relates all bodies whether infinitesimally large or infinitesimally small, are handled in exactly the same way and are all subject to the laws of gravity. Therefore today’s announcement leaves the scientific community in exactly the same place as they were yesterday: no idea how to explain gravity and no nearer to explaining the existence of the universe despite what they might tell you. Particle physicists take note!
Is Usain Bolt just biding his time till the Olympic Games in London to show everyone the way home? If the Jamaica trials are anything to go by, Yohan Blake his training partner, is the superior runner right now, his times in both races indicate that fact. However, Bolt was slow out of the blocks in the 100m and a deficit of 0.03 seconds in the 200m is not insurmountable. Either way, it’s all boiling up for a fantastic London2012 confrontation, not forgetting Asafa Powell, another fellow Jamaican teammate, who is showing good form to date. Just wish this Gamesmaker had a ticket to the finals. Never mind maybe some kind soul will let me into their hospitality suite on the night!
