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Olympic Swimmers 'Certain' To Pick Up Virus From Three Teaspoons of Rio Water (independent.co.uk)

An anonymous reader writes from a report via The Independent: The Associated Press has released a 16-month-long study that shows just days before the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro begin, the waterways in the city are teeming with dangerous viruses and bacteria. The report says both athletes and tourists are at risk of getting ill from the contaminated water. "The first results of the study published over a year ago showed viral levels at up to 1.7 million times what would be considered worrisome in the United States or Europe," reports The Independent. "At those concentrations, swimmers and athletes who ingest just three teaspoons of water are almost certain to be infected with viruses that can cause stomach and respiratory illnesses and, more rarely, heart and brain inflammation -- although whether they actually fall ill depends on a series of factors including the strength of the individual's immune system." Many of the athletes have been taking antibiotics, bleaching oars and donning plastic suits and gloves to prevent illnesses, but antibiotics combat bacterial infections, not viruses. The AP investigation found that infectious adenovirus readings turned up at nearly 90 percent of the test sites over 16 months of testing. What's more is that "the beaches often have levels of bacterial markers for sewage pollution that would be cause for concern abroad -- and sometimes even exceed Rio state's lax water safety standards," reports The Independent.

171 of 280 comments (clear)

  1. There is no spoon by Yoda222 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just don't take your teaspoon while you swim. Problem solved.

    1. Re:There is no spoon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Many of the athletes have been taking antibiotics,...

      So drug taking remains rife within the Olympics.

    2. Re:There is no spoon by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

      and the USSR is big to fully ban.

    3. Re:There is no spoon by fustakrakich · · Score: 5, Funny

      I believe the problem has been solved

      Check out the new Speedos

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    4. Re:There is no spoon by Mr0bvious · · Score: 1

      You're going to feel pretty silly rocking up to the spoon race without a spoon now aren't you!

      --
      Never happened. True story.
    5. Re:There is no spoon by Holi · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "Many of the athletes have been taking antibiotics,..."

      That should work well against the virus laden water.

      --
      Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
    6. Re:There is no spoon by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 4, Funny

      Hey, it's the Olympics. New event - see who can get the runs the fastest :-)

      If it weren't for politics and money, governments would be putting travel bans in place.

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    7. Re:There is no spoon by DarkOx · · Score: 1

      It might, antibiotics are frequently prescribed to 'bolster the immune system'. Many of the bodies mechanisms for fighting infections are shared both for fighting bacterial and viral infections. If you make the body less hospitable to bacterial infection with antibiotics you free resources for resting viral pathogens.

      Of course this results in all kinds of potential to create new antibiotic resistant super bugs. After all the usual course of action is to continue treating with antibiotics for a while after symptoms disappear so you have some confidence you have wiped out the entire offending bacterial colony. If you start treating people who are asymptomatic in the first place you have no idea what's going on in there.

      --
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    8. Re:There is no spoon by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't there have been bans prior to the Olympics? How about neighboring countries?

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    9. Re:There is no spoon by magarity · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't there have been bans prior to the Olympics? How about neighboring countries?

      This is the first olympics in south america.

    10. Re:There is no spoon by sexconker · · Score: 1

      That's not a spoon, that's a knife!

    11. Re:There is no spoon by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      It's bacteria-laden as well. Falling sick with a viral infection is better than falling sick with a bacterial infection and a viral infection.

    12. Re:There is no spoon by Scottingham · · Score: 1

      I see you've played knifey-spooney before!

    13. Re:There is no spoon by Outta_the_way_peck! · · Score: 1

      On the positive side, if they should get the runs during the swim, they can just let it go and nobody will notice.

    14. Re:There is no spoon by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't there have been bans prior to the Olympics? How about neighboring countries?

      This is the first olympics in south america.

      Why does that matter to the point I made? Would not bans have been in place PRIOR to the Olympics, or in neighboring countries? The GP made a point that I don't think is quite correct. There have been viruses in those nations for years, and have there been bans, or even advisories?

      It's interesting to me because I lived in Europe back in the 80s and early 90s during the "Mad Cow" disease issue, and to this day, I'm not allowed to donate blood here in the U.S...what a ridiculous overreaction that's been.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    15. Re:There is no spoon by dafradu · · Score: 1

      The same overreaction this kind of news is spreading... there is no difference whatsoever!

    16. Re:There is no spoon by magarity · · Score: 1

      i misread and through you were referring to prior olympics.

    17. Re:There is no spoon by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

      Right. Because previous olympics also had events taking place in raw sewage, zika virus, and body parts washing up on the beach. No difference whatsoever.

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    18. Re:There is no spoon by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      And here I was thinking that Middle Eastern swimwear qualified as overdressing... Not quite as much, apparently.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    19. Re:There is no spoon by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      Personally, I'm more into Russian swimwear

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    20. Re: There is no spoon by diesalesmandie · · Score: 1

      I lived in Europe from '07 to '12 and I can't donate blood in the US, either due to "Mad Cow Disease." Ridiculous.

      You shouldn't talk about your mother-in-law like that.

      --
      This is my sig, there are many like it but this one is mine
    21. Re:There is no spoon by Reziac · · Score: 1

      With some viruses, the problem isn't so much the virus as the secondary infections that get into tissue damaged by the inflammatory response. This is especially a problem with intestinal viruses. So taking antibiotics can be helpful in preventing those secondary infections, tho it does nothing against the virus itself.

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    22. Re:There is no spoon by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

      ... which are fuck-all use against viruses.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
    23. Re:There is no spoon by RockDoctor · · Score: 1
      If you hear a doctor coming out with horse shit like that, keep him in view as you back out of the room. That is a dangerous idiot masquerading as a doctor.

      (Though if you knew any medics in your undergraduate years, you'd hardly be surprised to learn that there are such idiots around.)

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  2. If you ask me by Chrisq · · Score: 5, Funny

    The water-sports athletes at Rio will be up shit creek.

    1. Re:If you ask me by quenda · · Score: 3, Funny

      They will not really be swimming, just going through the motions*.

      *("movements" in US English)

    2. Re:If you ask me by PRMan · · Score: 1

      ...with a bleaching paddle.

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
    3. Re:If you ask me by PRMan · · Score: 1

      We say "going through the motions" in the US.

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
    4. Re: If you ask me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yes, but you don't say bowel motions. He was translating the pun for you guys, but you missed it anyway.

    5. Re:If you ask me by bruce_the_loon · · Score: 1

      Some highlights from the marathon https://youtu.be/4YNl3Zhiz90?t=69 courtesy of Monty Python.

      --
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    6. Re:If you ask me by goose-incarnated · · Score: 1

      The water-sports athletes at Rio will be up shit creek.

      Aren't they two different fetishes?

      It's only different by a few inches. (Sorry, somebody had to go there).

      They only went there if their aim was off (by a few inches).

      --
      I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
    7. Re:If you ask me by NetNed · · Score: 1

      With or without a teaspoon?

    8. Re: If you ask me by SecurityGuy · · Score: 2

      I get it, it just doesn't work in US English. "Going through the motions" doesn't conjure up any reference to the crap (literal or figurative) in the water. "Going through the movements" is just an unusual thing nobody would say. I doubt GP didn't understand. It's just not funny in US English.

  3. Sounds like Free vaccination... by dimethylxanthine · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Anti-vaxxers (which I know are literally non-existent on /.) need not read further. I think exposure to most new pathogens is likely what keeps our immune systems training, learning and ultimately healthy. Plus a bit of mild diarrhoea is a good cleanser ;) Seriously though, I imagine those going to the Olympics will have received their respective vaccinations well in advance. Otherwise, you might find consolation in the fact that Brazilians swim, drink, (have lots of sex with everything and anything) - and are doing ah-OK. * {usual disclaimer stuff here}

    1. Re:Sounds like Free vaccination... by stephanruby · · Score: 2

      I completely agree. One third of the human population has parasites inside of them. Ever wonder Brazilian women are so thin?

      Take a look at this video. It looks like pasta. It's so yummy! The US Olympic athletes should be paying for that privilege if you ask me.

    2. Re:Sounds like Free vaccination... by mysidia · · Score: 1

      exposure to most new pathogens is likely what keeps our immune systems training

      Does you no good if you are exposed to multiple potentially serious pathogens at the same time, and the results can be fatal.

      Seriously though, I imagine those going to the Olympics will have received their respective vaccinations well in advance.

      This may be shocking for you to learn: But there are life-threatening diseases you can get from contaminated water which there is no vaccine against.

      Available vaccines mostly only mitigate diseases which spread from person to person.

    3. Re:Sounds like Free vaccination... by dwywit · · Score: 2

      3 citations, please

      --
      They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
    4. Re:Sounds like Free vaccination... by Tyrannicsupremacy · · Score: 1
      --
      http://i.cubeupload.com/T6cyLu.png
    5. Re:Sounds like Free vaccination... by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

      Sure.. their life expectancy is over 5 years lower than the u.s. and almost a decade lower than most of Europe but what the hey.

      Besides brain and heart inflammation build character.

      If I were an athelete at risk, I would skip this one. If for no other reason that it will be worse in the future if they tolerate it this time.
       

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    6. Re:Sounds like Free vaccination... by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

      Exactly...
      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pm...
      Despite these limitations, Anstey and colleagues are to be congratulated for applying this methodology to produce a unique assessment of the relationship between parasite biomass and the major determinants of severe malaria pathogenesis: inflammation, sequestration, and vascular endothelial dysfunction [15], [19]. Their data are all the more remarkable because they compare large numbers of healthy controls and subjects with both P. falciparum and P. vivax malaria [12]. Whilst there appear to be many similarities between severe disease caused by both parasite species, it is only when parasite biomass and distribution are considered that distinct pathogenic mechanisms begin to be revealed.

      The same thing also applies to toxin load. Which is why cherries having sub dangerous levels of over 20 different toxins and pesticides is an issue. Taken alone, you'd be okay. Consider it like taking subfatal doses of arsenic, cyanide, and strychnine at the same time. Combined they can kill you even tho separately they are not fatal doses.

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    7. Re:Sounds like Free vaccination... by DarkOx · · Score: 1

      If I were an athelete at risk, I would skip this one. If for no other reason that it will be worse in the future if they tolerate it this time.

      Easy to say hard to do. If these athletes are successful at the Olympics they stand to make a lot of money from sponsorships, speaking engagements, and product endorsements of various kinds.

      The trouble is just getting to the Olympics is *hard* and they are not guaranteed a spot in the future, especially if they sit this one out. Even their own coaches/trainers etc might decide to throw most of their efforts behind someone younger and more *committed* if they back out.

      So the risks are big, but on the other hand many of the athletes see this as 'their shot' which they have a lot invested in already.

      --
      Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
    8. Re:Sounds like Free vaccination... by TangoMargarine · · Score: 1

      was part of a global empire when a bunch of squalid English religious zealots

      Citation needed. One hemisphere does not "global" make.

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    9. Re:Sounds like Free vaccination... by TangoMargarine · · Score: 1

      ...what? Not sure if being trolled but I'd genuinely like to read more about whatever the hell you're talking about.

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    10. Re:Sounds like Free vaccination... by TangoMargarine · · Score: 1

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      Huh. Apparently not being (entirely) trolled.

      Although the part where Portugal was part of it basically means that you could less confusingly just call it the Portuguese Empire. Haven't found any bits about dreadnoughts* yet, but the whole thing only lasted for 7 years apparently.

      *Technically speaking, calling a ship a "dreadnought" means it was inspired by the literal HMS Dreadnought, which wouldn't have been built yet.

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    11. Re:Sounds like Free vaccination... by TangoMargarine · · Score: 1

      Finally, not sure how they were "part of a global empire [in] 1620" when the UK of Port, Braz, & Alg didn't exist until 1815...

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    12. Re:Sounds like Free vaccination... by TangoMargarine · · Score: 1

      Despicably ignorant? Because I haven't studied the history of a random country on a different continent from where I live? Ha.

      Two warships of the Brazilian Navy

              Brazilian battleship Minas Geraes, a battleship operating from 1910 until 1952
              Brazilian aircraft carrier Minas Gerais, a light aircraft carrier operating from 1956 until 2001.

      I'm not denying Brazil has/had battleships. You claimed a date of 1620 for this one, which is wildly wrong.

      I don't know why you dislike us.

      I don't, per se. I dislike your inadequate attempts to make an argument for why Brazil is awesome.

      --
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    13. Re:Sounds like Free vaccination... by TangoMargarine · · Score: 1

      Er, whoops. I'm getting your posts mixed up. The 1620 reference is in regards to the Brazilian et al. global Empire (which is still wrong, but hey), not the dreadnoughts.

      We had dreadnoughts in the 20th century while you were still going wooden to the sea.

      Maine and Texas were part of the "New Navy" program of the 1880s. They, and BB-1 to BB-4 were authorized as "coast defense battleships".
      [...]
      The dreadnoughts, BB-26 South Carolina through BB-35 Texas, commissioned between 1910 and 1914,

      São Paulo Brazilian Dreadnought battleship
      Commissioned: 1910

      Minas Gerais Brazilian Dreadnought battleship
      Commissioned: 1910

      "While still going wooden to sea," sure.

      --
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    14. Re:Sounds like Free vaccination... by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      Off the top of my head, you missed the other Brazilian battleship, the Sao Paulo. They weren't all that impressive when completed. Brazil had ordered two other battleships in Britain, which Turkey bought, and which the RN took over when WWI started.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    15. Re:Sounds like Free vaccination... by TangoMargarine · · Score: 1

      The first permanent British colony in North America was actually Jamestown in 1610, not Plymouth in 1620.

      Well, I mean the first colony in Jamestown was 1607 but pretty much everybody starved or died of disease. From 1610 they started getting their act together.

      --
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  4. I don't get it. by Ecuador · · Score: 4, Interesting

    They've known for years and it is not uncommon for the Olympic city to host an event in another city (e.g. London held Sailing etc in Dorset), why did they HAVE to have these events in the dangerous Rio waters? I mean sure, a city that is on the coast, unlike others like the aforementioned London, COULD host water sports IF there are suitable waters. In this case there are no suitable waters, why couldn't they just move the event? It is not like they spent money for infrastructure for Sailing - in fact they didn't spend the promised money for sewage treatment, so they could just move the venue at any time.

    --
    Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
    1. Re:I don't get it. by cdrudge · · Score: 1

      It was some time ago to either move the open water events from the bay, or at least have a backup plan if/when the waters weren't cleaned up. The world sailing body was fired over pushing to move it.

  5. athletes and tourists are at risk of getting ill by MrKaos · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And then bring it home to the rest of the world.

    An example of the Olympic games forward planning and their high standards.

    --
    My ism, it's full of beliefs.
  6. Open water swimming by sjbe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Will they be swimming in the waterways? Don't they have swimming pools with chlorinated water?

    Some of the events are events.

    If I was in one of those sports I would be thinking pretty hard about skipping the Olympics no matter how big a deal they happen to be. I can't imagine a gold medal being worth the problems that would come from swimming through raw sewage. The fact that the IOC hasn't stepped in to change the venue tells you everything you need to know about how much the IOC cares about the well being of the athletes.

    1. Re:Open water swimming by sjbe · · Score: 4, Informative

      Messed up the link. open water swimming events.

    2. Re:Open water swimming by goose-incarnated · · Score: 2

      The fact that the IOC hasn't stepped in to change the venue tells you everything you need to know about how much the IOC cares about the well being of the athletes.

      This has been big news for quite some time, so a little FTFY is in order:

      The fact that the athletes are still going there tells you everything you need to know about how much the athletes care about their own well-being.

      --
      I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
    3. Re:Open water swimming by SecurityGuy · · Score: 1

      The fact that the IOC hasn't stepped in to change the venue tells you everything you need to know about how much the IOC cares about the well being of the athletes.

      That's been pretty clear since the 70s, if not earlier.

  7. Re: waterways by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You're correct, they are. The title should NOT single out one of the only water sports that's located inside, within chlorinated water, where this is not a factor. The author might as well titled this "Olympic Equestrians 'Certain' To Pick Up Virus From The Teaspoons of Rio Water".

  8. Follow the money by sjbe · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In this case there are no suitable waters, why couldn't they just move the event?

    A great question. I think the answer is that the IOC doesn't actually give a shit (pun intended) about the well being of the athletes as long as they get paid. They let the Russians into the games despite CLEAR evidence of state sponsored doping. The IOC could easily have set benchmarks for water quality and time tables and made arrangements for a backup venue if the cleanup couldn't happen in time. But they couldn't be bothered. Why? I think the answer will be found if you follow the money.

    1. Re:Follow the money by phantomfive · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The IOC could easily have set benchmarks for water quality and time tables and made arrangements for a backup venue if the cleanup couldn't happen in time.

      They still can (and should!!) do that right now. It would cost a little bit of money, but they could easily say, "we are moving the rowing and swimming to the Mississippi River outside Council Bluffs." Alternately, they could go to Europe, or Australia. I guarantee there is a venue that would accept them at this late date. Even if they decided to change next week, it would still be ok. Even if they had to delay those portions of the olympics to next month, it would be ok. It might even be better, because it would extend the coverage of the olympics for an extra month. They are not only corrupt, they are utterly incompetent morons.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    2. Re:Follow the money by sjbe · · Score: 1

      Clear evidence of state sponsored doping that can be resolved by creating extra anti-doping testing measures instead of indirectly banning innocent athletes who have worked harder than your ass ever has for your own job on account of guilty ones.

      You cannot fix state sponsored doping by any means other than banning the nation that does it. If you try to solve the problem by catching individual athletes two things will happen. 1) you won't catch very many of them and 2) the nation doing the doping will just send another doper to replace the few you caught. Congratulations you have solved absolutely nothing. Furthermore once the state starts a doping program, NOBODY is innocent. Russia has literally murdered whistleblowers and they have forced every athlete on their track team to dope. All of them. There are no innocent parties once the government starts supporting cheating.

      By the way, I've been a high level athlete (D1 college) and trained with Olympic and world champions (my coach for one) so don't pretend you understand what is involved better than I do.

      Banning is never a solution. It's a measure only simple-minded idiots take who can't think of anything else and don't want to take testing responsibility.

      You realize you are proudly displaying your ignorance of the testing process and it's flaws. The dopers are ALWAYS one (or more) steps ahead of the tests to catch them. It is almost trivial to avoid testing positive if one has the assistance of a properly clued in doctor. There is no testing regime you can develop that cannot be defeated by an interested and motivated and sufficiently financed group of cheaters.

  9. Re: What do they expect ? by Frankzy · · Score: 1

    Works for me...

  10. What Olympians are actually like by sjbe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The reality is that (a) most of the athletes are borderline sociopathic animals,

    Speaking as someone who knows several Olympic athletes personally you are completely full of shit if you actually believe that. I played D1 college sports (wrestling) and one of my coaches was a multi-time Olympic gold medalist. Nicest guy you would ever care to meet. He loved to compete in his chosen sport like some people here love to tinker with nifty technology. But that doesn't make one a "borderline sociopath". Furthermore through sport he managed to get out of some fairly rough circumstances and so have several others I know. I've trained with and interacted with numerous Olympians over the last 35 years competing and coaching my sport. If you actually knew any of these people the word "sociopath" would be the furthest thing from your mind. The fact that you feel the need to tear down someone you never met and know nothing about means that YOU are the sociopath in this conversation.

    and these sorts of problems are not going to prevent them from fighting hard for their shiny piece of metal;

    If you think an Olympic medal means winning a "shiny piece of metal", you don't have a clue what it represents.

    From living through the London Olympics, it was pretty clear that the whole event is just for TV.

    Of course it is. That's one of the main sources of revenue for the Olympics and for any major sport. Every major sports league is made for TV because that's how you get the largest audience. The number of people who can actually attend any given event in person is comparatively small. NBC pays the Olympics tens of billions of dollars for broadcasting rights. Of course the games are televised.

    1. Re:What Olympians are actually like by Gojira+Shipi-Taro · · Score: 1, Troll

      If you think an Olympic medal means winning a "shiny piece of metal", you don't have a clue what it represents.

      It represents being one of the three best at something that doesn't actually matter at all.

      --
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    2. Re:What Olympians are actually like by Holi · · Score: 1

      You mean to you.

      Very few people do anything that matters to more then a few people around them, Olympic athletes are praised the world over, they are held up as shining examples. You can argue against that all you want, you will still be wrong.

      --
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    3. Re:What Olympians are actually like by Holi · · Score: 1

      "And held up as shining examples", You know when you cherry pick words out of the quote you change it's meaning. Unlike the Kardashians, Olympic athletes are held up as role models. Please show me how I am wrong, how Olympic athletes aren't held up as examples for people to strive for. Yes some fall flat, and that in itself proves the point. The media circus when an Olympic athlete makes an error in judgement. Look at Michael Phelps or Ross Rebagliati.

      Still, we need to retire the Olympics for awhile. The IOC and the various national OC's have permanently damaged the Olympics reputation, making it more about the spectacle (and money, of course) then about the athletes. When they took it from the amateurs, they took away what made it special.

      --
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    4. Re:What Olympians are actually like by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      There are people who seem to consider the Kardashians as role models.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  11. The stakes are high by sjbe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The fact that the athletes are still going there tells you everything you need to know about how much the athletes care about their own well-being.

    A lot of them aren't going because of the sanitation problems. But let me ask you this. If you had worked and trained your whole life for something that you probably only had one shot to accomplish, would you give that up easily? Something that for many of them can literally change their life and that of their family for the better? If you say you would give it up easily then you don't adequately understand the question or the stakes involved. I was once an athlete that competed at a fairly high level and I still coach in my sport. I understand why the athletes are conflicted about giving up their chance at an Olympic medal.

    For some of these athletes they are literally competing for their future financial well being. Winning an Olympic medal in some places can be life changing. It can make some of them national hero's and set them and their family up for years to come. Would you swim through a river of shit if it would drag your family out poverty? Because for some, that is the stakes on the table.

    Even for those not attempting to drag themselves out of poverty, competing in the Olympics can be life changing. In my sport it's basically a job interview. Competing in the Olympics can result in a modest but solid income and career for those who want to coach in the sport. Win a gold medal and it can result in substantial economic benefit if you play your cards right. It's about a lot more than just a shiny piece of metal.

    1. Re:The stakes are high by goose-incarnated · · Score: 1

      The fact that the athletes are still going there tells you everything you need to know about how much the athletes care about their own well-being.

      A lot of them aren't going because of the sanitation problems. But let me ask you this. If you had worked and trained your whole life for something that you probably only had one shot to accomplish, would you give that up easily? Something that for many of them can literally change their life and that of their family for the better? If you say you would give it up easily then you don't adequately understand the question or the stakes involved. I was once an athlete that competed at a fairly high level and I still coach in my sport. I understand why the athletes are conflicted about giving up their chance at an Olympic medal.

      For some of these athletes they are literally competing for their future financial well being. Winning an Olympic medal in some places can be life changing. It can make some of them national hero's and set them and their family up for years to come. Would you swim through a river of shit if it would drag your family out poverty? Because for some, that is the stakes on the table.

      Even for those not attempting to drag themselves out of poverty, competing in the Olympics can be life changing. In my sport it's basically a job interview. Competing in the Olympics can result in a modest but solid income and career for those who want to coach in the sport. Win a gold medal and it can result in substantial economic benefit if you play your cards right. It's about a lot more than just a shiny piece of metal.

      Lots of things can result in substantial economic benefit if you play your cards rights, that doesn't mean overlooking the risk of contracting and passing on a particularly nasty disease, especially when the best-case scenario is one where the individual get's all the reward and society gets nothing. This is a particularly selfish course of action.

      --
      I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
    2. Re: The stakes are high by mrmatthewcarlson · · Score: 1

      World class athletes have lots of different opportunities to compete. The Olympics are kind of a showcase for random sports, as well as an opportunity to represent your country (whatever that means), but I bet it is not considered the end-all event in most sports. Maybe moms are like "play your stupid pinball at the Olympics and then I'll watch."

    3. Re:The stakes are high by Gojira+Shipi-Taro · · Score: 1, Insightful

      For some of these athletes they are literally competing for their future financial well being. Winning an Olympic medal in some places can be life changing. It can make some of them national hero's and set them and their family up for years to come. Would you swim through a river of shit if it would drag your family out poverty? Because for some, that is the stakes on the table.

      Given the odds and the competition, that's an incredibly short-sighted gamble. To devote years to something that unlikely when there are MANY better ways to provide. It's all about ego. "Look at me".

      --
      "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
    4. Re:The stakes are high by ebrandsberg · · Score: 1

      Can you name one open water swimmer who won a medal in any prior Olympics? How about for Crew? I would say your long-term health isn't worth the financial benefits that the Rio open water sports provides you: http://moneyramblings.com/money-olympic-athletes-earn/.

    5. Re:The stakes are high by jenningsthecat · · Score: 2

      ... If you had worked and trained your whole life for something that you probably only had one shot to accomplish, would you give that up easily? Something that for many of them can literally change their life and that of their family for the better?

      Point taken. But really, in this regard how does competing at the Olympics differ from a stint on any of several reality TV shows? And arguably the TV shows might be safer.

      I'm not saying this to be flippant, nor to minimize the dedication and hard work and sacrifices of athletes who compete at the highest levels. But seriously, when do we stop giving in to corporate greed and corruption? The IOC is organized thuggery, and there are uncomfortable parallels between the Olympic Games and the Hunger Games. Yes, it's an extreme comparison; but a little thought, especially in the context of your argument, makes it seem somewhat less extreme.

      For some of these athletes they are literally competing for their future financial well being. Winning an Olympic medal in some places can be life changing. It can make some of them national hero's and set them and their family up for years to come.

      I don't know about you, but to me that sounds even more like "Hunger Games".

      Would you swim through a river of shit if it would drag your family out poverty?

      If I was any kind of a swimmer, then yes, I probably would. The more important question is, "with all of humanity's productive power and technological advancements, why is it still necessary for anyone to swim through a river of shit in order drag their families out of poverty?" Never mind doing so for a chance at a 'job interview'.

      --
      'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
    6. Re:The stakes are high by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Actually, wouldn't all the sponsors, and the viewers, and the attendees all share responsibility and blame for allowing such a situation in the first place. Imagine if the sponsors for these water events pull out, or broadcasters say nope, not airing this...let alone individuals states

      I have entire countries crossed off of DO NOT VISIT, so yes personal responsibility. but lots of responsibility to go around

    7. Re:The stakes are high by Zontar_Thing_From_Ve · · Score: 2

      Winning an Olympic medal in some places can be life changing. It can make some of them national hero's and set them and their family up for years to come.

      This is a really good point. Winning a single gold medal 40 years ago is the unfortunate thing that gave us Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner and her awful family. Members of 1984 US women's gymnastic team are still famous here in the US, especially Mary Lou Retton. Nadia Comaneci has been the subject of interviews this year on the 40th anniversary of her excellence in Olympic gymnastics. These are but a few examples.

    8. Re:The stakes are high by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      You are joking right? Swimmers and rowers are rich or upper middle class kids to begin with. Give me a break. There is a reason most great swimmers are from the US or Australia: relative wealth, access to training and PEDs. Period. Swimmers aren't coming from poor countries.

    9. Re:The stakes are high by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

      Winning an Olympic medal in some places can be life changing

      Caitlyn Jenner, is that you?

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    10. Re:The stakes are high by geekmux · · Score: 1

      Even for those not attempting to drag themselves out of poverty, competing in the Olympics can be life changing. In my sport it's basically a job interview. Competing in the Olympics can result in a modest but solid income and career for those who want to coach in the sport. Win a gold medal and it can result in substantial economic benefit if you play your cards right. It's about a lot more than just a shiny piece of metal.

      Ask anyone to name a silver medal winner from years past. Chances are they can't name even one, which goes to show you how much these athletes are respected, even when they beat 99.999% of the world to demonstrate exactly how good they are.

      Yes, we've heard of a handful of Olympic competitors opening up gyms, or doing something else to try and extend their 15 minutes of fame. But the sad reality is people really don't care, and I'm willing to bet the overwhelming majority of gold medal winners go on to find some other life or career that has nothing to do with their Olympic prowess, for the plain and simple reason of economics.

      Put simply, the Olympics pay out financial success along the lines of winning the lottery. I'm not so sure anyone's life is worth those odds.

    11. Re:The stakes are high by c · · Score: 2

      Point taken. But really, in this regard how does competing at the Olympics differ from a stint on any of several reality TV shows?

      In the big picture, not much. For 99.99% of the population, the Olympics are little more than an odd blend of entertainment and patriotism.

      For an individual with an extreme passion for that specific sport? It may be the only thing that matters.

      Personally, I tend to ignore coverage of any sports that I don't personally play which makes Olympic event coverage of little interest, but I do kinda understand what drives people to compete. I have to admit that I don't really understand why any population with a lick of sense would want to play host to such a beast, though.

      --
      Log in or piss off.
    12. Re:The stakes are high by The-Ixian · · Score: 2

      Ask anyone to name a silver medal winner from years past

      I couldn't name a single gold medal winner...

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
    13. Re:The stakes are high by edtice1559 · · Score: 1

      Yes, but most of us don't have that many opportunities to do something that results in substantial economic benefit. If your specialty is swimming, you will either get your benefit swimming or go bust. If your expertise is computer programming, you will either do well in that field or go bust. It's very hard to switch careers especially when you've already put so much into one field. I think the gist of your post is that being a low-level IT administrator is a more noble career than being a professional athlete. I'm not going to jump into that fray. The point is that people may only have once chance at significantly improving their lives, and this may be it. It's not an easy decision.

    14. Re:The stakes are high by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      I have to admit that I don't really understand why any population with a lick of sense would want to play host to such a beast, though.

      I read an article about it........it seems in the late 70s or so, the IOC was having some trouble finding venues because of reasons that make sense and you could probably list them. Along the way, cities started realizing that the olympics if done right could be a great source of revenue (from advertising or something, I can't remember what, sorry) and started fighting to host it. Probably cities are even more anxious to host it when they can reduce their expenses by getting 'help' from a national government.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    15. Re:The stakes are high by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      ...when the best-case scenario is one where the individual get's all the reward and society gets nothing.

      WTF???

      Are you seriously thinking that all an individuals' actions should be for the betterment of the larger society?!?!

      Where did this mindset come along? That's not the type of individualistic thinking that make this country great.

      Sure. we work together, and sure we all make society a good thing to live in, but you're making it sound like it is the primary thing all individuals should strive towards with all their actions and endeavors.

      It is the opposite way for MOST things. The individual works to better himself, and gain individual rewards.....society usually benefits down the line, but man, I cannot fathom of thinking of society over myself for hardly any of my actions in life....

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    16. Re:The stakes are high by goose-incarnated · · Score: 1

      ...when the best-case scenario is one where the individual get's all the reward and society gets nothing.

      WTF???

      Are you seriously thinking that all an individuals' actions should be for the betterment of the larger society?!?!

      Way to go, snipping the context there... did you miss this bit?

      the risk of contracting and passing on a particularly nasty disease, especially when the best-case scenario is

      I never said that an individuals actions *should* be for the betterment of society, I said that an individuals actions should not harm society! There's a gulf between what I wrote and what you read (and quoted).

      --
      I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
    17. Re:The stakes are high by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      I'm not saying this to be flippant, nor to minimize the dedication and hard work and sacrifices of athletes who compete at the highest levels. But seriously, when do we stop giving in to corporate greed and corruption? The IOC is organized thuggery, and there are uncomfortable parallels between the Olympic Games and the Hunger Games. Yes, it's an extreme comparison; but a little thought, especially in the context of your argument, makes it seem somewhat less extreme.

      Few, if any of the athletes care, or even know. There are exceptions... Look back on the history of the AAU, and Prefonaine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.... And look at the shit storm that is the NCAA, and lawsuits by football and basketball players. But, in the big scheme of things, most just want to compete. I swam competitively, for hours, six days a week, all year long for several years. Money, or even scholarship, was never the goal, it was just about friendly competition, and our team beating the other teams. 40+ years later, I've still got former teammates who feel like brothers to me.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    18. Re:The stakes are high by sexconker · · Score: 1

      Ask anyone to name a silver medal winner from years past

      I couldn't name a single gold medal winner...

      The only gold medal winner I know the name of is Michael Phelps. I don't even know what event he won in (some swimming event, but there are dozens), what year he won, or anything else. The Olympics fucking suck and need to go away.

    19. Re:The stakes are high by phorm · · Score: 1

      Well, it could change their lives for the better, but the potential for some of these viruses is that it could also *END* their lives, or at least leave them crippled.

      Lung failure, cardiac issues, or brain swelling aren't things to f*** around with. Even if they live through the sickness, it could certainly end their career.

    20. Re:The stakes are high by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      I do kinda understand what drives people to compete.

      Not to be insulting, but do you really? Or were you raised with the generation of kids who got participation medals? Some people are very competitive, myself included, and it is reflected in many things outside of sports. Others, well not so much.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    21. Re:The stakes are high by The-Ixian · · Score: 1

      Funny, I remember the name and knew he was an olympic swimmer who did some bong hits but didn't know he won anything...

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
    22. Re:The stakes are high by The-Ixian · · Score: 1

      It's better to burn out than to fade away
          -- The Kurgan

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
    23. Re:The stakes are high by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      You are joking right? Swimmers and rowers are rich or upper middle class kids to begin with. Give me a break. There is a reason most great swimmers are from the US or Australia: relative wealth, access to training and PEDs. Period. Swimmers aren't coming from poor countries.

      Having swam competitively in the 70s, I'll tell you flat out that you don't know wtf you're talking about.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    24. Re:The stakes are high by lgw · · Score: 1

      Are you seriously thinking that all an individuals' actions should be for the betterment of the larger society?!?!

      There's a fine line there that casual arguments tend to obscure.

      All of us have a moral duty to take enough action for the betterment of society so as to give at least as much to society as we consume over our lifetimes. More than just monetarily, of course, but that's a good measure for most of it.

      Far too often people fall into the trap of attacking the extremes (or worse, defending them), when those are irrelevant. No sane person will seriously claim than either arr or none of an individuals actions should be for the betterment of society. But it's totally reasonable to argue about the details of what the balaance is, and how to measure it.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    25. Re:The stakes are high by sexconker · · Score: 1

      Maybe he didn't. I just assumed he did with all the press coverage he got.

    26. Re:The stakes are high by c · · Score: 1

      Not to be insulting, but do you really?

      Yep.

      Or were you raised with the generation of kids who got participation medals?

      I don't think do, but to be honest I've never really been able to pin down where that generation was. I've never had kids and don't really spend time around them, so I'm pretty out of touch with that sort of bullshit.

      --
      Log in or piss off.
    27. Re:The stakes are high by JimFive · · Score: 1

      Did the movie or the Def Leppard song Pyromania(?) come first?

      --
      Please stop using the word theory when you mean hypothesis.
    28. Re:The stakes are high by Wulfson · · Score: 1

      But let me ask you this. If you had worked and trained your whole life for something that you probably only had one shot to accomplish, would you give that up easily?

      So what you're asking is,
      if you had, one shot, or one opportunity
      To seize everything you ever wanted. In one moment
      Would you capture it, or just let it slip?

    29. Re:The stakes are high by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      Maybe he didn't. I just assumed he did with all the press coverage he got.

      Most lifetime Olympic gold medals won by any individual in history. Made possible mostly because all the swimming events have separate medals. The previous record holder was also a swimmer.

  12. get out of your box by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The poor people of Rio are paying for those games with their health and their lives. Sociopath is too strong a word but be honest: how they suffer doesn't bother you or anyone else living it up at the Olympic party at public expense. http://money.cnn.com/gallery/n... http://www.businessinsider.com... https://www.theguardian.com/sp... http://www.theatlantic.com/bus... http://www.economist.com/blogs...

    The word he is looking for is Narcissism: the pursuit of gratification from vanity or egotistic admiration of one's own attributes. Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a long term pattern of abnormal behavior characterized by exaggerated feelings of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration, and a lack of understanding of others' feelings.

    1. Re:get out of your box by Holi · · Score: 1

      No, it's all for the sociopaths at the IOC who want to make their several million. Why not place the blame firmly at the feet of those who are responsible for all the bad decisions.

      --
      Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
  13. You call THAT a water safety standard?!? by geekmux · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "The first results of the study published over a year ago showed viral levels at up to 1.7 million times what would be considered worrisome in the United States or Europe,...the beaches often have levels of bacterial markers for sewage pollution that would be cause for concern abroad -- and sometimes even exceed Rio state's lax water safety standards..."

    When viral levels are that high, why are you trying to convince anyone that Rio even has a documented "water safety standard"? You've got to be fucking kidding me with that shit.

    With those kinds of "standards", bleach would considered a safe alternative to drinking water, asbestos is just a "mild irritant" in construction, and DDT is considered a flavor additive in food production.

    No wonder no one gives a shit about Zika infections anymore.

    1. Re:You call THAT a water safety standard?!? by wickerprints · · Score: 3, Funny

      According to this study, they're gonna give a shit pretty soon, it would seem. A lot of very, very unpleasant shits.

  14. Re:What do they expect ? by Gojira+Shipi-Taro · · Score: 2

    I hope not. Keep the IOC far the fuck away from the city I live in.

    Hopefully this meaningless tripe will implode due to the IOC's corruption and greed.

    --
    "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
  15. The Olympic Dream by Virtucon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Given all of Brazil's problems, was hosting the Olympics such a good idea? Never mind that the FIFA World Cup nearly bankrupted the country, they're now putting on a show that they can't afford. They have rampant poverty in Rio, pollution issues, body parts washing up on beaches and even Zika yet here we are about to have another meaningless Olympic games in a country that won't easily recover from it.

    --
    Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    1. Re:The Olympic Dream by johanw · · Score: 1

      > Given all of Brazil's problems, was hosting the Olympics such a good idea?

      Of course not, it wastes a lot of money that they arenever going to get back. In democratic countries in Europe where they asked the population they always said "NO" to politicians trying to get their moment of fame when organizing a big sporting event with someone else's money.

    2. Re:The Olympic Dream by Thanshin · · Score: 1

      was hosting the Olympics such a good idea?

      It depends on the size of the bribe. If the bribe was large enough, it was a great idea for the bribed ones. Otherwise, they are just imbeciles.

      How many cash, Brazilian whores and coke would have been needed to convince you to happily have exactly the same idea? Do you think you're more expensive to corrupt than the actual decision makers? I doubt it.

    3. Re:The Olympic Dream by DarkOx · · Score: 1

      And Zika is the really sad thing. Just look at Florida right now. We have essentially one neighborhood with a Zika outbreak. Why is that? Well lets see the mosquito that carries it has a pretty limited range and the path the infection spreads by is really mosquito -> person -> mosquito -> person ... So we can basically assume that since all the rest of Miami isn't a Zika hotzone it did not get there thru natural geographic expansion. Zika is here because someone went somewhere got infected than got on a plane!

      Basically its the State Department and CDC's fault for every Zika related complication that happens. Every baby with microcephaly born here because of Zika is on their heads! We should banned travel to South America and close the boarder to anyone with a recent SA passport stamp the moment the outbreak began! Instead we are going to send thousands of people to the Olympics and let them come back to spread the infection all over the USA!

      One could ask why we started letting people with other deadly infectious disease like HIV come into the country as well. Its not like increasing the number of infected individuals present isnt going to result in more newly infected Americas. What happened to promoting the general welfare? Is it to much to ask the government to do its core jobs outlined in the preamble? Oh right they are to busy makeing sure everyone bakes cakes for sodomites.

      --
      Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
    4. Re:The Olympic Dream by DarkOx · · Score: 1

      None of those things change the fact that Zika would otherwise have only been able to spread to geographically adjacent places, which is not to say it would not have worked its way up thru Mexico and across the gulf states eventually but it could not have appeared spontaneously in Miami, unless it was brought there by infected people traveling.

      Its here NOW and will be spread all over the Aedes range because we don't have the sense to restrict travel. We should have done so until either, 1) an effective vaccine could be developed and widely distributed. 2) it go here anyway by spreading naturally.

      --
      Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
    5. Re:The Olympic Dream by dafradu · · Score: 1

      Why don't you first ban everyone in the USA from going to Brazil. You are like the 2nd or 3rd most common tourist there...

      I can't stop thinking this kind of people work for Donald Trump campaign :D

    6. Re:The Olympic Dream by dafradu · · Score: 1

      You want to stop all global travel and trade? Thats the only way to stop diseases from spreading.

      Blocking tourism wouldn't be effective, trade vessels were the first means of transporting diseases and they still are a risk today.

    7. Re:The Olympic Dream by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      Cutting your country off from any trade with an entire continent, and thus destroying your economy and reducing many of your people to poverty, is not promoting the general welfare. Not for Zika. Maybe for a zombie outbreak.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
  16. Make the IOC members pre-swim by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The IOC committee members who selected Rio for the Olympics should be require to pre-swim the open water race courses. Also I expect all IOC committee members to give up their hotel suits to athletes whose residence rooms are not ready. Because the games are about the athletes, right?

  17. Re: waterways by Zak3056 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    There is a 10km open water event, so your statement that this is not a factor is incorrect.

    --
    What part of "shall not be infringed" is so hard to understand?
  18. Sports is a business by sjbe · · Score: 1

    Lots of things can result in substantial economic benefit if you play your cards rights, that doesn't mean overlooking the risk of contracting and passing on a particularly nasty disease, especially when the best-case scenario is one where the individual get's all the reward and society gets nothing.

    Society gets nothing? You mean except for someone with an income, who can buy things, pay taxes, provide for a family, generate economic value and be a productive member of society, right? You mean except for the fact that sports entertainment is a multi-billion dollar business that provides a substantial living for literally millions of people around the world, right? Get a clue. Just because it isn't your cup of tea doesn't mean it doesn't have value. If an adult wants to take some risks to win an Olympic gold medal, that's their decision and they get to live with the consequences. It doesn't hurt you in the least so I'm not sure why you are bent out of shape over it.

    This is a particularly selfish course of action.

    As if you have a job solely to benefit others. Spare me. Big time sports are a business. People pay to see them play because they get value from doing so. It's part of the entertainment industry and whether you like it or not, it's a real business with real economic benefit to society.

    1. Re:Sports is a business by goose-incarnated · · Score: 1, Interesting

      If an adult wants to take some risks to win an Olympic gold medal, that's their decision and they get to live with the consequences. It doesn't hurt you in the least so I'm not sure why you are bent out of shape over it.

      I don't usually mind that adults go out and play games; this instance is a little different though - they are risking an infectious disease. Their "Me Me Me!" attitude actually carries with it harm that I cannot avoid. I'm all for a mandatory quarantine for everyone going to infectious areas, but that isn't what is being proposed, is it?

      And spare me the entertainment argument - sure it's entertainment, but that doesn't mean I have to consider it any more important than other entertainment like keeping up with the Kardashians.

      --
      I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
    2. Re:Sports is a business by stabiesoft · · Score: 1

      Except the only way the IOC will be fixed is if many athletes decline to participate this year and the IOC gets a GIANT black mark because they did not deem it necessary to relocate the games. An even bigger black mark would happen if say a gates, buffet, ellison or some other super rich guy said hey lets do an alternate olympics in greece this year at the old venue and have all the athletes go there instead. I know it is not going to happen because the athletes are bound to go to the olympics in 99% of the cases. The golfers have given a big FU but they did not need the money. A number of other athletes who also are not in need of the bucks have also said they are not going. But yes as you say the sports where the olympics are the keys to the dollars they are going because they basically have to or risk throwing away a lifetime of hard work. I don't watch the olympics anymore because of the way it is run.

    3. Re:Sports is a business by Grishnakh · · Score: 2

      Society gets nothing? You mean except for someone with an income, who can buy things, pay taxes, provide for a family, generate economic value and be a productive member of society, right?

      As if you have a job solely to benefit others. Spare me. Big time sports are a business. People pay to see them play because they get value from doing so. It's part of the entertainment industry and whether you like it or not, it's a real business with real economic benefit to society.

      If the swimmer wants to take that gamble, fine, but if the swimmer comes down with any diseases, I don't think their insurance company or the state should have any obligation to pay for it. This is no different than jumping out of an airplane: if you get hurt, you can pay all the bills yourself (insurance does not cover injury claims due to skydiving).

      Society should have no obligation to help you when you've placed yourself willingly in mortal danger like this. If sports is such a big business, let those big businesses pay for these athletes' health problems.

      This is just another case of privatized profits and socialized losses.

    4. Re: Sports is a business by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      Don't bother debating with them. They think they're a progressive socialist, but are really just a fucking moron.

      As someone who's quite the opposite of a progressive socialist, I'll say you're being a moron if you're not considering the possibility that these people will help spread those diseases.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    5. Re:Sports is a business by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      The fact is that the IOC could EASILY have relocated the venues.

      What exactly would you suggest? These things are quite literally years in the planning.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    6. Re: Sports is a business by jofas · · Score: 1

      Spoken like a true armchair referee. The athletes bear no blame, since they'd be competing whether the water were filthy or not. If you insist on feeling at risk from these athletes competing in insanitary conditions, I suggest you direct your misplaced indignation at the Brazilian governing bodies whose responsibility it ACTUALLY IS to maintain public health!

      Furthermore, you should be ashamed at your own actions, simultaneously calling the athletes selfish and doing so from an apparent safe geographic and vocational distance.

      You've made it abundantly clear that you have no interest in sports in general, let alone have any understanding of the commitments made by anyone even qualifying for the Olympics.

      Go back to 4chan.

  19. Re:Do Brazilians get sick by johanw · · Score: 1

    Not every athlete grew up in a septic tank like the Americans and some Europeans. Some do have a fully trained immune system.

  20. Olympics is the pinnacle for many sports by sjbe · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The Olympics are kind of a showcase for random sports, as well as an opportunity to represent your country (whatever that means), but I bet it is not considered the end-all event in most sports.

    Depends on the sport. In my sport (wrestling) the Olympics is considered the pinnacle of the sport for better or worse. That's true for quite a few other sports. Gymnastics, swimming, track & field, figure skating, etc all have the Olympics as THE premiere event. I'm not entirely convinced this is good for those particular sports but that's the way it is right now. Some sports like road cycling, tennis, and several others the Olympics is a respected event but not the end-all-be-all of the sport. For example in cycling the premiere event is the Tour de France. In tennis it is probably Wimbledon.

    Most sports that are in the Olympics have the Olympics as the top event on their calendar. Otherwise there wouldn't be much point to the Olympics really.

    1. Re:Olympics is the pinnacle for many sports by BostonPilot · · Score: 1

      Does the IOC force athletes to sign any kind of waiver? Just curious whether IOC is liable when an athlete gets sick from having to compete in water that a reasonable person would realize is not safe?

    2. Re:Olympics is the pinnacle for many sports by stair69 · · Score: 1

      Surely for wrestling there are much more important events such as Wrestlemaina and the Summer Slam? :-)

  21. Opportunity cost by sjbe · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Given the odds and the competition, that's an incredibly short-sighted gamble. To devote years to something that unlikely when there are MANY better ways to provide. It's all about ego. "Look at me".

    Just because something is a long shot doesn't make it unworthy of pursuing. Very few Olympic athletes put all their eggs in the pro-athlete basket. Most who pursue Olympic dreams have backup plans independent of sport. In my sport (wrestling) virtually all the athletes who compete in the games are either college graduates or are currently in college. They pursue their Olympic ambition but most have jobs and go on to perfectly normal careers. You only have a few years to be a top level athlete in most cases so the opportunity cost to chasing the Olympics is relatively small in most cases in the long run.

    All about ego? No it is not. I won't deny that ego is a part of it but that is far too glib an evaluation of what is really going on. It's about fun. It's about money. It's about opportunity. It's about goal setting and achievement. It's about a lot of things well beyond ego. And frankly there is nothing wrong with trying to prove you are the best in the world at something. If you are good enough to qualify for the Olympic games that proves you are remarkably talented at something. No different than an engineer building something amazing or an artist creating a fantastic work of art.

    1. Re:Opportunity cost by whoozwah · · Score: 1, Insightful

      It's about fun. It's about money. It's about opportunity. It's about goal setting and achievement. It's about a lot of things well beyond ego.

      Not really. All those things are driven entirely by ego. The only act that isn't completely driven by ego is an act of absolute selflessness. Trust when I say that everyone involved in the olympics from the IOC, the spectators, sponsors, film crews, setup and teardown crews, athletes etc have a personal agenda. It really is just ego.

    2. Re:Opportunity cost by GLMDesigns · · Score: 1

      +1 for " It's about goal setting and achievement. It's about a lot of things well beyond ego. And frankly there is nothing wrong with trying to prove you are the best in the world at something."

      wish I had mod points.

      --
      If you're scared of your govt then you need to further restrict its powers
      Vote 3rd Party in 2016 and beyond
  22. Re:Do Brazilians get sick by gerald.edward.butler · · Score: 1

    Septic Tank? Do you know what that word means?

  23. Benefits are personal by sjbe · · Score: 1

    Can you name one open water swimmer who won a medal in any prior Olympics?

    Since I don't follow that particular sport, no. But aside from Michael Phelps I couldn't tell you the name of any swimmer in the pool either because I don't follow that sport either. However in my favorite sport (freestyle wrestling) I could tell you every member of the last several teams, where they went to college, who they beat to make the team, and a lot more with enough detail to make me sound like a stalker.

    I would say your long-term health isn't worth the financial benefits that the Rio open water sports provides you

    That's for them to decide for themselves. I don't judge. If I was in those sports I'd have to think hard about it that's just me. They are adults and can choose what matters to them. It's kind of like those who use performance enhancing drugs. I wouldn't do it myself for both health and ethical reasons but I understand why some do even if I don't approve. It see it as no different than someone who works a tough dirty job for little pay. Sometimes the benefits are very personal.

  24. Re: waterways by Holi · · Score: 1

    As is the marathon swimming event.

    --
    Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
  25. Re: Strong Government by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    They have a strong government, dipshit. It's just fucking corrupt and incompetent.. You know, like most governments on Earth?

    How about you write up a similar assessment of Venezuela? Or.. No.. You're a hypocrite.

  26. My Doctor will have a Cow. by Dust038 · · Score: 1

    "but antibiotics combat bacterial infections, not viruses" - Independent. Its not everyday someone recognizes this in a public news article. A+ Independent.

  27. "swimmers and athletes" by fedos · · Score: 1

    So are swimmers not athletes now?

  28. Sports is a business by sjbe · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Point taken. But really, in this regard how does competing at the Olympics differ from a stint on any of several reality TV shows? And arguably the TV shows might be safer.

    Sports is a business of entertainment. To get money from sports it has to be able to draw a crowd. There are however some pretty substantial differences between sports and reality TV. 1) Reality TV isn't real whereas sports (usually) is. 2) Sports demonstrably has a lot of benefits for those who participate even if you ignore the financial. I defy you to say the same about Reality TV. 3) Sports still exists even if there is no camera recording the event. Most of the competitions were never recorded and certainly never broadcast. Reality TV doesn't exist without a broadcast.

    I'm not saying this to be flippant, nor to minimize the dedication and hard work and sacrifices of athletes who compete at the highest levels. But seriously, when do we stop giving in to corporate greed and corruption?

    Cut off the money and the greed and corruption will go away. Sports business is no different from any other business, be it technology, manufacturing or retail. If you bring money into the picture, you can be sure greed and corruption will follow. The best you can hope for is to keep it contained.

    I don't know about you, but to me that sounds even more like "Hunger Games".

    You mean except for the bits about killing people or the fact that it's quite voluntary, right? Spare me the silly comparisons. There are things you can rightfully criticize about high level sports but comparing them to the Hunger Games is just idiotic. If you want to make serious criticisms I'll be happy to provide you a long list of problems to work on. Plenty to choose from I assure you.

    If I was any kind of a swimmer, then yes, I probably would. The more important question is, "with all of humanity's productive power and technological advancements, why is it still necessary for anyone to swim through a river of shit in order drag their families out of poverty?" Never mind doing so for a chance at a 'job interview'.

    Now you are on to the right question. The fact is that the IOC could EASILY have relocated the venues. The fact that they didn't speaks to the corruption within that organization. The IOC professes to care about the well being of the athletes but their actions often seem to indicate otherwise. What they really care about is the money train for the people within the IOC. This isn't surprising but I'm a little surprised they care so little for their brand that they are willing to endure all this bad press over what really was an avoidable problem.

  29. Re: waterways by fedos · · Score: 1

    The thing is that this affects all the Olympic athletes. Singling out swimmers is just weird.

  30. I personally know... by ZecretZquirrel · · Score: 2

    ...several Escherichia Coli bacteria, so I know what I'm talking about. They are really warm, gut-loving creatures. The nicest organisms you'd ever want to meet. I've also known several wrestlers, and they were all sociopathic shits.

  31. Re: waterways by Yvan256 · · Score: 2

    And I'm pretty sure land swimmers won't be affected as much.

  32. Ego by sjbe · · Score: 2

    Not really. All those things are driven entirely by ego.

    Providing for your family is about ego? Because an Olympic medal can facilitate that. Getting opportunities for your future is about ego? Yeah not so much. You seem to not understand the meaning of the word. In reality the only thing in sports that is about ego is the desire to prove oneself in competition. To step foot on the playing field you have to have a robust ego but that's actually a positive thing in that circumstance.

    The only act that isn't completely driven by ego is an act of absolute selflessness.

    Confirmed. You don't understand what the word means.

    Trust when I say that everyone involved in the olympics from the IOC, the spectators, sponsors, film crews, setup and teardown crews, athletes etc have a personal agenda.

    Everything in human existence has a personal agenda if you want to go that way. That's not a bad thing. What's wrong with spectators wanting to be entertained or crews wanting to make a paycheck or Olympians wanting to win a gold medal? Nothing bad about any of those things. I am among other things an engineer in part (though not entirely) because I enjoy being an engineer and I believe I'm halfway decent at it. If someone happens to be truly excellent at rowing or swimming or badminton, why shouldn't they pursue that if it suits them to do so?

  33. Re:Do Brazilians get sick by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

    Let me make a wild guess, English is not your first language.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    --
    See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
  34. New Olympic logo by Deadstick · · Score: 4, Funny
    1. Re:New Olympic logo by iONiUM · · Score: 2

      If you're going to steal from reddit, at list link the source.

    2. Re:New Olympic logo by nazrhyn · · Score: 1

      That's classy. (Also, canceling moderation misclick. My apologies.)

    3. Re:New Olympic logo by iONiUM · · Score: 1

      Did you read my source? The guy made it, and posted it on imgur to host it. You're a fucking idiot.

  35. Re:Strong Government by moeinvt · · Score: 1

    Viruses and bacteria in the water in 3rd world countries is a problem with weak government? There are strong governments all over the world which have nasty air and water. China's government is very powerful, yet their water and air are totally filthy.
    People seem to defer to government because using violence and the threat of violence is an expedient "solution" to a problem, but rarely is it a good solution. There's also no guarantee that government power, once granted, won't be used for evil.

    If libertarians had their way, their wouldn't BE any "drug lords" except the CEOs of Merck & Pfizer and the owners of your local weed farm.

    Mass surveillance and the police state are signs of excessive government power, true ... so are the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the massive bailouts of the banking cartel, the war on drugs, the war on terror, Dept of Education, DHS, DEA, ATF, NSA, Dept. of HUD, gigantic military budgets, a global network of 700 military bases in 100 different foreign countries, billions of dollars in annual foreign aid, corporate subsidies, Medicare, Medicaid, guaranteed student loans, a federal work force larger than the total number of people in manufacturing, the biggest prison population in the world and rampant corruption and cronyism at all levels.

  36. Waivers of liability by sjbe · · Score: 1

    Does the IOC force athletes to sign any kind of waiver?

    I don't know for certain but I would be very surprised if they didn't have some sort of waiver of liability. That sort of thing is pretty standard on every sporting event I've ever entered. I can't imagine the Olympics would be any different. There probably is a similar waiver for the national governing bodies as well. High level athletics involves a shocking number of lawyers believe it or not.

    Just curious whether IOC is liable when an athlete gets sick from having to compete in water that a reasonable person would realize is not safe?

    Problem is that the athlete always has the option to withdraw. It might be different if the IOC represented the water as clean when it wasn't but there seems to be little doubt in this case. You can't sign a waiver to permit a fraud but that's not in play here. So it's sort of a case of swim at your own risk. What astonishes me is that the IOC is willing to ignore all this negative press for something that could pretty easily have been avoided merely by doing a venue change. There has to be some clean water somewhere in Brazil.

    1. Re:Waivers of liability by Cinnamon+Beige · · Score: 1

      Just a quick note: I'm pretty sure that having the Olympics as THE premier event in your sport is, as of now, definitely harmful. It being harmful in the past is up for debate, but...

      Does the IOC force athletes to sign any kind of waiver?

      I don't know for certain but I would be very surprised if they didn't have some sort of waiver of liability. That sort of thing is pretty standard on every sporting event I've ever entered. I can't imagine the Olympics would be any different. There probably is a similar waiver for the national governing bodies as well. High level athletics involves a shocking number of lawyers believe it or not.

      IANAL, but I'm aware that under certain circumstances--such as you basically being pressured into signing the waiver of liability, and not really free to walk away--waivers of liability are very interesting wastes of paper as far as the court is concerned. They can also be challenged, with success, on the grounds that this is not in fact a liability that can be waivered--basically, that Alice can't sign a paper saying Bob isn't responsible for something because the law itself says that Bob is responsible.

      Just curious whether IOC is liable when an athlete gets sick from having to compete in water that a reasonable person would realize is not safe?

      Problem is that the athlete always has the option to withdraw. It might be different if the IOC represented the water as clean when it wasn't but there seems to be little doubt in this case. You can't sign a waiver to permit a fraud but that's not in play here. So it's sort of a case of swim at your own risk. What astonishes me is that the IOC is willing to ignore all this negative press for something that could pretty easily have been avoided merely by doing a venue change. There has to be some clean water somewhere in Brazil.

      From what I hear, the overlap between 'places with clean water in Brazil' and 'places capable and willing to hold the Olympics' has little if any overlap.

      However, the IOC's behavior re: Rio is probably the best argument on why it needs to be just a 'respected event' instead of 'THE premier event' for any sport--if the IOC is going to just do nothing about the rather valid health and safety concerns people have? Then it is essential that all athletes have an alternate competition.

      Something I've not seen mentioned yet, but am quite aware of is that some sports have very narrow windows where people can manage to perform at the levels required for the Olympics--you're more likely to have to retire from competition than manage to qualify for the next summer or winter Olympics in four years.

  37. Re:Do Brazilians get sick by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 1
  38. News Flash by StikyPad · · Score: 1

    Third world country has third world water quality. Film at 11.

    Hell, many first world countries have trouble with water quality, the US included. What would be surprising -- shocking, really -- is if Rio had pristine water with all of the slums and the lack of sanitation.

  39. I'll invite Slashdot to catastRIOphe2016!! by argStyopa · · Score: 1

    There are approximately 10500 athletes expected to participate in the 2016 Rio games.

    What is the number of athletes you expect to be sickened, injured, or killed during the event?

    Notes: the "sickness" window extends to sicknesses identified up to 90d after the Olympics.
    These must be exceptional injuries: pulling a hamstring running a race would NOT count. Pulling a hamstring fleeing a collapsing stadium WOULD count. Kidnapping, while not necessarily technically an injury, would count. It doesn't have to be at an Olympic venue: athletes killed when a shoddily built hotel collapses would count, as would a scenic light rail line tour plunging into the sea. Rough sex in the Olympic village would NOT count, but gang rape by street thugs would count.

    Currently we have a number of values - closest to the final tally wins bragging rights.

    We have guesses in the pool* ranging from 300-5000. (5000 was specifically chosen with the pessimistic fear of large-scale terror attack, and/or a combination of factors: the officials in the olympics downplaying diseases and infections and the inability of Olympians to keep from frucking like rabbits, and/or the likelihood that the condoms provided will be as faulty and dangerous as the venues built in the last 6 weeks).
    *currently not virus infested, so the safest pool related to CatastRIOphe2016

    --
    -Styopa
  40. Swim for your lives. by malditaenvidia · · Score: 1

    That's one incentive to break a world record.

  41. Re: waterways by Zak3056 · · Score: 2

    The open water swimmers will be hit the hardest out of anyone, since they will be immersed in raw sewage. Ever try swimming without getting water in your mouth (much less other orifices)? It's impossible.

    The boaters are at risk as well, of course, but not to the degree that the swimmers are.

    --
    What part of "shall not be infringed" is so hard to understand?
  42. It's a shame by Ogive17 · · Score: 2

    I've been to Brazil multiple times. There are plenty of beautiful locations and the people are fantastic. Rio is the face of Brazil, but other than the famous beaches and Christo and Sugar Loaf mountain, it's a nasty city.

    I feel bad for the people because most of the developed world is now making fun of their country. They do have plenty of issues and maybe some will improve with the visibility. Politicians made promises they couldn't keep (go figure) and the corrupt IOC took enough bribes to make it worth their while. Now the citizens, athletes, and fans will suffer.

    I think Brazil could have done a wonderful job had it not been Rio and if they could utilize many of their existing structures for events. It might be better for everyone if future games are held in a country, not just a key city.

    --
    "Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is worthless."
  43. Can't they make their tea by rossdee · · Score: 1

    using bottled water

  44. Sanctioning doping through moral hazard by sjbe · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The remaining events they're in aren't as readily impacted by long-term doping, only short-term doping and other exploits (such as hyper-oxygenated blood for cycling) which all of their athletes are being invasively triple-checked for at this point.

    Sadly not true at all. Russian wrestling has the largest number of positive doping results for Russian athletes after athletics and weightlifting. I've been in that sport for 35 years and I can assure you that both long and short term doping would help a lot in wrestling. Same with swimming, gymnastics, and a variety of other sports. What people don't realize about doping is that the most useful thing about it is that it reduces recovery time. It allows you to train more and at a higher intensity. This can make a huge difference even in skill based sports like wrestling.

    Furthermore you can check all you want but it isn't hard to pass a drug test. Lance Armstrong was tested hundreds of times over years and never tested positive. With the aid of a doctor it's almost trivial to avoid testing positive even if someone is using something that the tests can detect. Which often isn't the case.

    So yeah, Russian got a big bucket of banhammer to the noggin' this year, and I expect several more of their athletes to get stuck by the at-games testing and DQ'ed.

    Not big enough. The Russians engaged in state sponsored doping. The ONLY response to that that has any meaning is to ban the country that engages in it. All of them. The government of Russia and their sports ministry engaged in systematic corruption of sport. You cannot remedy that by banning individual athletes. By the IOC being unwilling to make the tough decision they have effectively sanctioned state sponsored doping. Every country can look at Russia now and rightly think "there is no punishment for state sponsored doping programs". If an athlete tests positive they just throw that athlete under the bus and send the next one out there. Economists call this moral hazard and that is exactly what is happening here.

  45. Re:waterways by magarity · · Score: 1

    Will they be swimming in the waterways? Don't they have swimming pools with chlorinated water?

    While their rooms are in the "olympic villiage" or whatever they're calling it, it's not a prison. Any of them can go hang at the beach in the afternoon once they've competed for the day.

  46. Re:What do they expect ? by magarity · · Score: 1

    Brazil and Russia are the largest economies on their respective continents

    Where do you get your numbers? Russia is the largest by geographical area but their economy is puny compared to China's.

  47. Hapy Hunger Games by ghee22 · · Score: 1

    And may the water splashing be ever in your favor.

    --
    "Persistence is annoying success." - ghee22 11:28:1999 - 10:53:PM
  48. Antibiotics? by nowsharing · · Score: 1

    I'm not so sure that an extinguished gut microbiome is going to help their immune systems fight viruses.

    Microbiota regulates immune defense against respiratory tract influenza A virus infection
    http://www.pnas.org/content/108/13/5354.short

  49. Brazil by dan_waggoner · · Score: 1

    Don't ever change

  50. Re: waterways by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

    New event: Hazmat Suit Swim!

  51. Re:What do they expect ? by magarity · · Score: 1

    A statement like "largest economy" is a simple number comparison. There's no bowing involved. Get help for your insecurities.

  52. Re:What do they expect ? by dcw3 · · Score: 1

    I lived in Korea back in '88 shortly before the games were held there. Those Olympics were a serious turning point for the economy of the country. YMMV, but what you said certainly was not true for Korea.

    --
    Just another day in Paradise
  53. Re:Do Brazilians get sick by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

    "Not every athlete grew up in a septic tank like the Americans and some Europeans."
    Does not fit with using rhyming slang for an american does it?

    --
    See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
  54. so.... by SuperDre · · Score: 1

    it's actually irresponsible to have the Olympic swimmers in the water... Why do they even continue with the matches?

  55. Re:athletes and tourists are at risk of getting il by dafradu · · Score: 1

    It is not like there is no tourism and business travelers already all year long... The olympic games will not have any significant impact in the distribution of any disease...

    News flash to some idiot creatures from the "developed world" lurking the internet. Most of this tropical diseases are mosquito-borne (Malaria, Dengue fever...) and mosquitos hate cold weather. So unless we don't put a hold on global warming you will never, and had never before, had this mosquitos in your country...

  56. As someone who just got over dientamoeba infection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Good luck, athletes! Bubbly, frothy futures for all of you!

    Like a goddamned latte. Straight from the anus.

    Thanks, India.

  57. Re: waterways by dafradu · · Score: 1

    Wrong...

    Open waters event will take place in a beach with the entire ocean in front of it. The water is constantly circulating and any material is quickly dispersed in the ocean. Millions of people go to that beach every year, it far from anything like swage.

    Sailing and rowing i believe are in a bay where water isn't renovated that much. Any piece of trash just stays there for a long time...

  58. Re: waterways by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

    The water is constantly circulating and any material is quickly dispersed in the ocean.

    Except for body parts, apparently.

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  59. Re:athletes and tourists are at risk of getting il by MrKaos · · Score: 1

    Tourists from all over the world have been travelling in and out of Brazil for over a hundred years, but you believe the fear-mongering in the papers, and honestly believe that suddenly NOW, in 2016 just before the Olympics, Brazil and all its beaches are a global health pandemic waiting to break out and kill the whole world?

    No, that's what you say.

    Step back from the TV, close your eyes, cover your ears, take a deep breath, and start using your head for once.

    Last time I watched TV was over 2 years ago. Instead of reading something into what I wrote, why don't you just try reading what I wrote?

    --
    My ism, it's full of beliefs.
  60. Re:athletes and tourists are at risk of getting il by MrKaos · · Score: 1

    It is not like there is no tourism and business travelers already all year long...

    In Olympic numbers all at once? FIFA world cup in Brazil 2014 drew 3.5 million people. The London Olympics in 2012 drew 19.5 million people. I am uncertain if there are any other event that draw people to a nation in such numbers that if requires a concerted effort at a government level to make modifications to a cities infrastructure to deal with them all.

    Obviously we don't know what the attendance will be a Rio however I'm sure it will be labeled as 'The best olympics ever'.

    The olympic games will not have any significant impact in the distribution of any disease...

    It's logical that if you are going to have a mass of people in Rio all at once they are all going to come home.

    News flash to some idiot creatures from the "developed world" lurking the internet. Most of this tropical diseases are mosquito-borne (Malaria, Dengue fever...) and mosquitos hate cold weather. So unless we don't put a hold on global warming you will never, and had never before, had this mosquitos in your country...

    No need to have a cow. Whilst I'm sure that the operators will avoid filling their aircraft with mosquitos, I'm certain the people bitten by them with tickets won't have those problems. Perhaps the gestation period of anything contracted will be a factor, I don't know. I have no fixed opinion about what will happen, all I am doing is pointing to something obvious worthy of observation.

    --
    My ism, it's full of beliefs.
  61. WWE by sjbe · · Score: 1

    Surely for wrestling there are much more important events such as Wrestlemaina and the Summer Slam? :-)

    Only once they've retired from the real sport. See Kurt Angle or Brock Lesnar. They retired to the WWE and the fat paychecks that come with it. Evidently there is a lot of money to be made traveling around the country entertaining credulous rednecks with bad acting and fake fighting.

  62. Re: waterways by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

    The open water swimmers will be hit the hardest out of anyone, since they will be immersed in raw sewage.

    Just a quick question - how many jobs have you had that invlved routinely dealing with literal raw sewage? I'm going to hazard a guess that the number is zero. I've had two. There is a very big difference between raw sewage and somewhat dirty water.

    Sometimes, when you hear the hysterical squawking about shit, that some people forget that they get shit on their arseholes every day, and they get other people's shit on their hands and up their noses every time they use a public toilet or "wash"room.

    --
    Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  63. Messi Neymar Fan Just looked that by Farin+Uk · · Score: 1