Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

13 Nov 2011 11:26

tags

World: Brazil raids notorious Rio de Janeiro slum ahead of World Cup, Olympics

  • An attempt to clean up a big problem: Tanks rolled through Rio’s Rocinha neighborhood early Sunday morning, in an effort to show some authority in the region, which is a hotbed for the country’s drug trade. “We’re taking back this territory for the 100,000 citizens of Rocinha, people who have needed peace,” said Sergio Cabral, the governor of the Rio de Janeiro state. But there’s also a bigger goal happening — officials want to clean up the region ahead of two major events heading to the city in the next few years — 2014’s World Cup and 2016’s Olympics. Roughly a third of the city’s six million residents live in slums — of which Rocinha is the largest one. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


15 Feb 2010 10:47

tags

Culture: In case you’re wondering, we’re boycotting the Olympics on SFB.

  • Why? Because they’re boring and mind-numbing. Nothing against Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn and all the other star athletes, but we have no desire to watch or cover the Winter Olympics. (We’re slightly friendlier to the Summer Olympics, in the same way a pit bull is slightly friendlier than a lion.) Part of this is that the Olympics are boring in every way, shape and form. Part of this is because Dick Ebersol is a jerk and we don’t want to support his work. But let’s put it this way – if you’re wondering why we haven’t covered the Winter Olympic games in Vancouver, it’s because we don’t care. Thanks for listening.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


17 Oct 2009 17:55

tags

World: In Rio de Janeiro, gangs shoot down police helicopters. (Holy crap!)

  • Dang it, Associated Press. This is simply too crazy to not post. We’re going to feel guilty about breaking the boycott for this article, but this is some Ikari Warriors action going on in Rio de Janeiro. So, Chicago’s looking a lot better now in 2016, eh, International Olympic Committee? (Oh wait, we forgot how crazy this was.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


04 Oct 2009 23:57

tags

Politics: Max Headroom: Explain the UN’s relevance, U.S. ambassador!

  • What’s the point? U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice tries to explain in a no-BS fashion why the United Nations is more than just a spot for Libya’s leader to rant for hours.

  • Reveling in failureBill Kristol seems ready to pounce on Obama for his Olympic push. He compares him to George W. Bush, which just caused our brains to painfully implode. Uh … WHAT?

  • Trashing Glenn BeckJames Carville straight-up calls Glenn Beck nuts around 1:42. It’s an epic rant, one that makes us all warm and fuzzy inside. One of our favorite Carville rants ever.

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


03 Oct 2009 11:07

tags

U.S., World: Chicago’s Olympic loss: It’s not you that sucks, it’s the USOC

  • [IOC members] don’t hate America, they hate the USOC, and with good reason. Congress doesn’t need to do any new reform. The USOC just needs new leadership.
  • NBC’s Dick Ebersol • Describing why Chicago lost in the vote to get the 2016 Olympics. Ebersol knows – he runs the network’s Olympic operation, and they’re the largest Olympic rights-holder. His argument? The USOC is a little too greedy for their own good. The USOC gets a lot of sponsorship and television money, and they made things worse by trying to get their own TV deal. Too bad Obama didn’t know that, because he made a fool of himself on the world stage trying to help those guys. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


02 Oct 2009 15:19

tags

Politics: Chicago’s Olympic fight: A battle of nerds and jocks?

  • We see this same jocks-vs.-nerds conflict play out every time a pro sports team threatens to skip town unless the taxpayers cough up money for a new stadium.
  • Brad Flora (of The Windy Citizen, a site we really like and recommend) • On the fate of the Olympics in Chicago, which took a nosedive in part because of strong skepticism the endeavor faced for years from what Flora describes as nerdy critics who pointed out budget crises that could be caused by two weeks of sweaty people doing sweaty things. Flora portrays Obama as the guy whose job was to bridge both the nerds and the jocks, having cred with both. But he couldn’t pull it off. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


02 Oct 2009 13:06

tags

World: Coming soon to sunny Rio de Janeiro: The 2016 Olympics

  • In seven years, Rio’s gonna be bumpin’ with the kind of of athletic action that only gets attention once every four years. Because, honestly, who gives a crap about archery otherwise, and when else could you it get on TV? And admit it, Rio’s more beautiful than Chicago, anyway. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


 

02 Oct 2009 12:56

tags

U.S., World: Daily Poll: Does the Chicago Olympic loss hurt Obama’s rep?

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


02 Oct 2009 12:38

tags

U.S., World: Great! Obama’s Chicago Olympics push for absolutely nothing

  • Jesus – in the first round? Obama’s rep as kingmaker didn’t do a thing to get the Olympics into Chicago. Not only did Chicago lose, they lost almost immediately, gaining the lowest total out of 94 votes cast. Here’s one Chicagoan’s take: “The violence in the schools became an international issue, and all the corruption, the rest of the world just sees us as Crook Town,” said Luciano Reyes, who may, unfortunately, have a point. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


02 Oct 2009 11:16

tags

U.S., World: Reppin’ Chicago: Obama lays on the charm thick at the IOC

  • I’ve come here today to urge you to choose Chicago for the same reason I chose Chicago nearly twenty-five years ago, the reason I fell in love with the city I still call home.
  • President Barack Obama • Making a pitch to the International Olympic Committee to bring the 2016 games to his hometown. He also uses his wife to push them, too: “It’s not only because it’s where I met the woman you just heard from, though after getting to know her this week I’m sure you will all agree that she’s a pretty big selling point for the city.” The IOC is currently voting; it’s expected to go three rounds, with Chicago likely facing off against Rio de Janeiro. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


 
 
top tags
older >> 
 
 

Tell these jerks what you think:

Popular Threads

Top Commenters