London Olympics

[GROWLER]

In serious mode now, I thank you for your comments, as they've been most helpful in coming to terms with the confused state I've felt in over these games.
Half of me has wanted to laugh at them and the seemingly...and I stress SEEMINGLY... idiocy and sick hilarity of it all, thus making me feel so uncomfortable wretched and extremelly guilty, and the other half is one of feeling so humble, astonished and proud of them for getting to grips with their disabilties and getting on with life.
Almost feel like weeping with all the confused feelings I've got about this tbh. Most odd.

[Nick]

Is this still about Wayne Rooney?

[GROWLER]

Is this still about Wayne Rooney?

Give me strength.

[Miss Demeanour]

Why have the podium arrangements for medal presentations not been changed or perhaps they will for those in wheelchairs with ramps up to the levels ? 

 

[Nick]

Do the dwarfs get soapboxes? Like Mel Gibson?

[Miss Demeanour]

The A - Z of classifications ......blimey not too complicated then 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/disability-sport/18934366

[Just One More]

As a kid, due to chronic asthma I went to an “open air” school where looking back, a lot of the focus was on helping people combat there specific illnesses and disabilities. I suppose you could say I was on of the lucky ones, I had trouble breathing, but at least I wasn’t missing limbs, wasn’t blind, wasn’t deaf, or like one little girl who was blind, deaf and in a wheelchair due to her having no use of her legs, but she was always smiling. It was rare to see any of these kids moan, feel sorry for themselves, they got on with life, they did the best they could, they were determined to beat their disability as best they could and would often refuse help from those of us who were more able-bodied
I’m sure many of the paralympians will have the same approach to their own lives and their disability, be it something they had from birth,  or from an accident or in some conflict or other. Initially they want to prove that they can beat the disability but once that is achieved, they find they enjoy it, they find they are good at something, and so it becomes a bigger challenge, and they want to go further and further
So, I will be watching as much of it as time allows but as I don’t know any of the “big name” paralympians I won’t be going out of my way to watch some of the events like i did with the Olympics

[Nick]

Wayne Rooney 

[Miss Demeanour]

I see there is much furore around the fact that the adverts are interrupting coverage on Channel 4 and 'spoiling' the viewing for some.

In all honesty what did people expect .....this is not a replica of the 'main' Olympics that was broadcast on the beeb and had red buttons galore to cover your every sporting need. This is one of the difficulties in that people expect the same . Apparently the beeb wanted to cover the Paralympics as well but LOCOGG made the decision to offer it to Channel 4.

I do think perhaps that there is an opportunity to appease some people by timing the adverts differently on Channel 4 and E4 / More 4 etc so if someone wanted to continue to watch all  they had to do is flick channels.  As it stands at the moment they all coincide. But this sheer inconvenience I would imagine would still deter many and it just makes me laugh that they can be up in arms about this ( intentional pun sorry  ) when considering the subject material !!!

[Uncle Mort]

I see there is much furore around the fact that the adverts are interrupting coverage on Channel 4 and 'spoiling' the viewing for some.

...that they can be up in arms about this ( intentional pun sorry  ) when considering the subject material !!!

That's one problem I have with 'disability'. A sense that you can't make a legitimate complaint because it's a sensitive subject. If the adverts are spoiling your viewing then why shouldn't you complain?

[Just One More]

I see that Frankie Boyle is unlikely to be on Channel 4 again after his tweets about the paralympics

I watched the disabled presenter and disabled guests discuss this last night on Channel 4's look at the days events with comedy thrown in (HIGNFY type format comedy-wise) and they couldn't see what the fuss was about

Oh and the name of the programme on Channel 4 ............... "The Last Leg"   

[GROWLER]

I see that Frankie Boyle is unlikely to be on Channel 4 again after his tweets about the paralympics

I watched the disabled presenter and disabled guests discuss this last night on Channel 4's look at the days events with comedy thrown in (HIGNFY type format comedy-wise) and they couldn't see what the fuss was about

Oh and the name of the programme on Channel 4 ............... "The Last Leg"   

Exectly what the whole subject needs. More humour...not obscene ,personal or deliberatlely nasty.

The whole situation regarsing disabilty has to be treated with so much care, bit like racisim in many ways.

[Uncle Mort]

As Frankie himself said "Nobody thinks it's a good thing to laugh at the disabled. But it is a genuine problem that we're not allowed to laugh with the disabled."

[Just One More]

Richard Whitehead has just won the 200m sprint but they've had to delay the medal ceremony because he's left his prosthetic legs at the training arena

(He's from Nottingham like) 

[Just One More]

Ellie Simmonds 800m swim will stay in my memory for a long long time. She won gold in Beijing aged 13, this evening she wiped 5 seconds off the world record... amazing victory


I assume Wills, Kate, Beckham et al are otherwise engaged at the moment. You couldn't keep them away a few weeks ago...like