Tag: Olympics

Quick thought on the opening ceremonies

Posted on August 9, 2008August 10, 2008 by Bookworm

I watched most of the opening ceremonies last night. They were gorgeous. They also reminded me very strongly of the public spectacles that socialist countries have always loved: vast numbers of people moving in tightly choregraphed formations. It’s certainly impressive, but it’s also a vivid, visual reminder of the socialist

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The Ghost of Jesse Owens

Posted on July 13, 2008July 13, 2008 by Bookworm

We all know the story: Adolf Hitler planned for the 1936 Olympics to showcase Aryan supremacy, only to have his little race-building effort destroyed by the great Jesse Owens. Iran, apparently, isn’t taking any chances. It’s decided that it simply cannot afford to risk having one of its athletes race

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