McDonald's Olympics

[Jon Masters]

Anyone tried to watch any of the events on the Beeb website ?

I keep trying to watch the badmington but











every 10seconds or so the action








pauses while the




Internet catches








up.

So much for free coverage of every sport

And how much license fee money did they use to buy the rights ?
(rumour would suggest at least half a series of DW worth

[duncan]

I hate the coverage. I've been watching the Gymnastics and while we are competing on a piece they cover another. Then when GB move on to another apparatus, they move on to cover the piece we have just finished on!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Apparently a teenager has been arrested as part of an enquiry into abusive tweets sent to Tom Daley yesterday after he and Pete Waterfield came 4th in the diving doubles yesterday.

[Stuart Wallis]

Such remarks as "you disgraced your [late] dad", which is not what anyone wants to hear, let alone a teenager who knows he's just missed out on a medal, thank you!

The wrong person was chucked in the deep end...

[Si Hunt]

Much worse followed, in which he threatened to drown Daley in his pool, and then responded to another user who criticised his comments by threatening to "stick a knife in your throat".

Quite honestly, expect the police to call.

Si.

[Stuart Wallis]

[Si Hunt]

My Grandfather-in-law said "What price on free speech?".

I dunno, the responsibility not to threaten someone's life?

Si.

[Stuart Wallis]

In some areas, the price is quite reasonable.

[Jon Masters]

Much worse followed, in which he threatened to drown Daley in his pool, and then responded to another user who criticised his comments by threatening to "stick a knife in your throat".

Quite honestly, expect the police to call.

Si.

The police have already been involved , I beleive, according to the Beeb website.

Of course he could always get Stephen Fry along to persuade everyone that it was just a joke.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

While I don't condone what this person said at all, I really do think the police have (or should have) better things to do than bothering people who send abusive tweets. I don't think it's what anyone would class as a high priority. And considering how lots of people seem to get on the internet, I would say it should take more than one comment on twitter before police start to suspect any sort of genuine threat on someone's life.

[Si Hunt]

Right, fed up of the "free speech" brigade hijacking this story, so let's fill in a few more facts:

(i) The media completely misrepresented this, reporting for their own devious ends that the rozzers had been round after someone had said "You let your Dad down" and ignoring the fact that the guy came back later and threatened to kill Daley. People then started harping on about "free speech". Well done everyone.

(ii) "bothering people". Yes, I hope the police continue to "bother" people who break the law

(iii) Yes there are laws against this. Quite apart from acts of law about threatening and abusive behaviour, there are laws at least ten years old regarding threatening and abusive on-line behaviour as well. And while we're here, I don't buy all this "haven't they got anything better to do" or "priority" talk. In what world is arresting someone who has broken the law, let alone threatened the life of one of our top athletes, not a particular priority? Perhaps they should get out there and set up a few more speed traps before they attend to the guy expressing the need to knife and drown people

(iv) If he'd turned up and attacked him, everyone would have said the police were crap because there were so many warning signs on Twitter that it was going to happen

(v) If someone rang you up at home and said they were going to kill you, you'd want the police to get off their arses. It's about time people woke up to the fact that abusing and threatening someone on-line isn't somehow a magical way of avoiding all responsibility for it. This sets a good example that you can't bully, harass or suggest you are going to murder someone and get away with it because it is, as someone on Digital Spy called it earlier, "just another Twitter spat". Again, if it was you you'd want something done I think.

(vi) The guy had made other tweets making abusive anti-islamic themed comments as well as his words of warning against Tom Daley and his mention of knifing another user through the throat. Really, I do think he needed bringing in at this point. Unless you'd be happier if this guy was left to get on with whatever he was going to do next.

Si.

[MinaHarker]

Agreed, Si.

Threats to kill are illegal.

[Stuart Wallis]

And might I remind everyone that if it weren't for online trolls, the BBC would probably still have a Doctor Who message board. Thankyou trolly dollies for spoiling things for even more people.

[Dino]

So the Olympics then... can anyone in London confirm that London is really deserted the past few days?
Is it the over militarized presence? Is it too expensive? Is London doomed to follow the Olympics curse that's hit Greece?!!

[Si Hunt]

It's been quieter than it's ever been!

Si.

[Rob McCow]

Clapham Junction seemed very crowded, so absolutely normal. The only problem I noticed this morning was some very large, bulky guys dressed in plum-coloured Olympic uniforms standing right in the main pedestrian thoroughfare at Victoria and getting in the damn way.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Well it was pretty busy on the district line just now!! Admittedly I'm normally off it by 8.30 and I'm determined to make sure I'm back to leaving home at 7.40 tomorrow rather than just after 8 as I like getting a seat on the central line!

[Philipnet]

Is London doomed to follow the Olympics curse that's hit Greece?!!

What - do you mean that London (and the UK) are set to have their economy collapse?!?

[Anthony Williams]

What - do you mean that London (and the UK) are set to have their economy collapse?!?

And if so, what happened to Beijing (and China)? Why don't they get the curse?

[Zbigniev Hamson]

Right, fed up of the "free speech" brigade hijacking this story, so let's fill in a few more facts:

...

Seemed to be a response to what I said, and contained the phrase "free speech" in quotation marks a couple of times. I'll just point out I never said anything about free speech.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

So the first of the two busiest days of the games got off to a cracking start following major signal failures at Bethnal Green meaning that for the second time this week the Central Line was part suspended.

I appreciate that trains will have faults like on Tuesday and the signal systems are old but the almost 2 hour journey to work I had today is normally reserved for rare occasions such as tube strike days. Having it twice in the same week is bad news.

[Si Hunt]

This is what bothers me about the Olympics.

So say I'm not doing too well. My job is a bit shaky, and I don't have much money. But it's my 30th birthday coming up. I decide to throw a huge party. Then, while I'm planning it, things get even worse. I lose my job. I have hardly any money left. And then, quite unwisely, I decide to make the party the biggest one ever! I might as well. Why not? I don't want to be a party pooper! You've got to celebrate your birthday haven't you? As if I'd be a sour-Joe and cancel the celebrations! Instead I enjoy myself and spend ALL my money because basically I'm an idiot who values a fun time today over MY ENTIRE FUTURE. And don't you rain on my parade for daring to suggest otherwise. Why worry at all about tomorrow when you can PARTY TODAY!

That's what bothers me about the whole thing. Yes, it's great. Yes, we're SO proud to be British. The only catch is that we're all still going to be here next week when the bill arrives and the party is over.

Si.

[Si Hunt]

It also bothers me that we're a nation obsessed by Sport and the mentality seems to be "if you don't like it, tough". At a time when funding for the arts is being slashed, we're hosting the most extravagant sporting event in our history - and we're all paying, both in inconvenience and money. If you don't like it, you get told to lighten up. How is this democracy? Can't those that want the Olympics pay for it, and those that want, for example, theatres and libraries to stay open, use their share to pay for those instead?

Si.

[Stuart Wallis]

Well said sir! You could just as easily say, stuff the armed forces, stuff the police, stuff the lifeboats, stuff charities, stuff the NHS and everything else that keeps us safe and well, lets have a big knees-up that won't do us any good at all.

[Si Hunt]

The government seem to be promoting an attitude that you should spend today and not think about the consequences - which is arguably how we got in this mess already. Shouldn't our government's job be to BE the party poopers, the ones to say "Steady! We need to act responsibly"? Someone has to be.

Si.