While I was sitting watching the opening of the Olympics I started to notice the number of coffee producing countries, so from then on I tried to name as many estates that I could recall over my coffee journey, my wife was turning up her eyebrows each time I mentioned another country or estate coffee that I had roasted and brewed!!
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Coffeesnobs view of Opening Ceremony
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Re: Coffeesnobs view of Opening Ceremony
LOL I was doing the same.
Yeah kinda wished Aussies werent 2nd last to come out zzz..zzzz... bit of an anti-climax, but felt like it was my position to stay up and represent. I was going to sleep in, but the new Pullman Barista arrived last night and I was too excited to play with it today.
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Re: Coffeesnobs view of Opening Ceremony
Sure were a lot of coffee origin flags in that parade... and most had only 5 or 6 athletes.
The show was AMAZING. I loved the 2008 drummers at the start and the real highlight was seeing the huge painting develop into the most amazing artwork I have ever seen. Imagine a painting 100 wide and created by 10,000 in front of 2 billion people in a single night... I was gobsmacked.
The downside was the ad breaks. We watch nearly zero hours of live commercial TV a week so we do a good job of skipping ads. Last night we were stuck with them interupting the emotion and missing "stuff" while they were on. (boo hiss)
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Re: Coffeesnobs view of Opening Ceremony
Did exactly that when Yemen came out and my friends mentioned "wonder where that is?", to which I replied "middle east near saudi arabia and they produce very good coffee which cost nearly 3 times as much as other beans".Originally posted by greenman link=1218237367/0#0 date=1218237367While I was sitting watching the opening of the Olympics I started to notice the number of coffee producing countries, so from then on I tried to name as many estates that I could recall over my coffee journey, my wife was turning up her eyebrows each time I mentioned another country or estate coffee that I had roasted and brewed!!
We had a small gathering for dinner to be followed by the viewing of the opening ceremony but i missed most of it because I was making coffee and hot chocolate for them while they watched the opening ceremony (saw Yemen march out when delivering coffee to friends). No regrets missing it as I wasnt planning to watch it anyway (part of a silent protest against China for human rights abuse and treatment of Tibet). So there was no surprise when you hear chinese authorities denying the air pollution or the lip-singing thing....
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Re: Coffeesnobs view of Opening Ceremony
I saw in passing a news report that the young girl that sang at the opening ceremony was lip sync - ingSo there was no surprise when you hear chinese authorities denying the air pollution or the lip-singing thing....
The girl that voiced the song was apparently not pretty enough to be viewed on world TV
So the government has developed a vanity (Hollywood) completion syndrome
KK
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Re: Coffeesnobs view of Opening Ceremony
I lived & worked in Sth Korea for almost 2 years. I soon became accustomed with a deeply entrenched cultural/social trait of keeping up appearances (or saving face). Not to say there is no substance to the people, society, or culture, but this whole idea of the importance of appearance seems uppermost in NE Asian Confucianist based cultures.Originally posted by Koffee Kosmo link=1218237367/0#7 date=1218677042... I saw in passing a news report that the young girl that sang at the opening ceremony was lip sync - ing
The girl that voiced the song was apparently not pretty enough to be viewed on world TV
So the government has developed a vanity (Hollywood) completion syndrome ...
One of the worst things you could say to a Korean is "chok-pal-yo" ... meaning, "youve lost face", or "your appearance [character] has been tarnished" - it engenders a sense of deep shame.
Im no China expert, but yeah the Hollywood-like vanity complex fuelled by their booming GDP & growing middle-class with a highly disposable income to buy all that appears luxurious, fits in pretty well with what I witnessed in Korea over a decade ago.
That said, it was an extraordinarily extravagant opening ceremony, precisely choreographed.
Well, what do you expect for 40 billion bucks expended
Stultifying air-pollution which breathing in Beijing is apparently the equivalent of smoking 70 ciggies a day, & an abominable record of human rights abuse ... well, hey, is of course going to be dismissed as non-existent by a political machine intent on being a global player.
This Olympics is all about China saying to the world "look at us - weve come of age, have the goods, and our venues & performance (on stage & in competition) show that were strong (as a people & as an economic powerhouse).
... my 2 cents worth, anyways ...
Tony
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Re: Coffeesnobs view of Opening Ceremony
Hi all
Well with computer generated fake fireworks, BSODs projected on the stadium screens and lip syncing, therere getting off lightly from the media. Imagine if Australia did that! The media would have a field day.
And as for replacing the little girl that could sing for someone "better looking" (if thats what happened) - I think thats terrible. If the little girl gets up and sings people dont care that she isnt a model. It wouldt matter if she had buck teeth, and a round chubby face. The public would still like her. Did the Chinese politicians consider the effects of the choice on the one that was rejected?
What will be interesting is the effect on Beijing when the games are over and all the factories and cars start up again and make up for lost production :-) The air pollution will be "so chumpy you can carve it".
Mike
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Re: Coffeesnobs view of Opening Ceremony
For countries saying this and that about China, just think how different things would be if your country had 1.3 billion people. If you think the public health care system, public transport, traffic, lack of housing affordability, etc. are bad now, imagine if Australia had 60 times the population.
Enjoy the Olympics for what it is, regardless of who is hosting it. Dont be tempted by greed or jealousy.
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Re: Coffeesnobs view of Opening Ceremony
Oh dear, NewToEspresso, please dont think Im singling you out, most of us are probably all in the same boat...your Breville popper, GMC heatgun and Remington breadmaker are all made in China. So are most of the clothes on our back, and who could forget the illustrious Sunbeam!
Its not that I dont have a sense of social justice - just that I think we could clean up our own act before criticising others.
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Re: Coffeesnobs view of Opening Ceremony
Anthony, I see your point ... butOriginally posted by Wine_of_the_Bean link=1218237367/0#10 date=1218691667For countries saying this and that about China, just think how different things would be if your country had 1.3 billion people. If you think the public health care system, public transport, traffic, lack of housing affordability, etc. are bad now, imagine if Australia had 60 times the population.
Enjoy the Olympics for what it is, regardless of who is hosting it. Dont be tempted by greed or jealousy.
Thank your lucky stars matey that we have a democratic welfare system in place, sure public tax-funded, but as a reasonable fall-back. NE Asian countries? Nope.
Sure ... lets all enjoy the spirit of the Olympics, regardless of who hosts it. However, lets not forget that the host country has had to deal in high-end diplomatic politics to gain the rights - & whatever that entails to gain votes :
The IOC is essentially a politically animal.
At the end of the day, Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004, & now China in 2008, had to do some major wheeling$& dealing for the rights ...
... & on the keeping face/appearance thing I alluded to in an earlier post, didnt Sydney City Council have a concerted effort in 2000 to rid [conceal] their streets of the homeless to seem a clean & pure city?
hmmm, politics ...
Tony
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Re: Coffeesnobs view of Opening Ceremony
I now have to fork out more than 2.5 million dollars to Jon Selim because he lost his pharmaceutical business. Plead guilty to doing the wrong thing, and turned around and sued the Federal Government and won. There goes my public-funded welfare...
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Re: Coffeesnobs view of Opening Ceremony
It explains why Ive had to return it 3 times due to sudden failureOriginally posted by Dennis link=1218237367/0#11 date=1218695174Oh dear, NewToEspresso, please dont think Im singling you out, most of us are probably all in the same boat...your GMC heatgun is made in China.
At least in this country there is a basic recognition that every person is valuable regardless of occupation, financial status, race etc..
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