XXX Olympiad- Day 1

Welcome to the Olympics.

Today the games start with team sports that require round robins which take a lot of time.  Specifically today we have Women’s Football (including Team USA, the favorites) on MSNBC and Vs. (NBC Sports).

I’ll probably publish twice a day, 6 am – 6 pm and 6 pm – 6 am which seems to be how NBC is dividing it.  The point of these pieces is so you can watch the events you want and comment on them, get the results of the previous day’s activity, and occasionally live blogging might break out (go Badminton!).

If things get too hectic I may re-think.

G4S trainee: ‘Most people failed the initial x-ray exam. But not for long’

The Guardian

Monday 23 July 2012

But when all else fails, the instructor said, there’s no harm giving someone a good thump.

And he explained how best to do it without getting in trouble with the law. “You can hit them first. This is known as a preemptive strike. If you were to strike someone, use an open hand. This has the same power as a punch but it doesn’t leave a mark.”

The instructor had more advice. He suggested we should be very careful talking to the police.

“You’re not convicted on what you did but on what you say. Be very careful about making statements. I have two solicitors. One of them I’ve used for 20 years, he gets everyone off. Some of my dodgy friends. You need someone like that to hold you by the hand.”

…

Everyone seemed to be cheating and the instructors weren’t doing anything to stop it. By the end of the day the vast majority passed. The few who haven’t are told they’ll be reassigned to other roles.

The next day we have a different instructor who congratulates us on passing the x-ray exam but quickly makes us all feel a bit guilty: “Everyone is here on their own ability. If you’ve cheated to get here, you’re playing with peoples lives.”

G4S security guard protecting Olympic footballers at top hotel ‘stole mobile phone from colleague’

By Alex Horlock, Daily Mail

PUBLISHED: 09:42 EST, 24 July 2012

Warwickshire Police Federation has expressed major concerns after two security guards were arrested at the renamed City of Coventry Stadium last week when officers discovered they were illegal immigrants.

Fassal Mahmood, from Windmill Lane, Smethwick, was yesterday charged with the theft of a mobile phone at Chesford Grange Hotel, near Kenilworth, which is hosting international football teams.

…

Warwickshire Police confirmed the 20-year-old has been bailed and will appear before Leamington magistrates next month.

He has been suspended from work.

This humiliating shambles: MPs aghast as G4S chief insists on taking £57m management fee

By Stephen Wright, David Williams and Chris Greenwood, Daily Mail

PUBLISHED: 03:52 EST, 17 July 2012

Mr Buckles was under intense pressure to quit his £830,000-a-year job after members of the select committee ridiculed him and his company’s performance.

Yet although G4S shares have fallen 17 per cent, wiping £700million from its market value, he maintained he is the right man to lead the world’s second-largest private-sector employer.

…

Mr Buckles repeatedly said the company still intended to claim its £57million management fee for work over the past two years, even though it cannot provide anywhere near the number of guards it had originally promised.

‘We’ve managed the contract and we’ve had management on the ground for two years. We still expect to deliver a significant number of staff to the Olympics.’

…

He said there are 4,200 G4S staff working on the ground on the Olympics and the minimum the company will deliver is 7,000 – 70 per cent of what they were expected to provide.

…

Mr Buckles said he told Locog on July 3 that his firm had experienced a shortfall in staff over the previous weekend, in part due to its scheduling system not working properly.

Who says sports are not political?

Today’s Schedule

Vs. repeats all the games from 6 pm to 12:30 am and again from 12:30 am to 7 am.