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The Thread of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad


Alphabet Man

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Two weeks of the olympics made me forget how amazingly boring some days of the summer can be.

Get a job! :D

Well, school starts Wednesday and I need to write a paper ive been putting off all summer by then, so at least this big sudden re-emergence of boredom wont last long.

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Here's an interesting Post-Olympic story.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7589297.stm

Zimbabwe swimmer gets cash prize

Zimbabwe's top Olympic swimmer has been given a $100,000 dollar reward by the country's president, Robert Mugabe.

Kirsty Coventry won all of Zimbabwe's four medals at the Beijing games, taking them to 38th in the medal table.

She was given the money, worth £54,890, in a suitcase by the governor of the central bank.

In a ceremony carried live on state television, Mr Mugabe called the swimmer "a daughter of Zimbabwe" and a "golden girl".

She smashed the world record to win gold in the women's 200 metres backstroke.

'Rare praise'

BBC correspondent Jonah Fisher, based in neighbouring South Africa, says Ms Coventry is lucky her reward is in American dollars, because a suitcase of Zimbabwean currency would scarcely have bought her a loaf of bread.

Inflation is currently running at 11,000,000% and there are widespread shortages of food and fuel.

As he presented Ms Coventry the cash, Mr Mugabe said: "You have done well, daughter of Zimbabwe.

"We wish you well in life. We should praise her. She is our golden girl. Take care of her."

It was rare praise for a white Zimbabwean, our correspondent notes: Mr Mugabe has spent much of the last 10 years repossessing white owned farms and railing against Britain and the West.

During the ceremony, Mr Mugabe also handed out $10,000 (£5,520) to Zimbabwe's other Olympic finalists, while others who were part of the national team were given $2,000 (£1,103).

The 24-year old swimmer, who also won three silver medals in Beijing, is expected to return to her home in the United States this weekend, after a flying visit to the country of her birth.

Mr Mugabe also gave Ms Coventry $50,000 (£27,450) and a diplomatic passport after the Athens games in 2004, where she won three medals comprising of a gold, silver and bronze.

I saw, I came, I left.

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Yeah, I saw that.

Isn't that, like, enough money to buy the country? (Or at least re-re-take some land?)

On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said:
You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now.
On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said:
Today, we are all otaku.

"The city of Peoria was once the site of the largest distillery in the world and later became the site for mass production of penicillin. So it is safe to assume that present-day Peorians are descended from syphilitic boozehounds."-Stephen Colbert

POTD: February 15, 2010, June 20, 2010

The Glorious Bloom State Penguins (NCFAF) 2014: 2-9, 2015: 7-5 (L Pineapple Bowl), 2016: 1-0 (NCFAB) 2014-15: 10-8, 2015-16: 14-5 (SMC Champs, L 1st Round February Frenzy)

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