London 2012 - Skybar and News

[Shmunkey]

@Brit1955: TL;DR.

[jerseyboi]

White elephant' London 2012 Olympics runs £2bn over budget as security costs double due to 'poor planning' since 7/7

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz1odT7s5f8

[bertyboy]

Hmm, and just as we were all being told that they'd come in under budget. That's a shame. £2bn is quite a big overrun at this late stage.

[flare]

I love how they attach the label white label when what the MPs Public Account Committee said was "it must not become a white elephant".

I have so much hatred for Daily Mail journalism.

[DarJoLe]

Watch out UK- we'll be 'psychologically damaged' as a nation if the Olympics is a complete success...


Don't let these Olympics spoil our love affair with failure
In a nation that does self-worthlessness so effectively, a successful Olympics would be utterly disconcerting
Marina Hyde
guardian.co.uk,
Friday 9 March 2012 20.30 GMT

By now it should be perfectly clear that the worst possible outcome for the London Olympics is their passing off as the great success they increasingly threaten to be. For if the Olympics work then how will we explain the rest of British national life – which doesn't – let alone begin to cope with it after a taste of honey? To our fragile sense of self-worthlessness, there really is nothing more dangerous than success. An endlessly more appropriate national motto than "Dieu et mon droit" would be that brilliant line from the film Clockwise. "It's not the despair," groans John Cleese. "I can stand the despair. It's the hope."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...mpics-spending

[wawd]

pic of the Shoal from 4th March. looks like they are adding new signage to the old shopping centre:
image hosted on flickr

Shoal, Stratford by wawd, on Flickr

[Core Rising]

There appears to be a ghost at the bottom of that pic wawd

[RobH]

Hosepipe ban to be imposed in drought-hit parts of UK

Water companies across southern and eastern England are to introduce hosepipe bans amid drought conditions.

Seven firms say they will impose water restrictions after two unusually dry winters left reservoirs, aquifers and rivers below normal levels.

Southern Water, South East Water, Thames Water, Anglian Water, Sutton and East Surrey, Veolia Central and Veolia South East are to enforce restrictions.

All seven companies said they will impose bans from 5 April.

The drought-affected areas are the south-east of England and East Anglia.

But the Environment Agency warns in a new report that the drought could spread as far north as East Yorkshire and as far west as the Hampshire-Wiltshire border, if the dry weather continues this spring.

In its report, the Environment Agency warns that drought conditions are expected to spread across more of England in coming weeks, unless strong rains arrive.

It will also warn of effects on agriculture that could raise prices of potatoes and other vegetables.

It says plans are in place to ensure that the Olympic Games will not be adversely affected, by using water from "sustainable supplies".

"The Olympic Park and other Olympic venues have a high level of resilience to meet their needs even during a drought," says the Agency.

It also added: "The Queen's Diamond Jubilee pageant at the beginning of June will not be affected by the drought."

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said the temporary restrictions would "help protect the public's water supply in the areas most affected by the record low levels of rainfall we have experienced over the last 17 months".

She said: "We can all help reduce the effects of drought by respecting these restrictions and being smarter about how we use water.

"Taking action now to reduce how much water we use will help us all in the future."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17340844

[wawd]

Originally Posted by Core Rising

There appears to be a ghost at the bottom of that pic wawd

thought someone would notice that! the man was obviously walking too fast for my HDR function to blend the two images

[jerseyboi]

Good plug for the London games by PM at the end .

[jerseyboi]

2012 London Olympics: Join our live webcast on CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/13/sp...html?hpt=hp_c2

[annamaria4711]

Originally Posted by brit1955

MORE OLYMPIC NEWS:

Eight people have been charged over an alleged £2.3 million fraud against the Olympic Delivery Authority.

All eight are accused of money laundering and will appear at Southwark Crown Court on March 5.

The charges follow an investigation by officers from the Met’s Operation Podium, the force’s dedicated response to serious and organised crime around the Olympic and Paralympic Games

The eight people charged are:

Shamsideen Owo, aged 75, of Brookfield Road, Homerton, east London

Abayomi Olowo, aged 48, of Windsor Road, Harrow, north-west London.

Ayodele Odukoya, aged 42, of Paignton Close, Romford, Essex.

Mabinty Kargbo, aged 26, of Crofton Road, Camberwell, south-east London.

Nadeem Khan, aged 38, of Richmond Crescent, Slough, Berkshire.

Sanjeev Kumar, aged 30, of Bell Street, Bilston, West Midlands.

Shakeela Ayub, aged 28, of Brudenell Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire.

Sakiru Adewale, aged 57, of no fixed address.

http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news...raud_1_1226923

That equates to just under £300,000.00 per person...that's like 10yrs worth of salary..all in one go
Will the public (whose money they stole) get their money back?
I assume that some of these criminal have houses etc, why doesn't the state sell their assets to pay back the public ???

[spindrift]

They've found a bomb!

http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/new...g_site/?ref=mc

A BOMB from the Second World War was unearthed today at the building site for an Olympics training venue.

The device was discovered behind the Lee Valley Ice Centre in Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, at around 10am today (Wednesday March 14).

Construction teams are currently building a temporary basketball hall there which will be used for training by athletes during the Games later this summer.

The bomb has now been made safe and removed.

A Met spokesman said: "Police were called to Leyton Marshes to reports of a suspected unexploded World War 2 bomb being discovered at the site.

"The area was cordoned of and the site evacuated as a precaution, whilst EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) officers made the bomb safe."

[jerseyboi]

Duchess of Cambridge visits the Olympic Park today.

[bertyboy]

Originally Posted by annamaria4711

That equates to just under £300,000.00 per person...that's like 10yrs worth of salary..all in one go
Will the public (whose money they stole) get their money back?
I assume that some of these criminal have houses etc, why doesn't the state sell their assets to pay back the public ???

They usually do. It's called the Proceeds of Crime Act - any assets which are reasonably believed to have been acquired from the proceeds of a crime are usually liquidated and as much as possible returned to the victim or insurer of the victim. It takes time though.

[jerseyboi]

Olympic Ambassadors and uniforms

[bertyboy]

1989 called - they'd like their purple shell-suits back if that's alright?

[Shmunkey]

Two pictures of the Shoal taken this morning inside Stratford Station

image hosted on flickr

2012-03-17 by Sean.Rohan

image hosted on flickr

2012-03-17 by Sean.Rohan

Pretty neat if you ask me.

[bertyboy]

Nice colours!

[Mo Rush]

Originally Posted by jerseyboi

Olympic Ambassadors and uniforms