The 2012 Olympics - in Newcastle and the North East

[newcastlepubs]

Barking.

A regional games might be a possibility, but:

Originally Posted by WilfBurnsFan

As Britain has had/will have games in Edinburgh (70 and 86), Manchester (02) and Glasgow (14), it suggests another UK city would not have a prayer until 2026/30, and then it will probably be Belfast (as Cardiff had a crack in 58), so that would give us a City of Tyneside games in 2038/42/46. This would be quite timely, as the high speed rail might have got up to Darlington by then.

A nominal host of Durham would probably be a better regional 'title' and would allow Tees/Wear/Tynside[s] to join together without an argument as to the merits of Blunderland or Boro..... god I can't believe I am taking the time to even debunk this idea, but... if we visit Planet Journal.....

In 2007 Glasgow went head to head with the Nigerian capital Abuja for the right to stage the Commonwealth Games. It was estimated that the cost of holding the event was £288m but experts predict an estimated 1,000 jobs – and there would be significant economic benefits.

http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-e...34-31647855/2/

So if we assume today's prices and [a wildly optimistic] £188 mil in 'economic benefits' that give us a job creation cost of £100 000 per job... hmmmm.

Even better, if we take Glasgow's figures:

It is anticipated that the net economic benefit to Glasgow will be £26 million, while the benefit to Scotland will be £81 million. In the three years following the Games, there could be a net increase of 4% in tourism, which equates to approximately £30 million in additional expenditure.

ie £106 mil in benefits then its a mere £182k per job.

Now I still think that Keynes was no fool, but......there's pump priming and then...

[Seamaster]

Forbes is no doubt dreaming of all those ratepayer-funded "fact-finding" junkets.

Newcastle has two hopes of landing anything like that: no hope and Bob Hope. And Bob Hope's dead.

[bigchrisfgb]

Originally Posted by Newcastle Historian

Backing for North East bid to host Commonwealth Games
by Dan Warburton, The Journal, August 18th 2012


The Olympic rings on the Tyne Bridge

CALLS for the North East of England to capitalise on the Olympic boom were growing last night after a Journal poll showed backing for a bid to bring the Commonwealth Games to the region. Thousands of football supporters from across the globe travelled to Tyneside to watch nine Olympic matches over two weeks for the first time in Newcastle’s history, and now a poll, conducted for The Journal by Other Lines of Enquiry North, has found a 32% swing in the mood of the region as their opinion of the Olympics went from lukewarm to hugely enthusiastic.

Researchers also discovered that more than half of all those quizzed would back a bid to bring the Commonwealth Games to the region and capitalise on the Olympic legacy. Now civic leaders and regional champions are urging organisers to bring the sports festival to the region as they look to cash in on the economic boost from hosting international events. Nick Forbes, leader of Newcastle City Council, said: “Our experience of putting on Olympic events in Newcastle shows that we have the capacity to host major international events in the city.

“I think we should be ambitious and the Commonwealth Games would be a great goal to aim for. With the investment made during the Olympics, we’ve put the security measures in place that will be needed at any major sporting event. We already have a lot of the infrastructure that we would need to host major sporting events and bidding for the Commonwealth Games would be a good way of demonstrating that we can work together in the North East and show the rest of the world the pride and commitment we have to offer."

“During the Olympics we welcomed people from all four corners of the globe to Newcastle and thousands of people will have left with positive and good memories of their time here.


Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-e...#ixzz23t1F5ORz

Hmmm, I wonder if this poll exists purely because I phoned up NCJ media 2 months ago to propose this very idea to the very same person who has wrote the article and that I have sent off 3 letter to NCC, Gateshead council, and Sunderland city council.

[newcastlepubs]

Originally Posted by bigchrisfgb

Hmmm, I wonder if this poll exists purely because I phoned up NCJ media 2 months ago to propose this very idea to the very same person who has wrote the article and that I have sent off 3 letter to NCC, Gateshead council, and Sunderland city council.

Possibly. Oh no offence, but I can't make the maths, or the politics [in the sense of it's being awarded equitably to bits of the commonwealth] work.

Different discussion but if WilfBurnsFan is right with an earliest date of 2038 [and I think he is] then there might not even be a Commonwealth in this sense.

[bigchrisfgb]

Originally Posted by newcastlepubs

Possibly. Oh no offence, but I can't make the maths, or the politics [in the sense of it's being awarded equitably to bits of the commonwealth] work.

Different discussion but if WilfBurnsFan is right with an earliest date of 2038 [and I think he is] then there might not even be a Commonwealth in this sense.

Maybe not but we never know. I think for our economy it is important for us to have trade relations outside of the EU and the Commonwealth is our best opportunity for that. It plays a more important role outside of the EU ten it does to us. I think it has a basis to survive, weather or not some form of sporting games events will do so as well is another question. I guess it all depends on how well the games are attending in upcoming events.

[newcastlepubs]

Originally Posted by bigchrisfgb

Maybe not but we never know. I think for our economy it is important for us to have trade relations outside of the EU and the Commonwealth is our best opportunity for that. It plays a more important role outside of the EU ten it does to us. I think it has a basis to survive, weather or not some form of sporting games events will do so as well is another question. I guess it all depends on how well the games are attending in upcoming events.

I agree - and of course before we joined the EU the commonwealth nations were more significant trading partners than now [not least 'cause we we'd recently ran 'em and there was a sort of cultural affinity].

I see the point re it s significance outside of the UK, for example though I think Mugabe is [being polite] deeply unpleasant I couldn't care that Zim is often booted out of the commonwealth, or censured, but for the other nations it's a big deal.

However, I can't see a games ever happening here.

[Newcastle Historian]

Olympic legacy celebrated at Newcastle’s Stephenson Works
by Kate Proctor, The Journal, September 3rd 2012



ARTISTS transformed a historic Newcastle rail works this weekend as part of a £1m celebration of the Olympic Games’ cultural legacy. Performers from arts body NE-Generation took over Newcastle’s Stephenson Works for the two-day festival bringing circus, cinema, dance and digital art to 450 guests.

The free event told the story of how 11,000 young people have participated in the Games’ cultural programme from the North East over the past two years. Event leader Ben Ayrton said the symbolic factory, which is the birthplace of the steam train, was chosen to represent the continuous emergence of ideas and creativity in the North East.

“We have chosen to celebrate the creativity, talents and achievements of young people from this region in a place where ideas born here shaped the world and left a profound cultural legacy in rail travel,” said Ben. “The vision of the modern Olympics is about more than just sport, it is about the world coming together, sharing cultures and being united.


Read More (Two Pages) - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-e...#ixzz25P2hFd3O

[Newcastle Historian]

.
Newcastle Evening Chronicle, Monday 3rd September 2012 . .

[bigchrisfgb]

The Olympic Basketball arena.







These photos are mine and I reserve all copyright of them.

[toonlad]

Originally Posted by bigchrisfgb

The Olympic Basketball arena.

These photos are mine and I reserve all copyright of them.

Nice to see u made it down Chris. I saw some of the olympic basketball in there! Row 6 tickets for a fiver!

Who did you see? Is the wheelchair basketball as brutal as it looks?!!

[bigchrisfgb]

Originally Posted by toonlad

Nice to see u made it down Chris. I saw some of the olympic basketball in there! Row 6 tickets for a fiver!

Who did you see? Is the wheelchair basketball as brutal as it looks?!!

I was at the Olympic park yesterday with work. We saw the wheelchair Basketball between Mexico and Germany. A few times people were knocked over on their chairs and the crowd applauded when they managed to get either themselves back into the chair or someone else helped them. I decided not to applaud as in my view it seemed quite condescending the way people cheered it. Probably a bit brutal in the way they sometimes knock each other off but in all honesty they have no other way to block people from taking the shot.

I had an all day pass and tried to see other events but I never managed too because of the length of the queues.

In all honesty I was very disappointed, these were supposed to be the people's Olympic games, not so in my view when a bottle of pop or water costs £2.30, a single pie costs £4.50 and everything else is similarly priced. Yes there was drinking fountains but only for empty bottle re-fills and these were few and far between and of course as the day goes on so do the queues for them.

In the end I just wondered around the park, took some more pictures and such.

[AngerOfTheNorth]

Originally Posted by bigchrisfgb

a bottle of pop or water costs £2.30, a single pie costs £4.50 and everything else is similarly priced.

That's not that far from general London prices I'm afraid...

[Newcastle Historian]

.
The below exchange is copied here from the "London 2012" Sub-forum of the "London Metro Area" forum, on the Post Olympic Structures thread . . .

Originally Posted by Newcastle Historian

.
Newcastle Evening Chronicle, Monday 3rd September 2012 . .

.

Originally Posted by eddyk

Shame about the Newcastle Rings, Atlanta has some on a foot bridge that have been there since 1996 ...


.

.

[jkkne]

I guess Atlanta's stayed because they are gold and not Olympic colours?

[newcastlepubs]

Originally Posted by jkkne

I guess Atlanta's stayed because they are gold and not Olympic colours?

Easy enough to solve that problem on the bridge:

[battlefieldjohn]

Could "inch" and "figgscrew" not be brought in to solve the problem?

[Ken O'Heed]

The Contractors removing the rings certainly got their act together - these photographs taken by myself 08/09/12 approx 0915 show the bridge and the sections of the rings located in car park area east of bridge, Gateshead side (hosted on Photobucket)














The rings on the bridge 2012 now just a memory - or in pictures located on forums like this one

KEN

[Newcastle Historian]

Vandals deface Jarrow gold postbox
painted in honour of Josef Craig
by Lisa Hutchinson, The Journal, September 13th 2012


Paralympian Josef Craig with mum Kim, and the vandalised postbox

YOBS have daubed graffiti on the gold postbox painted for Paralympian swimming sensation Josef Craig. As Josef set foot back on Tyneside on Tuesday, vandals struck at the postbox painted in his honour.

Police have launched an investigation to find the thug who left the tag “Nopom” after leaving the same name in a trail of graffiti.

The postbox in Jarrow was painted in Josef’s honour on Saturday after he broke his own world record and won the gold in the 400 metres S7 freestyle final, but only days later vandals struck with a marker pen.


Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-e...#ixzz26O9IGbyQ

[AngerOfTheNorth]

Repaint it immediately. As many times as is necessary.

I'm a fan of good grafitti (without wishing to reopen the debate of when and where is should/shouldn't be allowed), but this isn't it.

[growly grace]

As soon as you said "good grafitti" you opened the debate.