Cool runnings does remain one of my favorite movies - granted the acting could be better, and the story line could have been more factual. But yes, it's one of those 'feel good movies' that is always good for a laugh.
Was also cool runnings this weekend with our sprinters at the Olympics. A somewhat disappointing show by Asafa was eclipsed by the Bolt of Lightening as some reporters are now calling Usain. The women 100 meter sweep of course deserves special commendation too - gold, silver and bronze in one race. Wicked!
As someone who had always been assigned a grade for p.e. (physical education) that I swear was based on the initials of my name, which in this case factually correlate to my actual performance I have always had the utmost respect for athletes. Growing up, remembered being fascinated by my Mom who could outrun any one of us in a race - she used to run for her college in national meets. Hmmm, definitely a trait that I did not inherit.
The Jamaican daily papers are of course having a ball with the headlines this weekend. A sobering one linked the euphoria to the reality when the residents from Usain's home town asked for the roads to be fixed and water to be piped before their hero returned home.
Seems Jamaica was in the news in more ways than one, and linked with the current resurfacing of the cold war that seems to be developing over the Georgia-Russia crisis. Granted it was a comparison only, but man what a comparison! Apparently, a Michael Specter, a writer for the New Yorker and who has written extensively about Russia (or so it was said in the article that I copied this from), observed: "There was a brief five-year period when we could get away with treating Russia like Jamaica - that's over. Now we have to deal with them like grown-ups who have more nuclear weapons than anybody except us."
Would love to quizz Mr. Specter to understand the point he really is trying to make - would also love to know why Jamaica, and why in fact not anywhere else. Curious indeed.
3 comments:
Hi Denise,
Great to see that Jamaicans are a jolly fast bunch!
Could not believe my eyes watching the awesome speed of Usain Bolt.
The ease with which he run and his decision to celebrate his victory midway just shows that the guy is capable of a much faster race than the new record suggest.
And for all three medals in the 100m to be taken by the women of Jamaica is simply astonishing.
This year is really the signal of the rise of Jamaica as the fastest nation on the earth.
I sulate you all.
Posekyere, you must have heard me screaming all the way down in SA!
We have always had a good track record (bad pun)even before this Olympics. Merlene Ottey and a couple of others readily come to mind, but yes, this is a year to be remembered. Now eagerly awaiting the relays! Go Jam-down!
Now that Usain has bolted past Michael Johnson's record too, I guess the 'runnings' are twice as cool!
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