Joly, I am trying really hard to avoid being slammed with a MOPO-like kind of subsequent accusations, here. Thanks for understanding, Alex On 7/6/12, Joly MacFie <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Which forced marriage do you have in mind, Alex? > > j > > On Fri, Jul 6, 2012 at 5:03 AM, Alex Gakuru <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> Deep down here in Africa many NGOs champion against forced marriages. >> But when forced marriages happen up there at ICANN who speaks against >> the practice? >> >> On 7/6/12, Nuno Garcia <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> > I have said this once: The Olympic Committee has a budget that is >> > bigger >> > than many nations' budgets. They can afford not to be for-profit. The >> same >> > goes for other organizations. >> > >> > And some statements are pure intellectual arrogance. >> > >> > Best, >> > >> > Nuno Garcia >> > >> > On 5 July 2012 23:16, Joly MacFie <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> > >> >> But you are not disputing their facts, I take it. >> >> >> >> j >> >> >> >> >> >> On Thu, Jul 5, 2012 at 5:58 PM, Michael Carson >> >> <[log in to unmask]>wrote: >> >> >> >>> Alain, >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> I agree. This op-ed is just that - the opinion of two individuals. >> >>> >> >>> Michael Carson >> >>> >> >>> YMCA of the USA >> >>> >> >>> ------------------------------ >> >>> *From: *"Alain Berranger" <[log in to unmask]> >> >>> *To: *[log in to unmask] >> >>> *Sent: *Thursday, July 5, 2012 3:55:09 PM >> >>> *Subject: *Re: NYTimes: International Olympic Committee - "elitist, >> >>> domineering, and crassly commercial at its core" >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> NPOC really welcomes national Olympic committees as Members because >> >>> they >> >>> are true notforprofit organizations... >> >>> >> >>> Alain >> >>> >> >>> On Thursday, July 5, 2012, Robin Gross wrote: >> >>> >> >>>> As a commercial organization that tried to join NCSG, very >> >>>> relevant… >> >>>> >> >>>> No Medal for the International Olympic Committee says the New York >> >>>> Times….. >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> >> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/05/opinion/no-medal-for-the-international-olympic-committee.html?_r=3&ref=opinion&pagewanted=print >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> ------------------------------ >> >>>> July 4, 2012 >> >>>> **Olympian Arrogance**** By JULES BOYKOFF and ALAN TOMLINSON**** >> >>>> **** >> >>>> >> >>>> Brighton, England >> >>>> >> >>>> WHILE Europe roils in economic turmoil, London is preparing for a >> >>>> lavish >> >>>> jamboree of international good will: in a few weeks, the city will >> host >> >>>> the >> >>>> 2012 Summer Olympics. >> >>>> >> >>>> But behind the spectacle of athletic prowess and global harmony, >> >>>> brass-knuckle politics and brute economics reign. At this nexus sits >> >>>> theInternational >> >>>> Olympic Committee <http://www.olympic.org/>, which promotes the >> >>>> games >> >>>> and decides where they will be held. Though the I.O.C. has been >> >>>> periodically tarnished by scandal — usually involving the bribing >> >>>> and >> >>>> illegitimate wooing of delegates — those embarrassments divert us >> >>>> from >> >>>> a >> >>>> deeper problem: the organization is elitist, domineering and crassly >> >>>> commercial at its core. >> >>>> >> >>>> The I.O.C., which champions itself as a democratic “catalyst for >> >>>> collaboration between all parties of the Olympic family,” is >> >>>> nonetheless >> >>>> run by a privileged sliver of the global 1 percent. This has always >> >>>> been >> >>>> the case: when Baron Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympics in the >> >>>> 1890s, >> >>>> he assembled a hodgepodge of princes, barons, counts and lords to >> >>>> coordinate the games. Eventually the I.O.C. opened its hallowed >> >>>> halls >> >>>> to >> >>>> wealthy business leaders and former Olympians. Not until 1981 were >> >>>> women >> >>>> allowed in. >> >>>> >> >>>> Even today, royalty make up a disproportionate share of the body; >> among >> >>>> the 105 I.O.C. >> >>>> members< >> http://www.olympic.org/content/the-ioc/the-ioc-institution1/ioc-members-list/ >> > >> >>>> are >> >>>> the likes of Princess Nora of Liechtenstein, Crown Prince Frederik >> >>>> of >> >>>> Denmark and Prince Nawaf Faisal Fahd Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia. The >> >>>> United >> >>>> States has only three representatives, two of them former Olympic >> >>>> athletes. >> >>>> >> >>>> Then there are the excessive demands that the I.O.C. makes on host >> >>>> cities. For instance, the host cities have had to change their laws >> >>>> to >> >>>> comply with the Olympic >> >>>> Charter<http://www.olympic.org/Documents/olympic_charter_en.pdf>, >> >>>> which states that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious >> >>>> or >> >>>> racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other >> >>>> areas.” When Vancouver, British Columbia, hosted the Winter Games in >> >>>> 2010, >> >>>> the city passed a bylaw that outlawed signs and banners that did not >> >>>> “celebrate” the Olympics. Placards that criticized the Olympics were >> >>>> forbidden, and the law even empowered Canadian authorities to remove >> >>>> such >> >>>> signs from private property. >> >>>> >> >>>> The I.O.C. also makes host cities police Olympics-related >> >>>> intellectual >> >>>> property rights. So Parliament adopted the London Olympic Games and >> >>>> Paralympic Games Act of >> >>>> 2006<http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/12/contents>, >> >>>> which defines as a trademark infringement the commercial use of >> >>>> words >> >>>> like >> >>>> “games,” “2012” and “London” in proximity. >> >>>> >> >>>> Such monomaniacal brand micromanagement points to another problem: >> >>>> the >> >>>> I.O.C. has turned the Olympics into a commercial bonanza. In London, >> >>>> more >> >>>> than 250 miles of V.I.P. traffic lanes are reserved not just for >> >>>> athletes >> >>>> and I.O.C. luminaries but also for corporate sponsors. Even the >> >>>> signature >> >>>> torch relay has been commercialized: the I.O.C. and its corporate >> >>>> partners >> >>>> snapped up 10 percent of the torchbearer slots for I.O.C. >> >>>> stakeholders >> >>>> and >> >>>> members of the commercial sponsors’ information technology and >> >>>> marketing >> >>>> staffs. Michael R. Payne, a former marketing director for the >> >>>> committee, >> >>>> has called the Olympics “the world’s longest commercial.” >> >>>> >> >>>> Most worrisome, perhaps, is that the I.O.C. creates perverse >> incentives >> >>>> for security officials in host cities to overspend and to militarize >> >>>> public >> >>>> space. The I.O.C. tends to look kindly on bids that assure security, >> >>>> and >> >>>> host cities too often use the games as a once-in-a-lifetime >> opportunity >> >>>> to >> >>>> stock police warehouses with the best weapons money can buy. >> >>>> >> >>>> Visitors to London, where the games are scheduled to run from July >> >>>> 27 >> >>>> to >> >>>> Aug. 12, would be forgiven for thinking they had dropped in on a >> >>>> military >> >>>> hardware convention. Helicopters, fighter jets and bomb-disposal >> >>>> units >> >>>> will >> >>>> be at the ready. About 13,500 British military personnel will be on >> >>>> patrol >> >>>> — 4,000 more than are currently serving in Afghanistan. Security >> >>>> officials >> >>>> have acquired Starstreak and Rapier surface-to-air missiles. Even >> >>>> the >> >>>> Olympic mascots look like two-legged surveillance cameras. >> >>>> >> >>>> Let us be clear: the concern about ensuring a terror-free Olympics >> >>>> is >> >>>> tragically warranted. In 1972, members of the Palestinian militant >> >>>> group >> >>>> Black September killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches at the >> >>>> Olympics >> >>>> in >> >>>> Munich — after which the I.O.C. president notoriously insisted that >> >>>> “the >> >>>> games must go on” — and in 1996, a bomb at the Atlanta Olympics >> >>>> killed >> >>>> a >> >>>> spectator and injured more than 100 other people. Yet there is such >> >>>> a >> >>>> thing >> >>>> as excess — and surveillance and weaponry are not a panacea. >> >>>> >> >>>> Security measures can also be counterproductive: London residents >> >>>> who >> >>>> learned that the Ministry of Defense was attaching missile launchers >> to >> >>>> the >> >>>> roofs of their apartment buildings can’t be blamed for wondering if >> >>>> they’ve >> >>>> unwillingly become a prime target for terrorists. And, symbolically, >> at >> >>>> a >> >>>> certain point it gets hard to square the image of the militarized >> state >> >>>> with the Olympic ideals of peace and understanding. >> >>>> >> >>>> What can be done? The I.O.C. has acknowledged that the escalating >> scale >> >>>> of the games — “gigantism” — is a real issue. Competitions drenched >> >>>> in >> >>>> privilege, like the equestrian events, should be ditched (with >> apologies >> >>>> to >> >>>> Ann Romney’s horse Rafalca, who will be competing in dressage in >> >>>> London). >> >>>> Pseudo-historical events like Greco-Roman wrestling, concocted in >> >>>> the >> >>>> 19th >> >>>> century, could also go. Events with high start-up costs could be >> >>>> swapped >> >>>> for those requiring fewer resources. Why not bring back tug-of-war >> >>>> (a >> >>>> hotly >> >>>> contested event in the early 20th century) and add more running >> events, >> >>>> like trail running and cross-country? >> >>>> >> >>>> Governance is another challenge. After the bribery scandal >> >>>> surrounding >> >>>> the selection of Salt Lake City to host the 2002 Winter Olympics, >> >>>> and >> >>>> under >> >>>> pressure from Congress, the I.O.C. created an ethics commission to >> >>>> monitor >> >>>> the bid process — but it reports to the I.O.C.’s executive board, >> which >> >>>> still has the final say. >> >>>> >> >>>> Other measures worth considering are to streamline committee >> membership >> >>>> and to provide greater representation for the international sports >> >>>> federations that administer athletic competitions — though either >> >>>> approach >> >>>> would continue to pose accountability problems. >> >>>> >> >>>> In these bleak economic times, the world could use a little athletic >> >>>> transcendence. Sadly, the arrogance and aloofness of the >> >>>> organization >> >>>> behind the spectacle are all too ordinary. >> >>>> ** >> >>>> Jules >> >>>> Boykoff< >> http://www.pacificu.edu/as/politics/faculty/jules-boykoff.cfm/>, >> >>>> an associate professor of political science at Pacific University, >> >>>> is >> >>>> writing a book on dissent and the Olympics. Alan >> >>>> Tomlinson<http://alantomlinson.typepad.com/> is >> >>>> a professor of leisure studies at the University of Brighton. >> >>>> **** >> >>>> ****** >> >>>> ** >> >>>> MORE IN OPINION (2 OF 19 ARTICLES) Op-Ed Columnist: Doughnuts >> >>>> Defeating >> >>>> Poverty< >> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/05/opinion/doughnuts-defeating-poverty.html?src=un&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjson8.nytimes.com%2Fpages%2Fopinion%2Findex.jsonp >> > >> >>>> >> >>>> Read More >> >>>> »< >> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/05/opinion/doughnuts-defeating-poverty.html?src=un&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjson8.nytimes.com%2Fpages%2Fopinion%2Findex.jsonp >> > >> >>>> Close >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>> >> >>> -- >> >>> Alain Berranger, B.Eng, MBA >> >>> Member, Board of Directors, CECI, >> >>> http://www.ceci.ca< >> http://www.ceci.ca/en/about-ceci/team/board-of-directors/> >> >>> Executive-in-residence, Schulich School of Business, >> >>> www.schulich.yorku.ca >> >>> Treasurer, Global Knowledge Partnership Foundation, >> >>> www.gkpfoundation.org >> >>> NA representative, Chasquinet Foundation, www.chasquinet.org >> >>> Chair, NPOC, NCSG, ICANN, http://npoc.org/ >> >>> O:+1 514 484 7824; M:+1 514 704 7824 >> >>> Skype: alain.berranger >> >>> >> >>> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> --------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast >> >> WWWhatsup NYC - http://wwwhatsup.com >> >> http://pinstand.com - http://punkcast.com >> >> VP (Admin) - ISOC-NY - http://isoc-ny.org >> >> -------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> - >> >> >> > >> > > > > -- > --------------------------------------------------------------- > Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast > WWWhatsup NYC - http://wwwhatsup.com > http://pinstand.com - http://punkcast.com > VP (Admin) - ISOC-NY - http://isoc-ny.org > -------------------------------------------------------------- > - >