Olympic Spirit - Portal

LET US ALL CELEBRATE THE SPIRIT OF OLYMPIA

2008-04-14T01:34:00.040+08:00

Once every 4 years, man from all corners of Mother Earth, irrespective of race, colour, creed or station, lays down his heavy load and with joy unimaginable, celebrates the Spirit of the Olympics. (Click to go to the Official IOC website - probably the best source of up-to-date news.) The celebration gives new meaning and dimensions to the brotherhood of man, understanding and goodwill. The celebration is the rebirth of mankind, not only in spirit but also in mind and body. The celebration lays the foundations for optimism, new hopes for mankind and a new faith in Man.

Even before the celebration could begin, dark clouds were threatening to cast long sinister shadows - confusion, dissent and pessimism - rejecting the moral, ethical and humantarian hopes of The Olympic Truce.

But as we now know, on 24 March 2008, even the Gods of Ancient smiled on Olympia and parted the dark menacing clouds above the Temple of Hera. "The flame was lit successfully by a Holy Princess, according to the traditional ritual, using the sun's ray and a parabolic mirror."

And the men, women and children, touched by the Flame of Olympia - courageous, noble and inspired - will travel to the far corners of the world. The torch bearers, holding the Flame up high, will in turn touch and warm the hearts of the many, and ignite their imaginations and spirits.

The opportunity is here to bring the world closer together - in harmony, friendship and goodwill - and to lift the Spirit of Man. Let us use the technological tools we possess - the world wide web, cell phones and SMS - to extend the Magic and Spirit of Olympia, to reach out and touch every living soul. Let us encourage all to become part of this great celebration - to be embraced and become a living and dynamic part of the Spirit of Olympia.

THE CHALLENGE TO ALL LEADERS:
* Can and will the leaders of nations, society and industry, use this opportunity, flowing from The Spirit of Olympia, to foster and enhance the good, inherent in each and every individual and every nation. Let us all, as individuals, communities and nations connect to the Spirit of Olympia.
* Can and will the leaders of nations, society and industry, organise Web and SMS Campaigns to Support and Celebrate the Spirit of Olympia -

THE CHALLENGE TO ALL INDIVIDUALS:
* Can and will all man, woman and child, welcome and embrace with their hearts and soul, the Spirit of Olympia.
* Can and will all man, woman and child,

* Can and will all man, woman and child, embracing the Spirit of Olympia, and recognizing that The Force is within ourselves, do all that is within our power to spread the Spirit of Olympia, by word of mouth, the world wide web, emails, SMS or by any other exotic means available to man - limited only by his imagination.

It is our fervent hope that any monies raised, particularly with SMS campaigns, be dispersed to deserving charities or institutions. And in today's world, which institutions are more deserving of our support, if not the IOC together with the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the International Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement.

Please Email This Link (OR copy this : http://support-olympic-spirit.blogspot.com/ ) to as many relatives, friends and contacts as you possibly can and encourage them to do the same.

Email your support or otherwise, advice, suggestions etc. to " p.chchua@gmail.com "

This is the web site which Launches your journey into the Spirit of Olympia. It Links you to an incredibly large number of websites covering almost every subject about the Olympics : History, Media Sources, News and Coverage etc.

Click away at the Links we have provided, clearly identified and sorted, and you are instantly Teleported to your Virtual Destinations. Relax in the comfort of your home or office - let your fingers do its magic. Sit back and enjoy The Spirit of Olympia.

Use this site as your one-stop center - your launch site to the Olympic Universe. Upgraded every day, with new links as we find them. Post us your links and we shall add to our list.

Happy Olympics To All

SLIDESHOW BONANZA

2008-04-13T19:35:00.083+08:00

TODAY, Monday 14 April 2008, we are introducing

"Slideshow Bonanza".

Here, is how it works : Right click Today's Special or any Link listed in Slideshow Bonanza Gallery, and in the context menu, right click Open Link in New Tab. Click the newly opened Tab to see a page similar to image below. From here you may directly access Flickr Homepage and surf Flickr. To start the Slideshow - click the text line, View as slideshow - New format reads "Slideshow" a bit higher than that, indicated by the red arrow. (See: Tips & Tricks if you are using Mac)
When the slideshow screen opens, run your mouse all over the screen to check out the numerous controls available. The controls become visible or disappear as the mouse passes or leaves the area. In the middle of the screen is an " i " encased in a black disk. Clicking this icon will toggle on/off all and any text on the photo. It may be useful to turn off the text information / descriptions, if the text masks too much of the photo.

The slideshow can scroll on Auto Timed or you may use Manual Scroll. My personal preference is to use Manual Scroll, as this allows me time to read any descriptions available on the pics.

SLIDESHOW BONANZA GALLERY
Today's Special
Hindu Thaipusam Festival 2007

Alphabetical List
Hindu Thaipusam Festival 2007 : by chchua
Hong Kong By Night : by Steve Webel

Contributions to our Slideshow Bonanza Gallery are welcomed and would be greatly appreciated.

Enjoy, Celebrate and Support The Olympic Spirit

CAMPAIGN : OLYMPIANS STRIKE BACK

2008-04-11T15:26:00.043+08:00

All Olympians and all who believe in Individual Rights, and in particular the Right to participate in sport, together with the Silent Majority who demand the Right to watch sports in action, Let Us All speak with the Voice of Humanity.

Say No to all who try to exploit our love for sports for their own selfish and evil ends!

We Are The World :

We Are The World
Olympians and Supporters the world over, it is Time To Give Back - show your appreciation and thanks to the many men and women who unselfishly, without fanfare and in humility, have made the world a better place - through Sports and The Spirit of Olympia.

Olympians Strike Back:

The Force Is In You: You Have The Spirit Of Olympia

HISTORY

2008-04-10T01:32:00.018+08:00

Links you to websites featuring historical records and comments of past Olympic events.

A History of the Olympics

Ancient Olympic Events

Ancient Olympic Games Virtual Museum

Greek Olympic Games - History For Kids

International Society of Olympic Historians 1

Sydney 2000 Olympic Torch

Olympic History ; Journal E

Penn Museum : The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games

Penn Museum : The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games - Another Presentation

The Ancient Olympics

Olympics Through Time

MEDIA

2008-04-10T01:24:00.034+08:00

Links to the web sites of some media organisations. Surfing these sites will give you an extensive and more than good coverage of the games.

The IOC in its official web site reports that there are 8100 Accredited Media and 25200 Broadcasters. I give you as many links as I possibly can in the time available to me. If you think you should be listed, please email to " p.chchua@gmail.com ".

Listed below are just a few of the many - too many to track.

Saw a very useful directory, with hundreds of links to media sites of many countries. Have not been able to find it since, to include the link in this blog. Readers, if you are able to spot the website, please email to " p.chchua@gmail.com ", I shall be eternally grateful.

Today, 28 April 2008, found World Newspapers Online . Though the link does not feature exclusively Olympic News, its many links is noteworthy.

Readers are also welcome to email me their favourite sites, and I shall include them in the list.

2008-china-olympic.blogspot.com
2008 Olympicsinbeiging.com
2008 Beijing Olympics Pin NBC
BBC Sports / Olympics
Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad
ChinaCSR.com - Aggregated China Media News & Blogs
EINNEWS.com - Canada Olympic News
ESPNews Olympic Sports
Google Directory
Guardian.co.uk
NBC Olympics, Games of the XXIX Olympiad
News Portal to China
NZ's TV Watching Community :
Sino Daily : Your Portal To China
This Sporting Life
Throng
Wiki - Portal : Olympic - Basically text, news links
Xinhua News Agency : Chinese, English, Francais, Espanol, Pyccx ? and Arabic?
Yahoo Sports News

SUPPORT

2008-04-10T01:12:00.033+08:00

Never, a day goes by, when somewhere in this beautiful world of ours, nations, communities or groups are organising, practising or meeting to celebrate The Spirit of Olympia.

Never, a day goes by, when some individual is training to live and abide with The Spirit of Olympia OR practising the values of The Spirit of Olympia.

With so much happening, and on a daily basis, it is near impossible - even with an army of men - for anyone to catalogue or inform on the happenings in Support of The Olympic Spirit.

This weblog, merely hopes to make it easier for all to join in The Spirit of Olympia. We provide links, and links and more links - hopefully, everyone may find something or some links which will appeal to himself/herself.

For starters, please check out the links appearing on the pages of this weblog. Of particular interest are the pages: Media and National Olympic Committees (NOCs).

This Page contains Links (hope that the links list grows day by day) to web sites of organisations which are actively Organising Programes or Pledging Support to the Spirit Of Olympia.

Email : " p.chchua@gmail.com " if you would like to be listed on this page.

INTERNATIONAL SITES : Links to Web sites of organisations with international activities and programs.

NATIONAL SITES : Links to Web sites of organisations with nation specific activities and programs.

India
Lenovo Worldwide Partner

Appearing at the bottom of this page are Five Vote: Issues / Options /Questions.
Please show you Support The Olympic Spirit and Vote

ABOUT

2008-04-10T00:38:00.020+08:00

Since registering this Weblog on 24 March 2008, and for a first time blogger, it has been learn, learn, learn!

Any offers of help will be greatly appreciated. Contributions from all will be accepted with deep appreciation.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES (NOCs)

2008-04-09T14:55:00.041+08:00

The IOC Official Website is probably the best source of up-to-date news, and it is always advisable to visit it often. Many of the links listed in this weblog come from the official website.

Following are Links to, AND/OR Instructions on how to quickly find, the websites of all National Olympic Committes/councils/associations(NOCs)

Most of the active participants and larger nations have their own websites. Many of the smaller nations with little participation in The Olympics may/do not have their own websites.

These Websites basically provide news and reports tailored to their own citizens with some international news.

THE NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES(NOCs) - 205 in number

FIRST, a few countries are listed below - just click the links and you are away to a flying start. The list is being expanded, as time permits.
Australia
Canada
China - multi language website
France
Germany
Great Britain
Greece
India
Ireland
Korea
Malaysia
Malta
New Zealand
Philippine
Qatar
Singapore
Spain
Trinidad & Tobago
USA
Vietnam

NOW let me show you how to easily find the websites of nations not listed above. Once you have located the websites, just bookmark the link so that you can always come back to it. You can easily copy links by dragging the URL in the Address Bar to your Bookmarks Toolbar / Folder.

STEP 1 - Click this link, which will bring you to a Map Page with Banner Heading : National Olympic Committees, as shown in the image below.
STEP 2 - Click on the map in the page you previously opened, to access the list of NOCs for each continent. Lets click EOC, and the list of NOCs for Europe appears below the map.

STEP 3 - Let's click, POL Poland, and the Banner for the page is as shown below.
Now inside the banner is a link "www.pkol.pl"

STEP 4 - Click the link "www.pkol.pl" and you are at the website of the Polish Olympic Committee. Copy the Link from the Address Bar of your Browser - which looks like this "http://www.olimpijski.pl/index.shtml" Paste the link in your Bookmarks Toolbar / Folder. NOT "www.pkol.pl"

So in under a minute, you can be in the Olympic Website of any one nation. Beats having to search Google . . . etc. etc. etc.

If the links become corrupted, please
Email " p.chchua@gmail.com "

POLITICAL

2008-04-09T12:44:00.097+08:00

When I started this Weblog on 24 March 2008, I was merely moved by the feeling that we must somehow involve the 'man on the street' who sits glued to his TV watching the Olympic Games or any other sport, but with little attachment to the Spirit of Olympia and all the good values which flow from The Olympics.

My only objective then, was to bring the multitude to share and become active 'Spirits' in this Great Celebration.

NOW TODAY, Monday 7 April 2008, and as I surf the net, there are tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat - Shame On Me! There are acts of violence, demonstrations and loud voices on the streets - all in the name of Liberty, Fraternity and Equality . . . etc. etc. etc. How can I not welcome these acts of violence, demonstrations and the raised voices - they are but in support of the ideals we so cherish and for which so many men and women have given their lives.

Having studied political science at university and having read Plato, Aristotle, Mill, Locke, Rousseau, Hobbes, Machiavelli and much more, I must surely be sympathetic to the current demonstrations. Having given lectures on political philosophy at university, I must surely appreciate the rationale of the current demonstrations and the loud voices.

MORE, in the late Sixties, we marched down the main streets of Wellington and other cities of New Zealand, protesting against Apartheid, the War in Vietnam, and a host of other issues. Vivid are the memories of the camaraderie, the passion and the fun. But most of all, the flush of excitement – thinking we were part of the human revolution movement.

EVEN THEN, we had our fair share of Professional Agitators; they lived for "causes", jumping from one cause to another and generating new causes when the old ones are no longer "fashionable". They survived on donations from the supporters of their causes.

There is no doubt, that demonstrators of today experience the same feelings. No doubt, Professional Agitators exist even today and are the main instigators of present day demonstrations.

BUT THEN, in the sixties, we did not burn and loot, we did not attack by-standers of different persuasions. We did not attack the police, etc, etc, etc. Alas, can that be said of the current demonstrators and demonstrations.

The whys, whats, whens and hows of the present Anti-Beijing Olympics protests is not a subject for this weblog. There are other forums for examining these issues. The Reasons and Logic, however, are legitimate areas for discussion.

Allow me to tell you A True Story from the past, and to give a Personal Opinion.

A TRUE STORY
I once knew a Christian, Chinese businessman from Singapore - a church elder at his local church. Sometime in 1974-1977, he claimed that he knew President Suharto of Indonesia. I heard but did not respond. He repeated the claim a second time, and I took note. The third time he made the claim, I asked, “You mean you do business with him?” His reply to my question was an angry “No” and a red flush of anger / guilt on his face.

Was I wrong to pose to myself then, and which I pose to you now, the question - "What does a Christian, China born and Chinese speaking businessman have in common with an Indonesian, Indonesian speaking, army general to allow either one to claim that he knows the other?"

We know for a fact that Suharto was a corrupt dictator. Some of the government linked media in South-East Asia are now beginning to label him as a corrupt dictator. The World Bank which funded the transmigration project(s) in Indonesia drew much criticism - reports of large scale corruption and misuse of funds. I know for a fact that this Chinese businessman, was undertaking one if not more project(s) - the same businessman painted the transmigration projects(s) in glowing terms. Just type 'transmigration indonesia world bank' in Google Search to see the real picture - don't take my word.

We know for a fact that in the years 1974-76, Suharto and under him, the Indonesian army or militia groups funded by the Indonesian government, were burning churches, attacking and murdering Christians in East Timor, now known as the nation of Timor Leste. Is it acceptable for an elder of a Christian church, to act as the conduit to steal monies which rightly belong to the Indonesians and to turn a blind eye to the burnings and the killings of Christians?

To top it all, Chinese businessman can, with audacity, preach and opinionate on matters moral, ethical etc.

Some call him a saint, because he distributes a bit of his ill-gotten gains to charity. Unfortunately, in this imperfect world of ours, there are too many like the Chinese businessman - "Pretenders" that they are, exist in all nations, cultures and groups and at all levels of society. They "sin" and they "spin". We have the right and even a duty to "scorn" and to "spurn".

The Fundamental Principle:

The above Principle is neither original nor new. It has been spoken off and acted upon, a million times and more, by men of greater stature and intellect. Suffice that I am a follower.

A PERSONAL OPINION

TODAY, Monday 14 April 2008. A week has passed since I last wrote to this page. A long week of turmoil, pronouncements and condemnation. The legitimate concerns for: Liberty, Fraternity and Equality, often grey in this imperfect world of ours, turned Brown and sank into the Black Abyss of outright stupidity - the French Revolution and the era of Mob Rule. It was a week of blunders and stupidity, garnished by the litany of lies and half truths. You can count the number of significant western political philosophers on the fingers of your two hands. Amongst the best are JS Mill (English) and Rousseau (French). I can only ponder in disbelief, the words and deeds of the current batch of political leaders from these two nations and from Europe at large - go back and read and learn from your Past Masters and Philosophers and your Histories.

Add in the other Pretenders, the veterans of old campaigns, men of the cloth and robes, reporters without borders or professional ethics who create news rather than reporting them. What do we have, if not a band of men with wool over their eyes and woolly thinking in their brains. And like sheep they follow and pay homage to the current fashion: China bashing!!!

Enough of polemics, but do not misunderstand. Beneath the polemics are some serious issues and principles, which we shall now examine without passion and emotion but with reason and logic - maybe a little bit of passion ?

This is and will be the only political statement from this site...
This site is about The Spirit of Olympia and all that it stands for.

Happy Olympics To All

TIPS AND TRICKS

2008-04-09T11:13:00.038+08:00

Here we provide some tips for Increasing Your Enjoyment of The Olympics.

Say Yes To The Spirit of Olympia

Ignore and forget the discord and bathe in the invigorating Light shining from the Spirit of Olympia.

Tab Browsing This weblog is produced with a browser with tab facilities. With say, a Main Page opened, right click a link and in the drop down context menu, Click 'open link in new tab'. Click new tab to view and when you are finished, close/delete new tab. Your Main Page Tab remains, and you can scroll down that page to other links. Saves you countless hours, and without the need to use the Scroll Left /Right Buttons, surfing is effortless and fun. Try it!

Translation Tool - is a brand new utility, able to perform 30 different types of translations, including Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, German, French and Arabic. So now, my blog can be read by those who can't read English. - isn't this great!!!

TORCH RELAY

2008-04-09T01:23:00.066+08:00

Click to go to the linked website.

Current News & Reports of the Torch Relay.

The Animated Route Map shows in some detail the complete route of the Torch Relay. After the web page opens, click "Play" button at bottom of map and the journey begins.

The Planned Torch Relay Route, sets out the dates and locations of the Torch Relay. Scroll down the opened page until you see the spread-sheet entittled "Planned Torch Relay Route". Very handy too are the "photo" and "video" columns. Click the appropriate icons and presto!!

BBC - Following the torch through China. Gives some interesting historical and background information on the different places visited by the Torch.

Interesting Facts & Stories about the Torch & Torch Relay
103-year-old Torch Bearer Hopeful Loses Bid
Lenovo designs '08 Olympic Torch
Torch relays - 1996 to 2008
About.com Travel provides some interesting links
The Holy Olympic Torch, Atheism and Tibet
The origin of the Torch Relay
Torch to ascend Mt Everest
The Beijing Olympic Torch
Olympic Torch : History & Past Disputes
Modern Olympic Symbols and Traditions
How Olympic Torches Works
Googles Overview of Torch Relay

Please report broken links to :
p.chchua@gmail.com