Reply to: NY marathon

[Gentile]

I think these people who do extreme sports events like marathons are fooking stupid anyway - more fool them. Why not just sit round eating marathons and posting sh1te on tinternet? If I want exercise I will go to the rridge for another beer(*).

* total lie. I will send Mrs BP.

You have the seed of an idea there, Brillo. I think we should raise money for the Hurricane Sandy victims by sponsoring the Septics to change its name back to "Marathon". It's not as if there's a single human being in Britain that calls them "Snickers" anyway, even people too young to remember the name change.

[EternalOptimist]

It's not a case of considering people's feelings. There are still parts of the city without power, and elderly and other vulnerable people trapped or stranded with no food or water, and people left homeless. To dedicate a load of resources like generators, water, food, tents and manpower to the marathon in those circumstances would be pretty dumb.

What a bunch of weak-kneed , insipid, spineless , scaredy cat, risk averse spazbots have we become , eh?
Phidippides will be spinning in his grave. whats greek for 'rotating Phidippides' ?

'run to Athens ? me ?? but I might bweak a nail'

[BrilloPad]

I think these people who do extreme sports events like marathons are fooking stupid anyway - more fool them. Why not just sit round eating marathons and posting sh1te on tinternet? If I want exercise I will go to the rridge for another beer(*).

* total lie. I will send Mrs BP.

[Gentile]

The only reference in there to Bloomberg saying there would be no diversion of resources is about police. No mention of all the other stuff.

It does also say that power would be restored to Manhattan (where the race finishes, and most of the administrative support is therefore located) by race day, which it looks like it was.

There hasn't been much in the way of rational objections from those opposed to running the race, based on actual resources that would have needed to be diverted. It's all just emotional arguments about how "wrong" it apparently is to hold a race when people in some other parts of the city still don't have electricity, e.g. :

"City Council member Domenic Recchia Jr., however, called plans to hold the race 'just wrong' in light of the ongoing misery among residents with no food, shelter or electricity."

But I don't see any sign that generators or any other resources would have needed to be divered to keep the race running. Do you have any concrete examples of actual resources that would have needed to be diverted had the race gone ahead?

[NickFitz]

In the original news releases about the prospects of the marathon being cancelled, New York's Mayor Bloomberg had said that resources wouldn't be diverted to keep the race on track. It wasn't cancelled during other years in which there were major catastrophes and arguably an even greater drain on resources. For example, they didn't cancel it after 911, when presumably they had a few less police officers and medical personnel available to marshall the race.

The only reference in there to Bloomberg saying there would be no diversion of resources is about police. No mention of all the other stuff.

[Gentile]

It's not a case of considering people's feelings. There are still parts of the city without power, and elderly and other vulnerable people trapped or stranded with no food or water, and people left homeless. To dedicate a load of resources like generators, water, food, tents and manpower to the marathon in those circumstances would be pretty dumb.

In the original news releases about the prospects of the marathon being cancelled, New York's Mayor Bloomberg had said that resources wouldn't be diverted to keep the race on track. It wasn't cancelled during other years in which there were major catastrophes and arguably an even greater drain on resources. For example, they didn't cancel it after 911, when presumably they had a few less police officers and medical personnel available to marshall the race.

[NickFitz]

It did strike me as bit of an over-reaction for them to have cancelled it. I'm all for showing due consideration to people's feelings at a time of loss, but you've got to balance that against the investment of time and money that people will have made to attend an event that may be happening in the same city but has nothing whatsoever to do with Hurricane Sandy.

It's not a case of considering people's feelings. There are still parts of the city without power, and elderly and other vulnerable people trapped or stranded with no food or water, and people left homeless. To dedicate a load of resources like generators, water, food, tents and manpower to the marathon in those circumstances would be pretty dumb.

[EternalOptimist]

We are looking after the nay burrs moggie while they are on holly bobs . Sy02 only remembered this after a Roman candle exploded, bounced off our silver birch and landed in their garden. Roo is nowhere to be seen.

Our moggies are safely tucked up inside though.

im dead when the missus comes in. dead

[suityou01]

too true OH.

we are much less sentimental over here.

It's like the Somme here, with the fireworks going off, but I put the cats out anyway. Should have seen the little buggers run
I expect them to be in NY by this time tomorrow

We are looking after the nay burrs moggie while they are on holly bobs . Sy02 only remembered this after a Roman candle exploded, bounced off our silver birch and landed in their garden. Roo is nowhere to be seen.

Our moggies are safely tucked up inside though.

[EternalOptimist]

WSS - The Yanks aren't the people they once were. Their sentimental streak seems to have completely taken over.

too true OH.

we are much less sentimental over here.

It's like the Somme here, with the fireworks going off, but I put the cats out anyway. Should have seen the little buggers run
I expect them to be in NY by this time tomorrow

[suityou01]

thats a bit harsh sy01

Sandy is a fellas name n all bud

This one was a lady though.

[OwlHoot]

It did strike me as bit of an over-reaction for them to have cancelled it...

WSS - The Yanks aren't the people they once were. Their sentimental streak seems to have completely taken over.

[EternalOptimist]

Why are all the terrible destructive natural events named after women ?

thats a bit harsh sy01

[suityou01]

It did strike me as bit of an over-reaction for them to have cancelled it. I'm all for showing due consideration to people's feelings at a time of loss, but you've got to balance that against the investment of time and money that people will have made to attend an event that may be happening in the same city but has nothing whatsoever to do with Hurricane Sandy.

Well said.

[Gentile]

It did strike me as bit of an over-reaction for them to have cancelled it. I'm all for showing due consideration to people's feelings at a time of loss, but you've got to balance that against the investment of time and money that people will have made to attend an event that may be happening in the same city but has nothing whatsoever to do with Hurricane Sandy.