Opinion Piece: Should we boycott the Olympic games?

One year from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, there has been media speculation about a possible boycott. Actress and Darfur activist, Mia Farrow, called the Beijing Olympics the "Darfur Olympics" due to the Chinese support of the Sudanese government.

The Olympics have been devoid of politics since the Cold War era. Now, we it see resurfacing as activists argue against China's grotesque human rights record. According to Amnesty International, athletes will compete just miles away from government propaganda, torture, poverty, gender inequality... (http://thereport.amnesty.org/page/1092/eng/)

The human rights abuses are atrocious and I'd be quick to say that the Olympics should be boycotted- but things aren't that simple. Athletes who have trained their entire lives for these Olympics will miss their chance, which is totally unfair to them. Most athletes will have a couple shots at the Olympics and a boycott could wreck their Olympic dreams.

Moral questions have a set of typical answers- it is choosing a equitable one that is difficult.

It would be unfair to the athletes for their government to boycott the Olympic games. It is unfair to those abused as a result of Chinese influence that an athlete would support that regime. The chain seems to have no real answer (with the naive exception that China would just stop being cruel).

I should mention that the Olympics have a great deal of political and demographic power. If you read about the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, you'll see why (Hint: What happened between 1939-45)

I think there a two parties to blame.
1. China
2. The IOC

The IOC chose Beijing over Toronto. According to the mandate of the IOC, it should

"cooperate with the competent public or private organizations and authorities in the endeavour to place sport at the service of humanity and thereby to promote peace;"

The service of humanity was not represented in 1936, or will it be in 2008. It is a terrible thing that history repeats itself. As a future preventative measure, I think the IOC should be re legislated as a division of the U.N.

So go on and blame.
Blame the IOC.

P.S. Any athlete who boycotts the games because of humanitarian reasons deserves a Pierre de Coubertin Medal.

Film Review: Hot Fuzz

Film: Hot Fuzz
Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost

Police Service Sergeant Angel(Pegg) gets transferred to the country, a dull contrast to the high intensity world of London, where action is prevalent. He is bored by the dull rural landscape, until he discovers something is amuck. Initially a tag-a-long, PC Danny Butterman(Frost), becomes Angel's sidekick in this crime-spoof film.

This British humor film thankfully avoids the obnoxious humor so prevalent in American film. I found the film wonderfully entertaining- so much absurdity. Absurdity sloshed with many chase scenes is a good definition of this film. Strangely, there was also a fair amount of gore(comical and otherwise) that I did not expect.


Lacked the punch of classics like Bad Boys, but still a film worth seeing. I did not get the chance to see Shaun of the Dead, but I think I just might rent it.

Film Review: The Number 23

Film: The Number 23
Director: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen, Danny Huston

Schumacher was behind the Phone Booth, Tigerland and the remake of The Phantom of the Opera. So, I was very interested to see how this film would turn out. Jim Carrey is playing a serious role here although there are some moments that are very Carrey-esque and consquently, a strain on the film.

Walter(Carrey) stumbles upon a novel that he believes to be about him. It is a thriller, so I don't want to ruin anything. The author tells about obsession with the number 23. Madsen well portrays Agatha, Walter's wife.

The angles and cinematography in this movie is great. It is always good when a director knows who to work a camera. The energy and drive in the film truly keeps the plot moving. There were also some nice artistic touches throughout the film.

A lot of critics dismissed this film because of supposed plot holes. I personally do not know what they are referring too. I should note that the idea of numerology is supposed to be stretch- it is a quack science.

Overall, an underrated film.

Film Review: Knocked Up

Film: Knocked Up
Director: Judd Apatow

Looking through Judd Apatow's credits, I see that he has produced a couple of recent decent films, 40 Year-Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, Anchorman, and a personal old-time favourite, Cable Guy.

The title is self-explanatory, boy and girl enjoy a one night stand- girl discovers that she is pregnant. Ben(Seth Rogen) is a unemployed pot-smoker, and Allison(Katharine Heigl) is entertainment news reporter who got her first big break.

The leads Heigl and Rogen both did an excellent job. It was nice to see Heigl out of a labcoat- I think we got to see more of her acting talent in this one. I especially loved the work by Leslie Mann(Allison's sister, Debbie)- who is also, mysteriously, from Cable Guy.

The film is certainly comedic, but it truly stands out from the rest of the genre. I think the actors showed some real talent in the dramatic parts, which saved the movie from typical romantic comedy dullness that usually plagues the genre.

Novel Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Novel: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Author: J. K. Rowling

I started reading the series as a preteen and it seemed almost fitting that I'd finish the series while preparing for my new life at university in the fall.

It'll be hard to explain this without offending any die hard fans- but here it goes. When I started reading it as a child- I was overwhelmed by the enormous world that she had created. It was absolutely amazing. It was the most well imagined fantasy I had ever read. Everything was just so compelling. I adored the characters- they were so ordinary.

The first book was possibly the most breathtaking. It truly brought you into this world of wonderful things. The second and third continued the themes, making the world more and more real. The fourth and fifth took some of innocence away from the previous- bringing Harry against stronger and more resilient forms of evil. The sixth was dramatically more darker- new worlds of evil were unlocked.

Which takes us to the seventh, and final book in the series. It had a much different feel than the others. The other were driven, faster paced, and on the whole, more enjoyable. The final book was hollow. The plot felt as though it was inevitable, rather than creative. I think it lacked some of the lustre of its predecessors. In a way- I think it was meant to be so.

Still, I never put the book down. It thinks that says all I need to say about Rowling's writing.