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Thread: Winter Olympics

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by SKM View Post
    Take it easy. I was only pointing out a defect of character, dismissive condescension, that you used on me and that I saw you use on Wolfen. You told Wolfen that he takes up a lot of space writing too much, taking up too much bandwidth, and being off-topic. I invite anyone to read your posts which are long, winded, and are frequently off topic. If you honestly disagree with somebody, have an honest discussion. It looks rather silly to accuse someone of that which you are doing. I find Wolfens posts refreshing and he does cite sources. Something most martial artists seem to be incapable of or unwilling to do, preferring rather to pretend they invented every idea they propose.

    Your last post reveals another defect of character. You are always trying to be right; to be dominate. You claim to be an excellent martial artist, in past posts, with over 30 years of training and experience. If so, then work on letting that reflect in your words. Fewer words if possible.

    There is a core of about 12 of you on this forum that dominate the entire forum. The moderators and their buddies are the in-group here. You use this forum as a digital dojo. I suggest you spend more time in the physical dojo and sweat until you cannot stand up, then your authentic truths will reveal themselves and you might have something profound to share.

    There are a lot of people on this forum. Rather than the same dozen people constantly posting, let's hear from the new people. Quit intimidating them into remaining lurkers. Are you up for that? And before you say you and others do not do that, yes you do. Be honest with yourself. This forum has turned from a potential gold mine clearing house of martial information into a celebrity and movie site. Personally, when I want to read that stuff I can go to looper.com. You helped create this situation.

    If you do not like what Wolfen says to you, complain and the moderators can expunge his posts, then this forum can join twitter, Facebook, and google in their quest for censorship. Would that make you and the in-group comfortable? I doubt it.

    I have nothing against you personally. I am only pointing out the patterns I see you do. Change your patterns, the way you treat people; start asking questions rather than telling people what their opinion is, have open, equilateral discussion, and watch the magic. It is a great opportunity for you to upgrade yourself. So relax. It's all good, man.
    No problem, SKM. I actually never thought we had a problem. To be clear, I've never referred to myself as an excellent MAist, only that I've been around the block a few times over the years and occasionally try to share some insights on that. I don't like online bullying and never have done it, but if that's the impression I'm giving anyone, I'll look into that. I've always said, I always try to remain civil online, and write as I would actually speak to someone in person. But I also feel I must correct someone if they are misinterpreting what I'm saying (whether purposefully or not). And to be fair, on any forum only a relatively small number of members actually post regularly. And I suspect that participation in martial arts-related forums has fallen over the years.

    I have nothing against wolfen or his posts, except maybe the tone of some of them, and I've never yet complained about someone or tried to get them banned.

    As far as this becoming a movie site, I only post that stuff in the martial media forum, with the exception of the Hollywood Secret thread in this forum, because I didn't feel a thread exposing sexual abuse was appropriate in the entertainment-related forum.

    Anyway, it's all good.
    Last edited by Jimbo; 02-21-2018 at 09:42 AM.

  2. #32
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    Glad you guys sorted that out among yourselves

    For the record, we have had some unofficial complaints about Wolfen's posts recently. A few have threatened to leave on his account. If enough leave, well, despite this forum being open to the public, it is privately run and membership is a privilege that can be revoked at any point. And at it's heart, our forum is a capitalist venture, so when the numbers fall, heads must roll. We offer this as forum as a public service, however our take is we get eyeballs, and our web platforms thrive on those. But this is not an 'official' warning really, just a side note, because those complaints aren't official yet.

    As for the dozen or so that 'dominate' this forum, anyone can post here. Even Wolfen at this point. This forum is what you make of it. Relevance is relevant I suppose, especially here in the off topic sub forum.
    Gene Ching
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  3. #33
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    Alibaba & Pyeongchang Olympics

    There are some embedded vids behind the link.

    I'll also plug my article from last week here because it's relevant to Jack Ma & the Olympics: Natasha Liu Bordizzo on Gong Shou Dao (The Art of Attack and Defense)

    2018 Olympics
    Alibaba bets on Olympics to make it a household name
    by Sherisse Pham @Sherisse
    February 20, 2018: 10:36 PM ET

    Alibaba is ready to compete on the world stage.

    China's biggest e-commerce company just made its debut as an Olympic sponsor at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang. Its massive pavilion at the event is a stone's throw from those of Coca-Cola (KO), McDonald's (MCD) and Samsung (SSNLF).

    Those brands have instant global recognition, something that remains elusive for Alibaba (BABA) -- for now.

    The Chinese company made a big splash when it went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014 with the world's largest IPO. Chairman Jack Ma frequently pops up at major international events like Davos, and he drew attention with a photo op with President Trump last year.

    But Alibaba's "brand awareness outside China is not commensurate with its size," said Junhong Chu, a marketing professor at the National University of Singapore.

    The company, whose market value is bigger than that of Walmart (WMT), is banking on its Olympic sponsorship to help change the situation.

    Brands pay millions of dollars to snag the highest level of Olympic sponsorship. To join that elite club, they must commit to a minimum four-year contract and fork over some serious cash. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) predicts it will make $1 billion from the program for the 2013-2016 period.

    The companies that sign on to become top sponsors are typically household names, such as Toyota (TM), GE (GE) and Visa (V).

    Alibaba joined them in 2017. Financial terms of Olympic sponsorships are not made public, but it is reported to have spent $800 million for a deal lasting through 2028.


    Alibaba's pavilion in Gangneung Olympic Park is near those of Coca-Cola, Samsung and McDonald's.

    The Chinese company's big Olympic debut comes as one top American brand is leaving the party. McDonald's announced in June that it would end its decades-long deal with the Olympics three years early.

    Alibaba is stepping in "at a very critical time," the company's chief marketing officer, Chris Tung, said in an email to CNNMoney. It will use its technology to help make the Olympics "more efficient, secure and engaging," he added.

    So while sports fans won't be catching any Big Mac commercials during the Pyeongchang Games, they will see Alibaba's ad campaign.

    "This is Alibaba's global coming-out party," said John Gutteridge, Asia Pacific CEO of advertising firm J. Walter Thompson Company.

    Its commercials feature stories of underdog athletes or small acts of kindness that took place at past Olympics.

    "To the greatness of small" is the campaign's tag line. And all the commercials end with the following phrase written in white on a black screen: "Alibaba empowers small businesses and young people around the world."

    The company is also sponsoring some Olympics-related content on CNN Digital during the Games.

    For someone who has never heard of Alibaba, its Olympic commercials do little to clarify what the company does. But it might prompt them to find out, according to Chu.

    Research suggests that people often respond to ads with online searches, she said, suggesting that if consumers hear about Alibaba during the Olympics, and their interest is piqued, they will do their own research into the company.

    Wooing U.S. businesses

    Alibaba is often called the Amazon (AMZN) of China, and much like its U.S. rival, the company has expanded well beyond its original e-commerce business. It has a growing cloud computing business, operates a major video site and is affiliated with a massive digital payments platform. It's even expanding into brick-and-mortar stores in China.

    It is also trying build up its business in the U.S., holding a big conference in Detroit in June to encourage American small businesses and farmers to sell their products to Chinese consumers through Alibaba platforms.

    Expanding internationally has so far proved tough for Alibaba because its e-commerce sites and other main services are tailored to the Chinese market.

    As part of its Olympics sponsorship, Alibaba became the official cloud services provider and e-commerce platform for the Games, as well as a founding partner of the Olympic Channel.

    But raising its profile significantly in the U.S. through Olympic marketing campaigns may be a challenge.

    Alibaba is signing on as a sponsor at a time when fewer people are watching the Games on NBC, the official U.S. broadcaster of the Olympics.

    The network pulled in an average of 22.2 million prime-time viewers in the first week of Olympic coverage, down more than 6% from the first week of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, according to NBC Universal.

    CNNMoney (Gangneung, South Korea)
    First published February 20, 2018: 10:36 PM ET

    Thread: Winter Olympics
    Thread: Jack Ma & Alibaba
    Gene Ching
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  4. #34
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    Taufatofua

    This guy

    redefines stud


    2016 GETTY IMAGES
    DATE 09 FEB 2018
    PYEONGCHANG 2018
    TONGA’S TAUFATOFUA COMPLETES SWITCH FROM TAEKWONDO TO CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

    ONLY THE SECOND WINTER OLYMPIAN IN TONGA’S HISTORY, PITA TAUFATOFUA IS SET TO JOIN AN ELITE CLUB OF ATHLETES TO COMPETE AT THE SUMMER AND WINTER GAMES, HAVING REPRESENTED HIS COUNTRY IN TAEKWONDO AT RIO 2016.

    In a reinvention worthy of a Hollywood script, the Tongan taekwondo athlete will compete as a cross-country skier at PyeongChang 2018.

    Having rejected movie offers and modelling contracts after his eye-catching displays in Rio, the Australia-born 34-year-old – who had never seen snow until two years ago – becomes just the second athlete from the Pacific nation to qualify for a Winter Games.

    Taufatofua had to battle through four Olympic cycles before becoming Tonga's first Olympic taekwondo competitor at Rio 2016, so making it to “PyeongChang was simple by comparison.”

    “It still feels quite strange actually being here, because it took me 20 years to get to Rio, and just one year to get here,” the former youth worker said. "It’s just an honour. I mean, how many countries in the Pacific get to go to a Winter Games?”


    GETTY IMAGES
    FLYING THE FLAG FOR TONGA

    As he did in Rio, Taufatofua will carry Tonga's flag at the Opening Ceremony as the country's sole athlete at the Games. But he will certainly be opting for warmer clothing at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium than he did in Rio.

    After the Opening Ceremony in Rio, images of Taufatofua – oiled up, shirtless and wearing a traditional Tongan skirt at the head of the country's tiny delegation – went viral on social media, thrusting him into minor celebrity.

    Eighteen months on, Taufatofua presents a much leaner figure than the muscular martial artist who competed in the 80kg division. After Rio, he rejected various offers of modelling gigs and film roles, choosing instead to ponder his next big challenge.

    He opted for the gruelling discipline of cross-country skiing because it was the “hardest” thing he could think of doing.

    TRAINING ON SAND

    With no snow in Tonga or near his Brisbane base in Australia, Taufatofua's training regimen began with running on sand dunes with wooden planks strapped to his feet.

    “We had to mimic being on snow while not being on snow,” he said. “We’d strap pieces of wood to our feet and run on the sand just to get the balance and some sort of glide.”

    Taufatofua's cross-country skiing adventure may only be a brief interlude before he refocuses on taekwondo, a sport that has given him six broken bones, three torn ligaments and hundreds of hours of rehabilitation.

    Indeed, he is already thinking about the possibility of a third successive Olympic appearance at Tokyo 2020.

    “Taekwondo and skiing, now they’re all in my blood,” he said. “I may go for the magic three [in Tokyo]. It’s never been done [by a Tongan] before.”

    Thread: hTae Kwon Do
    Thread: Winter Olympics
    Gene Ching
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  5. #35
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    See? I knew the 2022 Olympics would pay out.

    Chinese sports authorities recruit Shaolin monks, teach them snow and ice disciplines to boost Beijing Winter Olympics squads
    Sports Agence France-Presse Jul 31, 2018 18:58:10 IST

    Shanghai: A Chinese kung-fu monk rockets down the halfpipe, his robe fluttering behind him, bald head glistening in the sun, to claim snowboard Olympic gold.


    Representational image. Reuters

    It may sound like a sequel to hit comedy film "Cool Runnings", but for Beijing 2022 hosts China this is no joke. China is so worried about its lack of winter Olympians and losing face on home soil that it is plundering the martial arts schools of Buddhist monasteries in the search for a star.

    Frantic sports chiefs have plucked 125 teenage students from the renowned Songshan Shaolin Temple in the central province of Henan in the hope their martial arts prowess can translate into medal-winning performances on the snow.

    The latest batch of 23 students left for Beijing on Monday for initial training in freestyle skiing and other Olympic disciplines, the Henan Daily newspaper said. The best among them will then venture to New Zealand to hone their skills.

    Medal-hungry China is turning to martial arts training schools as part of what it is calling "cross-discipline candidate selection" for Beijing 2022. More than 600 prospective Olympians — boys and girls — have been hand-picked so far in Henan alone, the Xinhua news agency said.

    China's General Administration of Sport, the government's top sports body, said the nationwide search was designed to "enrich the talent pool for ice and snow disciplines". Officials are also considering asking talented skateboarders, acrobats and trampolinists to switch disciplines as part of the ramped-up recruitment drive.

    It is easy to see why they came up with the idea, seeing as at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February, China won just nine medals, only one of them gold.


    Updated Date: Jul 31, 2018 18:58 PM
    THREADS
    Winter Olympics 2022
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    Gene Ching
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