11/05/24
November 30, 2005
Turin medals have hole in the middle: The new medal design -- shaped like a doughnut...
Seem like nice looking medals to me -- as long as I don't have to be subjected to the designer's goofy description of what the hole signifies.
posted by rcade at 10:45 PM on November 30, 2005
The hole signifies 'cheaper', or very expensive napkin holders.
posted by justgary at 11:03 PM on November 30, 2005
Mmm... donuts.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 11:08 PM on November 30, 2005
I like 'em. ... now that is a constuctive post.
posted by saint_eagle24 at 11:22 PM on November 30, 2005
It looks like an upside down necktie to me. Or one of the old Italian lira coins: 
posted by dusted at 11:33 PM on November 30, 2005
That's just like a Canadian toonie, but without the polar bear.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 11:47 PM on November 30, 2005
posted by DrJohnEvans at 11:48 PM on November 30, 2005
From the article: "a hole in the middle that represents the open space of a piazza." I thought piazza's were usu. square. But I haven't been to Italy, so don't look at me. That woulda been kinda cool, a square hole in a circle. But maybe they're saving that for Beijing 2008. It'll look like the old Chinese money: (I'm just sayin'!) 
posted by worldcup2002 at 12:15 AM on December 01, 2005
I thought piazza's were usu. square. But I haven't been to Italy, so don't look at me. That woulda been kinda cool, a square hole in a circle. I've been to Italy and indeed they are, which is why I thought the same thing. If you're going to go with a theme, go all the way dammit. pi·az·ze (p?-ät's?, pyät's?). (also p?-ät's?, pyät'sä) A public square in an Italian town.
posted by justgary at 12:29 AM on December 01, 2005
Reading that article (and having the dates of the games thrust once again in front of my brain), I've just realised that I'm going to be in the US for most of the games - am I going to get to see much on the TV? Am I going to get to see anything that doesn't involve a US athlete? Worried, Oxford.
posted by JJ at 04:31 AM on December 01, 2005
mmmmmm........Olympic medals.
posted by HATER 187 at 08:26 AM on December 01, 2005
"They are marvelous medals, they represent what we expect from Italy -- " A complete inability to be victorious in war? I mean, c'mon - at least the French know their limits. Ba-da-boom-cha.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 08:31 AM on December 01, 2005
If I won an olympic medal, I wouldn't care if it was shaped like a turd.
posted by mcstan13 at 08:59 AM on December 01, 2005
A complete inability to be victorious in war Good call. Italians have always been hopeless at war. Italians from the capital city were particularly rubbish in days gone by. What was it they called themselves again? Romanians or something. Either way - they were rubbish. What have they ever done for us? What mcstan said.
posted by JJ at 09:02 AM on December 01, 2005
Am I going to get to see anything that doesn't involve a US athlete? Nope. NBC will air 12 hours a day of US athletes getting beat by the Swiss
posted by timdawg at 09:03 AM on December 01, 2005
I thought piazza's were usu. square. But I haven't been to Italy, so don't look at me. That woulda been kinda cool, a square hole in a circle. If piazzas are square, then a round one would be called a rotunda, wouldn't it? Nope. NBC will air 12 hours a day of US athletes getting beat by the Swiss No, it will be 12 hours of Apollo Ohno coverage.
posted by woody1090 at 09:50 AM on December 01, 2005
Italians from the capital city were particularly rubbish in days gone by. What was it they called themselves again? Romanians or something. Either way - they were rubbish. What have they ever done for us? Okay, they were fantastic..... 2000 years ago. I think at some point you're living in the past though, if you keep hanging your hat on that one. I'm not sure the Phalanx works as well these days. "My god... They've formed a diamond shape!!..... Laze the target, bombs away."
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:55 AM on December 01, 2005
Actually JJ, you may get to see some non-US performances, but only because the US doesn't dominate the winter Olympics the way that they dominate the summer. But I can guarantee that you will *hate* the coverage, compared to what you are used to.
posted by Amateur at 10:02 AM on December 01, 2005
Am I going to get to see anything that doesn't involve a US athlete? Your best hope is to pick up the Olympic coverage from the Canadian broadcasts. It's one of the few places where Canadian TV kicks American TV in the ass.
posted by grum@work at 10:03 AM on December 01, 2005
But I can guarantee that you will *hate* the coverage That's OK then - as long as I've got something to moan about, I'm usually happy enough. Besides, (maybe) playing golf with a living legend will probably make up for it *smug grin* If piazzas are square, then a round one would be called a rotunda, wouldn't it? piazza = square, pizza = round. Surely everyone knows that.
posted by JJ at 10:35 AM on December 01, 2005
No, it will be 12 hours of Apollo Ohno coverage. He's not kidding. I grew up in a border town, and until the age of eleven I couldn't figure out why they'd have the Olympics in other countries since it was a US-only event.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:55 AM on December 01, 2005
"Congratulations on winning. Here's a big zero to commemorate it."
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:55 AM on December 01, 2005
They have Olympics in the winter? How do they smoothe the snow out before the triple-jump? You'd think by the late heats that it'd be pretty hard to discern the mark from the mud and slush. Not to mention all the chapped asses.
posted by Hugh Janus at 11:12 AM on December 01, 2005
Nope. NBC will air 12 hours a day of US athletes getting beat by the Swiss Not very current on your winter sports, are you, timdawg? (With 3 golds, 2 silvers and 6 bronzes, Switzerland was 11th in the dumbass "medal count" at the SLC Olympics. They medaled in alpine skiing, bobsled, XC skiing, curling, skeleton, ski jumping, and snowboard. I can't speak about any of the other sports, but I expect them to do considerably worse in alpine skiing this time around; they barely managed to field a team this year)
posted by lil_brown_bat at 01:12 PM on December 01, 2005
First country to come to mind...I just watched Cool Runnings the other day and thought Jamaica was a stretch. I'm gonna go now...
posted by timdawg at 03:09 PM on December 01, 2005
JJ, which which living legend will you be golfing?
posted by worldcup2002 at 03:11 PM on December 01, 2005
It's a secret, and I'm not saying until I know it's going to happen for sure or I'll jinx it. Suffice it to say for now that I'm taking my old man to Bay Hill for his 60th birthday to see if we can do something about fulfilling his childhood (and adulthood) dream. But that's also a secret, so if you run into my old man, mum's the word. He thinks he's going to Paris for a week with my mother. I've never been good at secrets - although this might be a first even for me - posting one on the Internet for safekeeping. Did I mention I was a genius? LBB - I have a theory about the decline (pun retrospectively intended) in Swiss skiing - they've never been so good since they ditched the yellow-with-swiss-cheese-style-hole-effect outfits. I reckon if they go back to dressing themselves like 200lbs of Gouda they'd be right back on track.
posted by JJ at 04:40 PM on December 01, 2005
I, for one, welcome our new Krispy Kreme overlords.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 05:08 PM on December 01, 2005
LBB - I have a theory about the decline (pun retrospectively intended) in Swiss skiing - they've never been so good since they ditched the yellow-with-swiss-cheese-style-hole-effect outfits. I reckon if they go back to dressing themselves like 200lbs of Gouda they'd be right back on track. The Swiss have been in slow decline since the retirement of Peter Muller, whom some of you might remember even if you're not ski fans. He was a late-contemporary of Franz Klammer (coming up in the late '70s), also a downhill d00d, and he was the bull-goose loony of World Cup ski racing, which was in a very bull-goose-loony phase at that point. He was The Man, and the Swiss have yet to produce anyone that crazy. But you're probably right, the suits don't help.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 05:41 PM on December 01, 2005
Don't worry about it Timdawg, lil brown bat gets off on using profanity and putting people down. So much for a constructive debate.
posted by mcstan13 at 06:40 PM on December 01, 2005
Don't worry about it Timdawg, lil brown bat gets off on using profanity and putting people down. mcstan13, on the other hand, uses phrases like "gets off" -- certainly much less profane than the shocking and horrible obscenity "dumbass" -- and makes it all okay by telling us that "kids need to hear about God". Hee hee hee. timdawg, I certainly wasn't harshing on you, so I hope you don't take it that way. The US made a very good showing in '02 and I expect will do so again, in many sports. But you are right that, unlike in the Summer games, a large country like the USA can be outclassed by a small country in the Winter Olympics. It won't be Switzerland, however, although it probably should be.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 10:38 PM on December 01, 2005
Jesus. is it just me or do they keep fucking up the medals worse with each olympiad? Remember the crystal "medals" with only the slightest hint of metal?