Supporting 2012

I have had an email from The London 2012 Shop, see
(latest@sh0p-news.london2012.com) it is promoting the various branded things we can buy like clothes, pin badges, gifts and souvenirs, bedding and posters.

At £50 for a key ring, and a rather dull one at that, their things are not cheap. As one of my friends commented, "There's still money in London then".

I will get some badges for my nephews and nieces and some posters for work. At £5 each that's more my price range.

Olympic values and inspiring change

On the website www.competefor.com today there are two business requests. One asks for UK based orchestras to record 209 national anthems needed for medal and Team Welcome ceremonies. 209 anthems is about 160 more than they needed to know in 1948.

Playing the anthems is described as encapsulating Olympic and Paralympic values to "celebrate the spirit of friendship, fairness and inclusion amongst the competing athletes."

The other is for British Sign Language (BSL) including BSL and deaf blind interpretation; interpretation of BSL on the Web, English to BSL and vice versa plus amending English to a simpler version for Easy Read.

I read through all four pages of the document and it states that LOCOG wants to use the Games to inspire lasting change. Namely
change in people's lives
change in levels of sports participation
change in attitudes to disability
changes in communities across East London.

Who says it is only a sports event?