London 2012 Won't Go Down with the Ship

London 2012 to shelve ship idea
Plans to promote the 2012 Olympics using a ship sailing around the world advertising Britain's "cultural riches" have been ditched, the BBC has learned.
James Pearce BBC Sports News Correspondent
BBC News
Last Updated: Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 17:21 GMT

London's bid book claimed the ship would: "... carry a cargo emblematic of the UK's cultural riches.

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Olympics 2012 Security: Let's Get it Right!

Peer warns over Olympics security
The safety of the 2012 Olympics could be jeopardised if the government fails to make clear how transport security will be funded, a peer has said.
BBC News
Last Updated: Monday, 7 January 2008, 17:28 GMT

He said: "Eighty per cent of people attending the London 2012 games will do so by using the rail network and that will require a capacity to move and ensure the security of a peak of 240,000 people an hour using rail services to and from the Olympic park."

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Image courtesy of mysistersabarista' s photostream on Flickr.

East London Braced for Olympic Cock-up?

Is time running out for Olympic legacy?
In areas of east London destined to benefit from the legacy of the 2012 Olympic games there are concerns that time is running out for the regeneration plans to be finalised if they are to yield the hoped-for benefits.
By June Woolerton
BBC News
Last Updated: Sunday, 18 November 2007, 00:13 GMT

"The people of east London have learned not to get their hopes up too high because sometimes big projects deliver, sometimes they don't and we're hoping that the Olympics doesn't fail because if it does fail it will be failing the people of east London."

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Photography courtesy of ninebelow's photostream on Flickr.

East London Fire

Major fire at Olympic Games site
A huge blaze has broken out in east London close to where the main stadium for the London Olympics will be built.
BBC News
Last Updated: Monday, 12 November 2007, 13:58 GMT

The London Fire Brigade were called at 1206 GMT on Monday to reports of a fire at a disused warehouse in Waterden Road, Hackney Wick, near Stratford.

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Photography courtesy of garretkeogh's photostream on Flickr.

Staying in London Hotels Shouldn't be a Comedy

Hotels urged to lose Fawlty image
Hotels have been urged to shed their "Fawlty Towers" image ahead of the 2012 Olympics in London.
BBC News
Last Updated: Monday, 17 September 2007, 08:58 GMT 09:58 UK

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) wants more establishments to be recognised in the national star-grading system.

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Photography courtesy of Dysanovic's photostream on Flickr.

Surf's Up, London!

Surf complex planned near docks
A surfing centre is being planned as part of a £1.5bn development in east London, near to the Olympic Park site.
BBC News
Last Updated: Monday, 17 September 2007, 10:54 GMT 11:54 UK

The main surf pool will generate clean 100m-long (33ft) waves measuring anything up to 1.8m (6ft) all year round, said designers.

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Photography courtesy of Clare & Dave's photostream on Flickr.

Olympics 2012 Logo "evolves"

Mocked Olympic logo ‘evolves’
Dipesh Gadher and Ian Pocock
The Sunday Times
July 1, 2007

Now, after a month of protests, designers have devised a less controversial version of the logo. One image, featuring a child taking part in martial arts, is already being used on the side of an Olympics bus touring Britain to promote the Games.

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Olympic logo plans speeded up
By Maija Palmer
Financial Times
Published: July 2 2007 03:00 Last updated: July 2 2007 03:00

“We had originally planned to establish the design for a couple of months with just the block colours but because there was such international publicity, the logo established itself pretty quickly, and we are now filling it with pictures slightly quicker than planned,” said a spokeswoman for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games.

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Visuals 'evolve' London 2012 logo
Freelance UK
Jul 3, 2007

The logo for the London 2012 Olympics, which was publicly attacked for being ‘meaningless’, is to undergo a revamp that will incorporate images of athletes.

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2012 logo continues to get a beating

As mentioned here yesterday, the London 2012 Olympics logo has been met with a strongly negative response. There's even a petition for it to be changed, which at the time of this post had been signed by 48,615 people.

Photo courtesy of Holster®'s Flickr stream.

MPs call for Olympic logo rethink
MPs have signed a series of Commons motions calling for a rethink of the 2012 London Olympics logo.
BBC NewsLast Updated: Thursday, 7 June 2007, 12:45 GMT 13:45 UK

In one, the Conservative MP Philip Davies described the design as "childish and ridiculous" and "a pathetic attempt to appear trendy".

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Focus on 'unpopular' 2012 logo
The logo for the 2012 London Olympics is popular with the newspapers - for being unpopular with the public.
BBC News
Last Updated: Wednesday, 6 June 2007, 05:02 GMT 06:02 UK

The first medal of the Olympics has already been won, says the Independent, for the most unpopular logo in British marketing history.

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London 2012 Logo: Let the Cock-Ups Begin!

A major event deserves a major cock-up! And if the powers that be can start making a mess of things 5 years ahead of schedule, all the better. That about sums up my opinion of the new 2012 logo. However, I will say this: it's certainly not boring! And, to just be a logo, it is getting lots and lot of press. So, by the time the Olympics roll around, we'll have that pesky jagged glaring monstrosity permanently engraved in our memories, especially all the lucky folks who've had a seizure because of it.










Mayor wades into 2012 footage row
Creators of footage promoting the 2012 Olympics should not be paid after it emerged it could trigger an epileptic seizure, London's mayor has said.
BBC News
Last Updated: Wednesday, 6 June 2007, 14:24 GMT 15:24 UK

Ken Livingstone's comments came after a segment of the animated footage had to be removed from the organisers' website on the advice of experts.

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Epilepsy fears over 2012 footage
A segment of animated footage promoting the 2012 Olympics has been removed from the organisers' website after fears it could trigger epileptic seizures.
BBC News
Last Updated: Tuesday, 5 June 2007, 19:09 GMT 20:09 UK

Emphasising that it was not the logo itself which was the focus of worries, she said: "This concerns a short piece of animation which we used as part of the logo launch event and not the actual logo."

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'Oh no' logo
It has received a mauling from the public, but what do branding experts make of the new Olympics 2012 logo?
By Tom Geoghegan
BBC News Magazine
Last Updated: Tuesday, 5 June 2007, 00:49 GMT 01:49 UK

This is a logo which took a year to design and has to help raise £2bn of private money to pay for the running of the Games. So there were some understandable nerves among the London 2012 organisers when they unveiled it.

Click here for complete article.

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Olympics: London Olympic logo triggers debate
by AROMA
AROMA
Jun 5th, 2007

The “iconic” logo for the 2012 London Olympics was unveiled on Monday, but critics immediately condemned it as “hideous” and a waste of money.

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The London 2012 logo: the blogosphere is angry
The internet has seen the London 2012 logo - and frankly, they don't like it.
The following is an entirely representative sample of what bloggers and Twitterers were saying about the pink, jagged bit of 'branding' that cost £400,000
Metro.co.uk
Monday, June 4, 2007

'Despite the fact that if you squint it looks a bit like a couple engaging in an act of oral sex and despite the fact that one of the Londonist co-editors described it as a "joke", I really like it.

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London 2012 Logo vs Saved By The Bell:













Tiswas - Opening Titles:

London may host language museum

"Multilingual London may get language museum"
Source: Reuters, 23 May 2007
Translating is an Art
May 24, 2007

Language enthusiasts want to open a dedicated museum in London - the world's most multilingual city, where more than 350 languages are spoken - to coincide with the 2012 Olympics.

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London: Number One City Destination

RECORD TOURIST NUMBERS BOOST LONDON'S ECONOMY
TravelPlus Blog
Wednesday, April 25, 2007

“London remains the number one city destination in the world and the latest visitor numbers confirm this. Importantly, we have increased our worldwide share of international visitor numbers. Tourism is worth around £15 billion a year to the London economy and sustained increases over time result in an increase in the number of jobs created for the economy. This is particularly encouraging in the lead up to 2012 when the tourism and cultural industries will be amongst the main economic beneficiaries from the Games.”

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Overheard: bitter prognosis for 2012 Olympics

The other day at a local sandwich shop, I received the following bitter prognosis for 2012 at no extra charge with my lunch:

Ken's putting all these pounds into an area where people don't visit and doing nothing here in central London and then when the Olympics are gone that whole area will just sit there vacant and unused ... just like that Dome.

Image by Tiki Chris © 2007

Singing? On a bus? In London?

Spend any amount of time anywhere near public transport in London, and you'll know why the following clip is absolutely absurd with no basis in reality whatsoever.



Wondering why the above clip even exists?

BBC London's Anthem for 2012
We know London is the greatest city on earth, so why doesn't it have an anthem?
BBC News
last updated: 07/03/07








It's simple, we want an original song with inspiring lyrics which capture the spirit of the capital and get people to sing.

Click here for complete article.