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post #41 of 73
8/10/08 at 9:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by trumptman View Post

USA versus China in basketball today.

China played well 1st half but got too worn down in the 2nd. We need to improve our 3 point shooting.

Nice that the Chinese cheered our team too. They're going to be a big threat in a couple olympics from now. They've got what? 4-5 players in the NBA? Yi looked spotty though and Yao beat at the end. Dunno who their other players are or if they are on the olympic team.
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post #42 of 73
8/10/08 at 10:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinea View Post

China played well 1st half but got too worn down in the 2nd. We need to improve our 3 point shooting.

Nice that the Chinese cheered our team too. They're going to be a big threat in a couple olympics from now. They've got what? 4-5 players in the NBA? Yi looked spotty though and Yao beat at the end. Dunno who their other players are or if they are on the olympic team.

Hello... tape delay! I mean it is hard to avoid the outcome sometimes but some of us are getting this half a day or more later.

Pacific Standard Time here.

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell

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"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell

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post #43 of 73
8/10/08 at 10:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by trumptman View Post

Hello... tape delay! I mean it is hard to avoid the outcome sometimes but some of us are getting this half a day or more later.

Pacific Standard Time here.

My bad. Just watched on NBC. Not like it was unexpected though. If we lost to China we could pretty much kiss that whole Redeem Team concept goodbye. I will be more conscious of you left coast folks though...

Heh...what was that joke...husband comes home and tells wife not to tell him about the game and she responds "Don't worry I dunno what the score was. I just know that your team lost."
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post #44 of 73
8/10/08 at 5:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by trumptman View Post

I think you are just jealous Artman. As you noted all the photos show the athletes enjoying Bush and he is enjoying them. The media can't bias or hide it.

How funny was it that he sat right next to Putin...can you imagine the conversation? "You just invaded GEORGIA?? Hell, that's right next to Texas!"

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Finally, even though he didn't take it, that ass pat was offered up with a cute smirk....

I know, I linked to the article too.

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Dude, you are a lame duck. You've got to slap that butt!



Sure, he can have fun. Let the guy stay on vacation, he's been doing it for the last 7 years, just in the wrong place.
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post #45 of 73
8/10/08 at 5:59pm
Oh god.

Bush is in the NBC Olympics studio with Bob Costas giving the interview. You can tell he's pissed he has to answer any question other than sports stuff.
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post #46 of 73
8/10/08 at 6:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShawnJ View Post

Oh god.

Bush is in the NBC Olympics studio with Bob Costas giving the interview. You can tell he's pissed he has to answer any question other than sports stuff.

Well yah. It's the olympics. I could give a shit about politics at the moment.
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post #47 of 73
8/10/08 at 6:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinea View Post

Well yah. It's the olympics. I could give a shit about politics at the moment.

I don't think that every interview with the President during the Olympics has to discuss sports.

They were appropriate questions that any President could have fielded. Bush didn't do all that badly. He was just looking at him petulantly like "that's cute, Costas."
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post #48 of 73
8/10/08 at 6:23pm
And is it just me, or is Alicia Sacramone really hot?

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post #49 of 73
8/10/08 at 7:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShawnJ View Post

I don't think that every interview with the President during the Olympics has to discuss sports.

They were appropriate questions that any President could have fielded. Bush didn't do all that badly. He was just looking at him petulantly like "that's cute, Costas."

If he's being interviewed by a real reporter I would agree. Bob Costas is a sportscaster...and it seemed a lot like ambush reporting. I'm no fan of Bush either.

I'm also pretty damn tired of those lame assed McCain attack ads on NBC. It was really iffy that I was going to vote for him (depended on the running mates). Now not in a million years.

Can we please watch the olympics without asshats please? I'll even be happy to see Bush doing the usual "We're proud of our atheletes" bit for national and team spirit.

If the Georgian and Russian competitors can hug on the podium the rest of the world should shut the fuck up and follow their lead.
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post #50 of 73
8/10/08 at 7:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinea View Post

If he's being interviewed by a real reporter I would agree. Bob Costas is a sportscaster...and it seemed a lot like ambush reporting. I'm no fan of Bush either.

Bob Costas is actually an excellent reporter, much better than "real" political reporters.

And it didn't seem at all like Bush was ambushed. Costas wasn't acting like a prosecutor or anything. He asked pretty good questions. Which ones did you feel were unfair... if any?*

*Matt Yglesias feels the same way:

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Call me crazy, but I think Bob Costas’s interview of George W. Bush has been way more enlightening and substantive than what you typically see when people interview politicians. No horse race stuff, no goofy gotchas — just serious questions about the US-China relationship and the conflict in Georgia along with, of course, some stuff about sports thrown in. If you could see that kind of attitude brought to Meet The Press, I think it’d be a good thing.

What’s more, to his credit faced with serious questions Bush mostly gave serious, reasonably impressive answers
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post #51 of 73
8/10/08 at 9:59pm
I just watched the men's 400 relay, where the US comes back to win a sphincter-clincher over the French squad. Everyone's celebrating and happy and it's all good... the first commerical is McCain's snarky attack ad...

Thanks, buzzkill.
proud resident of a failed state
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proud resident of a failed state
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post #52 of 73
8/10/08 at 10:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by groverat View Post

I just watched the men's 400 relay, where the US comes back to win a sphincter-clincher over the French squad. Everyone's celebrating and happy and it's all good... the first commerical is McCain's snarky attack ad...

Thanks, buzzkill.

A) That finish was AMAZING.

B) My wife, a former Republican and Air Force wife, yelled out "What the fuck?" in the middle of that ad.
Gangs are not seen as legitimate, because they don't have control over public schools.
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Gangs are not seen as legitimate, because they don't have control over public schools.
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post #53 of 73
8/11/08 at 4:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by groverat View Post

I just watched the men's 400 relay, where the US comes back to win a sphincter-clincher over the French squad. Everyone's celebrating and happy and it's all good... the first commerical is McCain's snarky attack ad...

Thanks, buzzkill.

Yeah, seriously. Asshat. Nothing is better than showing up France when they mouth off...the last thing I wanted to see was that idiotic ad. If McCain wanted to have ads in the Olympics it should have been positive stuff that showed him as presidential not an asshat.
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post #54 of 73
8/11/08 at 5:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShawnJ View Post

Bob Costas is actually an excellent reporter, much better than "real" political reporters.

This is the same guy that got hammered by the chinese for accusing the chinese atheletes of systemic drug use during the opening ceremony in 1996 right?

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And it didn't seem at all like Bush was ambushed. Costas wasn't acting like a prosecutor or anything. He asked pretty good questions. Which ones did you feel were unfair... if any?*

Any of the political ones. What kind of answer did he expect? Exactly the mild ones he got...but hey he got to score some points on the Chinese didn't he?

I'm sure that's really going to help Darfur. If he was a "real reporter" he'd be covering Darfur from Darfur.

Which part of no politics is confusing you? I disliked that piece for the same reason that I disliked McCain's ads intruding on the olympics.

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*Matt Yglesias feels the same way

A liberal blogger likes Costas, an avowed liberal. Imagine the surprise. Costas has said that Bush is incompetent. Not that I disagree, but the guy was trying to score points against the administration by tripping Bush up and against the Chinese.

Fuck him. I don't want to hear it this week.
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post #55 of 73
8/11/08 at 5:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by midwinter View Post

A) That finish was AMAZING.

B) My wife, a former Republican and Air Force wife, yelled out "What the fuck?" in the middle of that ad.

Quote:
Originally Posted by vinea View Post

Yeah, seriously. Asshat. Nothing is better than showing up France when they mouth off...the last thing I wanted to see was that idiotic ad. If McCain wanted to have ads in the Olympics it should have been positive stuff that showed him as presidential not an asshat.

Agreed, awesome race! The finish was incredible, and the world record got destroyed in that one.

IRT the ad:

1: What the heck is it doing on during the Olympics?
2: Attack ads are all McAsshat has at this point, so I guess it should be expected.
You need skeptics, especially when the science gets very big and monolithic. -James Lovelock
The Story of Stuff
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You need skeptics, especially when the science gets very big and monolithic. -James Lovelock
The Story of Stuff
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post #56 of 73
8/11/08 at 5:39am
Hmmm. Seems the Olympics have made a great diversion for the current crisis in Georgia. I don't know who has the advantage; the Separatists, the Russians or the Georgians. But it's perfect timing. I'll wait for someone here to create a topic for this new, unknown and soon to be forgotten (?) war. Enjoy the games, but people are being blown to bits.



Sigh...
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post #57 of 73
8/11/08 at 6:19am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinea View Post


A liberal blogger likes Costas, an avowed liberal. Imagine the surprise. Costas has said that Bush is incompetent. Not that I disagree, but the guy was trying to score points against the administration by tripping Bush up and against the Chinese.

Fuck him. I don't want to hear it this week.

I think you are missing the texture of the full context. First of all these questions were being conducted in China by western media. Now we all have differing opinions about how "free" our western msm media truly is but no matter how you slice it the western media is at far greater liberty to report and edit freely than is the state censored Chinese media I think many would agree.

I think partly the reasoning for the asking of tough political questions simply shows that the western msm will not "out of respect" or what have you be muzzled over "topics" which are touchy from the vantage point of some. They are showing that western press values and liberties are not set aside just to appease the Chinese.

2ndly I believe the press in this case was simply doing its job. There has been a lot of buzz over should Bush go or not go to the Beijing Olympics etc. for reasons which were outlined and covered.

So sure it is not purely coverage of the sporting nature of the Olympics at the exclusion of every other concern in the world.

I don't share your outrage.

Fellows
May the peace of the Lord be with you always

Share your smile, Have respect for others, and be loving to all peoples

Paul in Athens: Acts 17 : 16-34
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May the peace of the Lord be with you always

Share your smile, Have respect for others, and be loving to all peoples

Paul in Athens: Acts 17 : 16-34
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post #58 of 73
8/11/08 at 7:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinea View Post

Fuck him. I don't want to hear it this week.

Really?
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post #59 of 73
8/11/08 at 8:04am
Decent questions, but Bush was very composed and had his answers ready. So I assume that the questions were agreed upon prior to the interview.

He typically does not respond well to unanticipated difficult questions.
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post #60 of 73
8/11/08 at 8:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fellowship View Post

I think you are missing the texture of the full context.

No, I'm not. I understand the context just fine.

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First of all these questions were being conducted in China by western media.

For domestic consumption. Not one chinese (outside of those living in the US) will see it.

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Now we all have differing opinions about how "free" our western msm media truly is but no matter how you slice it the western media is at far greater liberty to report and edit freely than is the state censored Chinese media I think many would agree.

So what? It's a communist country that oppresses people. Sometimes brutally. That their media is censored is a given.

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I think partly the reasoning for the asking of tough political questions simply shows that the western msm will not "out of respect" or what have you be muzzled over "topics" which are touchy from the vantage point of some. They are showing that western press values and liberties are not set aside just to appease the Chinese.

Yah right. We're not talking appeasement. We're talking about taking a break for a week before going back to business as usual.

In any case, this was a liberal taking pot shots at a President he doesn't respect but was gracious enough to appear on his show anyway. That I don't care for the President doesn't mean I'm blind to what was going on.

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2ndly I believe the press in this case was simply doing its job. There has been a lot of buzz over should Bush go or not go to the Beijing Olympics etc. for reasons which were outlined and covered.

So sure it is not purely coverage of the sporting nature of the Olympics at the exclusion of every other concern in the world.

I don't share your outrage.

Fellows

This is on par with asking about some dirty laundry about the groom at someone's wedding. Given that if it were not for the Chinese there's a good chance the Olympics wouldn't be around (by crossing the Soviets in 1984) I'd give them a bye for the week on thier first one. We can be snarky when the Olympics go to Shanghai or something.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/sp...nted=1&_r=2&hp

Now the Chinese did it for their own reasons (not kowtowing to the Soviets for one) but even so it did make a difference and lookinig at the changes from 1984 to 2008 I can say that the policy of engagement has been a real winner.

Its not outrage as much as tired annoyance.
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post #61 of 73
8/11/08 at 8:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by @_@ Artman View Post

Hmmm. Seems the Olympics have made a great diversion for the current crisis in Georgia. I don't know who has the advantage; the Separatists, the Russians or the Georgians. But it's perfect timing. I'll wait for someone here to create a topic for this new, unknown and soon to be forgotten (?) war. Enjoy the games, but people are being blown to bits.

The Russians. They may not be a world power anymore but they can still kick the Georgians around, US trained or not.

I'm 80% sure they won't cross into Georgia proper but those provinces are gone.

People are always being blown to bits. I'm sure you watch movies and TV anyway. Do you want a political ad or commentary on darfur in the middle of watching the Batman movie in the theater?
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post #62 of 73
8/11/08 at 9:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by iPoster View Post

2: Attack ads are all McAsshat has at this point, so I guess it should be expected.

I would have liked to have seen an ad (if there had to have been one at all) where he asks Democrats and Republicans alike to join him in cheering on our atheletes and that the Olympics is a place where all people can come together in harmony despite differences.

And that's the kind of world he wants to build.

You know, something positive for a change. That would've made me vote for him.

Going the fear tactics route means literally 4 more years of the same old shit and during the Olympics is really crass.

No, I'm not scared of Obama even if he is a black liberal moslem extremist with a terrorist wife. You can't make me and I'm hoping the US is tired of being afraid or being told it should be afraid of something or someone.

Being afraid is not how you have a strong nation.
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post #63 of 73
8/11/08 at 9:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinea View Post


Being afraid is not how you have a strong nation.

Bah! Fear will keep the local systems in line!
Gangs are not seen as legitimate, because they don't have control over public schools.
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Gangs are not seen as legitimate, because they don't have control over public schools.
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post #64 of 73
8/11/08 at 9:53am
Quote:
No, I'm not scared of Obama even if he is a black liberal moslem extremist with a terrorist wife.

Uh.... what?
proud resident of a failed state
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proud resident of a failed state
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post #65 of 73
8/11/08 at 10:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinea View Post

People are always being blown to bits. I'm sure you watch movies and TV anyway. Do you want a political ad or commentary on darfur in the middle of watching the Batman movie in the theater?

TV? No. Movies of course. There are enough commercials and product placements already in movies.

No, and as I said I'll let someone else create a topic to discuss the Georgia/Russia/USA clusterfuck, I won't derail this thread anymore (like you are).

I do recall though that the games went on regardless of a kidnapping and massacre of an Israeli team in 1972, ok?

Sorry. Let's leave politics out of this thread.
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post #66 of 73
8/11/08 at 10:49am
Quote:
Fundamental Principles of Olympism

1. Olympism is a philosophy of life,exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of
body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a
way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for
universal fundamental ethical principles.

2. The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man,
with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.

3. The Olympic Movement is the concerted,organised,universal and permanent action,carried
out under the supreme authority of the IOC,of all individuals and entities who are inspired by
the values of Olympism. It covers the five continents. It reaches its peak with the bringing
together of the worlds athletes at the great sports festival,the Olympic Games.Its symbol is
five interlaced rings.

4. The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising
sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual
understanding with a spirit of friendship,solidarity and fair play.The organisation,administration
and management of sport must be controlled by independent sports organisations.

5. Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race,religion,
politics,gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.

6. Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Olympic Charter and
recognition by the IOC.

L'important n'est pas de gagner, mais de participer.
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post #67 of 73
8/11/08 at 7:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShawnJ View Post

And is it just me, or is Alicia Sacramone really hot?


A short, cute Italian girl? I can't see why you would be interested at all Shawn.

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell

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"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell

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post #68 of 73
8/11/08 at 8:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by @_@ Artman View Post

I won't derail this thread anymore (like you are).
...
Sorry. Let's leave politics out of this thread.

You derailed this thread in your first post in the thread. Since then it's been not much more than politics and scantily clad women. I certainly approve of the latter.
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post #69 of 73
8/11/08 at 8:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by groverat View Post

Uh.... what?

Sarcasm.
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post #70 of 73
8/13/08 at 6:33pm
So I see McCain has changed to a more positive ad focused on him. It seems to be selling himself as a change agent and "Maverick."

I wonder if this was the plan, or if the campaign realized attack ads broadcasting during olympic commercial breaks was a bad idea.
A good brain ain't diddly if you don't have the facts
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A good brain ain't diddly if you don't have the facts
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post #71 of 73
8/15/08 at 6:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by groverat View Post

I would've slapped her ass and I would've slapped it good.



Ditto!

As for the issue of the games in China, the political side, etc: I think that the Chinese have gone to unprecedented efforts to make the Olympics their "coming out" party. They wanted to show the world how modern China operated and how they are becoming a global power. Every detail...from the ceremonies to the stadium to the medal count...was planned with exacting detail. The goal? Impress the world as a whole.

But I think it's backfired massively. What the world has seen is a government that is obsessed with propaganda like no other. The world has seen censorship, scandals, environmental recklessness, lack of freedom of press/religion and even thought. Consider these:

Fireworks Faked

Medalist Age Scandal

Contest-winning singer dubbed too ugly

Internet Censorship

So I don't know about China "deserving' the Olympics. In my estimation they do not, but to a certain extent it doesn't matter. They have not met their goals in any sense as far as I can tell. The perception of China is, I think, worse than it was before for many...especially in this country.
To save time, assume I know everything.
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To save time, assume I know everything.
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post #72 of 73
8/20/08 at 12:04pm
Stern has a great gallery of photos from these games, thought I'd link it.

A slide show, but worth it.

The Boston Globe has some great photos of that rather "boring" event, Fencing.

These capture the split second timing and emotion pretty well.
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post #73 of 73
8/20/08 at 2:02pm
Shawn Johnson's mom wrote a little article about Shawn's pre-Olympic days.

Reveals herself to be somewhat of a simple-minded religious-cliche spouting nutcase:

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If anything, Shawns helped me be a better mom and helped me learn to trust that God watches over us.

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The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. Doctors told me it was a close call. My husband, Doug, and I call it a miracle.

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Thank you, Lord, for giving me just the right daughter, high energy and all.

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Lord, she really has grown up a lot. Thank you for being with her when we cant.

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I said the prayer I always say before Shawns meets. Please get Shawn through this safely.

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But if its one thing my daughter has shown me, its that the best way to be a parent to her is to trustin her and in God.

What's wrong with these people?

Kind of makes me wonder about the literally Spartan upbringing those Chinese gymnasts endured.
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