no gold medals for medalists

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As the 2012 Olympics move forward in London, television news stations have been caught between a rock and a hard place. The American network NBC has bought up the video rights to the events, and forced other networks to cover a news event without really covering it. On those other networks, nightly segments devoted to the Olympics announce winners and losers, but there are no supporting film clips. Networks other than NBC fill in with incredibly mediocre feature stories ... they've got to say something; it's a big story; but they are forbidden to bring the best evidence to bear. The result, for me, is that I have seen hardly any of the Olympics and I'm sorry ... expertise and effort and record-breaking are wonderful to watch, irrespective of country or the small-mind attention to gold medals.

In Ottawa, Ill., 138 skydivers shattered the previous record of 108, when they fell into the sky and created a snowflake formation.

Skydivers traveled from all over the world to take part in the record attempt, including from France, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Russia, Italy, Belgium, Australia and the U.K. And one, 40-year-old Ahmed Sferi from Reunion, said he traveled for two days from his tiny Indian Ocean island home to reach Chicago so he could take part. 

The Federation Aeronautique Internationale certified the feat, but did not hand out gold medals. No doubt there were expenses, but nothing to match the billions spent in London. The sheer joy and excellence of it can only be imagined and delighted in by the likes of me.

I am delighted to be delighted.
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