Paris Olympics - Non-Sports Thread

[atomheartbevo 89791]

So they are starting with a bang.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/26/europe/france-rail-network-disruption-paris-olympics-intl-hnk/index.html

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France’s high-speed train lines were targeted by multiple “malicious” acts including arson on Friday, in what has been described as “coordinated sabotage” to disrupt travel ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

France’s state railways company SNCF called the overnight disruption a “massive attack aimed at paralyzing the high-speed line network.”

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The railway operator said the disruption hit Atlantic, Northern and Eastern high-speed lines, with damage caused to several of its facilities. SNCF said one of the acts was “foiled.”

Travel on these lines is “very disrupted,” with the railway network needing to divert and cancel a large number of trains, SNCF said. Disruptions - which it estimates could impact around 800,000 travelers - were expected throughout the weekend as work crews oversee repairs, it added.

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The French Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Amélie Oudéa-Castera said the disruption to the train lines are “a sort of coordinated sabotage.”

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Other French officials echoed her description of the attacks being intentional. Outgoing French transport minister Patrice Vergriete and Valerie Pecresse, head of the Île-de-France region, in which Paris lies, said on Friday that “all elements” pointed towards it being a “deliberate attack.” Vergriete added those elements were “the coincidental timing, the vans found after the people had fled (and) the arson materials found on location.”

And I'm wondering if it ties into this

https://www.euronews.com/2024/07/24/paris-olympics-russian-chef-arrested-over-plot-to-provoke-hostilities

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French police have arrested a 40-year-old Russian chef on suspicion of preparing "large-scale" destabilising acts during the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.

During a raid at his apartment on the right bank of the Seine on Sunday, officers found documents believed to be linked with Russia's special forces, which are a part of the security agency FSB. The man is now being investigated over sharing intelligence with a foreign power in an attempt to "provoke hostilities in France" and has been placed in pre-trial detention.

Quote

The crime is punishable with up to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors ruled out the alleged was terror-related, but no additional details are known about the alleged plan. The man has not been named. However, he has been living in France since 2010 and was tracked over the past few months by French authorities, according to domestic press.

He had been trained as a chef in Paris after participating in Russian reality shows, Le Monde reported. Last month, Microsoft's Threat Analysis Centre said Russia might be preparing "malign disinformation campaigns" during Paris 2024 with the use of AI in an attempt to create false threats of violence at the event.

 

[Dr Fear 1268]

I'm not saying with any certainty who is responsible, but isn't this much more reminiscent of the Green Greta's who love blocking highways and have been $hiting in the river in protest over the Olympics than the Russians?

[956 Worldwide 34769]

26 minutes ago, Dr Fear said:

I'm not saying with any certainty who is responsible, but isn't this much more reminiscent of the Green Greta's who love blocking highways and have been $hiting in the river in protest over the Olympics than the Russians?

No, I will bet lots and lots of money that this is either Russia or Iran. It’s not hippies. 

[Sawbonz 27587]

3 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

French police have arrested a 40-year-old Russian chef

[Trey3216 15355]

1 hour ago, Sawbonz said:

Definitely been gettin high on his own supply if he's now a chef. 

 

[BrickHorn 18285]

8 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

Definitely been gettin high on his own supply if he's now a chef. 

 

[Trey3216 15355]

1 minute ago, BrickHorn said:

Ok.  Get the stick out of your ass.  That fucker is fat as shit now.  

[BurntEyes 6028]

1 hour ago, 956 Worldwide said:

No, I will bet lots and lots of money that this is either Russia or Iran. It’s not hippies. 

I won't call it Russia nor Iran (nor exclude them) but it appears mutli-layered and well organized. That's typical of a state agent more than an independent group of "protestors" typically.

[immamac 43029]

Pretty cool technology showcase from Intel here. 

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/newsroom/news/intel-ai-powers-8k-ott-broadcast-at-olympics.html

 

[InkaUtexas 26097]

13 minutes ago, BurntEyes said:

I won't call it Russia nor Iran (nor exclude them) but it appears mutli-layered and well organized. That's typical of a state agent more than an independent group of "protestors" typically.

Agree it is organized, but there are Unions that could pull this off both left and right who are pissed at the Olympics.

To date them, the Ruskies and supposed supporters of Palestine have all been arrested or made threats.

[DaggerHorns 3085]

3 hours ago, Dr Fear said:

I'm not saying with any certainty who is responsible, but isn't this much more reminiscent of the Green Greta's who love blocking highways and have been $hiting in the river in protest over the Olympics than the Russians?

**shitting. Learn how to fucking spell and cuss.

[BurntEyes 6028]

There could potentially be a nerd thread in the video tech, distribution and capture methodology for the Olympics. It's often where the future of other sports tech is tested. 

AI dynamic replay - Alibaba

Some cool Olympics camera history

Deeper nerd dive on Olympic cameras

AV Nerding Sony and the Olympics

[BurntEyes 6028]

1 hour ago, InkaUtexas said:

Agree it is organized, but there are Unions that could pull this off both left and right who are pissed at the Olympics.

To date them, the Ruskies and supposed supporters of Palestine have all been arrested or made threats.

Oh, I don't disagree with any of what your saying. The Russians, like some other countries, love to use puppets for their disruptions for sure. 

It's France, though, and those white flag waving surrender monkeys will protest for any reason. "Via la free chicken nuggets,  from free range French chickens!!!!"

I just think there is a state level brain behind the activity. I'm not willing to predict which as there are a lot who are motivated to create disruption, just because.

[atomheartbevo 89791]

26 minutes ago, BurntEyes said:

I just think there is a state level brain behind the activity. I'm not willing to predict which as there are a lot who are motivated to create disruption, just because.

The local hippy type groups or whatever we want to call them, have probably been thoroughly penetrated by French intelligence for quite a while in preparation for the Olympics. Plus, when they do this shit, they seem to like to do it in places and at times where they can be seen (or their banners or whatever).

This thing has abandoned vehicles (vans, meaning they had other vehicles in place and waiting to help them get away), simultaneous attacks, the French/NATO intelligence being caught off guard, etc. 

[jdhorn92 1558]

28 minutes ago, BurntEyes said:

 

It's France, though, and those white flag waving surrender monkeys will protest for any reason. "Via la free chicken nuggets,  from free range French chickens!!!!"

 

I give the French a pass on their WWII performance, which is the general origin of this surrender mindset.  They were out general'd by the Nazis and pulling out of Dunkirk was not their best day, but they deserve a tip of the cap for what they did for us in the Revolutionary War.  Lafayette was a stud and we owe them a great debt of gratitude.  Going bk to support the upstarts led to their own revolution.  The French resistance in the European Theater was bold and courageous and should not be discounted once they were occupied.

[squib 1124]

I was in Paris about 10 days ago. It was being partitioned off pretty well. Lots of fencing, barriers, security. It was nuts as usual. Oldest daughter is there right now with beach volleyball tickets under the Eiffel Tower tomorrow. I will be much relieved when I pick her up at the airport on Sunday. 

[Trey3216 15355]

16 minutes ago, squib said:

I was in Paris about 10 days ago. It was being partitioned off pretty well. Lots of fencing, barriers, security. It was nuts as usual. Oldest daughter is there right now with beach volleyball tickets under the Eiffel Tower tomorrow. I will be much relieved when I pick her up at the airport on Sunday. 

Looking for answers to questions that bother her so? 

[squib 1124]

3 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

Looking for answers to questions that bother her so? 

Savin' the world on her own

[atomheartbevo 89791]

24 minutes ago, jdhorn92 said:

I give the French a pass on their WWII performance, which is the general origin of this surrender mindset.  They were out general'd by the Nazis and pulling out of Dunkirk was not their best day, but they deserve a tip of the cap for what they did for us in the Revolutionary War.  Lafayette was a stud and we owe them a great debt of gratitude.  Going bk to support the upstarts led to their own revolution.  The French resistance in the European Theater was bold and courageous and should not be discounted once they were occupied.

They hung with us in Afghanistan for over 14 years, so I don’t even care about WWII in regard to the past,

[InkaUtexas 26097]

And were holding the line in the Sahel in a big way. In Bosnia as part of IFOR they were the only other contingent that did not mind playing hard

[BurntEyes 6028]

Okay okay, I get it, the French aren't always white flag waving surrender monkeys, but the will protest anything at the drop of a hat. In fact, they would probably protest because someone dropped a hat or god forbid a raspberry beret.

Going back to the attacks, I'm confident a lot of state actors have plants in the more well known current protest groups. 

That said, leaving a vehicle behind, if it can't be tracked (which maybe it is, we wouldn't know at this stage) is certainly a higher level state actor type move. I wouldn't be surprised if early on, it is linked to one of those groups, by design. 

Lots more discovery is to come on that front. I just truly hope there isn't a big or catastrophic event. So far, the efforts appear to have been sniffed out prior to any successful occurrences.

[squib 1124]

Daughter keeps texting me as she is walking around trying to find a place to even get a glimpse of the water parade. Said it is crazy everywhere. I told her to just go to a bar and watch it on TV. But that is where I would have started in the first place. 

[DDD Dad 14351]

I've got the opening cermonies playing on a tab on my computer.  This torch video production is cringe.  I guess it's for the kids but it is really bad.

[utee94 15862]

Good thing we don't use enough rail in the US to ever fall under such an attack.  We're thinking 3 steps ahead of those terrorist bastages!

 

 

[BurntEyes 6028]

22 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Good thing we don't use enough rail in the US to ever fall under such an attack.  We're thinking 3 steps ahead of those terrorist bastages!

 

 

Let's just hope the Olympics are never in Austin with its expansive light rail and forthcoming gondolas. 

Thought they could replicate the river parade if they can get all the dead bodies out of there prior.

Sorry, I'll take it to the stupid Austin shit thread.

[utee94 15862]

11 minutes ago, BurntEyes said:

Let's just hope the Olympics are never in Austin with its expansive light rail and forthcoming gondolas. 

Thought they could replicate the river parade if they can get all the dead bodies out of there prior.

Sorry, I'll take it to the stupid Austin shit thread.

First, we're going to need Nicole to stop killing so many people.  Or, at least, dump the bodies in the ever-present freshly poured concrete foundations of newly constructed mixed-use buildings, rather than Town Lake.

[atomheartbevo 89791]

2 hours ago, BurntEyes said:

That said, leaving a vehicle behind, if it can't be tracked (which maybe it is, we wouldn't know at this stage) is certainly a higher level state actor type move. I wouldn't be surprised if early on, it is linked to one of those groups, by design. 

Yeah, leaving multiple vans behind stood out to me. It would be easy to say that was simply a function o f having enough money (or stealing enough vehicles, but stealing runs the risk of being exposed), but that makes the operation far more complicated, and it probably involves multiple drivers for each operation.

They didn’t kill anybody, so that means they wanted disruption but not deaths. But no big banners at the scenes either.

Edited July 26 by atomheartbevo

[Ghost of LL 15539]

3 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

The local hippy type groups or whatever we want to call them, have probably been thoroughly penetrated by French intelligence for quite a while in preparation for the Olympics. Plus, when they do this shit, they seem to like to do it in places and at times where they can be seen (or their banners or whatever).

This thing has abandoned vehicles (vans, meaning they had other vehicles in place and waiting to help them get away), simultaneous attacks, the French/NATO intelligence being caught off guard, etc. 

The fact that nobody has claimed credit undermines the "protest" theory.  The whole point of protest is to raise awareness of a cause.  But if you don't claim responsibility, then nobody's awareness is raised as to your cause.  That indicates that the purpose was the disruption itself, not the communication of any message.  And that implies that there may be further acts to come.

The other thing that points in the direction of Russia is that it was not designed to kill or maim, but only to severely disrupt and inconvenience an event from which Russia has been banned.  If this were al Qa'ida or some other terrorist group, they would've placed a bomb on the trains.  But this just damaged infrastructure.  It's an act designed to come just short of what would bring about a declaration of war.

[BurntEyes 6028]

21 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

The fact that nobody has claimed credit undermines the "protest" theory.  The whole point of protest is to raise awareness of a cause.  But if you don't claim responsibility, then nobody's awareness is raised as to your cause.  That indicates that the purpose was the disruption itself, not the communication of any message.  And that implies that there may be further acts to come.

The other thing that points in the direction of Russia is that it was not designed to kill or maim, but only to severely disrupt and inconvenience an event from which Russia has been banned.  If this were al Qa'ida or some other terrorist group, they would've placed a bomb on the trains.  But this just damaged infrastructure.  It's an act designed to come just short of what would bring about a declaration of war.

Well, the attempt was allegedly mostly "foiled" based on what I've read. Not disputing the Russian angle but it's not crazy to think there could have been deaths had they been fully successful. 

[DDD Dad 14351]

16 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

The fact that nobody has claimed credit undermines the "protest" theory.  The whole point of protest is to raise awareness of a cause.  But if you don't claim responsibility, then nobody's awareness is raised as to your cause.  That indicates that the purpose was the disruption itself, not the communication of any message.  And that implies that there may be further acts to come.

The other thing that points in the direction of Russia is that it was not designed to kill or maim, but only to severely disrupt and inconvenience an event from which Russia has been banned.  If this were al Qa'ida or some other terrorist group, they would've placed a bomb on the trains.  But this just damaged infrastructure.  It's an act designed to come just short of what would bring about a declaration of war.

It was Russia.

[billfromlaketravis 11522]

Lady Gaga is my generation’s Streisand. The obvious connections and the talent. Hopefully she’ll do enough films to give the comparison justice.

Gaga has attended my church. Not really bragging. She was in Houston I for the Super Bowl, probably staying nearby, and it’s the nicest looking church for a few miles. 

Edited July 27 by billfromlaketravis

[jdhorn92 1558]

Yeah she's a super talent, have always liked her.  Not digging the Peyton/Tirico/Clarkson team.  About as exciting and engaging as watching paint dry.

Edited July 27 by jdhorn92

[Biff Tannen 45734]

Seems like this is a worthy cross post for this thread. Fuck. 
 

 

[BrickHorn 18285]

I’ll give it to the French. That might have been the best treatment of a dorky throuple hookup I’ve ever seen in an Olympics opening ceremony. 

[elfenix 34332]

watching all these dorks lose their shit about the satanic opening ceremony on twitter has made me want to watch it.

[Biff Tannen 45734]

18 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

Seems like this is a worthy cross post for this thread. Fuck. 
 

 

Welp, someone screwed up the performing rights or something. Dammit, it was cool. 

[rage-a-holic 4466]

Snoop Dogg and french mime break dancers was not on my bingo card

[atomheartbevo 89791]

51 minutes ago, elfenix said:

watching all these dorks lose their shit about the satanic opening ceremony on twitter has made me want to watch it.

Tell anybody you know that is freaking out about satanic opening ceremonies, that it’s made you did out your old D&D stuff and ask them if they want to play.

[Hitch 53]

I mean, I watched it until the French athlete that won 5 medals was forced to stand next to Phelps and his 28… they love being humiliated or something. 

[dcbc 14509]

Pretty good opening bit.  The who's yacht is biggest with Ireland jumping on the ass end of Iraq's boat was epic.  Them ladies on the poles (not what it sounds like).  Overall, pretty cool.

[atomheartbevo 89791]

Not sure if this will work, but Paris cleared the air a little bit around the ceremony - the two aircraft making race track patterns were tankers, but the fighters had their stuff turned off.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1195783211768459

 

[atomheartbevo 89791]

A bit more from earlier, nice summary I came across:

Quote

 

A few hours before the opening ceremony of the olympics, 4 attacks occured on the 4 main high speed (300 km/h) rail highways. Fire were set on strategical systems that paralysed 3 of the 4 lines. The last fire (south east line) was stoped before it damaged any critical system.

SNCF says it will probably take 2 or 3 days to repair the damaged. People are invited to postpone their travels. Rail is one of the most used transport mode in France and train stations In Paris are getting crowded as the police is beeing massively deployed in said stations. Ministry of transport and ministry of interior (police) said they won't make any comment before further research.

 

Couple of reports have said they  hit the cables that carry all of the power, signals, etc. and that was the bigger issue.

[Chopper 17245]

The mascot is supposed to be a floppy French hat

 

 

But the locals call it the Paris Clitoris.

[C-Man 27262]

Pretty good opening bit.  The who's yacht is biggest with Ireland jumping on the ass end of Iraq's boat was epic.  Them ladies on the poles (not what it sounds like).  Overall, pretty cool.

Tirico’s line about “of course Iran and Iraq are on different boats” made me chuckle.

[Nicole44 22078]

I don’t know why this makes me so happy but it does.

 

[UTPhil2006 3812]

He’s sponsoring them 

[Chopper 17245]

 

 

[Nicole44 22078]

7 minutes ago, UTPhil2006 said:

He’s sponsoring them 

Ya. The text of the tweet is wrong (it’s not unexpected bc of that) but it was the only tweet with that clip. That I could find. 

[InkaUtexas 26097]

34 minutes ago, Chopper said:

 

 

Fuck yeah!

[atomheartbevo 89791]

3 hours ago, Chopper said:

The mascot is supposed to be a floppy French hat

 

 

But the locals call it the Paris Clitoris.

Should have went with the torch bearer that was an homage to the Assassin’s Creed character.  Probably more marketable. It was a nice nod to Ubisoft being a French company and their role in reconstructing Notre Dame - Ubisoft had taken extensive 3D scans and high-res photos of every square inch of Notre Dame some time before the fire for an AC game and they shared everything with the reconstruction folks.