In a few minutes, we know. As expected, the selection process first discarded Moscow, then New York and Madrid.

London or Paris? That's a highly political subject. So few days after the commemoration of the Battle of Trafalgar.

My gut feeling is, that Paris will do it.

Harald

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"Flying in space is risky business, but just staying on this planet is risky business too." - John Young, astronaut

I've heard Parisians were hugely supportive of having the games, while the percentage of Londoners who were enthusiastic about hosting was a lot less than Paris. I'm hoping Paris gets it then, for a big event like the Olympics you need vast local support to pull it off and make it memorable.

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Now while I might be amused by Cthulhians, I don't necessarily distrust them to carry out the functions of government. -- JayUtah

What's it like being a skeptic in the Middle East? Check out my blog.

Are there many Arab nations voting ? They could have problems not with the games for London but the politics behind everything

I'm hoping Paris as well, as they seem better prepared and more enthusiastic, but I wouldn't mind London either. Anyway, it means that I will probably get to go to the Olympics in 2012 (as a spectator, of course), and that the chance of Belgium hosting it the next twenty five years are zero (as compared to close to zero, what they were before ).

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Knowledge is a curse, but ignorance is worse

My best guess...Paris...

...and my "best guess" is wrong.

London got it. Though I haven't really followed the whole thing, I'm a little bit surprised.

Congrats, Londoners!

Poor Jacques.

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"Flying in space is risky business, but just staying on this planet is risky business too." - John Young, astronaut

Woah. I wonder if it was Chirac's finnish food crack that tipped the balance?

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[Dr. Horrible]___________________________[Penny]
Listen close to everybody's heart________And you believe there's good in everybody's heart
And hear that breaking sound_____________Keep it safe and sound
Hopes and dreams are shattering apart____With hope you can do your part
And crashing to the ground_______________To turn a life around

Vote: 54:50

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"Flying in space is risky business, but just staying on this planet is risky business too." - John Young, astronaut

My condolences to the people of London, and the taxpayers who will get stuck with the bill for this.

Looks like we won't have Paris!
It was a close vote. Jacques' loose lips may have sunk the Parisian ship. :-?

Besides, can we trust people who eat snails and things that pigs root out of the ground?

For the record: I have not had truffles, but I did eat snails once. Almost anything can be tasty if drowned in garlic butter! 8)

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Microsoft is over if you want it.

The bar has been lowered for the promotion of ATM ideas; the bar for the acceptance of ATM ideas must remain high.

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By asking questions we sometimes get the wrong answers, from wrong answers we learn to ask the right questions.

Hosting the Olympics, since LA in 1980 (edited to add: 1984 not 1980), has been a profitable venture, which is why cities spend so much effort vying to host. As long as they are managed responsibly London should expect the Games to be an economic benefit, not a hinderence to taxpayers. That said the recent Athens Olympics was not as fortunate. It demonstrates that hosting a profitable Olympics is not an easy thing to do but since the previous five were profitable it can be done.

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Now while I might be amused by Cthulhians, I don't necessarily distrust them to carry out the functions of government. -- JayUtah

What's it like being a skeptic in the Middle East? Check out my blog.

And while the Athens Olympics were not profitable, the price tag includes a new airport, roads, and sporting and other infrastructure. It's not all 'money down the drain' so to speak, even if it isn't a money profit they get out of it.

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Knowledge is a curse, but ignorance is worse

Moscow hosted the olympics in 1980 ( the so-called laugher-lympics because nobody showed up). LA was 1984.

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Rock is dead. Long live Paper and Scissors.

When half the teams that did turn up in 1980 didn't come...

Great stuff!

There were all kinds of cynics and naysayers texting in to the BBC breakfast news this morning - you know the kind of thing - "We don't deserve to win, we're crap", "It'll cost us money, why bother","Our transport in London is a mess, why not sort that out instead."

I find it wearying that my countrymen are so keen to do ourselves down. Me? I think it's a great spur for London to invest in itself now, redevelop some run-down areas, and show the world it can be a modern capital city. It's money well spent.

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"We need rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!"

I thought we would be out in the first or second round along with New York because of the war in Iraq. It certainly has cost us votes in the Eurovision.

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Fame, glory adventure, a cyber warrior craves not these things.

I think that's more an indication of how seriously the Eurovision Song Contest is taken compared to the Olympic committee!

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"We need rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!"

You're right - I misremembered the year. I've corrected my above post.

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Now while I might be amused by Cthulhians, I don't necessarily distrust them to carry out the functions of government. -- JayUtah

What's it like being a skeptic in the Middle East? Check out my blog.

Well said. The fortnight in question is almost irrelevant. The real victory is that this will provide the impetus for massive improvement and regeneration in London, which will benefit the wider country for many years after the Olympics themselves are forgotten.

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