2010 Vancouver Olympics

Olympic athletes are known to be the best in the world. They are always ready for a challenge and accept it. But how hard is too hard? When is risking your life for a sport logical? In the 2010 Vancouver Olympics one athlete was faced with a challenge he couldn’t conquer. The 2010 Olympics were said to be one of the best and there was spark about all the upcoming events. The courses were beautiful along with the scenery. When it came to the bobsledding and luge events the men’s course was said to be mind blowing. It was one of the most fast and dangerous track that had ever been built. At top speeds and athlete could reach 100mph. it was also filled with sharp turns and dips that even the most advanced person had to be careful one. It sparked controversy from the moment people laid eyes on it. Many coaches from all over the world began to question the safety of the course but Olympic officials just shook their heads. When it came time to practice many of the luge members were excited. Hitting the course was exciting and the thrill of being in the Olympics was overwhelming. Luger Nodar Kumaitashvili from Georgia was the victim of this incredibly hard run. During his practice run he hit curve 16 at almost 90mph and lost control. His body was thrown into a steel pole. The Olympics international governing body issued a statement saying an investigation “concluded there was no indication that the accident was caused by deficiencies in the track.” But how safe is it when the next day they made adjustments because of his death? Other competitors spoke up and Australian luger Hannah Campbell-Pegg said,” I think they are pushing it a little too much, to what extent are we just little lemmings that they just throw down a track and we’re crash-test dummies? I mean, this is our lives.” Others felt the same way. What was the reasoning behind this run? To say that it is the fastest in history would be a great thing, but to also say someone died on it is never productive. Further into the Olympics more issues arose about the track. It was always said to not be an error in the track but in the driver. It was said that some “exotic” racers were not fit to be here. The course was serious and they took it as a joke. But how could a luger ranked 44th in the world in his first Olympics take the course as a joke? During the earlier practice runs his time was ranked 12th. He was not there for comedy. When the U.S bobsledder, Steve Holcomb spoke about the issue he said, “The speeds are higher than anywhere in the world, and there’s nowhere to train for that. We had three world champions in a row crash in training week earlier this year, so it’s not like the little guys are crashing. It’s the big dogs … Now we have (smoother) Olympic ice, which is going to be faster than ever. It makes it harder. Little mistakes become big mistakes, and big mistakes end in tragedy.” The tragedy at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was a big eye opener to show that maybe the “hardest” and “fastest” is maybe a little too challenging for even the most experienced of athletes.565

1972 Munich Olympics

When you think of the Olympics the last thing that comes to mind is death and hatred. During the 1972 Munich Olympics Israeli Olympians were taking captive by Palestinian radicals. This all started on the night of September 5, 1972, when five Arabs dressed in track suits broke into the sleeping corders of the Israeli wrestling team. A few minutes before 5:00AM they knocked on the door of the Israeli coach and team. What seemed right at the time wasn’t the smartest idea. The coach wailed for help which intern got him and another weightlifter shot and killed. The other members in the room tried to escape but were unsuccessful and were taken hostage. After word of this horrible incident got around the terrorists spoke up and said that they were Palestinian Arabs. At first no one had a notion as to why the terrorists were doing this. Later they announced it was because they wanted the Israeli’s to release 234 Arab prisoners in Israeli jails. Hours later negotiations were made and German sharpshooters were ordered to shoot and kill the terrorists when they arrived at the air base in Firstenfeldbruck. The plan went horribly wrong and the terrorists ended up bombing two of the helicopters killing all aboard and then shot the rest of the remaining to death. Most of the terrorists were killed but some got away and named themselves “Black September.” The Israeli prime minister released a statement saying, “We have no choice but to strike at the terrorist organizations wherever we can reach them. That is our obligation to ourselves and to peace. We shall fulfill that obligation undauntedly.” From then on they started and organization called the “Wrath of God” and were set out to find the members of the terrorist group. Weeks later there was another threat to release the remaining members or else there would be another outbreak. German police surrendered and freed the terrorist prisoners. Word spread through the air that Arab Olympians had planned to boycott the next summer Olympics in Australia because there was said to be a moment of silence for the 11 fallen Israeli competitors. The 1972 Munich Olympics are a cold reminder of the ignorance humans can have in order to achieve there goal. Disrupting a international event and taking the lives of innocent people was not the right thing to do in terms of getting what you want. Not only was it irrational and out of question to expect to obtain what they wanted by kidnapping the olympians, it was even worse to go out of the way and attack a public event. The constant hatred the Arabs felt for the Jews was another reason behind the outbreak. It showed religious intolerance at is worst form. The Arabs had preconceived notions of the Jewish people and animosity towards them, that was only based on their religious background. Not only did this put a damper on the 1972 Olympics but it left people with the feeling if competing was even right anymore. It was Avery Brundage that declared, “ The games must go on.” And so they did with Olympic flags flying at half mast. Looking back you see that violence like that of which is shown is never a good way to justify what you want. 550

Australia's Involvement in WWII

When you think of WWII you probably think of all the big contributors such as, Germany, Russia, and the US. Most people are surprised to find out Australia was involved in WWII, however was it smart of them to side with Britain? Australia entered the war after the invasion of Poland. They allied with the US and Britain in the beginning because Japan was always a threat. They started the war with the thought that Japan wanted Australian land, and the alliance with Britain would secure them from Japanese threats. Most Australians seemed to support the decision to be involved in the war. All major parties, churches and newspapers supported involvement. The only groups not to support the decision were pacifists such as Jehovah's Witnesses, and hardcore socialists who opposed involvement because the Soviet Union opposed it. When the war broke out the Australian troops were less than prepared. The Australian prime minister tried his best to recruit men by creating the AIF or Second Australian Imperial Force. At first a miniscule number of men engaged in the AIF finally they started warming up to it and they completed the AIF with over 20,000 men. The Australians strategy to ally with the British paid off greatly. The first nine months were called the “phony war” because they never actually participated in combat. Life for the Australians was fairly normal at this stage. Then with the entry of Japan into the Pacific War, there was a real fear and threat of invasion. During 1942, civilians were evacuated south in Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory. And Australians were put under greater government controls than any time since the convict era. There have never been such controls since that time. During the war there were also clashes between the allies. The US and Australians had a number of civil skirmishes named the “Battle of Brisbane.” However in the grand scheme of things these battles were not important and the 'battles' between the troops involved only the tiniest minority of soldiers on each side. Going into war not only affected the men but it also had an impact on the women of Australia. Many became nurses and went overseas with the AIF, labor shortages also forced woman to work for the government. Slowly the fear of attacks wore off and Australia backed out of the war. When you look back there are many positive aspects towards the Australians allying with Britain. They were stuck in between two very powerful countries. Japan was too weak to fully attack Australia without fear of the reverberating action back. For Australia to even get involved seems pointless but when you look deeper they made a smart decision siding with Britain and the US they were offered Security for help in the battlefield. It was also beneficial for Australia because they learned war techniques they never would have in the first place. In Britain’s defense they made a strong pact with Australia and had extra help from across the globe. 503

Italy Invades Ethiopia

Was Italy’s second attempt to attack Ethiopia really a smart strategy? In the eyes of Italy’s new prime minister, Benito Mussolini it was. Mussolini believed that his fascist state must lead Italy to dominance, and beginning in 1922, he began to build his army. He had one motto that “war is to man, as maternity is to woman.” When Mussolini thought about attacking Ethiopia it seemed as though he had ulterior motives. At the time Ethiopia was a prime target because it was still an independent country. Some might argue that it was because Mussolini was struggling with troubles at home and it would divert some of the attention. Mussolini’s decision confused civilians because Ethiopia was weak at the time. It was the League of Nations job to protect Ethiopia however it was difficult for them too. Most of the countries involved in the League of Nations were countries who were involved with war themselves; therefore it was difficult to stop aggression. Both England and France could have engaged in the attack because they were neighboring allies of Ethiopia however they stayed away. The reason for this is because Italy carried the threat of allying with the German chancellor, Adolf Hitler which would have had a devastating impact on WWII. Suddenly Italy did the unthinkable and attacked Ethiopia with no declaration of war. Even though the League of Nations was aware of this they took no action in trying to stop the attack. Four days later Italy attacked the area known as Wal Wal. The war itself was all together boring. Ethiopia had no fight against Italy’s airplanes, tanks, guns, and poison gas. The advances in equipment were no match to the inferior spears and swords Ethiopia had. American journalists covering the story complained that they had nothing to write about because the war was so one sided. Most journalists lied and held the story saying that the Ethiopians were holding off the Italians. Soon Americans sympathized with Ethiopia. This aggravated Italy and caused them to release statements saying that the Ethiopian government was treating its citizens badly and deserved the right to be attacked. Although this hasn’t been proven it just shows how hopeless the Ethiopians were. The war was completely one sided. The war itself lasted a little over seven months. Mussolini sent 500,000 soldiers to Ethiopia and he only lost 1,537. On May 2nd 1936 the emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie went into exile, during this time Italy invaded the capital of Ethiopia and finally on May 7th Ethiopia was conquered all together. This all leads back to the question was it really beneficial for Italy to conquer Ethiopia? Although I feel bad I think that Italy struck at the perfect time. Ethiopia wasn’t ready nor did it have adequate military support. Whether or not the Ethiopian government was treating its citizens harshly I don’t think they deserved such a grand attack. The League of Nations should have stepped in and solved the problem in a less destructive manner. Benito Mussolini was a very strong leader and knew when to attack, this shows that it was a smart and beneficial strategy to attack Ethiopia when he did. 530