The Olympics have started in London. A festival of pharmacologists, marketers, sports officials, transnational companies and, last but not least, the athletes themselves, cannon fodder with mutilated organisms doomed to disability and oblivion.

Photo: Reuters The script of the opening ceremony of the 30th year of the Olympic Games in London until the last moment kept secret. The director of Danny Boyle, the author of the “millionaire from the slum”, did not disappoint the audience.

A lot of indignation among Internet users was caused by the news that Microsoft may allow intelligence agencies to listen to conversations of Skype users, and will also provide access to their personal correspondence: Using various encryption mechanisms for several years, Skype remained one of the few services whose data interception was almost impossible.

The system of power built by Vladimir Putin, according to a number of political scientists, due to the weakness and fragmentation of the opposition, has a sufficient margin of stability that will ensure his stay in power for all six, or even 12 years.

Today the anniversary XXX Olympic Games open in London and I was lucky enough to take part in the opening ceremony of the Games. 8,000 people fled with such torches. Everyone who took part in the relay could buy it for themselves for 250 pounds It all started for me about a year ago, when in mid-August 2011 I filled out a form to select volunteers. A month later I received a response and I was invited to the casting. As it turned out, there was not one, but three rounds of casting.

On July 24, citizens of Tajikistan living in St. Petersburg held a rally at Gostiny Dvor. They were forced to go out to the square by events in their distant homeland - another outbreak of civil war, subsided but unfinished.

Bloggers share their impressions of watching the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Ivan Starikov arrives completely delighted with what he saw, and Lev Salamatov, on the contrary, claims that the whole holiday was ruined by “one couple of people”... Maxim Lukyanov publishes a story about his grandfather V. Mutin, his friend Bear and the priest Khundyaev about how they pulled a huge turnip together. What's going on in Tomsk now?

Text: Evgeniy Natelashvili “We have a “prohibition” law on the territory of the camp. Even if you had a drink outside the checkpoint gates, you will not be allowed back. That’s how we didn’t let Russia Today in,” the forum press secretary instructs journalists before letting them into the camp territory . The first thing we see is a large stage. In a few minutes, forum participants will begin to flock to her for exercise.

The performance, shown at the opening of the Olympic Games in London, at first resembled a proletarian matinee in the spirit of the theatrical holidays of the Bolsheviks of 1918-1925, after which it smoothly flowed into the love story of “ordinary Englishmen” from an “ordinary English family”, who were represented by Africans (they also made up the lion’s share of share in the children's choir). No, I don’t mind, I won’t even snobbishly shout that “Europe is lost,” etc.

Photo: ITAR-TASS Text: Anastasia Petrova The Russian Red Cross raised 591 million rubles to help flood victims in the Krasnodar region. This money is in the organization's accounts. The RKK cannot provide targeted support, since the regional administration has not yet provided the Red Cross with lists of victims, and, according to Russian legislation, only those who are included in them can receive long-term assistance.

Photo: ITAR-TASS In Russia, according to the Federal Forestry Agency, 1.321 million hectares have burned since the beginning of the fire season. The head of the agency, Viktor Maslyakov, reported this to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at a government meeting on the situation with forest fires in Russia. The total number of forest fires exceeded 16 thousand. Now, according to statistics from Rosleskhoz, there are about 200 forest fires in Russia on an area of ​​about 18 thousand hectares.

Every four years there is a holiday all over the world. Its name is Olympics. They are waiting for it and preparing for it. Every athlete's dream is to win an Olympic title. The state, which has become the organizer of the next Olympics, begins to prepare for this solemn event at least eight years in advance. The Olympics opens with a ceremony.