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Let's Catch Up: Egypt Rocks Pirate Brands, And Flag-Gate

Good morning, and welcome to "Day -1" of the 2012 Summer Olympics. That NASA-like designation is due to events already having begun in the soccer competition, before Friday's Opening Ceremony. Men's soccer begins play today.

Here are some stories that popped up overnight:

  • Olympic tickets are a tough "get," as NPR's Philip Reeves reports. "It took me 22 phone calls," a Brit says, to snag archery tickets. But Philip found two Americans who say they'll trade or pay for any tickets they want. Their top wish: Seeing sprinter Usain Bolt win gold.
  • Egypt's Olympians bring counterfeit Nike, Adidas gear to London. "We signed with a Chinese distributor in light of Egypt's economic situation," General Mahmoud Ahmed tells the AP.
  • The BBC has a nice retrospective of the 1908 London Olympics. The black and white footage makes me expect Buster Keaton to emerge at any second, but maybe that's just me.
  • North Korea cuts deal to broadcast London 2012 Games, after the negotiations we reported Monday... and thankfully, AFTER Wednesday's flag gaffe.
  • And... our report on U.S. flagbearer Mariel Zagunis somehow omitted the fact that she "dreams of owning a pig," according to the Today show. She's quite the micro-farmer, it turns out.
  • But then, Zagunis lives in Oregon, where it seems everyone's all about keeping it local. Video follows; forgive me if it inflicts an ad upon you.

    Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

    Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.