Should the Olympics brush up on safety?

I'm sure all of you reading this know exactly what I'm talking about - 21 year old, Nodar Kumaritashvili's life-taking luge crash during his Winter Olympics training run at Whistler track in British Columbia.
For those of you who don't know this story. Kumaritashvili was in his last turn of his final training run. Flying down the track at speeds up to 90 mph, he lost control and crashed into a wall along the final straightaway. He was thrown from his luge and collided with an unpadded steel pole. Paramedics began working on him immediately. However, it wasn't enough, as he was pronounced dead when they reached the trauma center in Whistler. This would have been Nodar Kumaritashvili's very first time participating in the Olympics.
The Whistler track and it's dangers had been talked about for months before training runs. It is supposed to be one of the fastest tracks around. This track scared Nodar Kumaritashvili, as he told his father, and it ended up taking his life. He had been on this track before so it would be very wrong to say that he was unprepared for what the track had in stake. This however, was also his second crash in just a few days.
According to a story on The Huffington Post website, Christian Niccum, U.S. doubles luger answered when asked about track safety, "When you are going that fast it just takes one slip and you have that big mistake."
Kumaritashvili was the fourth athlete/competitor to have died at the Winter Olympics, and the first since 1992. Some people commented that this was a very rare situation that occurred and that the track really didn't seem or look unsafe. However, at least twelve sliders wrecked just that week on the Whistler track. And some couldn't even remember the last time, or if they'd EVER even seen someone get thrown over the wall.
The track crew does it's best and works hard to make sure track is as safe as it can be. And that track, to most people, doesn't seem anymore dangerous than anywhere else.
Another thing that could be considered controversial about this story is that it, it's pictures, and the numerous videos about the story are every to be found.
So I ask you, what are you views on this story?

Avatar Blues

I haven't personally seen James Cameron's brand new film "Avatar." However, I have been hearing about how the audiences/viewers of this billion dollar movie have been feeling a little blue about their experience with it.
A story on CNN.com by Jo Piazza gave some rather chilling information on the fact that this motion picture may have been a little too real for some fans that said they have been experiencing depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they 'long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora.'
For those of you, like myself, who don't exactly know the story of the movie, I thought I would give a brief little summary of it. As Piazza's story explains, "A greedy corporation is trying to mine the rare mineral unobtainium from the planet Pandora, which is inhabited by a peace-loving race of 10-foot tall, blue-skinned natives called the Na'vi. In their race to mine for Pandora's resources, the humans clash with the Na'vi, leading to casualties on both sides. The world of Pandora is reminiscent of a prehistoric fantasyland, filled with dinosaur-like creatures mixed with the kinds of fauna you may find in the deep reaches of the ocean. Compared with life on Earth, Pandora is a beautiful, glowing utopia."
There have been several disturbing blog posts from various viewers, saying things such as the fact that it's hard to accept that Avatar is only a movie, and that thoughts of suicide seem helpful for the fact that if one commits, they may be reborn into a world such as Pandora. The stories go on and on. However, there is a bright side to so many people feeling this way, depending on how you look at it. Having the opportunity to express their feelings and share their thoughts to other people through blogs and such has helped quite a few people come out from the darkness.
Creating relationships, which seems to possibly be one of the keys to human happiness, might be what saves some of these people so it is good that they can share their thoughts with other people even if it's an online companionship. Other suggestions to getting over these depressing feelings and suicidal thoughts is to perhaps play "Avatar" sort of games, or maybe purchasing the soundtrack for the movie.
Trying to think like those people might, I came up with this. What if these bodies that we inhabit are no more than an avatar? Flesh that feels and moves. Perhaps we as spiritual beings are sleeping as we control the actions of our avatar. At some point in time, maybe we will wake up to our spiritual world - heaven, or to some people, beautiful Pandora? Time will only tell depending on what you believe.
Or perhaps, maybe there needs to be a rebound movie. Something to cover up these thoughts.