Bullies, Cowards & Losers

By Righty

The crotch kick was the low point of the Olympic Games for hundreds of millions of Chinese sports fans.

It came 52 minutes into the China-Belgium men’s soccer match on Sunday. A frustrated Chinese player, Tan Wangsong, swung his foot straight into the private parts of a Belgian player.

Within seconds, the victim was writhing in pain on the field, and Tan was given the first of two red-card penalties for the Chinese team that night (the second came when the team captain elbowed another player).

 

Why bring this up now?  Because Cuba is making itself out to be the victim.  I know the athletes in many of the countries are under enormous pressure to win…political pressure where it isn’t supposed to be. That’s because the Olympics are where these countries literally finally get to show their muscle, in more ways than one. And Cuba blew it.

A Little Less “Love”

By Righty

Whole Lotta Love ~ by Led Zeppelin

“Boltfast” of Champions

By Righty

Remember those Wheaties commericals with the cereal box, “Breakfast of Champions?”

The best of the best athletes would adorn the box cover.

Do kids (and adults) still read cereal boxes while they eat breakfast? 

Or are we all in too much of a hurry?

Speaking of being in a hurry, how about those Jamaicans?  They sure can run like the wind…both males and females. 

And Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has his own version of a breakfast of champions….

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt prepared for the men’s 100-meter final by waking up about 11 a.m. He watched TV for a while in his room at the Athletes’ Village, then went downstairs and ate some chicken nuggets at McDonald’s.

SEAN M. HAFFEY / Union-Tribune Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates his world record of 9.69 in the 100 meters.

He returned to his room, took a three-hour nap, woke up and ate some more chicken nuggets.

“Then,” Bolt said, “I came to the track.”

Where he took the 100 meters into a new galaxy, into a completely new dimension.

What was so stunning about Bolt’s gold-medal performance amid the popping flash bulbs at the Bird’s Nest stadium was not that he lowered his own world record to 9.69 seconds. Or that he did it with zero tailwind or that he had the second slowest reaction time from the starting blocks or that at 6-foot-5 he’s supposed to be too tall for an elite sprinter or that at age 21 he was the youngest Olympic champion since American Bob Hayes in 1964.

President Bush Still Won’t Mind His Own Business In China…Because He Doesn’t Have To

By Righty

President George W. Bush attended Protestant church services in Beijing with his wife, First Lady Laura Bush, daughter Barbara, and former President George H.W. Bush.  As most people know, George Bush doesn’t hide his feelings regarding religion.  He is a man of faith. 

In China you are allowed to worship in only officially approved churches.  There is no freedom of religion, per se.  President Bush had this to say as he left church…

“You know, it just goes to show that God is universal, and God is love, and no state, man or woman should fear the influence of loving religion,” he said, exiting the church to the strains of “Onward Christian Soldiers.”

And again, later President Bush had words with Chinese President Hu Jintaeo…

“Once again, I had a very uplifting experience going to a church,” Bush told Hu. “It was a spirit-filled feeling. As you know, I feel very strongly about religion. And I’m so appreciative of the chance to go to church here.”

That’s got to be tough for the Chinese government.  Having the President of the United States in their country, saying what he believes, to the world, right when the most important event in years for China is taking place.  They can’t take Bush and hide him away in some prison, now can they?  No, that won’t work.  They can publicly say he should mind his own business, and he is meddling, which they did.  So, what.

China is lucky Bush isn’t saying more.  China is lucky Bush isn’t speaking out regarding Tibet.  Or how about China and their carelessness with product safety and meeting our FDA regulations? 

China should just mind their own business and remember George Bush is a diplomatic guest of their country.  You should be a bit more polite toward your guests.

“Only China can decide what course it will follow, but I’m optimistic about the prospects,” Bush said in his radio address Saturday, taped in Beijing. “Young people who grow up with freedom in one area of their lives will ultimately demand freedom in other areas.”

Real Athletes Don’t Wear Clothes

By Righty

In the ancient Olympic games, athletes competed naked
Dale Sorenson Photos

“Ancient Olympic sportsmen (all men, by the way) ran, wrestled, and fought buck naked. The ancient Greeks had a tradition of doing things nude (they walked around in the buff in the bedroom and at parties called sympsia, and they exercised without any clothes on) – indeed, the word gymnasium came from the Greek word gymos, which means “naked.”

Why naked? Well, to appreciate and celebrate the male physique, of course, and as a tribute to the gods. Participants regularly anointed themselves with olive oil to enhance their looks … and to keep the skin smooth!

In the sixth century, there was an actually attempt to make athletes wear loincloths, but this proved to be unpopular and soon afterwards nudity regained its status as fashion in athletics.”

From Neatorama…read 10 Facinating Facts About the Ancient Olympic Games

…and then some.

Olympics Should Emanate Health and Fitness…

By Righty

But instead a giant cloud of smog and pollution will hang over the games.  This is nothing that should come as a surprise.  Does anyone recall one year ago at the ceremony for the 1-year countdown, the pollution fear was evident.  The Chinese knew then there would be nothing they could do about the pollution.  It’s not something they can hide as they do with other issues in their country.  This is too big.

A proud China invited the world to the 2008 Beijing Olympics on Wednesday with a dazzling song-and-dance and fireworks display, but cheers and shouts of 10,000 beaming citizens could not mask fears about pollution.

The crowds gathered on the vast Tiananmen Square, overlooked by a giant portrait of Mao Zedong, the founder of Communist China, in front of a brightly lit Gate of Heavenly Peace, exactly a year before the Games begin.

Police, some with sniffer dogs, had to force back the hundreds who milled around the edges hoping to get a glance of the festivities, watched by Chinese leaders and International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge.

The most intensely scrutinized preparations for any Games in Olympic history has brought forth a barrage of criticism for China this week on issues such as human rights, press freedom, pollution, food safety and Tibet.

China’s Forbidden City                                                                 Reuters

So what is their solution now?  It’s not a new one.  It’s using a technique they have used in their country for some time.  Rainmaking….or in this case they renamed it anti-smogging.  It’s the same thing.  They fire chemical pellets into the clouds with rocket guns to produce rain to clear the smog.  Hmmm…more chemicals…which is what causes their pollution in the first place.  They are world leaders in this process and have an army of about 3,000 who do this task.  Amazing.  China is just amazing, isn’t it?

According to China’s top meteorologists, the chances that the skies will open up over the “bird’s nest” stadium at the Olympics opening ceremony on August 8, 2008 are 50/50. But the Chinese government isn’t known for taking chances — especially when they’ve got a huge arsenal of anti-aircraft cannons loaded with silver iodine bullets. “We will use catalytic agents to force the rain clouds over the National Stadium to fall down prior to the opening ceremony,” Zhang Qiang, who is in charge of Beijing’s artificial rainmaking projects, told the state-run China Daily. Even though the practice is common in China’s drought-plagued northwest — China has the world’s largest rainmaking force, employing over 3,000 people — many scientists question it’s effectiveness. Still, Beijing is undeterred, especially considering its other big reason for pulling out the big rain guns: to get rid of the smog. Under its Olympic pledge, Beijing must meet World Health Organization levels of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and ground-level ozone, and lower particle concentrations (aerosol levels) to those found in major cities in developed countries.

Rockets shooting chemical pellets to make rain

And my favorite quote of the day regarding the Beijing Olympics?  It’s classic.  There was an earthquake yesterday, then more polllution…more smog…pellets fired to clear that smog…and Olympic officials have this to say…

In the meantime, Olympic chiefs remained more concerned with smog, fearing the high level of pollution, which is 10 times that in London, would cast a pall over the Games.

A “pall over the games?”  I can’t even respond to that except to say China does not deserve the Olympics.  They have lost touch with reality and have lost touch with what is important.

Thick smog seen on the street of the Olympic Green in Beijing yesterday

What Are You Waiting For? Learn Chinese For The Olympics In A Free Game

By Righty

It’s for adults or for children. 

It’s educational, useful and fun too.

All you have to do is register and it’s free.

It’s just in time for the Beijing Olympics.

Learn some Mandarin, Chinese and something about the culture of China.

The game is called Zon… and it was developed by Professor Yong Zhao, at
Michigan State University.

Zon is a multiplayer, online learning environment designed to teach Chinese language and culture through gameplay. As a web-based site, Zon provides real-time, on-demand connection to interactive learning activities and authentic cultural information. Zon players are motivated not only by their intrinsic desire to learn more about Chinese language and culture, but also the ability to interact with engaging story-driven plot lines, interesting characters, and fellow players. Zon is built on the premise that learning is interactive. The game provides the opportunity for players to learn from non-player characters (NPCs), responsive game agents, and other players. Throughout each scene, players can engage with various elements of the environment, but they can also speak with other players in that scene or elsewhere in Zon. This allows for players to learn from both the designed game elements and other players. In this way, Zon is designed to provide social and environmental scaffolds to support player learning.

So what are you waiting for?

Play it and tell your family and friends, too!