Rotten Socks

Wouldn't that just rot your socks. Vancouver upstaged by London England in the Beijing Closing Cermonies. Not that Leona Lewis and Jimmy Page nor the hip dancers trying to board a London bus showed much promise for a spectacle come the next Olympics. There are Winter Games in the meantime folks and its all downhill from here on in. See if Britain can finish fourth in the medal count in 2010 let alone 2012!

Colinfucius Say

Colinfucius Say bye behalf slanty eyes to round pot bellied laowei (foreigners); he ring hands and say thanks you buy our over priced jade

Toad of Toad Hall

The Olympics are over for Canada, all but the crying in the Tsingtao beer anyway, since it is now dark in Beijing on Saturday night. Zero medals first seven days, 17 or so the subsequent days. Schizo or what. Our team should be sent to work out on the balance beam or at least have a sit down with the TV networks to sort things out. For next time. Ah yes next time, the Winter Games in Vancouver. So for that first week of the Beijing Games I could have been cutting grass. Man is it long. I went out to cut it this morning with the commitment I would weed prior to mowing as long as the interval between train horns at the level crossing nearby. Where the hell are those freight train schedulers? Bloody well out in the midday sun without a break, could have fried me noodles. Well the hay field is now cut. Had a hard time not chopping up toads and two varieties of snake. Also tramped all over a wasps' nest, no harm to me at least. Great hand over to Canada to come in the Closing Ceremonies doubtless.

Hu is That You Say?

Chinese journalist Hu (namesake of the President), in his mid twenties, is causing a stir in Canadian journalistic circles. He recently grilled the British Columbia Premier about issues related to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Hu graduated from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver but now works in Beijing for China Daily, the English-language national paper. The paper is regarded as a mouthpiece for the Communist government's line and so dismissed as a source of telling journalism. Its reporters are considered to ask superficial questions. Not Hu. Feeling China has been under the cosh for its handling of Tibet, its pollution propaganda etc etc Hu decided to turn the tables. He asked penetrating questions about Vancouver's preparations. Condescendingly, Canadian newspapermen were shocked at Hu's incisive questions regarding the Sea to Sky Highway, the Anti Poverty Coalition (ACP) activism and the cancellation of the Paralympic Torch Relay in Vancouver. The coast hugging Sea to Sky highway was recently closed owing to an avalanche. Come 2010 it is the only access to Whistler Ski Resort and the main Games site. Hmn! The ACP is a bitter opponent of investment in the Games when people in low rent housing are being evicted to revamp for high priced accommodations.
Source: Globe and Mail, Thursday, Aug 14th 2008