It was gorgeous. It was also hard to watch, knowing the human rights and environmental abuses going on behind the scenes. They had the little boy who had survived the earthquake there, but didn't mention how his classmates might not have died if the school buildings had been renovated to better withstand the earthquake. And the rising demand for shark fin soup is the reason why tens of millions of sharks are slaughtered every year.
I know that the majority of the people in China can't be blamed for this (and are the victims, not the perpetrators, of human rights violations), that censorship is high and that most of them don't realize the impact that the demand for shark products is having (info here - warning for dead shark picture). Which is why I'm able to watch the games and enjoy the ceremonies, and feel happy for the Chinese people able to participate in them and be proud of their country. But I'd be lying if I said the opening ceremonies weren't tainted for me.:(
Yeah, I'm not so much into the sports any more, for the same reason. And Kobe Bryant? Really? I really want my nation to be represented by an alleged rapist? Er...
My companion felt the same way about the mass-precision. Me, I'm a pretty shallow bowl: I loved the hell out of it.
The boy! The best seat in the house was on Yao Ming's shoulder! :-)
They should be proud: it's not a small achievement. And now that they've accomplished this, there are a few other things on the list (as mentioned above)... but it's a start.
Wow doesn't begin to describe it. I loved all the mass precision work. It had such sweep and beauty. I was boggled to see that people were working those tiles in the Confucius section, having convinced myself it was done by computer. Just a great achievement all around.
I do hope there's a DVD at some point. That NBC logo in the upper right corner was so damned distracting I had to tape an index card over it. If it had to be there, at least they could have faded it, for Pete's sake. :(
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My insightful commentary ran from "oh my God, oh my God" to "OH MY GOD!"
I am wonderfully impervious to children, but the little guy who marched with Yao Ming was a trooper.
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I know that the majority of the people in China can't be blamed for this (and are the victims, not the perpetrators, of human rights violations), that censorship is high and that most of them don't realize the impact that the demand for shark products is having (info here - warning for dead shark picture). Which is why I'm able to watch the games and enjoy the ceremonies, and feel happy for the Chinese people able to participate in them and be proud of their country. But I'd be lying if I said the opening ceremonies weren't tainted for me.:(
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It was Ars Gratia Artis for me. I believe in Beauty. This Olympiad could mean great things for China's way forward as a political entity.
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The boy! The best seat in the house was on Yao Ming's shoulder! :-)
They should be proud: it's not a small achievement. And now that they've accomplished this, there are a few other things on the list (as mentioned above)... but it's a start.
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If you go to nbcolympics.com you can see more pictures.
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I do hope there's a DVD at some point. That NBC logo in the upper right corner was so damned distracting I had to tape an index card over it. If it had to be there, at least they could have faded it, for Pete's sake. :(
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