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A Few Clouds ~ High: 76°F ~ Low: 49°F Thursday, May 23, 2013 |
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Blue Skies for the OlympicsPosted Friday, August 8, 2008, at 8:03 AM
This isn't what I planned to talk about next, but it's so interesting that I felt someone needed to mention it on the blogs....
If you're watching the Olympic activities, you're probably aware of the pollution issue in China. I heard this morning that the pollution index in New York this morning is 31, with 50 being the level given as the top figure for human safety. Today's pollution index in Beijing is 95. For those bloggers who've toyed around with the idea that a totalitarian government is a good idea, you must be really impressed with how the Chinese gov't can shut down factories and issue restrictions on driving. It's pretty amazing. Some U.S. cities, like Minneapolis, have restrictions on drivers, but can you imagine the gov't telling us that cars with even-numbered license plates have to stay off the streets one day, odd-numbered the next? Wow, that's power! Those Chinese citizens caught driving on the wrong day are being fined $14, which doesn't sound like much to an American, but it's supposedly quite stiff in China. The goal is to cut the 3.3 million cars in half during the Olympics in order to clear away the grey-brown haze over Beijing. As outlandish as all these pollution-control techniques sound, I wonder if that's a preview of things to come for us over here in the U.S.? I remember looking out the window, as my husband and I used to fly back and forth from Alaska to the Lower 48, and I always noticed that haze over St. Louis as we came in. Whether there's a brown haze over the games, or the government succeeds in creating blue skies, the 2008 Olympics will be an amazing glimpse into a region of the world which has been off limits to western viewers for a long, long time! From the remote blue skies of Tillman, Mo., this is your non-Chinese-speaking rural journalist, signing off to go enjoy a COOL August morning!!! Comments Showing comments in chronological order [Show most recent comments first] |
Madeline DeJournett is the Advance writer for the North Stoddard Countian. A retired high school English/history teacher, she spent 32 years teaching in 5 schools in Missouri and Alaska. These days, she lives quietly with a menagerie of wild and domestic animals on 52 secluded acres in the remote Tillman hills south of Advance. She can be contacted at advancensc@sbcglobal.net or by phone at 573-722-5322.
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MD....no worries, Algore is heading over there to teach them all about how to turn themselves green. Nothing to worry about.
Got to love cool AM's in August!
I sure hope the arena/stadium the Olympics are being held in is covered! God forbid the world's athlete's come home sick for their gold/silver/bronze celebrations.
Everyone is always saying that China has their stuff together way better than us. Which may be true if you look at the amount of their fines...but 95 as a pollution index? Maybe they need to take the money they loan us all the time and use it towards hydrogen technology.
First I agree with you. Second when one votes Democrat (and sometimes Republican these days)you are taking us one more step toward socialism. The Dems want more governmental control, and less individual control. Remember "they" know what is best for us, similiar to what China is saying to their drivers. Remember WE elect THEM. Anyway, just my two cents.
Isn't it funny how all the blogs end up on politics? Time of year, I guess.
I thought it was interesting that the Chinese gov't was giving lessons and conducting drills in good manners!! No pushing at the tube stations! Stand in line! I didn't realize that was an alien concept for them!
Actually, that might not be a bad idea for Americans..
MD, I've read several articles recently that in spite of herculean efforts, pollution is still very bad in Beijing. So I looked around for some webcams showing the city to see for myself. I found that many webcam pages say things like: "Webcam temporarily unavailable." Yeah, like until the Olympics are over!! But I did find one, and as you'll see the air is pretty darn dirty, http://www.worldcam.pl/en/549,5,1,webcam...
In an effort to somewhat clean up Beijing's air quality for the Olympics the benevolent Chinese government ordered hundreds of huge high-pollution factories to relocate to rural areas downwind from the city. Consequently, in just the past few years many beautiful rural areas have been transformed into little more than industrial dumps. This Washington Post article explains how the government exported the pollution to rural areas to try and "hide" it from visitors to the Olympics. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...
The article also tells about how a man was jailed for protesting the placement of a huge factory in their rural town. There are also several photos that show the visibility in Beijing is pretty limited. That air pollution in Bejing is still terrible give you an idea of how bad it must have been before!!
Doesn't look like there be any blue skies for the Olympics.
WOW...good stuff FootJoy.
I am still baffled that the Olympic Committee allowed China to be a host. The negatives have to out weigh the positives. There has to be stuff under the table that we will never know about.
I agree....I wouldn't be surprised if something bad happened over there. An attack or stabbing or something like that. Those folks are nuts.
I see the've had a stabbing, the Bachman family member from Minn, I believe these are the folks who started and own Dept 56 Christmas Villages.
Wasn't the stabbing victim the father of an Olympic volleyball coach? From what I can gather this morning on my antiquated computer, the attacker was a distraught 42-year old man who later committed suicide by jumping off a building.
In all fairness to the Chinese, an attack like that would be practically impossible to guard against.
About the Chinese government giving lessons in manners: I hadn't heard that, but understand from friends who've traveled in China that the people there are exceptionally loud, inconsiderate, and rude.
Really?! I didn't expect that! Maybe it's the Japanese who are so polite, then. The Chinese and the French should get together, then. It would be a match made in heaven.
Did anyone get stabbed the last time the Olympics were held in the U.S? Probably were several drive by slayings.
Surely we would remember that!
See....told you so....stabbing! These people are nuts! I think the US team should do something CRAZY in a team picture, like squint their eyes or something....that would be hilarious.
Do you even remember where the Olympics were held? I don't, but I bet there was crime happening.
OLYMPIC GAMES LOCATION (modern day)
The IOC, headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, sets and enforces Olympic policy. The site of the games is chosen, usually at least six years in advance.
SITES OF THE SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
1896 - Athens, Greece
1900 - Paris, France
1904 - St. Louis, Missouri USA
1906 - Athens, Greece*
1908 - London, England
1912 - Stockholm, Sweden
1916 - Not held**
1920 - Antwerp, Belgium
1924 - Paris, France
1928 - Amsterdam, Holland
1932 - Los Angeles, California USA
1936 - Berlin, Germany
1940 - Not held***
1944 - Not held***
1948 - London, England
1952 - Helsinki, Finland
1956 - Melbourne, Australia
1960 - Rome, Italy
1964 - Tokyo, Japan
1968 - Mexico City, Mexico
1972 - Munich, Germany
1976 - Montreal, Canada
1980 - Moscow, Russia
1984 - Los Angeles, California USA
1988 - Seoul, South Korea
1992 - Barcelona, Spain
1996 - Atlanta, Georgia USA
2000 - Sydney, Australia
2004 - Athens, Greece
*Games not recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
**Games cancelled due to World War I.
***Games cancelled due to World War II.
SITES OF THE WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
1924 - Chamonix, France
1928 - St. Moritz, Switzerland
1932 - Lake Placid, New York USA
1936 - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
1940 - Not held*
1944 - Not held*
1948 - St. Moritz, Switzerland
1952 - Oslo, Norway
1956 - Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
1960 - Squaw Valley, California USA
1964 - Innsbruck, Austria
1968 - Grenoble, France
1972 - Sapporo, Japan
1976 - Innsbruck, Austria
1980 - Lake Placid, N.Y.
1984 - Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
1988 - Calgary, Alta.
1992 - Albertville, France
1994 - Lillehammer, Norway
1998 - Nagano, Japan
2002 - Salt Lake City, Utah USA
2006 - Turin, Italy
*Games cancelled due to World War II.
Sorry so long, but I couldn't remember, either, and I thought this would help us.
Well, maybe there wasn't that much crime in Salt Lake.
My Grandson, who lives in Layton, Utah, took vacation time from his regular job and worked as a security guard during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
So what did he say about the crime? Non-existant?
GL, more people were probably killed in LA today than Baghdad.
In less than 30 seconds I found this story about two bombings in public places in Baghdad today (8-14) that killed four and wounded eight, http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/08/14/4...
In a few more seconds I found this story that today (8-14) just south of Baghdad a woman suicide bomber killed 26 people and wounded at least 75 more, http://www.nysun.com/foreign/bomb-blast-...
That same news story has an account that six Navy guards face trial for allegedly assaulting prisoners at the main American prison at Iraq.
The not so good news of what is actually going on in Iraq is easy to find. Bombings, kidnappings, and execution style killings are a daily occurrence in and around Baghdad. I looked for about five minutes and was unable to find a single news story about a single bomb going off in and around LA so far in the first eight months of 2008.
FootJoy
So you don't think the war we are fighting over there is keeping us safe here at home? The Generals on the ground must not know what they are talking about when reporting that violence is down, surge is working, and Iraq is progressing toward independence.
Your policy would probably be to make friends with everyone so we , as Americans won't have enemies. Screw that.....we are THE super power and we are kicking *** and will continue to do so. We haven't been attacked on US soil since 9/11 and have began to succeed in a place and in a war many who think like you didn't think we could win....in fact, many who think like you seem to get satisfaction from bad news and reports of us failing. We won't fail....keep watching your CNN and other doom and gloom news shows. And keep surfing for negative internet stories and keep hoping it rains tomorrow and that you get caught by a train and that WalMart only has one check out open.....and then tell us about it.
99% of news stories RELY on BAD news. Only our local news outlets such as KFVS12 TRY to find good things to report on...like "Everyone Has a Story" and such. If you want good news...go check out BJ's blog. On second thought...that one's not going so well either...
We may be THE super power, but Russia is kicking butt now and we're helpless to stop it.
Why wouold you say they are kicking butt? It looks like they have signed a peace treaty and are preparing to leave. You probably don't sign a peace treaty if you are real confident about kicking butt.
Which kicking butt are we talking about now? Putin? I haven't heard today's news, but yesterday I thought he was saying he'd leave when he got good 'n ready.
Hahaha! Funny, dolphin! Poor BJ - She does her very best to be upbeat and cheery - and then, BAM! Hoon happens! Let him argue with FJGuy! Both of them have thick skin. Neither one will bring blood!
I like a good debate...always up for the challenge. I just haven't seemed to have the time lately to be up to that challenge.
But, for good news on an olympic conversation...watching Micheal Phelps win all those golds has made being an American that much more sweet! It just proves we here in this country aren't all as lazy and pampered as every other country thinks we are.
I was kind of wondering myself who was getting their butt kicked? Let's see if Puty Putin has the nerve to stay?
With the new digital converter box...supposedly SO nice...the only channel I have is channel 6, which is NBC. Other than a few shows, they are almost completely covering every event they can. So, this is all I have to watch. Have a question...ask away;-Þ
I see this morning that the Williams girls won the gold in golf! Is that terrific, or what???!! I'm sorry I missed it!
I also have a question -- Did you see where softball is being taken out of the Olympics - supposedly because the U.S. teams are so overwhelming? What's that all about?
Hate to correct ya Goat...but the Williams girls won tennis, lol. As far as the softball thing goes, I didn't get to see anything about that. I'll research it though.
Goat, you've heard right! The story that follows is from nbcsports/msnbc.com.
updated 11:41 p.m. CT, Fri., July. 8, 2005
SINGAPORE - The International Olympic Committee delivered a shocking message to baseball and softball on Friday: Yer out!
The two sports were kicked out of the Olympics, unwanted by international sports officials who felt they were too American for the world sports stage.
The decision, made during a secret vote in Singapore, is effective for the 2012 London Games, meaning the two sports will have a final fling at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The sports, the first eliminated since polo in 1936, are eligible to reapply for the 2016 Games.
U.S. women won all three gold medals since softball joined the Olympics, at the 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Games. American pitcher Lisa Fernandez, a three-time gold medalist, blamed the decision on IOC president Jacques Rogge.
"Rogge has basically conspired against the sports to get them removed. We had done our job as a sport world wide to show we belong," she said. "I feel one person, the president of the IOC, a person from Europe, has taken it upon himself to ruin the lives of millions, actually billions of women."
Crystl Bustos, who hit a record five homers during the 2004 Olympics, said the one-sidedness of the softball tournament should not have been used as a factor. The Americans outscored opponents 51-1.
"If that did play a role in the decision, then that's pretty pathetic," she said. "I don't mean to cut anybody down, but it's supposed to be the best of the best, and if you get knocked for your excellence, then that's just not right."
Two-time gold medal-winning infielder Dot Richardson said the Olympic dream "was ripped away from the 126 countries that play the sport of softball, that just vanished."
One other comment I'd like to add is, even though we haven't completely lost out as a country in gymnastics, what about China dominating that? Or what about Micheal Phelps dominating swimming? Are they going to get rid of those too?
Oh, PHOOEY! (Sorry about that, hoon) I meant tennis!! Darn, I do know the difference!!
I stayed up late last night to watch gymnastics and bead. The U.S. came so close to winning gold, but the Rumanian routine was just amazing! What a cliff hanger!
I've stayed up late every night since the olympics started...and with school now in full swing, I'm beginning to feel it! After the volleyball is over though, I doubt I'll be staying up late anymore. I'm amazed by the track and field...but I've NEVER enjoyed running...so it exhausts me just to watch! ;-Þ
I let my kids stay up late the other night to watch and see if Micheal Phelps and his team would take home that last gold medal. Something like that is just too empowering to not let them watch. I hope it helps them realize that following your dreams really can pay off.
How can any sport compete with beach volleyball? http://ahboon.net/2008/08/13/great-momen...
You know China is becoming Westernized because the following is on the China Daily's website, http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/viewthread....
FJGuy, are you sure you aren't just attracted by those bikinis???
As for the westernization, I saw this morning on CBS that the Chinese kids are going nuts over our basketball team! How neat is that??
GL, what would make you think that men in China would like looking at pretty young ladies in bikinis any less than westerners do? I sure would prefer that to watching someone swim or run or heck any sport.
I'm just teasing FJGuy. I don't think he's Chinese.
To maximize TV ratings they should expand Beach Volleyball to be on everyday of the Olympics by breaking the competition into age classes such as 18-20, 21-23, 24-26, etc. Then they could then have an all-around competition between the champions of each age group, similar to what they do in gymnastics. They could also have competition between the cheerleaders. The TV coverage I saw didn't even show the cheerleaders! How dumb is that?! Between the competitors and the cheerleaders they could dedicate a channel to just showing Beach Volleyball. That would definitely help put people in the Olympic spirit!
Yeah, "Olympic Spirit".....