"From Mao To Now..."

Good God if I hear another pebble-brained TV announcer use this expression I'll go on a killing spree. Or atleast I should save time and put my foot through the telly right now.

Another is "the skies in Beijing today..." Apparently specs of blue were spotted somewhere near BJ this week sending journalists into overdrive. The big story (in the West) being  the AIR in Beijing. Talk now of them taking 90% of cars off the road if things don't improve fast. All the factory closings etc etc are not resulting in blue.

That being said I am (sort of) looking forward to Beijing 08 ---but only since I lived there. I haven't watched the Olympics closely since....well never I guess. Maybe Montreal as a kid. 

One thing the Chinese have done well (again according to Western hacks) is architecture. The birds nest is already sort of a classic stadium along with the Beijing Centre for Perorming Arts and a few others.

Cheers.

 Funny article in City Weekend last week a journalist asking "the man on the street" in different Beijing neighbourhoods about their feelings on the Olympics. The Chinese...spew forth the same old rhetoric about "this is a very important event in China's development and a symbolic rebirth of our homeland." Foreigners either run screaming from the topic or launch into a tirade about visas, bar closings, outdoor seating bans and curfews.

 My student has asked for a lesson on the Olympic Games. He has no idea what a can of worms he is opening up. 

 

Western media also like to talk about how the chinese government has banned access to the jounalists in the olympic village.

Although it depends on the media outlet...
I am thoroughly sick of seeing a reporter in Beijing standing on a balcony or rooftop somewhere speculating about the fog/smog behind them. 

The commercial broadcasters/newspapers are more interested in gold medal tallies and how much better Australia is at getting medals than almost everyone else.  They also love the air pollution as it gives them another excuse to interview athletes in their swimmers/running shorts/various lycra outfits. 

The ABC and SBS (public broadcasters) are hitting the censorship angle. The Herald Sun (right-wing tabloid) ran a small article about censorship today but it was buried under a story about two swimmers breaking up. I haven't read the Age (left-leaning broadsheet) yet but I think they might give it more coverage.

In my older kid classes, I pitted them debate style. I write:

"Beijing 2008. As we all know, the 2008 Olympic Games sit ready to be a great source of foreign revenue for China. However, August 2008 has proven to be the hardest month in China's Open recorded history to obtain visas as a foreigner. Team 1 will defend Chinese visa policy: it should be difficult to obtain a visa. Team 2 will defend the foreigner..."

Then I sit back, and let the class teach itself...

Sounds like a fun class.  BUT ...  the students will look up the visa policy and tell you it has not changed!  That it is only 'bad' laowai who cannot get visas now.

Because the rules haven't substantially changed - just being implemented, and chaotically at that.