Friday, October 27, 2006

Green Olympics…Hmmm!


It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that Beijing was astutely painting the grass green to meet the IOC inspection’s criteria as they were bidding for the Games—that was easy enough to do although unusual and deviated. But the pollution monster caught up with them and is not going away on its own--athletes are worried that the air quality will affect their performance. Maybe they should just stay home. Nevertheless, to curb the problem Beijing is getting creative and will go as far as closing ‘beauty salons’ during the 2008 Olympics. See what else they plan on doing…

Energy Tribune: Even weirder is this: Chinese citizens from other provinces or cities will need approval from their local governments if they want to travel to Beijing during the Games, a move reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) when China enforced similar laws that restricted travel within the country. Given all these measures, Beijing may not need other environmental protection regulations, as it appears the city will be shutting down in order to run the Games and comply with the environmental decrees. (more)

Don't hold your breath--the Beijing miracle will last only from August 8 until the 24th, give or take a few days--then the same old problems will come out of the closet to haunt the populace. And that is China!


OLYMPIC WATCH: Human Rights in China and Beijing 2008

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