OT: Olympic Opening Ceremonies

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Posted By: <b>James Feagin</b><p>I'm not sure if I'm the only one from the board who watched last night, but last nights Olympic Opening Ceremonies were absolutely incredible! The artistry, pyrotechnics, precision and movement were breathtaking. I particularly enjoyed the Parade of Nations. I love seeing international athletes, cultural dress, small countries and stories associated with them. I might sound like a sap by writing this, but is there anyone else out there who enjoyed them the same as I did? I look forward to it every four years.<br /><br />James

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>I enjoyed them a lot, too. The torch lighting was especially beautiful. I also liked the 2008 drummers at the beginning of the ceremony. Didn't see it all- it was kind of long- but I was very impressed.

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Posted By: <b>Lance</b><p>It's amazing how precise a group can be with the threat of death hanging over their heads if one makes a mistake...Regardless, it was incredible.

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Posted By: <b>JimB</b><p>To think it was only minutes after peaceful pro-Tibet demonstrators attempted to stand holding a Tibetan flag across the street. They were brutally dragged off and arrested. Who knows what will happen to them? As spectacular as the Opening ceremony was, there was a bitter irony for me watching the celebration of a great culture that merely decades ago tried to wipe all memory of that great culture off the map (The Cultural Revolution). Celebrating it publicly when the eyes of the world are watching and brutally crushing expression of it when the international media goes away - it is difficult for me to get behind any pro-China enthusiasm at the moment. <br />JimB

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Posted By: <b>davidcycleback</b><p>A neighbor of mine is a specialist in bamboo and has been to Beijing a couple of times. He said he liked it and it is safe for foreigners. He's like a 6'2" 250 lb pasty faced white guy from Philadelphia, and wouldn't fade in as a local. I asked him about the pollution. He said, while on the road, you sometimes couldn't see the cars and trucks in front of you a half block away. Interestingly, the Asian country he most recommended to visit was Vietnam, as he said it is beautiful, interesting and the people are very friendly.

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>The whole thing is a big show for China...they desperately want to look good to the rest of the world. But their human rights issues still won't go away.

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Posted By: <b>Anthony S.</b><p>Beijing isn't entirely safe to visitors, as that poor fellow at the Drum Tower found out yesterday.<br /><br />I watched the opening ceremonies with a combination of amazement and dread. The precision and beauty were off the charts, but it did have a certain 1984 quality to it.

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Posted By: <b>davidcycleback</b><p>Historically, the Olympics Games were not supposed to be political. The original, ancient games were between often warring Greek city states (Sparta, Athen, etc). City states warring each other would literally stop the fighting for a couple of weeks so they could participate against each other in the athletic games.

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Posted By: <b>Steve</b><p>Noone in the West was fooled by the flashy ceremony. China's silence is deafening.<br /><br />What an amazing spectacle however.

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Posted By: <b>Bob</b><p>I guess I've watched every Olympics since I was a little kid in 1956 but I find that my interest has definitely waned. Given a choice between watching my Twins on the MLB Extra Innings each night and the Olympics, I'll be watching baseball.