"Beijing begins massive shutdown for the Olympics; Factories idled, vehicles garaged to clean up air" by Stephen Wade, Associated Press | July 20, 2008
BEIJING - Beijing's Olympic shutdown begins today, a drastic plan to lift the Chinese capital's gray shroud of pollution just three weeks ahead of the games.
Half of Beijing's 3.3 million vehicles will be pulled off the roads, and many polluting factories will be idled. Chemical plants, power stations, and foundries left open have to cut emissions by 30 percent - and dust-spewing construction in the capital will be halted.
In a highly stage-managed Olympics aimed at showing off the rising power of the 21st century, no challenge is greater than producing crystalline air for 10,500 of the world's greatest athletes.
Striking venues and $40 billion spent to improve infrastructure cannot mask Beijing's dirty air. A World Bank study found China is home to 16 of the 20 worst cities for air quality. Three-quarters of the water flowing through urban areas is unsuitable for drinking or fishing.
The plan to clean the gray air seems to match the high-security tone of the games, which will be policed by 100,000 officials. Razor-wire barriers and soldiers standing at attention guard the outskirts of the Olympic Green area, and the Chinese have even installed ground-to-air missiles near one Olympic venue to protect it from possible attacks.
Security, tight visa rules, and inflated hotel prices seem to be keeping foreigners away. Many nightspots near Olympic venues are being closed by security officials, who say the games are under threat from Muslim extremists in China's western Xinjiang region.
If it was AmeriKa doing that, the reviews would be glowing and not so police-statish, no?
Beijing organizers are also in a protracted showdown with TV broadcasters, who are seeking free movement and reporting during the games. China's communist government seems to fear being embarrassed during the games by pro-Tibet activists, local dissidents, or critics of China's human rights policies.
The gigantic experiment to curb pollution could still go wrong. Veerabhadran Ramanathan, an atmospheric scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, said unpredictable winds could blow pollution into Beijing."
And then there is the New York Times side:
BEIJING — It is becoming increasingly clear which nation global corporations will be rooting for at this summer’s Olympics: China.
Or at least that’s what it looks like from advertisements here. McDonald's is running a “Cheer for China” television ad. Nike ads feature China’s star hurdler, Liu Xiang, and other Chinese athletes besting foreign competitors. Earlier this year, Pepsi even painted its familiar blue cans red for a limited edition “Go Red for China” promotion.
The campaigns for Western companies are part of an advertising blitz the likes of which this ostensibly communist nation has never seen. Ads are papered over bus shelters, projected on giant outdoor television screens and plastered on billboards. Commercials even flicker at commuters as they zoom through subway tunnels.
China, already the world’s second-largest advertising market, after the United States, is a dream for consumer product companies. “For most international brands here, China is the growth market for the next 10 years,” said Jonathan Chajet, strategic director at Interbrand, which consults on brands.
A record 63 companies have become sponsors or partners of the Beijing Olympics. Olympic-related advertising in China could reach $4 billion to $6 billion this year, according to CSM, a Beijing marketing research firm.
“There’s never been an Olympics with such a big home market,” says Dick van Motman, the chief executive of the Chinese division of DDB Worldwide, the advertising agency. For global brands to succeed, he said, that means “reinforcing your image; aligning yourself with the China dream; and aligning yourself with China entering the world stage. That’s the real game.”
Yeah, to hell with HUMAN RIGHTS or TIBET when there is $$$$ to be made, huh?
See what I mean about the AGENDA-PUSHING ASSHOLES of the AMERIKAN MSM?
Fucking SICK of them and their BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!
