Past tense. The first round Woman's games were today, the men start tomorrow. I saw a bit of live coverage this morning (about 4:30am Socal time)

OK, I want to know how much the Chinese government spent bribing the Olympic officials to have the games held there.

I can't stand the government. WTF was the committee thinking?

I am particularly annoyed that there are censors all over the place and they are trying to control what the foreign media can do and say.

Yes.

If one thing comes from it, let it be the rest of the world seeing what's really up with the Chinese government. The US media won't stand for it, even if it's reported after they get back to the states. The athletes will have first hand accounts of how bad the "mist" is and how it effected them.

I'm really trying to look at the Olympics as a people-to-people/we're the same/we all bleed red type of unifying event above country politics.

If athletes collapse during the track and field events due to air pollution, will the Chinese allow those images out?

Hmmm... kind of a take on "if a tree falls in the woods"... nobody will hear it fall because that information will be censored! :eek:

Sky News had a piece on yesterday about people who were in Beijing from outlying areas to protest various grievances (corrupt officials etc.). Within minutes of the camera crew arriving there to film, the police were on scene, demanded the journalists' credentials, and took detailed notes about their reporting. Then the police started to drive away with the documents still in hand.

There are "official protest zones" but they're empty because everyone has already been rounded up.

I also saw a report on a whole group of people who were kicked out of their homes so that the government could build a new shopping area for the Olympics.

Unless they ban camera phones and block cellular service from the venue.

Wasn't Tienemin Square footage shot by a civilian or the foreign media who got the video out before the police showed up?

The first hand reports after it's over will be interesting. The Chinese can do their best to control what happens during the games, but once the athletes and press are back in their own countries (especially the ones with free speech...) they can't stop it.

The media is a business. GE owns NBC. You think GE is going to allow NBC to put at risk any business dealings present or future by having any negative reporting?

CBS and ABC and FOX may not have a similar motives, but they will find reason to glorify the host country. I really doubt there's going to be much negative news, but I hope I'm wrong on anything being censored from within the media community itself. I even think the USOC will pressure our athletes to keep their mouths shut. The cyclists already had to apologize just for wearing masks.

This is one of the reasons I believe huge multi-national corporations are a very bad thing.