Watching the 2008 Beijing Olympics Online This Year

Beijing 2008 Olympic Emblem

I've been addicted to the Olympics since I was a single digit age, way back when in the 1970s. This will be the first year I'll be watching mainly online. You can e-mail me if you want the whole, sad story.

Beijing 2008 Olympic Mascots: Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow. When you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing."

Last night, I kicked off the Olympics in style by watching a gigantic screen outside in downtown San Jose.

The Saint James Park screening was a promotion by the local NBC11 station to have the ritualistic Opening Ceremony be a community event. The cool things were the pre-show entertainment of a local kids dance group,

seeing the show on such a big screen compared to my TV, seeing people react in ways you don't expect like standing and saluting during the Chinese national anthem,

hearing people clap and cheer for their home smaller countries during the parade of nations and just sharing the experience with other people who are totally into the Olympics too. Although we are all San Francisco Bay Area people, we all have different perspectives. Definitely recommend watching the Opening Ceremonies with a group of "strangers" at least once, it's touching.

The bad side was that it was hella cold (I had a hat, gloves and parka but could have done better than wearing sandals), the toilets were port-a-potties and they were on the other side of the park from the screen, the screen was so bright it practically burned your eyeballs when scenes had a lot of white and you couldn't mute the zillion commercials.

Unfortunately, the event permit only went to 11 pm so they shut it down during the parade of nations. We missed seeing the host nation, China enter.

I had to watch the cauldron/torch lighting online this morning. Watching Li Ning do his thing was still amazing, but I wouldn't have minded watching on the huge screen.

Li Ning, gymnast and businessman

Speaking of amazing, 3 my favorite parts of the opening ceremonies were:

• Tai Chi masters and their perfectly concentric circles. The dynamic fluidity, balance and harmony was awesome.
  

Beijing 2008 Olympics - Tagou Martial Arts School, Donald Chan, Reuters

Beijing 2008 Olympics - Tagou Martial Arts School, Getty Images

The dancer calligraphy (of course). Full body brush calligraphy and painting was poetry in motion.

Beijing 2008 Olympics - Calligraphy Dancers, Getty Images

The women dancers in different colors. All those small but majestic movements were so elegant and beautiful at the same time.

Beijing 2008 Olympics - Women Dancers, Getty Images

Beijing 2008 Olympics - Women Dancers, Getty Images

Beijing 2008 Olympics - Women Dancers, Getty Images

The male drummers at the beginning were frightening, threatening and thrilling at the same time.

Beijing 2008 Olympic Percussionists

Find More Olympics Photos at NBC Olympics.com!

Olympic Medal winners at NBC Olympics.com!

As the commercial says, Go World!

Olympic Torch Relay 2008 Moving Beyond World Unity Symbolism

As far as I'm concerned, the Olympic torch relay is suppose to represent world unity. A time to come together as the human family and celebrate our connectedness with some friendly competition. Acknowledging our tribalism in the form of nations at the same time we put it aside by having our representatives face off on sport playing fields/pools/mats/courts/roads.

The Greatest Olympic Torch Ever, The 2008 Beijing Olympics’ “Journey of Harmony”

Inspired by the shape of a traditional Chinese scroll, the imagery of the ‘Cloud of Promise’ represents the traditions of China, while the shape, texture and technology evoke the Olympic spirit. It is said to be ergonomically sound, is able to remain lit in a 40 m.p.h. wind, runs on clean-burning propane and is 100 percent recyclable. - Mike Nizza, New York Times

Full View of Torch

The torch is 2.4 feet high, weighs 2 pounds and is made of aluminum. The torch has been produced to withstand winds of up to 40 miles per hour and to stay alight in rain up to 2 inches an hour. - Torch Design, Beijing Olympic Torch Graphic Elements

Unfortunately, this time around, the summer Olympics torch relay is not going swimmingly. Everywhere the torch and Olympic flame touches down around, protests impede the ceremonial procession. I understand the motivation of wanting to take advantage of the opportunity to bring attention to important causes. But I'm also angry at the extreme selfishness. Basically, the aggressive protesting is denying the world the chance to participate in the Olympic spirit, which is supposed to be above and beyond conflicts between any specific groups. As far as I'm concerned the protesters are on the tipping point of sympathy and peeve. That has to be counter productive to what they were trying to accomplish, right?

What I don't understand is why protesters are mad at us, the west, in general.

Yet the protests are producing harmony in at least one part of the world: China. While the Chinese government has called the protests "vile," many ordinary Chinese see the protests as evidence of that the West aims to humiliate and control China.

Time, The War of the Olympic Torch, 4-9-8

Why blame the general public for actions of a very few? Most of us want to see the games go on.

The torch relay, if you want to call it that, in San Francisco was the ultimate in ridiculousness. After 10,000 people gathered on the published route, apparently the authorities decided to do the torch relay on a totally different unpublished route and skip the closing ceremony. The whole episode seemed to have missed the point of the concept of Olympic Spirit.

Olympic Spirit mission is "to build a peaceful and better world in the Olympic Spirit which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play - Olympic Spirit strives to inspire and motivate the youth of the world to be the best they can be through educational and entertaining interactive challenges. Olympic Spirit seeks to instill and develop the values and ideals of Olympism in those who visit and to promote tolerance and understanding in these increasingly troubled time in which we live, to make our world a more peaceful place."

Olympic Spirit "will give Olympic athletes and sports much higher profiles and the increased attention they deserve... People - young and old alike - will be able to experience the sports and the intensity of the competitions personally through interactive exhibits and demonstrations [giving] everyone attending a sincere appreciation for what the athletes experience - and endure.

The powers that be basically decided it was more important to get a few random photo ops than to support the ideals of the torch relay. I thought the Olympics was about including everyone, peace, brotherhood and all that, not just a handful of VIPs.

Some good links:

• Photos from previous Olympic Torch Relays
• Yahoo Photos feed on Olympic Touch Relay
• Olympic Spirit website
• San Francisco Torch Bearers list
• Historical meaning of Torch Relay
• China sponsored Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Torch Relay
• San Francisco Gate overview of Torch Relay
• Torch Relay started by Nazis
  

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom talks with former Mayor, and torch bearer, Willie Brown



Participants of the Olympic torch relay in San Francisco pose for a group picture during closing ceremonies on Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco.



A worker carries the Olympic flame in a box surrounded by long lines of police before the Olympic Torch Relay in San Francisco April 9, 2008



The Olympic torch is carried down Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, Wednesday, April 9, 2008.



Police walk along the street near the start of the Olympic Torch relay in San Francisco, California April 9, 2008.