Also, you may visit my personal site at:
Don't forget my other blog about Mormons in public life (which will remain hosted on Blogger):
THANKS!!!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
"Meltdown" by Mike Chinoy
This evening we gathered for an intimate event of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. The speaker was Mr. Mike Chinoy, and his topic was North Korea and its nuclear/diplomatic crisis. Mike Chinoy is a fellow/expert at the Pacific Council and a former bureau chief for CNN in Beijing, Hong Kong, etc. So . . . he kind of knows his East Asian affairs!
Fulbright
My application for the Fulbright Fellowship has been consuming a lot of my free time lately. Applying is a fun project, but knowing that my topic is controversial and politically sensitive means that I must not get my hopes up TOO high . . . But I am excited anyway. More on this to come . . .
Friday, August 29, 2008
ping.fm
it all began for me this morning with twitter . . .
now using ping.fm to keep it all together
Myriad social networking sites
Delicious, digg, myspace, facebook, eons, seesmic, identica, etc. WOW! so many!
Ultrabrown
Sent to you by jmbeutler via Google Reader:
via www.ultrabrown.com on 8/29/08
Arts and politics of the South Asian diasporaThings you can do from here:
- Subscribe to www.ultrabrown.com using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
One of the greatest minds in Los Angeles
(Anna Spain is an international mediator and the asst. dir. of UCLA's Burkle Center for International Relations. I consider her to be one of the best thinkers in L.A. right now.)
The world is looking to Obama — and America
BY ANNA SPAIN
Despite all the media coverage of the national election campaign, most Americans probably don't realize how captivated foreigners are by Barack Obama, let alone understand why.
I was reminded of Obama's global appeal in mid-June when I traveled to Malaysia to speak at the Asia Pacific Mediation Forum conference. My colleagues were mediators from China, Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and many Pacific Island nations. They were also Christians, Muslims and Hindus.
Despite the group's great diversity, my fellow mediators shared a common sentiment — they wanted the Democratic candidate to win in the November elections. And because I am not just American but, like Obama, a biracial Harvard Law grad who has an immigrant parent, they wanted to tell me exactly why.
My international colleagues didn't care about Democrat vs. Republican and their inspiration didn't come from Obama's policies; instead, they were inspired by us — everyday Americans. These foreign mediators saw in Obama's ascendancy a message of broader change. Electing Obama would signal to the world that Americans have changed.
Sure, electing a black president four decades after the Civil Rights Movement represents change. But the hope of much of the world lies in the forward momentum of what this one act could signal: The promise of a new America.
A new America would be a place where everyday people, like those from my home state of Ohio, could find the courage and the inspiration to engage in deeper change, reconciling — like South Africa did with apartheid — from our nation's long struggle with racism and the legacy of slavery. But even more than that, a new America might just stand for freedom, justice and equality for all, not just for Americans.
As mediators, my colleagues recognize that addressing global challenges, whether HIV/AIDS, climate change or overpopulation, requires global cooperation. The world needs Americans to help lead the way toward solving these problems.
In recent years, America has turned away from the opinions of foreign leaders and the advice of the international community. But the long view of history reveals that our world is ultimately connected and that there is value in taking sound counsel from abroad.
The great chronicler of American democracy, after all, was a Frenchman, Alexis de Tocqueville. This is not to say that Americans should look to foreigners to decide who to vote for in November. But in casting our votes we do well to remember that we are not only electing a new president but a new reputation for what kind of Americans we want to be.
The world is looking to Obama — and America
BY ANNA SPAIN
Despite all the media coverage of the national election campaign, most Americans probably don't realize how captivated foreigners are by Barack Obama, let alone understand why.
I was reminded of Obama's global appeal in mid-June when I traveled to Malaysia to speak at the Asia Pacific Mediation Forum conference. My colleagues were mediators from China, Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and many Pacific Island nations. They were also Christians, Muslims and Hindus.
Despite the group's great diversity, my fellow mediators shared a common sentiment — they wanted the Democratic candidate to win in the November elections. And because I am not just American but, like Obama, a biracial Harvard Law grad who has an immigrant parent, they wanted to tell me exactly why.
My international colleagues didn't care about Democrat vs. Republican and their inspiration didn't come from Obama's policies; instead, they were inspired by us — everyday Americans. These foreign mediators saw in Obama's ascendancy a message of broader change. Electing Obama would signal to the world that Americans have changed.
Sure, electing a black president four decades after the Civil Rights Movement represents change. But the hope of much of the world lies in the forward momentum of what this one act could signal: The promise of a new America.
A new America would be a place where everyday people, like those from my home state of Ohio, could find the courage and the inspiration to engage in deeper change, reconciling — like South Africa did with apartheid — from our nation's long struggle with racism and the legacy of slavery. But even more than that, a new America might just stand for freedom, justice and equality for all, not just for Americans.
As mediators, my colleagues recognize that addressing global challenges, whether HIV/AIDS, climate change or overpopulation, requires global cooperation. The world needs Americans to help lead the way toward solving these problems.
In recent years, America has turned away from the opinions of foreign leaders and the advice of the international community. But the long view of history reveals that our world is ultimately connected and that there is value in taking sound counsel from abroad.
The great chronicler of American democracy, after all, was a Frenchman, Alexis de Tocqueville. This is not to say that Americans should look to foreigners to decide who to vote for in November. But in casting our votes we do well to remember that we are not only electing a new president but a new reputation for what kind of Americans we want to be.
Book: The China Diary of George HW Bush
During the recent trip to the Olympics in China, I decided to read The China Diary of George H. W. Bush: The Making of a Global President; Edited and introduced by Jeffrey A. Engel. I really enjoyed it. I generally enjoy biographies and diaries anyway. And I love diplomatic histories, political books, etc. so this was a winner. I picked it up at Barnes & Noble in Torrance at the end of July.
Overall, I enjoyed the book's stories of Bush's interactions with Chinese political leadership, Chinese community leaders, American diplomatic leaders, e.g. Henry Kissinger, and other diplomats in Beijing. It gets a little boring at times. Sometimes, Bush goes on about random, insignificant things when I just want to hear about the juicy diplomatic details.
So, I guess I really liked reading about first-hand accounts of Sino-American relations in the beginning stages of their development. At the time, Bush was not an ambassador, but was running the U.S. Liaison's Office. At the time, America had formal diplomatic relations with Taipei... NOT with Beijing. This made it hard for Bush at times, and his frustration comes through in his diary.
This month I drove past the new American embassy in Beijing - it's massive: nearly 800,000 sq. ft. U.S.-China relations have come a long way since the early 1970s.
If you're interested in American foreign policy in Asia, Bush, or diplomacy in general, it's a good book to consider reading.
Sunrider's new Manufacturing Plant in Los Angeles
I was able to participate in the grand opening of Sunrider International's new manufacturing plant in L.A. It was a beautiful event with music and other entertainment from around the world. We had a large group of local politicians, dignitaries, consuls general, and other diplomats present. There were nearly 1,000 people present who came in from Korea, China, Israel, Hungary, Canada, Chicago, etc.
bandwidth's significance nowadays
a Brazilian blogger wrote this week:
no século XXI, “largura de banda” significa “qualidade de vida”…
(in the 21st century, bandwidth means quality of life)
McCain's veep choice is historic and hardly known - Yahoo! News
Sent to you by jmbeutler via Google Reader:
via news.yahoo.com on 8/29/08
In two short years, Sarah Palin moved from small-town mayor with a taste for mooseburgers to the governor's office and now — making history — to John McCain's side as the first female running mate on a Republican presidential ticket.Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to news.yahoo.com using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
TPC Tax Topics | 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Proposals
Sent to you by jmbeutler via Google Reader:
via www.taxpolicycenter.org on 8/29/08
Compare the tax proposals of the 2008 Presidential Candidates with a matrix outlining their proposed tax cuts, changes to existing tax credits, and more.Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to www.taxpolicycenter.org using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
Initiatories
Welcome to www.jbeutler.com !!!
I want to consolidate my blog posts (except for "Who Are Mormons?") here on this new blog.
from my Beijing blog
JONATHAN BEUTLER AT THE 2008 SUMMER OLYMPICS IN CHINA, ETC.
LIVE BLOGGING FROM BEIJING, HONG KONG, SEOUL, TAIPEI, LOS ANGELES, AND ELSEWHERE ON EARTH. THIS BLOG FEATURES MATERIAL ABOUT POLITICS, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, SPORTS, LITERATURE, ART, RELIGION, FOOD, TRAVEL, FAMILY, AND WEST COAST LIVING.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2008
lots of talk about the closing ceremony
Lately I've seen several blogs with commentary about Beijing's closing ceremony. However, America's mainstream television media have discussed the end of the Olympics very little because they've been too obsessed with the Democrats' get-together in Denver, Colorado. But the event was a great spectacle, even though some people are calling it "boring".
I recently read a Chinese media blog that criticized the London 2012 team for placing Leona Lewis with Jimmy Page, alleging that Jimmy Page is simply not famous enough. What?! Jimmy Page founded Led Zepplin. Not famous? And who was that Chinese guy that sang with Sarah Brightman? And how many people in the world knew that the woman singing with Plácido Domingo was the spouse of China's vice premier?
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 12:40 PM 0 COMMENTS
MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2008
The Bird's Nest
taken a few nights ago in front of the famous Bird's Nest . . . on a rainy evening. Very brilliant design! Until again soon, Beijing!!
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 1:14 AM 1 COMMENTS
LABELS: BIRD'S NEST, OLYMPICS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2008
Closing Ceremony was amazing!
We just got back to the hotel from Beijing's closing ceremony - it was fantastic!!!! I will post more photos and details.
Quick point: lovely music, lights, and even some good Los Angeles representation via David Beckham and Plácido Domingo.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 11:13 PM 2 COMMENTS
Mihir Bose of the BBC on the Beijing Olympics
Today is the final day of the Olympics in Beijing. Mr. Bose of the BBC offers this essay on his blog:
China delivers an Olympics like no other
Mihir Bose - BBC sports editor
The Beijing Olympics was always going to be different from any other recent Olympics.
None of the usual questions that tend to surround an Olympics mattered here: money, organisation, level of government support and the public's enthusiasm - or indeed lack of it.
Instead, the question China faced was: should a regime like this have the honour of the biggest gathering of people in peaceful sporting competition without agreeing to change its authoritarian ways?
This issue was presented very clearly seven years ago when the International Olympic Committee voted for Beijing.
The leader of the rival Paris bid said China should get the Expo but not the Olympics. China's human rights record, he argued, ruled it out for the Olympics. Even though he himself was one of many businessmen who believed engagement with China was a good thing, giving it the Olympics was held up as an endorsement the country did not yet deserve.
In ignoring that advice, the IOC took the view that the Olympics simply had to come to the home of nearly a quarter of the world's population.
True, it nodded in the direction of human rights with its then director general Francois Carrard saying the IOC would monitor human rights in China.
But, as President Jacques Rogge put it to me, while China has had to open up as a result of hosting the Games, it was unrealistic to expect the Games to go where world leaders had failed.
It was always fanciful to expect that this 17-day festival of sport would completely change China, or that China would change a sporting system invented by a French count and now run by a Belgian count. Not in any fundamental ways at least.
Indeed, as Rogge also points out, the IOC came to China for its own reasons related to the Olympics.
It took the decision in the summer of 2001, when both the organisers for the 2004 Athens summer Games and the 2006 Turin Winter Games were suffering seemingly insurmountable problems.
Athens, having messed up its structure, was so behind schedule that there was real fear it might not be ready.
Turin, whose choice as the 2006 Winter Games was an unintended consequence of the Salt Lake City corruption scandal, did not have adequate facilities, needed more funding and was not certain the Italian government could or would help.
In contrast China simply told the IOC: "Give us the Games and we will do whatever you want."
And that is exactly what has happened.
China has given the IOC great venues - there can be nothing more iconic than the Bird's Nest, a true "object for the world" exactly as Ai Weiwei, its Chinese architect, intended.
The infrastructure development has been amazing, as anyone who has used Beijing's new airport will testify. The transport plan has also worked, making Beijing's previously impossible traffic more than manageable.
And the venues have provided some of the most memorable sports seen in many an Olympics.
We had a first week so dominated by Michael Phelps that we had to scurry through the record books to ask if he was a greater Olympian than Carl Lewis or Jesse Owens.
Then Usain Bolt stole the show in the second week, making the 100 metres once again magical and worthy of a race to decide the fastest man on earth.
And alongside all this, Team GB has broken free from the rather depressing British history of failing to deliver by enjoying its best Games for a century. In doing so, athletes have created some truly great sporting moments, which have been surprising and stunning in equal measure.
Many other countries have also had Beijing highlights to treasure. India, the world's most underachieving sporting nation, won its first ever individual gold, as did Panama and Bahrain, while Mongolia, Afghanistan, Togo, all won their first medals.
The Beijing Olympics will also have an impact on the United States. Since the collapse of the Wall and of the old Soviet Union, its dominance of the Games has not been challenged.
But China will top the gold tally this time round. And that has prompted Americans to ask whether their athletes should get government funding - the US is the only nation that does not provide it.
Indeed, as China and Asia continue to grow as world economic powers, America's sway over Olympic finances may also come under pressure.
Many in the Olympic movement feel that if the 20th century was Europe and America's great century of sport, then the 21st century might belong to China and Asia.
While China's presentation at many of the sporting venues was a pale copy of what you might get in the NBA or at a baseball game, the Chinese have been determined throughout the last two weeks to show they can do sport like the West.
And there can be no doubt that the Beijing Olympics have done just that.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 5:05 PM 1 COMMENTS
LABELS: BEIJING, OLYMPICS
SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 2008
Gold medals or total medals?
Should the "top" champion of the Olympics be measured by acquired golds, or by TOTAL # of medals, including silver and bronze??
Of course, China received more gold medals than the United States, but America received more medals of any color than anyone else.
COUNTRY MEDALISTS GOLD SILVER BRONZE TOTAL
United States 36 38 36 110
China 51 21 28 100
Which is the appropriate means to determine who had the most success at the Olympics?
Any thoughts?
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 1:18 AM 1 COMMENTS
LABELS: MEDALS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2008
Best thing about this trip
The Toto toilet in our hotel suite in Beijing is one of the best things about this trip. The lid lifts automatically as a person approaches and it provides a very warm seat. It washes, cleans, and blow-dries too.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 12:30 PM 0 COMMENTS
Out of the country
I am back to this blog after little more than a week outside Beijing. We were in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and then South Korea. We had good food and enjoyed watching the Olympics on television. I really enjoyed visiting Hong Kong, Taipei, and Seoul - all very great cities. Now back in Beijing for more Olympic excitement. Stay tuned.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 1:48 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: TRAVEL
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2008
U.S.A's Michael Phelps = greatest Olympic athlete ever
This morning we watched (on CCTV) Michael Phelps receive his 10th (TENTH!!!) gold medal. That makes him #1 in Olympic history in terms of gold medals. Wow and Congrats!!
See this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_multiple_Olympic_gold_medalists
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080813/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_swm_swimming
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 12:01 PM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: ATHLETES, MEDALS
Temple of Heaven in Beijing
Another tourist trap that we visited this weekend. 15th century structures... gorgeous!
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 10:26 AM 0 COMMENTS
Beijing and L.A. subways compared
When Beijing won its bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the Chinese capital had about as many --or maybe fewer--subway lines as Los Angeles. Since that time in 2001, Beijing has moved quickly to lay several more subway lines. The public transportation network in Beijing has been improved in a major way. For example, Beijing's new Olympic subway line is beautiful and efficient. Los Angeles' new subway lines and stations are quite well designed, modern, and beautiful, making it so that right now L.A.'s system is nowhere as extensive as Peking's!! Take a look at this interesting article.
But, the bad thing is that some subway lines in Beijing have no signs in English and station names are not romanized.... Scary!
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 10:20 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: BEIJING, TRANSPORTATION
Beijing Games are all about China
China may come out victorious in terms of the number of gold medals won, but the Olympics are much more meaningful than winning athletic events. These Summer Olympics in 2008 are much more about China. It truly is China's great coming out party - a celebration of China's aspirations, people, development, and accomplishments. Sometimes I feel like we hear too much about China this time, and that maybe these Olympics are perhaps far too Sino-centric. But it really is impressive to see everything that China has accomplished and overcome. The development of China's eastern cities has been nothing short of a phenomenon.
As we drive through 2nd Ring Road or the 3rd ring, we are constantly in awe at how Beijing has changed. Not only are there gorgeous potted flowers and new trees lining the avenues and boulevards, the construction projects are breathtaking. A good example is this fab office building complex pictured to the left.
2nd Ring Road is what I call "Century City on steroids". Century City is a gorgeous and revitalized district west of Beverly Hills near Santa Monica Blvd. Well, Beijing's 2nd Ring Road feels very similar, just on a much bigger scale. As Paris Hilton would say, "Loves it!" And at least Beijing was smart enough to redevelop the area with a nice subway system, while L.A. did not do that.
Greetings from Beijing!
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 10:14 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: BEIJING, CHINA, CONSTRUCTION, DEVELOPMENT, PROGRESS
Boxing match, fans, international fun!!
Last night following the lightweight boxing preliminaries at the Workers' Stadium, we wanted to get a shot with these Chinese kids who were cheering. While we took the picture, we had them chanting "Meiguo Zhayou" (Chinese for "Let's go U.S.A.!!"). Lots of fun!! We love the Olympics!!!! I would love to be back at every Olympiad in the future too.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 10:11 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: SPECTATORS
royalty at the Games
Spanish Prince Felipe and wife Letizia supporting Spanish athletes in the Olympic Village in Beijing.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 10:10 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: ATHLETES, VIP
singing girl in opening ceremony a fake
Apparently, that very cute girl who sang the patriotic song during the opening ceremony was actually lip-syncing. The voice belongs to the original performer who was pulled for her buck teeth and replaced by the cuter 7-year old. Read article here.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 10:06 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: OPENING CEREMONY
TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2008
Gymnastics
Go Gymnasts!!
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 9:59 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: ATHLETES
MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 2008
America's new embassy in Beijing/新建美国使馆在北京
新建美国使馆在北京
America's new embassy is gorgeous, state-of-the-art, and the largest embassy in Beijing. We drove to it a couple of days ago to check it out. On our way we saw the embassies of Germany, Canada, Israel, India, Australia, Spain, the EU, etc. All are very nice buildings... then we arrived at the mammoth American mission. Much larger than the others... and a much more impenetrable wall surrounding the embassy!
When we tried to take pictures, security guards freaked out. So, no photos. Anyway, it was fun to see. President Bush was there on Friday morning to officially open the Embassy, but the guard told us it still is not "open". Ambassador Randt, the current U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, declared on Tuesday that the opening of this large embassy (the second largest embassy building in the world - the first is America's embassy in Iraq) underscores the serious nature of the world's most important bilateral relationship in the 21st century: the U.S.-China relationship.
It is also interesting to note that Washington's largest embassy will soon be China's new facility.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 6:05 PM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: BEIJING, DIPLOMACY, GOVERNMENT, POLITICS, U.S.
heavy rain . . . is the rain safe?
It rained heavily yesterday because the government fired rain-inducing chemical "seeds" into the clouds above the city. And it poured.
Also, we have been relieved temporarily of the extreme heat.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 5:46 PM 1 COMMENTS
The battle of the superpowers?
It is interesting to following the medals count.
As of right now, the U.S. has 11 medals, while China has 12. In third place is Russia with 6, then Korea with 5. Clearly, there is some rivalry between the U.S. and China . . . a kind of a microcosm of a future struggle of power and influence, perhaps?
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 5:43 PM 1 COMMENTS
Brazilian TV press in Beijing
Last night while walking on Dengshikou street in central Beijing, I saw a van painted with the logo above. I stopped to chat with the driver, a Chinese man. He told me that he is working with a group of Brazilian journalists from Rede Globo, Brazil's largest media network.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 5:15 PM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: BRAZIL, PRESS
Safety issues in Beijing
With the tragic homicide and suicide here in Beijing on Saturday morning, people are wondering if it's safe to be spending time at Beijing's tourist locations. Well, of course it is.
Beijing may actually be the safest city of its size in the world. Public safety has never really been an issue of major concern in the Chinese capital. And especially during the Olympics, the Chinese authorities have deployed literally hundreds of thousands of police and military forces to Beijing.
Obviously, some petty theft occurs in Beijing, but violent crime is really quite rare in Beijing.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the American family who lost their father this weekend in the brutal attack in central Beijing.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 1:47 PM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: SAFETY, SECURITY
Monday: Clear skies in Beijing
This morning we are seeing clearer skies than we've been seeing in the last week. Pictures to come soon. Sunday we had heavy rainfall and winds. That always helps clean out the gunk in the air!
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 7:06 AM 2 COMMENTS
LABELS: AIR, POLLUTION, WEATHER
SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 2008
Tiananmen Square on the first full day of official Olympic activity
crowds were all over Tiananmen Square this afternoon. Very hot and humid!
BOC put up gorgeous gardens all over the city - and lots of fancy exhibits on Tiananmen Square.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 6:55 PM 1 COMMENTS
LABELS: BEIJING, SPECTATORS
Russia launches attack on Georgia during the first day of the Olympics
As the Olympics begin, war breaks out in Eurasia.
On a day meant to mark international friendship and peace, Russian and Georgian forces clashed over the disputed region, South Ossetia. More on that development here. While visiting Beijing for the Olympic Games and the opening ceremony, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told press that Georgian forces would pay.
This is really disappointing news, and I could go on for a while about this, but I will not here in this blog about the Olympics, Beijing, and related topics.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 6:07 PM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: LEADERS, NEWS, PRESS, WAR
Friendly spectators in Beijing's streets
Yesterday while walking down Wangfujing Avenue, we were stopped by several Chinese Olympics enthusiasts.... sporting patriotic headbands, PRC flags, and painted faces. They stopped to warmly welcome us to China, and asked to get a photo with us.
This is what the Olympics are all about! Despite political and cultural differences, the Olympic spirit is meant to unite people from everywhere!
Great experience to be a part of the Olympics here.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 8:23 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: CHINA, PEOPLE, SPECTATORS
Beautiful Opening Ceremony
Attended by 91,000 people (including 80+ world leaders), the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics showcased a magnificent cultural show that exhibited Chinese history, innovation, dance, and story. The artistic creativity of the show was fantastic.
As I watched the show, I kept thinking about how much the program underscored China's destiny to become an even greater power and influence in the world. The Chinese people are excited to boast their history and cultural heritage. China's ambitions are clearly visible everywhere here in Beijing: at any of the Olympic venues or modern buildings throughout the city.
A large portion of the performances were dedicated to showing off Chinese achievements during the last few millenia. They covered important Chinese inventions like paper and tai chi. I wondered if they would showcase China's contemporary history: 20th century war and the Communist revolution... they didn't. All in all, it was a nice glimpse of some of Chinese cultural and historical highlights.
Liu Huan's duet with Sarah Brightman was one of the highlights for me - a beautiful piece that embodied the Olympic spirit.
China invested over $100 million to make this show a spectacle to be remembered, and I believe that they were successful . . . it truly was a magnificent show.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 6:22 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: CHINA, OPENING CEREMONY
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ABOUT ME
JONATHAN BEUTLER
I am an observer of world affairs, as well as a researcher, student, traveler, linguist, and a polyglot. I have studied and worked in Asia, Europe, and South America. I am based in the coastal metropolis of Los Angeles, California. You can see more at www.jonathanbeutler.com
VIEW MY COMPLETE PROFILE
BLOG ARCHIVE
▼ 2008 (54)
▼ August (37)
lots of talk about the closing ceremony
The Bird's Nest
Closing Ceremony was amazing!
Mihir Bose of the BBC on the Beijing Olympics
Gold medals or total medals?
Best thing about this trip
Out of the country
U.S.A's Michael Phelps = greatest Olympic athlete ...
Temple of Heaven in Beijing
Beijing and L.A. subways compared
Beijing Games are all about China
Boxing match, fans, international fun!!
royalty at the Games
singing girl in opening ceremony a fake
Gymnastics
America's new embassy in Beijing/新建美国使馆在北京
heavy rain . . . is the rain safe?
The battle of the superpowers?
Brazilian TV press in Beijing
Safety issues in Beijing
Monday: Clear skies in Beijing
Tiananmen Square on the first full day of official...
Russia launches attack on Georgia during the first...
Friendly spectators in Beijing's streets
Beautiful Opening Ceremony
Good Morning, Beijing!
L.A. 2020: The Los Angeles 2020 Summer Olympics
Arrival in Beijing
Obama's airplane
departing California
to old Peking
Olympic pin trading in Beijing
soon departing
some secrets revealed about the opening ceremony
80+ Heads of State to Attend the Opening Ceremony
VIP treatment in Beijing
Beijing has blue skies almost daily!
► July (17)
BEIJING OLYMPIC NEWS!
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
LIVE BLOGGING FROM BEIJING, HONG KONG, SEOUL, TAIPEI, LOS ANGELES, AND ELSEWHERE ON EARTH. THIS BLOG FEATURES MATERIAL ABOUT POLITICS, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, SPORTS, LITERATURE, ART, RELIGION, FOOD, TRAVEL, FAMILY, AND WEST COAST LIVING.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2008
lots of talk about the closing ceremony
Lately I've seen several blogs with commentary about Beijing's closing ceremony. However, America's mainstream television media have discussed the end of the Olympics very little because they've been too obsessed with the Democrats' get-together in Denver, Colorado. But the event was a great spectacle, even though some people are calling it "boring".
I recently read a Chinese media blog that criticized the London 2012 team for placing Leona Lewis with Jimmy Page, alleging that Jimmy Page is simply not famous enough. What?! Jimmy Page founded Led Zepplin. Not famous? And who was that Chinese guy that sang with Sarah Brightman? And how many people in the world knew that the woman singing with Plácido Domingo was the spouse of China's vice premier?
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 12:40 PM 0 COMMENTS
MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2008
The Bird's Nest
taken a few nights ago in front of the famous Bird's Nest . . . on a rainy evening. Very brilliant design! Until again soon, Beijing!!
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 1:14 AM 1 COMMENTS
LABELS: BIRD'S NEST, OLYMPICS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2008
Closing Ceremony was amazing!
We just got back to the hotel from Beijing's closing ceremony - it was fantastic!!!! I will post more photos and details.
Quick point: lovely music, lights, and even some good Los Angeles representation via David Beckham and Plácido Domingo.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 11:13 PM 2 COMMENTS
Mihir Bose of the BBC on the Beijing Olympics
Today is the final day of the Olympics in Beijing. Mr. Bose of the BBC offers this essay on his blog:
China delivers an Olympics like no other
Mihir Bose - BBC sports editor
The Beijing Olympics was always going to be different from any other recent Olympics.
None of the usual questions that tend to surround an Olympics mattered here: money, organisation, level of government support and the public's enthusiasm - or indeed lack of it.
Instead, the question China faced was: should a regime like this have the honour of the biggest gathering of people in peaceful sporting competition without agreeing to change its authoritarian ways?
This issue was presented very clearly seven years ago when the International Olympic Committee voted for Beijing.
The leader of the rival Paris bid said China should get the Expo but not the Olympics. China's human rights record, he argued, ruled it out for the Olympics. Even though he himself was one of many businessmen who believed engagement with China was a good thing, giving it the Olympics was held up as an endorsement the country did not yet deserve.
In ignoring that advice, the IOC took the view that the Olympics simply had to come to the home of nearly a quarter of the world's population.
True, it nodded in the direction of human rights with its then director general Francois Carrard saying the IOC would monitor human rights in China.
But, as President Jacques Rogge put it to me, while China has had to open up as a result of hosting the Games, it was unrealistic to expect the Games to go where world leaders had failed.
It was always fanciful to expect that this 17-day festival of sport would completely change China, or that China would change a sporting system invented by a French count and now run by a Belgian count. Not in any fundamental ways at least.
Indeed, as Rogge also points out, the IOC came to China for its own reasons related to the Olympics.
It took the decision in the summer of 2001, when both the organisers for the 2004 Athens summer Games and the 2006 Turin Winter Games were suffering seemingly insurmountable problems.
Athens, having messed up its structure, was so behind schedule that there was real fear it might not be ready.
Turin, whose choice as the 2006 Winter Games was an unintended consequence of the Salt Lake City corruption scandal, did not have adequate facilities, needed more funding and was not certain the Italian government could or would help.
In contrast China simply told the IOC: "Give us the Games and we will do whatever you want."
And that is exactly what has happened.
China has given the IOC great venues - there can be nothing more iconic than the Bird's Nest, a true "object for the world" exactly as Ai Weiwei, its Chinese architect, intended.
The infrastructure development has been amazing, as anyone who has used Beijing's new airport will testify. The transport plan has also worked, making Beijing's previously impossible traffic more than manageable.
And the venues have provided some of the most memorable sports seen in many an Olympics.
We had a first week so dominated by Michael Phelps that we had to scurry through the record books to ask if he was a greater Olympian than Carl Lewis or Jesse Owens.
Then Usain Bolt stole the show in the second week, making the 100 metres once again magical and worthy of a race to decide the fastest man on earth.
And alongside all this, Team GB has broken free from the rather depressing British history of failing to deliver by enjoying its best Games for a century. In doing so, athletes have created some truly great sporting moments, which have been surprising and stunning in equal measure.
Many other countries have also had Beijing highlights to treasure. India, the world's most underachieving sporting nation, won its first ever individual gold, as did Panama and Bahrain, while Mongolia, Afghanistan, Togo, all won their first medals.
The Beijing Olympics will also have an impact on the United States. Since the collapse of the Wall and of the old Soviet Union, its dominance of the Games has not been challenged.
But China will top the gold tally this time round. And that has prompted Americans to ask whether their athletes should get government funding - the US is the only nation that does not provide it.
Indeed, as China and Asia continue to grow as world economic powers, America's sway over Olympic finances may also come under pressure.
Many in the Olympic movement feel that if the 20th century was Europe and America's great century of sport, then the 21st century might belong to China and Asia.
While China's presentation at many of the sporting venues was a pale copy of what you might get in the NBA or at a baseball game, the Chinese have been determined throughout the last two weeks to show they can do sport like the West.
And there can be no doubt that the Beijing Olympics have done just that.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 5:05 PM 1 COMMENTS
LABELS: BEIJING, OLYMPICS
SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 2008
Gold medals or total medals?
Should the "top" champion of the Olympics be measured by acquired golds, or by TOTAL # of medals, including silver and bronze??
Of course, China received more gold medals than the United States, but America received more medals of any color than anyone else.
COUNTRY MEDALISTS GOLD SILVER BRONZE TOTAL
United States 36 38 36 110
China 51 21 28 100
Which is the appropriate means to determine who had the most success at the Olympics?
Any thoughts?
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 1:18 AM 1 COMMENTS
LABELS: MEDALS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2008
Best thing about this trip
The Toto toilet in our hotel suite in Beijing is one of the best things about this trip. The lid lifts automatically as a person approaches and it provides a very warm seat. It washes, cleans, and blow-dries too.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 12:30 PM 0 COMMENTS
Out of the country
I am back to this blog after little more than a week outside Beijing. We were in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and then South Korea. We had good food and enjoyed watching the Olympics on television. I really enjoyed visiting Hong Kong, Taipei, and Seoul - all very great cities. Now back in Beijing for more Olympic excitement. Stay tuned.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 1:48 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: TRAVEL
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2008
U.S.A's Michael Phelps = greatest Olympic athlete ever
This morning we watched (on CCTV) Michael Phelps receive his 10th (TENTH!!!) gold medal. That makes him #1 in Olympic history in terms of gold medals. Wow and Congrats!!
See this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_multiple_Olympic_gold_medalists
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080813/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_swm_swimming
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 12:01 PM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: ATHLETES, MEDALS
Temple of Heaven in Beijing
Another tourist trap that we visited this weekend. 15th century structures... gorgeous!
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 10:26 AM 0 COMMENTS
Beijing and L.A. subways compared
When Beijing won its bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the Chinese capital had about as many --or maybe fewer--subway lines as Los Angeles. Since that time in 2001, Beijing has moved quickly to lay several more subway lines. The public transportation network in Beijing has been improved in a major way. For example, Beijing's new Olympic subway line is beautiful and efficient. Los Angeles' new subway lines and stations are quite well designed, modern, and beautiful, making it so that right now L.A.'s system is nowhere as extensive as Peking's!! Take a look at this interesting article.
But, the bad thing is that some subway lines in Beijing have no signs in English and station names are not romanized.... Scary!
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 10:20 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: BEIJING, TRANSPORTATION
Beijing Games are all about China
China may come out victorious in terms of the number of gold medals won, but the Olympics are much more meaningful than winning athletic events. These Summer Olympics in 2008 are much more about China. It truly is China's great coming out party - a celebration of China's aspirations, people, development, and accomplishments. Sometimes I feel like we hear too much about China this time, and that maybe these Olympics are perhaps far too Sino-centric. But it really is impressive to see everything that China has accomplished and overcome. The development of China's eastern cities has been nothing short of a phenomenon.
As we drive through 2nd Ring Road or the 3rd ring, we are constantly in awe at how Beijing has changed. Not only are there gorgeous potted flowers and new trees lining the avenues and boulevards, the construction projects are breathtaking. A good example is this fab office building complex pictured to the left.
2nd Ring Road is what I call "Century City on steroids". Century City is a gorgeous and revitalized district west of Beverly Hills near Santa Monica Blvd. Well, Beijing's 2nd Ring Road feels very similar, just on a much bigger scale. As Paris Hilton would say, "Loves it!" And at least Beijing was smart enough to redevelop the area with a nice subway system, while L.A. did not do that.
Greetings from Beijing!
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 10:14 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: BEIJING, CHINA, CONSTRUCTION, DEVELOPMENT, PROGRESS
Boxing match, fans, international fun!!
Last night following the lightweight boxing preliminaries at the Workers' Stadium, we wanted to get a shot with these Chinese kids who were cheering. While we took the picture, we had them chanting "Meiguo Zhayou" (Chinese for "Let's go U.S.A.!!"). Lots of fun!! We love the Olympics!!!! I would love to be back at every Olympiad in the future too.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 10:11 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: SPECTATORS
royalty at the Games
Spanish Prince Felipe and wife Letizia supporting Spanish athletes in the Olympic Village in Beijing.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 10:10 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: ATHLETES, VIP
singing girl in opening ceremony a fake
Apparently, that very cute girl who sang the patriotic song during the opening ceremony was actually lip-syncing. The voice belongs to the original performer who was pulled for her buck teeth and replaced by the cuter 7-year old. Read article here.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 10:06 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: OPENING CEREMONY
TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2008
Gymnastics
Go Gymnasts!!
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 9:59 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: ATHLETES
MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 2008
America's new embassy in Beijing/新建美国使馆在北京
新建美国使馆在北京
America's new embassy is gorgeous, state-of-the-art, and the largest embassy in Beijing. We drove to it a couple of days ago to check it out. On our way we saw the embassies of Germany, Canada, Israel, India, Australia, Spain, the EU, etc. All are very nice buildings... then we arrived at the mammoth American mission. Much larger than the others... and a much more impenetrable wall surrounding the embassy!
When we tried to take pictures, security guards freaked out. So, no photos. Anyway, it was fun to see. President Bush was there on Friday morning to officially open the Embassy, but the guard told us it still is not "open". Ambassador Randt, the current U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, declared on Tuesday that the opening of this large embassy (the second largest embassy building in the world - the first is America's embassy in Iraq) underscores the serious nature of the world's most important bilateral relationship in the 21st century: the U.S.-China relationship.
It is also interesting to note that Washington's largest embassy will soon be China's new facility.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 6:05 PM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: BEIJING, DIPLOMACY, GOVERNMENT, POLITICS, U.S.
heavy rain . . . is the rain safe?
It rained heavily yesterday because the government fired rain-inducing chemical "seeds" into the clouds above the city. And it poured.
Also, we have been relieved temporarily of the extreme heat.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 5:46 PM 1 COMMENTS
The battle of the superpowers?
It is interesting to following the medals count.
As of right now, the U.S. has 11 medals, while China has 12. In third place is Russia with 6, then Korea with 5. Clearly, there is some rivalry between the U.S. and China . . . a kind of a microcosm of a future struggle of power and influence, perhaps?
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 5:43 PM 1 COMMENTS
Brazilian TV press in Beijing
Last night while walking on Dengshikou street in central Beijing, I saw a van painted with the logo above. I stopped to chat with the driver, a Chinese man. He told me that he is working with a group of Brazilian journalists from Rede Globo, Brazil's largest media network.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 5:15 PM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: BRAZIL, PRESS
Safety issues in Beijing
With the tragic homicide and suicide here in Beijing on Saturday morning, people are wondering if it's safe to be spending time at Beijing's tourist locations. Well, of course it is.
Beijing may actually be the safest city of its size in the world. Public safety has never really been an issue of major concern in the Chinese capital. And especially during the Olympics, the Chinese authorities have deployed literally hundreds of thousands of police and military forces to Beijing.
Obviously, some petty theft occurs in Beijing, but violent crime is really quite rare in Beijing.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the American family who lost their father this weekend in the brutal attack in central Beijing.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 1:47 PM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: SAFETY, SECURITY
Monday: Clear skies in Beijing
This morning we are seeing clearer skies than we've been seeing in the last week. Pictures to come soon. Sunday we had heavy rainfall and winds. That always helps clean out the gunk in the air!
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 7:06 AM 2 COMMENTS
LABELS: AIR, POLLUTION, WEATHER
SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 2008
Tiananmen Square on the first full day of official Olympic activity
crowds were all over Tiananmen Square this afternoon. Very hot and humid!
BOC put up gorgeous gardens all over the city - and lots of fancy exhibits on Tiananmen Square.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 6:55 PM 1 COMMENTS
LABELS: BEIJING, SPECTATORS
Russia launches attack on Georgia during the first day of the Olympics
As the Olympics begin, war breaks out in Eurasia.
On a day meant to mark international friendship and peace, Russian and Georgian forces clashed over the disputed region, South Ossetia. More on that development here. While visiting Beijing for the Olympic Games and the opening ceremony, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told press that Georgian forces would pay.
This is really disappointing news, and I could go on for a while about this, but I will not here in this blog about the Olympics, Beijing, and related topics.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 6:07 PM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: LEADERS, NEWS, PRESS, WAR
Friendly spectators in Beijing's streets
Yesterday while walking down Wangfujing Avenue, we were stopped by several Chinese Olympics enthusiasts.... sporting patriotic headbands, PRC flags, and painted faces. They stopped to warmly welcome us to China, and asked to get a photo with us.
This is what the Olympics are all about! Despite political and cultural differences, the Olympic spirit is meant to unite people from everywhere!
Great experience to be a part of the Olympics here.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 8:23 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: CHINA, PEOPLE, SPECTATORS
Beautiful Opening Ceremony
Attended by 91,000 people (including 80+ world leaders), the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics showcased a magnificent cultural show that exhibited Chinese history, innovation, dance, and story. The artistic creativity of the show was fantastic.
As I watched the show, I kept thinking about how much the program underscored China's destiny to become an even greater power and influence in the world. The Chinese people are excited to boast their history and cultural heritage. China's ambitions are clearly visible everywhere here in Beijing: at any of the Olympic venues or modern buildings throughout the city.
A large portion of the performances were dedicated to showing off Chinese achievements during the last few millenia. They covered important Chinese inventions like paper and tai chi. I wondered if they would showcase China's contemporary history: 20th century war and the Communist revolution... they didn't. All in all, it was a nice glimpse of some of Chinese cultural and historical highlights.
Liu Huan's duet with Sarah Brightman was one of the highlights for me - a beautiful piece that embodied the Olympic spirit.
China invested over $100 million to make this show a spectacle to be remembered, and I believe that they were successful . . . it truly was a magnificent show.
POSTED BY JONATHAN BEUTLER AT 6:22 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: CHINA, OPENING CEREMONY
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ABOUT ME
JONATHAN BEUTLER
I am an observer of world affairs, as well as a researcher, student, traveler, linguist, and a polyglot. I have studied and worked in Asia, Europe, and South America. I am based in the coastal metropolis of Los Angeles, California. You can see more at www.jonathanbeutler.com
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BLOG ARCHIVE
▼ 2008 (54)
▼ August (37)
lots of talk about the closing ceremony
The Bird's Nest
Closing Ceremony was amazing!
Mihir Bose of the BBC on the Beijing Olympics
Gold medals or total medals?
Best thing about this trip
Out of the country
U.S.A's Michael Phelps = greatest Olympic athlete ...
Temple of Heaven in Beijing
Beijing and L.A. subways compared
Beijing Games are all about China
Boxing match, fans, international fun!!
royalty at the Games
singing girl in opening ceremony a fake
Gymnastics
America's new embassy in Beijing/新建美国使馆在北京
heavy rain . . . is the rain safe?
The battle of the superpowers?
Brazilian TV press in Beijing
Safety issues in Beijing
Monday: Clear skies in Beijing
Tiananmen Square on the first full day of official...
Russia launches attack on Georgia during the first...
Friendly spectators in Beijing's streets
Beautiful Opening Ceremony
Good Morning, Beijing!
L.A. 2020: The Los Angeles 2020 Summer Olympics
Arrival in Beijing
Obama's airplane
departing California
to old Peking
Olympic pin trading in Beijing
soon departing
some secrets revealed about the opening ceremony
80+ Heads of State to Attend the Opening Ceremony
VIP treatment in Beijing
Beijing has blue skies almost daily!
► July (17)
BEIJING OLYMPIC NEWS!
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