End of Olympics Assessment

I know I eschewed my duty to you, my loyal readers, by not commenting in the middle of the Olympics, but there was nothing to comment on. I do have a little tidbit though: CHINA won the Olympics, not the US. All US news stations say that US has more medals, but that doesn't matter. Normally, there are only two people who contend for the gold, and some random American gets bronze. That's why US has so many medals. China has far more GOLDS than the US.

Publicity: F
If Chinese gymnasts are actually underage or not, the Chinese will remain tainted due to this.

World Records: A+
Obviously..... Usain Bolt? .... Michael Phelps?

Everything Else (Closing Ceremony, etc. ): B
The closing ceremony was spectacular but the air wasn't as clean as it should have been. Computer generated fireworks? Big whoop. Everyone cheats these days, Barry Bonds......yeah....

Smog or no Smog?

Was there actually smog on Saturday in Beijing, after the huge effort of the Chinese government to make Beijing cleaner? The "smog" in the air was only a combination of clouds and smog, with clouds prevalent. Had there have been more smog than clouds, an aerial view looking down on Beijing would show all of that. However, during a biking race, when aerial views were shown, there was no haziness looking down. Therefore, we can conclude that there was little smog early on. However, the enormous fireworks display probably offset all the hard work that the government did, because fireworks release inordinate amounts of smore into the air.

Beijing Olympics, Already A Success?

Are the Beijing Olympics really that polluted. With blue skies and little smog, is it possible that one of the most polluted cities in the world may turn out out the "greenest" Olympics on record. I will grade the Olympics, once before, once durng, and once after.
Grading:
China has to get an A+ for effort, spending more than $40 billion and having hundreds of thousands of security personnel and volunteers The government also claims to have planted 1 million trees.

Facilities: A
The Bird's Nest, the jewel in the crown of the Olympics, could be one of the most extravagant and beautiful Olympic stadiums ever built. Along with countless stadium renovations, the Chinese have put a lot of money and effort into the facilities.

Publicity: D
This is what makes China look bad. The riots in Tibet, atheletes threatening to boycott, and strict laws have made China look like the bully. Through all this, they were still able to gain sympathy for the recent earthquake in the Sichuan province.

Long Break, But I'm Back

Sorry, folks, for the long break in my posting, but now I'm back for good. First, I would like to explain my support for the Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal and Nuclear Power in general. Many "green" people feel that nuclear power is unsafe and hazardous, due to the possibility of a meltdown. Although the people's worries are tangible, nuclear power is a very big step up from fossil fuels. Generating such power sends far less pollutants into the air, and generates much more power. Until solar, wind, and hydroelectric power become more efficient, nuclear power is the way to go.