At Long Last...Bobsledding!

This March, I did something I've always wanted to do. I took a ride on a bobsled.

Affinity for Bobsledding
Ever since I first saw this sport on TV during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, I have been fascinated. The speed, the athletic ability needed to get the sled going, the bullet-like look of the sled, international competition...everything. Very cool.


A Team USA bobsled rumbles down the track

But, no mater how interesting I thought it was, where the heck is someone ever going to ride one? Certainly back in the 1980s, there was only one track in the entire North American continent - in Lake Placid. By 1988 Calgary had one when it hosted the Winter Olympics that year. So, I'm just saying, zero chance to experience the sport living in Seattle.

So, over the years I'd make a point to view the bobsled competition each Winter Olympics. Usually, it's dominated by European nations such as Germany (and in the old days the East Germany), Switzerland, Austria, Italy and similar. Until very recently, the only U.S. success was way, way back in the early history of the sport. None the less, I always thought there was something compelling about the competition...and of course always a team to root for in the USA.

And then there was the 1993 movie, Cool Runnings that told a Hollywood-ized version of the real life formation of the Jamaican bobsled team - which, by the way, while obviously ironic given the tropical climate of Jamaica, is not all that absurd given the spectacular athletes they have in that nation.

In 2002, Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympics and another bobsled track was added to North America. And then in 2010 Whistler, BC hosted the Winter Olympics...building by all accounts the fastest bobsled/luge/skeleton tracks in the world.

Booking a Ride
Even though Whistler is about a five hour drive from Seattle, it never occurred to me that whoever ran that facility would have public rides available.

Then, this year we planned a ski weekend up at Whistler with some friends. For whatever reason, I decided to look into whether or not the bobsled run there had any public access. Lo and behold, yes...yes they did! For a price, you can book a spot on one of their public ride sessions. I knew I was in, but checked with my wife and the other couple we were to be at Whistler with to see if they wanted to do this too - and they did.

I booked us spots and looked forward to checking this sport out first hand after so long.

Our Bobsled Experience

We arrived at the designated time at the Whistler Sliding Center, which sits on the hillside above the Fairmont Hotel at Blackcomb, but not right at the track. There, we checked in, received a briefing on what to expect and got our helmets. The assembled group was pretty big. Since the sled can only hold three people + the driver, the groups were broken up to accommodate. Of course, our group was four people. That meant that one of us had to go alone with another two people. The Sliding Center team had already made that person me, so we just stuck with that. Diane and our fiends Kristi and Chris would be a group, and I'd go with another couple who were there own group of two. Not idea, but OK whatever.

The Whistler team drove groups up to the track where we stood at the start line.

Ready to bobsled!

Now, we were not starting at the very top start line, but rather about a third of the way down from there. They never said why this was, but it probably has to do with avoiding extremely high speeds and G-forces that any sled - filled with pros or novices - would generate if starting all the way at the top.

We also for the first time saw the sled we'd be going down the track in. The staff said that this version was "the luxury" model compared to competition sleds because it had higher sides, padded seats and cords to hang onto inside. In competitions, you would have lower sides so it'd be easier to jump in after pushing the sled to its start, you would not have seats and you would not have anything like chords to hold onto.

The sled we rode

My group's time came up and we got in. The other two people in my sled were a couple from Australia. The guy was quite tall...6ft 6 maybe and in good shape...and his girlfriend small. I'm 6f 2 and (I believe) in good shape. Anyway, he joked that with me and him in the sled we were bound to have the fastest time.

With this "public" sledding, you don't push the bobsled yourself and jump in. Back at the check in center, the lady there said that the reason they don't do that with us is that she could "guarantee that not all of us would get in the sled." I am 100% sure she was correct. So, instead, we took our seats one in front of the other and all behind our driver. With the construction of the first class track for the Olympics, Whistler has become a haven for bobsled teams - new, old, training or otherwise. So, there is no shortage of drivers willing to take some tourists down the track for a little extra dough.

In the sled with my new Australian friends. No driver yet.

Sitting at a standstill, the track manager gave us last minute instructions on how to ride. Among the things he said was to grip onto the chords on the inside of the sled walls for balance and to push out with our arms against the inside of the sled. Both these actions help cement your spot in the sled as it jolts down the track. He also said that while competitive bobsled teams all duck down behind the driver for maximum aerodynamics, he encouraged us to keep our heads up and look around as we went down.

And that was that. Next thing you know, the driver jumped in, the track staff slapped down the visors on our helmets and shoved us off down the track.

Push start from the crew

So what was it like? Wow. I'll just say wow. The push got us going, but not too fast. This changed quickly. The sled picked up speed and as it entered the first turn it rode up just a bit on the curved wall. From there, the sled just seemed to accelerate. All of a sudden we were absolutely ROCKETING down the track. The white walls blurred by, the roaring sound of the fiberglass and metal bullet announced our presence and I was loving it. Again, wow!

Inside the sled, you move around a little bit...kind of a shaking, but not too bad in my opinion. As for what you can see, well, moving your head around a lot is not too advised because of the speed and G-forces. You don't want to hurt yourself. I kept my head as still as possible and looked around just with my eyes. Mostly what you see is the track in front of you. It was fun to see us climb the curving walls in the turns and see how straight the driver could keep the sled in the flat straights. Right at the end of the run, the sled hit the biggest turn. This meant we were at max speed hitting the longest turn...and that generates the most G-forces on the body. From there, we straightened out and hit the finish line and then the inclined section that naturally slowed the sled to a stop in the finish area.

Coming into the finish

All of this was exhilarating and a bit scary...exactly what I thought it would be like. The sensation of speed was unlike anything I'd experienced before. And the whole thing was over in about 40 seconds. Which, as it turned out, was the fastest time of the session at that point. The Australian was right.

As I stepped out of the sled, my two thoughts were: this was AWESOME and I WANT TO GO AGAIN RIGHT NOW! But, that was not to be. The whole experience you pay for only gets you one ride down the track. Want to do more? Come back for the next public session with your wallet or get involved in the sport. Neither are options for me. So, I reluctantly stepped out and onto the platform.

Next, I waited for Diane's sled to hit the track. Standing down at the finish, you could hear the track staff announce that the next sled was on the track. Very soon, you could hear the sled coming down the track and then it flashed by in one of the turns visible at the finish...and soon enough, Diane and our friends were arriving at the finish.

And with that, we were done. They unloaded from their sled, we chatted up one of the drivers for a few minutes and then it was back in the bus and back to the Siding Center where we returned our helmets and said goodbye to the staff. We made an immediate bee-line for Creekbread Pizza for dinner and to relive our runs.

All told, I am very pleased with our bobsled experience. If you get a chance, you should do this too. It really was as fun as I thought it would be and I was at long last able to fulfill one of my long term ambitions. Next time I watch the Olympics bobsled competition, I'll have just a bit more appreciation of what's going on and how it feels to be screaming down the track in one of those machines.



NOTE: All pictures in this post except the Team USA sled were taken by Marc Osborn. Pictures taken by Marc Osborn are not permitted for any use without prior written permission from him.

British Rock and Roll

OK, so we all know the 2012 Summer Olympics are being held in London.

And, if any of you watched the opening ceremonies last Friday, you know that there was a major section of the show dedicated to the famous and influential rock and roll music to have come from the UK.

That got me thinking that it is absolutely ASTOUNDING how many quality rock performers or bands have come from the UK. Sure, some cats down south here in the USA invented "rock and roll" out of combinations of blues, jazz, hillbilly country...but you gotta give it to the Brits for matching that invention with a major, major dose of quality follow up.

And yes, we all know about Beatles, Stones, Who, Kinks, the Floyd, the Zeppelin, Bowie, Queen, Clapton, Pistols, Clash, Dire Straights, Smiths, Blur, Radiohead, Oasis, Coldplay, Adele, Amy Winehouse...and lots and lots more super well known UK bands.

But, the whole opening ceremonies also got me thinking that in an age when we here in the U.S. basically don't give crap one about rock music any more...in deference to rap, hip hop, dance, American Idol balladry, sugary country and all things produced and copied from someone else...how some of the best "from the streets" rock has always been and is still coming from the good old UK.

With that in mind, here are some perhaps lesser known British bands that are well worth checking out if you are interested in, you know, some actual rock and roll with spirit. I've grouped them into two divisions - new/newish from the 2000s and vintage from whenever in the past.

New or Newish (2000 or later)

• Libertines - the band that put rebellion back into British rock
• Arctic Monkeys - the band that picked up the mantle of the Libertines and stayed together
• Snow Patrol - heart felt, melodic rock
• Sound of Guns - like Snow Patrol, but with 15% more rock and roll
• Bloc Party - arty, angular, thought provoking techno rock
• British Sea Power - interesting, rough, arty rock
• Glasvegas - epic, emotional, melodic, interesting
• The Enemy - socially conscious, guitar rock
• The Hours - spawn of Joe Strummer 
• The Joy Formidable - strong, female lead vocal, Nirvana influence rock from Wales
• Sharks - like seal barking over traffic noise...but in a good way
• The Vaccines - catchy, fun

Vintage
Some of these bands are still active and putting out music, some not. But...in any case, the started well before 2000...

• Big Audio Dynamite - Mick Jones 80s dance rock band after the Clash
• Stone Roses - Madchester and late 80s "baggy" culture at its zenith 
• Public Image Limited - Johnny Rotten's band after the Pistols, very strange, arty and influential stuff
• The Good, the Bad & the Queen - Damon Albarn from Blur, Paul Simonon from the Clash and a few others...mellow, melodic, thought provoking
• The English Beat - ska, skanking goodnesss
• The Jam - late 70s, early 80s British "mod" rock
• Manic Street Preachers - epic rock and roll
• Placebo - a band with it's own sound
• The Jesus & Mary Chain - influential Scottish band
• The La's - eccentric acoustic sound. You know their song "There She Goes" already
• Ned's Atomic Dustbin - you know, just check it out. Get their debut Godfodder
• Joy Division AND New Order - two bands, but essentially the same lineup of musicians
• Primal Scream - the Stones meet the Stone Roses meet dance meets the MC5
• The Professionals - post Pistols band from Steve Jones and Paul Cook
• Stereophonics - Wales rock worth checking out
• The 101ers - Joe Strummer's band before he joined the Clash

Shanghai Takes The Stage - Expo 2010

The big "world's fair" called Expo 2010 kicks off in Shanghai, China on Saturday, May 1.

Diane and I visited the city as part of our trip to China in the spring of 2008 and were blown away in many ways.

Whether it was the historic old quarter that is quickly disappearing, the modern new Pudong section, the colonial British Bund or tree lined French Concession, the pollution, the super fast maglev train, the hustle and bustle or the food...Shanghai really delivered a major impression. If Beijing serves as "the Washington, DC" of China, Shanghai is clearly "the New York" of the country.

At any rate, the Expo starts this weekend, and I've heard it reported that 95 percent of all attendees will be Chinese. While world's fairs seemed to have lost their world appeal in about 1962, there is still something about this one that is interesting. Perhaps its just the spectacle of it all and "the next big thing" China is doing to establish itself on the world stage following the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Shanghai is full of visual treats, and I'm sure all the visitors will get an eyeful not only from the splashy national pavilions, but also the normal city itself.

For those interested in a glimpse of Shanghai, below are four pictures I took when we were there, but you can see some more I captured by clicking HERE. More pictures of other parts of China that I took are HERE, HERE and HERE.

Additionally, because the pollution in Shanghai is so prevalent, I wrote a few thoughts about that upon returning from our trip. You can read those entries HERE and HERE.

Photos: View through the pollution of Pudong from the Bund, one of the remaining alleyways in Old Shanghai, the grandeur of The Bund at night and a psychedelic experience inside The Shanghai Tourist Tunnel underneath the Huangpu river.

Canada Wins Hockey Gold - And It's Easy To See Why

This is what I get for being a "sports pessimist."

Below is post that I wrote just as the third period of the gold medal men's hockey game started. So convinced was I that Canada would win, that I got a jump start on re-capping the game from my own little non-hockey watching perspective.

I know Canada still went on to win anyway, but none the less...for all my observations on why Team USA had lost - or was going to lose...they managed to pull out a goal with only a few seconds left in regulation to move the game in to overtime. Unexpected to say the least and a great way to finish up the game.

Despite the unanticipated excitement at the end of the game, I think most of my observations are still valid - it's just that Team USA made it much, much more interesting...

Congratulations to Team Canada for a well deserved and nicely won gold medal in the Olympics hockey competition.

I watched the game today hoping for a USA victory, but in all honesty knowing that it would be extremely difficult to do vs. a very, very good Canadian team in the tournament final. Sure, USA beat them early on, but that's not the same as the gold medal game.

As I've mentioned before, I'm not a normal hockey watcher, so I don't know enough to say what it was that either team did well or poorly all game long that resulted in the final score. But, I do know a couple things that were clear as day to me in watching the action - things that led directly to the outcome:

• Turnovers in front of the goal killed Team USA. They turned the puck over many times directly in front of their own goal. This resulted in scores for Canada. For you football fans, this would be like your offense fumbling the ball away to the opponent right down there on your own goal line. It was pretty simple to see that USA did this all too often, and not at all surprising that a team with as many good players as Canada would capitalize with goals. (POST-GAME NOTE: This is how Canada also scored their final and winning goal in OT.)

• An inability for Team USA to control the puck in their offensive end. Just a lot of missed passes, flubbed shots and inability to really control the puck. You'd like to say that Canada's defense was just so good that it forced this, but I have to say it just looked like poor play from the USA.

• Extremely poor power play from the USA. When you have a man advantage, you have a great chance to score. Team USA couldn't even keep it in the offensive zone during their power plays, so they naturally did not score any power play goals. Too bad because they had their chances.

• Finally, I would say that Team Canada just played an overall better game. They were just a little more on the money with their passes, defense and penalty killing. And that's what it's easy to say..."congratulations Canada, you deserve the gold. Well done!"

Team USA wins the silver, only the fourth medal it's ever won in men's Winter Olympics ice hockey and that ain't bad.

With the Olympics over, I'm now looking forward to the start of the Seattle Sounders soccer season in March and the World Cup in June.

How About USA Hockey, Eh?

Hey hose heads, USA men's hockey just beat the Canadians 5-3 in the Winter Olympics! And, they did so looking good in "throwback" 1960 style uniforms. This was a big win and completes a 3-0 record for the first round of the tournament. Nice!

I do not watch hockey much, but I really like checking out the Olympics version with nation vs. nation. In the old days, the USA and all other nations not named the USSR fielded teams of amatures...no NHL or pro players allowed. And, predictably, the USA didn't do so well - only winning gold in 1960 and 1980. The USSR fielded teams of "amature" players from their military whose duty just happened to be playing hockey 365 days a year. Guess who won a lot of Olympic medals in the 60s, 70s, and 80s? But, that's all changed in the 1990s as since then pros are allowed to participate.

Anyway, regardless of era, when Canadians are living and dying for the pseudo sport of curling, they are living and dying for the very real sport of ice hockey. And, over the decades they have won a bunch of Olympic medals in the sport, although they suffered from the same "armatures only" rules for a long time too.

Since pro players have been allowed to play in the Olympics, countries like the USA, Canada, Sweden and others have suddenly become big time competitors for the three medals on offer every four years.

Therefore - these days - the USA vs. Canada is one of the best match ups you could possibly think of for an Olympic hockey game. This proved to be the case Sunday night. Featuring a lot of back and forth action, great passing, many shots on goal (mostly by Canada), and many great saves by both goalies...the Americans jumped out to an early lead and persevered to never fell behind. Canada tied it up a couple times, but that was not enough to do the trick.

I viewed the game with an novice fan's eye. But, having watched enough team sports of other varieties over the years, I can tell you that regardless of the sport that penalties (or for you b-ball fans, fouls) and turnovers will absolutely KILL you. On Sunday, despite a very aggressive and impressive effort, team Canada committed too many turnovers and penalties to win against a good USA team.

To wit, the US took advantage of Canadian turnovers twice to score goals, netted a power play goal following a Canadian penalty and then slipped in a goal late when the Canadians pulled their goalie in favor of an extra attacker. And then, the USA played inspired defense against big time offense from Canada. I think the shots on goal were something like 25 to 10 or something, but the Americans held them off. In particular, the Canadians put on a fast, furious and desperate barrage of shots on goal in the last five minutes of the game that the USA somehow, some way stopped.

So, a BIG win for Team USA.

However, I wonder. Have they just had their moment in the hockey sun? Is it all down hill from here? Or, will they use the win as a springboard into the medal round with a short at Gold or Silver? We shall see. Beating Canada is a good sign, and along with the other two wins the team has earned in first round play they will now not need to play an extra game for the next round. Things are looking good for now.

I know this though. I saw a great hockey game tonight, and I will be watching team USA until they are eliminated.

Until then...take off eh, team USA is on a roll!

My Top 10 Viewed Pictures + Observations

Now that we're in Q4 of 2009, here's an update on the most viewed pictures on my Flickr Photostream and some observations on what might be driving the traffic to these pictures.

Before getting started, you can click on the above link to see my full Photostream or you can click here to see the Top 10 set...or click here to access all my photo sets.

OK, first up, the Top 10...

• Overtaking the #1 position as most looked at is my picture Close Up of the Taj Mahal Detail with 410 views.





• 
  
• The #2 most viewed is the Beijing "Birds Nest" Olympic stadium. Another very similar picture I took of the stadium clocks in at #10. If combined, views of these pictures would make the Bird's Nest the #1 viewed picture.


• #3 and #8 are pictures of participants from the 2009 Seattle Gay Pride parade. Below is the one that came in at #3.

#4 is a picture of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown that I took in Charleston, SC.

• #5, #6 and #9 are pictures of places in Ho Chi Mihn City - the modern skyline, the former Republic of Vietnam presidential residence and US military vehicles.


• #7 is a picture of a "Don't Tread on Me" flag I took in Charleston, SC.

Here are a few observations about the top 10...

• Although it's only been on my Photostream since May, the picture I took of a "Don't Tread On Me" flag in Charleston, SC has shot up and into 7th place with 261 views. While I'm sure there are any number of reasons for this, one that I'm pondering is that this iconic Revolutionary War symbol and saying have been adopted by right wing "tea-baggers" as part of their real?/fake?/ignorant? protest against all things Obama and all things to the left of Glenn Beck. Hence, perhaps there are people out online looking for examples of this symbol.

• Six of my top ten most viewed pictures are from Asia - specifically Vietnam, China and India. So, people are interested in that area of the world it would seem.

• Two of the top ten are from a set of shots I took at the 2009 Seattle Gay Pride Parade. Diane and I went to the parade, I took pictures and posted them later that day. Well, over the next 48 hours I got thousands of views - in fact, my #1 most views in one day occurred as a result of that set with 2,954 views on one single day. The fact that two of these made the overall top ten is just a testament to how many people viewed the pictures.

• The fact that the the Bird's Nest stadium is still clocking in at #2 and #10 on this list a year after the 2008 Games concluded certainly speaks to how popular the Beijing Olympics were and how many people wanted to see a picture of this magnificent structure.

OK, that's it for now. I'll be back right at the end of December to report on a full year 2009 Top 10 Most Viewed list and observations associated with them.

Is beach volleyball the most popular sport in the world?

OK, so the Olympic Games in Beijing, China are about half over. See my China preview here.

The two major conclusions I have come to from tuning in to GE TV (NBC) so far are:

• Michael Phelps is an unbelievable Olympic athlete the likes of which we won't see again in a long time if ever
  
• Beach volleyball must be the most important, popular and entertaining sport in the entire world

On this second point, how else can you explain that every time you turn on a broadcast of the Games day or night huge chunks of time are filled up showing beach volleyball matches like Austria vs. Latvia, Australia vs. China and...most often of all, oh how painfully often...the US women's team vs. anybody?

Is it really just as simple as NBC feels that the American masses want to see scantily clad men and women (especially scantily clad women) athletes bouncing around on the sand? Or, similarly, do they KNOW that's what Americans want to watch and can charge the highest advertising rates for adverts during that coverage?

Hey, I think volleyball is a cool sport, and clearly the athletes involved in beach volleyball deserve all the credit for doing so well. But come on. Instead of the incessant beach volleyball coverage, lets see some other stuff - ping pong, shooting, more track and field, diving, soccer, regular volleyball, water polo, etc.

In the end, it's a shame that NBC feel coverage needs to be calibrated to continually meet the most base instincts of humanity (sex) rather than the higher minded beliefs (competition) that the Olympics are supposed to be about.

Olympics Primer on China

The China Reports

The Olympic Games in Beijing, China have kicked off and are now in full swing.

To help others get in the mood and find out more about the host country, I've brought together all my recent posts on China here in one spot for those of you who might want an alternate view of China than what you're going to get from NBC.

Having just visited extensively in China this past May, these first-hand reports, photos and observations are an assessment of what my wife Diane and I saw, experienced and thought about while touring the country. So, settle in, click on the headlines to read more, look at pictures, and learn from...

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***THE CHINA REPORTS***

China Report #1 - The Forbidden City
Entryway to the Past is Also a Connection to Today's China

China Report #2 - Mt. Hua Shan
Hike on Sacred Mountain Becomes Script for Cheap Hollywood Horror Flick

China Report #3 - Terracotta Warriors
History's Army Raises Questions About Today's Government

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China Photo Feature
Check Out My Photos from China this May at Flickr - See "Sets" on Right Side of the Flickr
The Seattle Times Runs One of My Pictures
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China Report #4 - The Great Wall
Two Hikes On Unrestored Sections Offer More Adventure Than the Tourist Zone

China Report #5 - Xi'an
The Largest, Most Important City You've Never Heard Of

China Report #6 - Shanghai
China's New York City

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Pollution & Sports Extra
What You Can't See in Shanghai Is What You Can See at Wall Mart and On Wall Street
Is Pollution An Olympic Sport?
The Algae Olympics
Pollution Threatens Olympic Games
All-Oregon 800K team for USA in Olympics
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Pollution Threatens Olympic Games

My buddy Marcus forwarded me this story today from the New York Times regarding pollution in Beijing and it's potential impact on the Olympic Games coming up in less than two weeks.

As bad as the the pollution is there, and as much of a sports fan as I am, a part of me hopes that horrible, horrible smog inundates Beijing during the Games so that the world sees the problem for what it really is...and maybe does something about it.

All Oregon 800 meter team for Beijing Olympics

Just a note to let anyone who cares that athletes from the state of Oregon swept the top three spots in the finals of the men's 800 meter US Olympic team finals yesterday. The track and field finals for the US team are being held at legendary Hayward Field in Track Town, USA...aka Eugene, OR this week.

As a grad of the University of Oregon in Eugene, I was extremely pleased that three Eugene based runners finished 1-2-3 to secure spots on the team for Beijing:

• First place finisher was Willamete University grad Nick Symmonds.


• Second place finisher was Andrew Wheating, current University of Oregon (go Ducks!) sophomore.


• Third place finisher was Christian Smith who dived across the finish line to nab third place and a spot on the team.

So, later this summer when you're watching the Olympics, you'll know that the entire US team for that event is from the good old Northwest.

Thought you should know.

NOTE: The picture in this post was NOT taken by me.

Algae Olympics

Well, GE TV (aka NBC) did a story today on the massive amounts of green algae that has recently collected in the Chinese bay where the upcoming Olympic games sailing events are going to take place.

NBC reported that there was a problem and even showed the thick green goop that fills a large portion of the bay, but as predicted they talked about how the Chinese were going all out to fix the problem...and talked to sailing contenders who said they were going to possibly have to plan to sail through the stuff. So, how to overcome.

Also as predicted there was one passing comment in the last 15 seconds of the story that said that perhaps, maybe the problem was caused by chemical dumping into the water, but that Chinese officials denied that this was the cause - blaming it on warm water temperatures.

I would have liked to seen a reporter with balls go check out what was beind dumped into the water and by whom.

Not an easy or safe task given the government there, but hey...aren't our media supposed to be seeking the truth? Not just parroting the government line - not to mention the Chinese government line?

NOTE: The pictures in this post were NOT taken by me.

Is Pollution an Olympic Sport?

Or, how will the media cover the pollution during the Beijing Olympics?

China is polluted. If pumping smog into the air was an Olympic event, China would be the hands down gold medal champion...by a long shot. They do it faster, with more volume over a sustained period of time than any nation on earth. With the Beijing Olympics coming up this summer, they have the addition of home court advantage.

Seriously, China produces enough smog to block out the mid-day sun. I was just there last month and at mid-day you could see maybe a mile with skyscrapers disappearing into a haze that looked like fog but wasn't. Beijing was one of the worst cities for this...trumped only by Shanghai.

That got me and some of my fellow China travelers wondering how the international media will cover that angle of Beijing during the games. Will they cover it like glamour events such as basketball, gymnastics and track? Or, will they minimize coverage like they do with sports like shooting, kayaking and badminton?

Clearly, the massive air pollution has the potential to inhibit performance for outdoor events. If this occurs, the Beijing Olympics will not be remembered as the big coming out party for China, but the "smog Olympics" with times/finishes including an asterisk.

The government is trying to minimize the Beijing pollution by shutting down factories in the lead up to the games, reducing car traffic and other measures. We even met a Westerner while hiking on the Great Wall who said he was in China to help them "seed" the clouds right before the games so it will rain and clear out the air. Good luck.

OK, the US media. NBC is the broadcaster of the Olympics for the U.S. They, like other mainstream media, are prone to puffery and letting the bigger story slide by without much comment in favor of sensation, celebrity or a good sex scandal. So, not much confidence they'll be seriously looking into how the smog may be impacting the games or the greater world.

But, here's the other thing. NBC is owned by GE. GE is one of the world's biggest manufacturers with big time operations in China. A polluter for profit. Guess who is also a major sponsor of the Beijing Olympics? You guessed it. GE. In fact, you can see their logo everywhere in public places associated with the games - starting when you arrive in China with placements in all Olympic advertisements in the huge new Beijing international airport.

GE will not be interested in anything other than a perceived spectacular success to these games. That includes minimal negative talk about anything - including pollution. Happy talk, happy talk.

So, predictions for NBC (sports and news) coverage of pollution in Beijing:
1) They barely touch it
2) When they do, they acknowledge "that the Chinese recognize that its a problem" but they are working on cleaning things up - queue the set piece on what the government has done to clear the air for the games
3) You won't hear about it again once the games are over

The only deviation from this I think will be if there is a major epidemic of poor performances or celebrity athletes pull out of competition...and even then, the games will go on and someone will win. You know, "overcoming the odds" of the pollution to win that gold medal.

I also predict that the foreign media - UK, Canada, France, Germany - will likely do more critical reporting on the pollution and how it is effecting the games and the world. But, we here in the US will not see that coverage - essentially, unless you go out of your way to look for it online. Something most people don't do.

So, in the end, I think the US media will report on pollution in Beijing like they will women's field hockey. They won't do it in any meaningful way.

If it comes to pass like this, it'll be a shame because China is the Olympic champion polluter and the games should be an opportunity to point that out...not to mention connecting the dots back to the US by talking about how a lot of the pollution there is generated by US companies making products that US citizens buy for cheap at Wal-Mart and similar stores.

We'll see. I hope I'm wrong.