Premature Congratulations

Not only does China cheat, they lie. What's worse is they keep getting caught at both.

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Liar Liar Tights On Fire

It looks like the Chinese government has done a poor job of hiding the fact that some of their ChiComBots aren't old enough to compete in the Olympics:

A determined U.S. computer expert has delved into cached pages on the Internet to unearth Chinese official documents showing a gymnast who took gold in the uneven bars competition, edging the U.S.'s Nastia Liukin, may indeed be underage. [...]

First he simply tried Google, only to find that an official listing by the Chinese sports administration that had given her age could no longer be accessed. Then he tried the Google cache, only to find that He’s name had been removed.

Finally, he tried the cache of Chinese search engine Baidu. There, he found that Baidu lists two spreadsheets in He's name, both giving her date of birth as January 1, 1994 — making her 14 years and 220 days old and too young to compete at the Beijing games.

Dictators should take note: the internet makes it quite difficult to rewrite history, even for the "good of the state."

The IOC meanwhile is too busy criticizing real winners to do anything about the cheaters:

OC president Jacques Rogge criticized Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt on Thursday for showing a lack of respect to other competitors after his record-breaking gold medal performances in the 100 and 200 meters. [...]

Having built a huge lead in Saturday's 100 final, Bolt slowed, glanced around with arms outstretched and pounded his chest before crossing the finish line in a world record time of 9.69 seconds. [...]

Bolt, who turned 22 on Thursday, stormed to another one-sided victory Wednesday night in the 200, breaking Michael Johnson's 12-year-old record of 19.32 seconds and lowering the mark to 19.30.

Bolt made little effort to congratulate the other runners as he wrapped himself in a Jamaican flag and set off on a solo victory lap. Swaying to the reggae music on the stadium loudspeakers, he walked barefoot around the track, putting his face inches from a TV camera, raising an index finger and yelling, "I am No. 1! I am No. 1!"

"That's not the way we perceive being a champion," Rogge said. Yeah, well fuck you Jacques.

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Don't Let The Enhanced Fireworks Fool You...

Remember who's hosting the Olympics: Chinese Officials Seize Bibles from American Christians

Chinese customs officials confiscated more than 300 Bibles on Sunday from four American Christians who arrived in a southwestern city with plans to distribute them, the group's leader said.

The Bibles were taken from the group's checked luggage after they landed at the airport in the city of Kunming, said Pat Klein, head of Vision Beyond Borders. The group, based in Sheridan, Wyoming, distributes Bibles and Christian teaching materials around the world to "strengthen the persecuted church," according to its Web site.

The group arrived in China on Sunday and had intended to distribute the Bibles to people in the city, Klein told the AP in a telephone interview while still at the airport.

"I heard that there's freedom of religion in China, so why is there a problem for us to bring Bibles?" Klein said. "We had over 300 copies and customs took all of them from us." [...]

China faces routine criticism for its human rights violations and its repression of religious freedom. Religious practice is heavily regulated by the Communist Party, with worship allowed only in party-controlled churches, temples and mosques, while those gathering outside face harassment, arrest and terms in labor camps or prison.

A Chinese Christian activist was detained Aug. 10, the opening weekend of the Olympics, on his way to a church service attended by U.S. President George W. Bush in Beijing. A rights group said later that the activist, Hua Huiqi, a leader of the unofficial Protestant church in Beijing, had escaped from police and was in hiding.

China's a totalitarian state... nothing more, nothing less.

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Cheating China

Cheaters
Liars
Phonies

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It Might Be A Long Two Weeks

Relatives of U.S. Men's Volleyball Coach Stabbed In Beijing, 1 Dead

A knife-wielding Chinese man attacked two relatives of a coach for the U.S. Olympic men's volleyball team at a tourist site in Beijing, killing one and injuring the other on the first day of the Olympics on Saturday, team officials and state media said.

The man then committed suicide by throwing himself from the second story of the site, the 13th century Drum Tower just five miles from the main Olympics site.

The brutal attack shortly after midday was all the more shocking because of the rarity of violent crime against foreigners in tightly controlled China, which has ramped up security measures even more for the Olympics.

Given the threats, one of course has to suspect Muslim militants. It'll be interesting to see how China responds.

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The President Shouldn't Go To The Olympics

IOC Agrees To Internet Blocking At The Games

The Chinese government confirmed Wednesday what journalists arriving at the lavishly outfitted media center here had suspected: Contrary to previous assurances by Olympic and government officials, the Internet would be censored during the upcoming games. [...]

On Wednesday - two weeks after its most recent proclamation of an uncensored Internet during the Summer Games - the International Olympic Committee quietly agreed to some of the limitations, according to Kevan Gosper, chairman of the IOC press commission, Reuters reported.

No surprises here. Lord knows the IOC doesn't haven't the balls to stand up to them, but one could have hoped the United States would at least mention the active censorship and lack of freedom in China. I've never been in favor a full boycott of the 2008 Games, however I have always been of the opinion that we should only send low level representatives to the Beijing. Having the President of the United States, or the leader of any nation in the free world, at the games sends a message to China that their conduct is acceptable. Mr. President, stay home.

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Tensions Over Olympics In Bejing Still Ratcheting Up

Athletes Who Take Tibet Stand "Face Olympic Cut"

Athletes who display Tibetan flags at Olympic venues — including in their own rooms — could be expelled from this summer’s Games in Beijing under anti-propaganda rules.

Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said that competitors were free to express their political views but faced sanctions if they indulged in propaganda.

He accompanied those comments with an admission that the Games were in “crisis” after pro-Tibet protests engulfed the Olympic torch relay.

Mr Rogge’s call for Beijing to abide by its promise to address human rights was given short shrift by Beijing, which bluntly told him to keep politics out of the Games.

The Red Chinese and the IOC using similar tactics. It looks like authoritarian birds of a feather will flock together. I've lived in an Olympic city and let me tell you, the IOC is nothing but a bunch of bastards. This Olympiad is going to be a complete cluster-fuck. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present this year.

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China, Olympics, Tibet

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, yesterday became the first world leader to decide not to attend the Olympics in Beijing.

Perhaps this is the right way to handle China and the Olympics. A little carrot, a little stick. They get the Olympics, but no major leaders attend. Instead of Presidents, Chancellors, and Prime Ministers, send lower level officials. No full out boycott, but a little nudge to say: You're doing some good things, but there's still room for improvement.

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Hiding Behind Words

Something is making me gag, and it's not the air pollution in Beijing. Have you heard the latest buzz words that the communist dictators of China are hiding behind? Olympic Spirit; get used to it, it's all you're going to hear between now and the close of the games.

"Linking the Darfur issue to the Olympic Games will not help to resolve this issue and is not in line with the Olympic Spirit that separates sports from politics," BOCOG said.

China is on the defensive against critics using the Games to spotlight the communist regime's curbs on human rights, press freedoms, and religion.

"It is understandable if some people do not understand the Chinese government policy on Darfur," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said. "But I am afraid that some people may have ulterior motives, and this we cannot accept."

Now, I don't necessarily expect the Chinese to solve the crisis in Darfur on their own. After all the United States has been woefully absent on the issue as well. But everyone, including Beijing, could put a lot more pressure on the Islamic government in Khartoum. For me it's more a matter of the barbaric offenses against human rights in the People's Republic. The Olympics should be above politics, okay I can accept that; but above human rights? No.

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China Watch

I feel strange when I agree with Guardian, but they're right on target in their editorial China and its chums.

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Birds of a feather...

Zimbabwe and China are cozy bedfellows. Well, what do you expect? Dictatorships are as dictatorships do.

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