Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Look ma, the optional tummy paddle let’s me drive around hands-free! Photo of “Anti-Terror Assault Vehicles” via knife tricks
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
Reports of the rise in China’s cheerleading prowess have been circulating for a while, but now it’s official - Western-style cheerleading is coming to the Beijing Olympics. No, not as a medal sport itself, despite the efforts of Beijing’s hardworking ”Olympic Sport Demonstration Cheerleading Volunteer Performance Demonstration Team.” But just as leaders of cheers, continuing the recent trend.
For example, check out this scene from 2004, when cheerleaders in Salt Lake City had a decidedly non-NCAA, “pro” look. (Oops, too many of you clicked over and wore out that link, try this instead) And in 2006, spectators in Turin, Italy saw moonbooted cheerleaders who looked like this.
Now, last year, people thought the 2008 Olympic cheerleaders would appear like this, or like these athletes in Beijing from a recent photo:
From Micah Sittig’s Flickrstream
However, it now appears that BOCOG has selected uniforms like this for the 585 cheerleaders. That’s right, they’re in blue jeans. But hey, do you notice somebody in the background, behind the “lion-like character” Dongdong?
Isn’t that Jin Jing, everybody’s favorite torchbearing “angel in a wheelchair”? The very same Jin Jing who followed orders from the Sacred Flame Protection Squad to not give away her torch to anybody, and the very same sentinent adult who claims she never heard of the Tibet independence movement until participating in the torch relay? Signs point to yes.
And hey, speaking of torchbearers in wheelchairs, what about this guy, Andrew Michael, from this bit: Chinese Paramilitary Police Operating on the Streets of San Francisco. Shouldn’t he be famous too?
His actions on the streets of San Francisco are something to think about when you’re rah-rahing next month.
Just saying.
Normally, teens never sit around on sidewalks in the Haight, but today was special so these kids made themselves right at home on Ashbury Street.
The favorite flavor of the thousands of patrons? That would have to be Cake Batter, one of the best ever. And almost definitely salmonella-free.
Check the video of Ben and Jerry’s recent visit to the Bay Area. Why not?
Happy 30th birfday, B&J!
It’s on. Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream is having it’s 30th annual Free Cone Day on Tuesday, April 29, 2008.
Founders Ben and Jerry were most recently in the local news for launching an Olympic protest during our recent torch relay. (You hear that Coke? You don’t need to sponsor every Olympiad that comes down the pike.)
Anyway, there’ll be five places in San Francisco for you to get your cone on. Click onward to see the locations for the South, East and North Bays on the jump page or just go here to see all locations in northern North America.
This udder will be equipped to dispense the four newest flavors: Coconut Seven Layer Bar, Imagine Whirled Peace™, ONE Cheesecake Brownie™, Cake Batter:
See you there!
West Bay:
Ben & Jerry’s Argonaut
475 Jeffersont Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Ben & Jerry’s Jefferson Street
79 Jefferson Street
Rocket Shop
San Francisco, CA 94133
Ben & Jerry’s Fisherman’s Wharf
Pier 41
San Francisco, CA 94133
Ben & Jerry’s Macy’s
Macy’s Department Store
San Francisco, CA 94102
Ben & Jerry’s Haight Ashbury
1480 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
News of the day:
Chinese torch officials have been warned their paramilitary “flame attendants” will be arrested and hauled away if they touch an Australian during the torch relay.
So that’s clear. There’ll be no manhandling Down Under in the name of “protecting the sacred flame” or whatever job description these Men in Blue have.
But check out this scene on the streets of San Francisco a few weeks back - at least one member of the Chinese People’s Armed Police Force (PAP) in a physical altercation with an American citizen, Majora Carter.
Apparently, the handler (a Chinese woman who sits in a car and issues commands via radio) of these so-called “goons“ didn’t get the message they weren’t to assault Americans during the visit to San Francisco. Wonder why.
Desmond Tutu, Richard Gere, and Majora Carter all happy as clams under the watchful eyes of Fake Bono during a pre torch-relay shindig in San Francisco
Anyway, Coke now takes a dim view of the activist they recruited for the torch relay:
A Coca-Cola spokesman, Kelly Brooks, said, “It’s unfortunate that Ms. Carter used an invitation to participate in the torch relay as a platform to make a personal political statement. We firmly believe the Olympics are a force for good that celebrates the best in sports, and we are proud to support the Beijing 2008 Olympics.”
Were the 1936 Olympics “a force for good” also? It seems Coke might have had hand in that fiasco as well. We’ll all just have to ponder that one.
But it turns out that Majora signed a “code of conduct” that prohibited torchbearers from displaying political or religious signs. So what’s Coke’s next move? Extradition to Atlanta, Georgia? Rendition to Beijing? How are they going to make Majora pay for speaking out, because after all, you know, she signed a piece of paper.
The world wonders.
That’s not nice. But that’s what Xinhua (formerly known as Red China News Agency) just said. For the record, Xinhua reports directly to the Communist Party of China’s Public Information Department.
Now, that’s no way to run a Genocide Olympics. Can’t we all get along?
Nancy Pelosi, avec le rag du do, as Rosie the Riveter to celebrate her ascension to Speaker of the House.
Government-sponsored? Propaganda? Read on and then you make the call. As has been reported, coming Saturday, April 12, to San Francisco is “‘Beijing, Are You Ready,’ a newly-released series by Oakland’s D3 Production, Inc that’s officially approved by the Beijing Organizing Committee.”
Right now, not many people in San Francisco have seen this production yet, but some are already wondering if it’s going to be just more Olympic propaganda.
As a clue, consider a similar production from D3 Productions from a few years back called Tibet Diary, where some Americans specifically chosen for not knowing much about Tibet are taken there and videotaped.
Take a look at looking at this video starting at 5:24 for about three minutes.
Wow. Those clips are called the money shots. Of course, the opinions expressed might very well be genuine. But after looking at the connections between party run media in China and the people behind Tibet Diary, you could be forgiven for thinking that this video is an example of government-supported propaganda.
Will Beijing, Are You Ready be a similar kind of production? See for yourself at the Main Public Library at 2:00 PM.
This is what the Meditative Peace Walk Across the Golden Gate Bridge in support of the monks in Burma looked like yesterday. Some video from ABC 7 is here.
A higher rez shot from CitizenShip One, after the jump.
It was a quite a scene yesterday as thousands turned out for anti-government of China protests preceding the controversial China Olympic torch relay.
Click on to see photos of the day.
Well here they come, the paramilitary Flame Protection Squad, direct from the People’s Republic of China. They’re a little secretive and they’re partial to the color blue, so it’s like the Men in Black meets Blue Man Group.
These Chinese flame guards have sparked controversy all over the world. Why? Let’s hear from torchbearer and international mega-babe Connie Huq when she ran with them a few days back in merrie olde England:
“They were very robotic, very full on, and actually I noticed them having skirmishes with our own police and the Olympic authorities before our leg of the relay, which was confusing. They were barking orders at me, like ‘Run! Stop!’, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, who are these people? They kept pushing my hand up higher when I was holding the torch, so they were … interesting.”
Wujing in the hiz-ouse:
diamond geezer on the Flickr
Just who are these “burly henchmen,” labelled “thugs” by Lord Coe during an unguarded moment? They’re just the People’s Armed Police Force (PAP) and probably they are the best of the best, so that means some of them could be from Beijing S.W.A.T. or the Snow Wolf Commando Unit. Groove on their sweet arm patch. Nice doggy:
Even if they aren’t snow wolves,each one of them could probably kick all of your asses, so don’t mess with them tomorrow. Rumours of them being all at least 190 cm. in height (6′ 3″) might be a bit of an exaggeration, but they’re like an army of Jack Bauers without the cowboy attitude.
Elements of the lower ranked levels of the San Francisco Police Department are already speculating on whether this unit of the People’s Armed Police is actually armed when on American soil. Good question. Regardless, they’ll do what can to protect the Olympic flame tomorrow. It should be interesting.
