The Opening Ceremonies are going on right now in China, but this is how it looked on the Streets of San Francisco yesterday as a couple hundred marchers made their way to the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco’s Western Addition area.
You can read about what happened today at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco here - did somebody cut the rope of dangling trespasser Nyendak Wangden causing her to fall 15 feet or so? Well, it could have been worse of course.
But maybe these gentlemen here saw what happened and could help clear things up. You see, they like to hang out on the roof of the consulate when protests are going on. The State Department is looking into things right now. Click to enlarge:
Perhaps they just hang out there to enjoy San Francisco’s excellent air quality?
No matter. These are the same people who recently denied Bay Arean medal-winner Kendra Zanotto a visa to go to Beijing. Why? It seems her interest in Team Darfur played a role.
Sorry Kendra, no soup for you!
Oh well.
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.
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.
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.
Read all about today’s protest at KPIX / CBS 5 (along with Eye on Blogs from Brittney Gilbert). Are there really two women in this photo, as alleged here? [Update: No, just one, that makes more sense.] See the mise-en-scene from a good angle here.
Local updates as they happen on the -ist network’s San Francisco website. Up-and-coming San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly has a few thoughts about these Olympics. And sexy train rider Elaine Santore writes in her CrackBerry Chronicles that she is bracing for Wednesday, when the Olympic Torch makes it only visit to North America. It looks like it’s going to be a humdinger of a day.
Beijing, Are You Ready for this? It’s hard to say. Word on the street today is that the planned route for the relay is now history.
Finally, check out hard working Frederic Larson as he once again provides great photos to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The protest people look down as some bridge workers come up:
This dude’s on his cell phone:
Things looked a little shaky at first, before the banners and flags were unfurled:
Helmet-cam? Sure, why not.
See higher resolution photos after the jump!
Coming Saturday, April 12, is “Beijing, Are You Ready,” a newly-released series by Oakland’s D3 Production, Inc.
Officially approved by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic games, this special series features Chinese athletes in training, the construction of the bird’s nest (Beijing national stadium) and much more behind the scenes with rare access to key people and places. Viewers also will experience the variety of ways that China’s capital city is preparing to host the 2008 Olympic games – the first ever Olympics held on Chinese soil. Film producer Duffy Wang and others will be available for discussion. Cosponsored by the Chinese Center.
Well, if it’s “officially approved by the Beijing Organizing Committee”, it must be good, right?
Let’s get some early reviews, how about from national state television, a sub-ministry of People’s Republic of China’s central government within the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television and as such it does not have any editorial independence from the PRC government.
“Beijing is counting down to the 2008 Olympic Games!”
“And the people of Beijing are busy preparing for this international sports event with great enthusiasm!”
Meanwhile, back on the planet Earth, the authorities in Beijing are “absolutely wetting their pants” over the possibility of protests at torch events around the world. And those corporate sponsors of the torch relay are getting a little nervous, it seems:
“What started off as a small number of organizations threatening to create some disruption has escalated significantly,” said Dan Parr, the head of Asia-Pacific for brandRapport, a marketing consulting agency. “This must be taking some of the gloss off for some of these sponsors.”
Now let’s hear from Steven Spielberg:
“I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual. At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies, but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in
Darfur .”
Mmm. It’s almost like there’s a chance that the Olympics can backfire on a host nation.
Beijing, are you ready?
Jim Dolan will be one of the scores of people to carry the Olympic torch on the streets of San Francisco.
Check out his Coca Cola red shirt complete with trademark Spencerian script. (His Samsung pennant and IBM/Lenovo baseball cap must have gotten lost in the mail.)
Do you think some people will try to “disrupt” his run by holding up signs and placards that mention Darfur, Tibet, and Burma? Maybe, but he looks like he’ll be able to handle it.
Way for News/NYDailyNews
Over at the San Francisco Sentinel , writer Pat Murphy offers his Believe it or What solution for an issue of the day:
Solutions
THE TORCH
Run it through the Mission District dragging a hundred dollar bill, to drown Tibetan clamor.
Well, O.K. then
March 10 is the anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising so there were protests all over the world today. San Franciscans saw about 400 people march from City Hall to the Chinese Consulate.
We’ll get to see the Olympic Torch passing through in April. San Francisco is the only stop in North America for the flame so expect to see a lot more protesting going on then.
