Quiet backlash

Had a peruse of the Torygraph and a few other online papers about the current debacle over the Chinese Olympics. For myself, I have no axe to grind one way or another, but other people don't feel the same ambivalence. My only view of the Olympics is irritated impatience at the overhyped media sports coverage, which rather swamps everything else going on in the world.

A quick Google brought out these two articles;
The Huffington Post has an article on "How to protest against the Beijing Olympics"
The Capital Times has an article on "Human rights and the Olympics".
They appear to be very symptomatic of what is going on in te media right now.

Over here on the Island we have a more tolerant attitude to matters Chinese. Even so, a few months ago Wife and I went shopping with friends. Friends were very picky in what they bought, and rejected anything made in China out of hand. I didn't push the matter much, but was interested to hear a similar point of view from quite a few other people as well. When asked, they cited things like the current Chinese regimes support in the Darfur killings, its invasion of Tibet, its Human Rights record. Ergo they were not going to buy anything made in China until the Communist regime was gone.

From a personal standpoint, I was rather disturbed to watch footage of the protests, and reckoned if the blue tracksuited heavies hadn't been there, the whole event might have gone a little more smoothly. The blue tracksuited security detail appeared to have pissed many people off with their heavy handed behaviour, even British Members of Parliament. What were they thinking? That's like barging into someone's house and rearranging their furniture without asking.

I hear the Australians aren't going to allow them a repeat performance when the Olympic torch is paraded over there. The Aussie PM's announcement, in London no less, made the British Prime Minister look a right wally. That seems to be nothing new, the man appears to be a reverse King Midas, a Jonah.

I've got a horrible sinking feeling that these Olympics are going to end up with a colossal 'loss of face' for the Beijing regime, and not a few punch ups, on the Streets and diplomatically speaking. The Chinese do not like to 'lose face', there is nothing that annoys them more. Yet I think this is what will happen. We'll be dealing with the fallout from this for quite a whle.

Over here? Most people just shrug their shoulders and quietly carry on doing what they were doing. Following our individual consciences. Watching the Olympics or not, buying Chinese goods or not. The world will keep turning.

Night and Day out

Today has been spent ferrying Wife, Mother in Law, and two Stepdaughters around. We ran into snow on the Parkway heading up to Woodgrove Mall, and I had a few nervous moments on the slush, made worse by four back seat drivers as I felt the back wheels twitch and skitter on compacted snow. Despite that, I kept the old Ford under control and we got to where we were going safely. Went home and walked the dog, allowing myself an hours peace and quiet before heading back up to the Mall to pick up my passengers. By noon the snowploughs and traffic had cleared all the roads and it was a much easier journey.

Last night was better. I attended my first ever Canadian Ice Hockey game between the Nanaimo Clippers, and the Victoria Grizzlies. My main impression of the game is that of speed and testosterone. The Fast and furious, with plenty of speed, because ice hockey as a game is incredibly fast. The action happens at a 'blink and you've missed it' pace, and those guys are fast, in both forwards and reverse gear. As for furious, players are regularly sent off for trying to turn each others lights out, rather like these guys pictured below.Picture 1 was taken when two of them got into a barney over a foul.
Picture 2 is when the fight was properly underway.
Picture 3 is where the Umpire and Linesman rugby tackled the combatants to the ground as their scrap was holding up play. None of this tap on the ankle and dive to the ground screaming, like 'professional' Football (Soccer) players. These guys take their lumps and that's that. I'm impressed. I think I shall be going again.