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Fidel Castro says corrupt judges are to blame for Cuba's sub-par showing at the Beijing Olympics. Castro alleges that judges blatantly stole semifinal fights from two Cuban boxers, and that a judge must have been bribed in the case of Angel Matos, who kicked a referee in the face after he was disqualified in a bronze-medal taekwondo match.

Athletes sacrificed dearly -- one was separated from her toddler, one was banned from eating dinner, one missed a parent's funeral. While Americans spoke of fun, the Chinese were on a 'sacred mission.' If anybody feels a pang of jealousy over China's haul of Olympic gold medals, they need only pause to consider what the athletes went through to get them. The only mother on China's team, Xian Dongmei, told reporters after she won her gold medal in judo that she had not seen her 18-month-old daughter in one year, monitoring the girl's growth only by webcam. Another gold medalist,...

BEIJING – Across the Chinese media, the story has hit saturation coverage. China, once mocked as “the weaklings of Asia,” is going to win what it calls the total medal count for the Beijing Games.

"The big news from China is that the adorable little girl who sang the National Anthem for the opening ceremony was lip-syncing. This is outrageous. If you can't trust an oppressive, totalitarian dictatorship..." --Craig Ferguson "China is getting ready for the Olympics. The official motto for the Olympics is 'One World, One Dream.' Restrictions Apply. Tibet Not Included." --Jay Leno "There's excitement in the air over the Olympics...also lead, arsenic, benzene." --David Letterman "Beijing skies are so polluted that Chinese authorities are planning emergency measures for the Olympics. For example, protesters will now only be run over with hybrid...

Knickers in knot over undies Beijing - The Olympic dress code applies to places never seen, it seems, with the New Zealand hockey manager banished from the field at a crucial men's match because officials objected to his players' underwear. Kevin Marr was ordered to watch the must-win match against Germany from the grandstand as punishment for three players wearing black underwear beneath white shorts in an earlier match. Initially, the officials wanted to suspend the players involved - Bradley Shaw, Simon Child and Blair Hopping - but Marr successfully argued it was unfair because he was in charge of...

BEIJING - USA softball almost lost Wednesday. And this is what passes for exciting in this sport at the Olympics.Japan nearly scored an upset. How fun for them."That was softball at its best," U.S. coach Mike Candrea said. If that is truly the case, if a 4-1 victory in extra innings to extend Team USA's Olympic winning streak to 22 games is really the pinnacle, it is time for wrap-it-up sign. It has been fun, even entertaining at times, but it's time for softball to use this possibly permanent hiatus from The Game to fix what is obviously broken.A pitching...

BEIJING, China (August 16, 2008) - The U.S. Shooting Team added to its medal count at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing today when 19-year-old Pfc. Vincent Hancock (Eatonton, Ga.) captured the gold medal in Men's Skeet. Hancock of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, a world champion and world record holder in Men's Skeet was in first place going into the final after hitting 121 out of a possible 125 targets in the qualification round, which is a new Olympic record. Hancock shot 24 targets in the final to finish tied with Norway's Tore Brovold, who shot a perfect 25,...

Repression with a Capital R by: Rachel Paulk, August 13, 2008 While millions of people gathered in Beijing to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics, protestors met outside of Chinese embassies in Washington D.C., London, Madrid, Paris, Stockholm, Rome, Berlin, Lausanne, and Ottawa to call attention to China’s gross violations of basic human rights. Despite the international pressure facing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to improve their human rights record, the CCP’s efforts to clean up Beijing before the Olympics has arguably resulted in only worsening the environment for perceived dissidents. Joel Chipkar, a Falun Gong practitioner, asserted that...

PARIS (AFP) – The Dalai Lama accused China on Wednesday of pursuing a crackdown in Tibet in spite of the Olympic Games, French lawmakers said following talks with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. Asked during a private meeting at the Paris Senate whether China was respecting the "Olympic truce", the Dalai Lama's "answer was very clear: no," said former French justice minister Robert Badinter. "While the Games are taking place, the oppression of the Tibetan people and repression continue," said the opposition lawmaker, who oversaw the abolition of the death penalty in France. The 73-year-old Buddhist leader, who arrived on...

Beijing, China — While praise for the splendid opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing on Aug. 8 has reverberated around the world, Chinese citizens writing on the Internet have cast a more critical eye upon the event. Still, an online poll shows that more than 60 percent of the Chinese people graded the opening ceremony over 90 out of 100. According to netizens, the two top issues on the Chinese mind at present are the Games’ opening ceremony and concern over whether or not best-known Chinese athlete Liu Xiang will win a gold medal in the 110-meter hurdle...

While lip synching is certainly not a new phenenenom in musical performances, the fact that the girl who sang the hymn was passed up because she was not cute enough is a little disturbing. First, if you take a look at the picture of Yang Peiyi, you will quickly discover that she is actually very cute. I hardly would have noticed her ‘buck teeth’ had not someone pointed them out to me. I am sure that a performance by her would have had the same charming effect on the world. Second, if Beijing was willing to deceive the world in...

HONG KONG (AFP) - US swim legend Mark Spitz won't be on hand in Beijing if Michael Phelps breaks his record of seven gold medals at a single Olympics—because, he says, no one bothered to invite him. Spitz said the International Olympic Committee, a US television network or FINA—the international body that governs world swimming—should have brought him to the Games this year, with Phelps making a go at his record.

Becky Adlington made it a golden day for British swimming when she swam her way to becoming an Olympic champion in the 400m freestyle and Jo Jackson made it even better, putting the icing on the cake by finishing third.

Lost-boy Lomong to carry U.S. flag

Muslim terrorists and their apologists insist that violent jihad is a justifiable reaction to their targets’ support of Israel. Since China is most definitely not an ally of the “Zionist entity,” how will Islamist apologists spin the jihadist attacks that have marred the Beijing Olympics? Uighur Islamic separatists killed eight people during a rash of suicide bombings on August 9, in the latest in a series of brazen terrorist attacks inside the communist police state. Terrorists targeted a dozen government offices with home-made explosives, just one day after the Turkistan Islamic Party released a video threatening to attack public transportation...

If Michael Phelps goes on to win eight gold medals in the Olympic swimming competition at the Water Cube, he will owe a huge debt of gratitude to teammate Jason Lezak. No, make that HUGE. In one of the greatest anchor legs in swimming history, Lezak reeled in boastful Frenchman Alain Bernard in the final 50 meters to bring the United States home to a breathtaking victory in world-record time in the 4x100 freestyle relay to provide a riveting finish to this morning's program. "It was a crazy thing to watch," said Garrett Weber-Gale, who swam the second leg for...

I was curious on how NBC portrays Bush during his visit to the Olympics, and especially on how he was portrayed among the athletes (which surely are not all Republicans). Quite surprise that they actually have a section dedicated to W.

President and Mrs. Bush attended church at the Beijing Kuanjie Protestant Christian Church. See Quote of the Day for his remarks. He and his family spent time at the Swimming Venue cheering on the USA swim team. President Bush met with President Hu Jintao of the People's Republic of China TRANSCRIPT President Bush also met with Vice President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China and Premier Wen Jiabao of the People's Republic of China . . President George W. Bush and his father, former president George H.W. Bush, attended a men’s basketball game between China and the...

Today President Bush attended and practiced with the USA Women’s Volleyball Team. He attended a practice of the USA Women’s Softball Team. He attended a basketball game and cheered on the USA Women’s team during their Group B women's basketball match against the Czech Republic. Mrs. Bush, Barbara Bush and Marvin Bush also attended the game. He then addressed the media about a serious issue, that of the escalation of violence in the province of Georgia and the Russia-Georgia conflict. REMARKS Mrs. Bush and Barbara Bush visited the Forbidden City. President GHW Bush (#41) watched the gold medal match...

Georgia may pull its 35-strong Olympic team out of the Beijing Games because of Russian military attacks on its territory, the country's National Olympic Committee told Reuters on Saturday. "We're talking about it now. It will be the decision of the president of the country (Mikheil Saakashvili)," spokesman Giorgi Tchanishvili said in the Chinese capital. The Georgia conflict has knocked the Olympics down page, dimming some of China's glory. The vast Asian nation's hopes for a trouble-free games were dashed on Saturday by the daylight murder of the U.S. volleyball coach's father-in-law. Chinese hopes of quick wins were partly met...

Relative of U.S. volleyball coach killed By Deborah Charles Reuters August 9, 2008 BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese man killed a relative of a U.S. men's volleyball coach and injured another family member in a stabbing at a popular tourist spot in Beijing on Saturday. The dead man was a U.S. citizen and the injured victim was an American woman, police said, adding the attacker jumped to his death after the killing. The murder cast a shadow over the first day of sporting action at the Olympic Games. "While at the Drum Tower in central Beijing, the two family members...

The night was certainly not without its touching moments. From a beautiful little girl in a red dress sweetly singing a classic Chinese song to a young earthquake survivor leading the Chinese athletes with Yao Ming, the ceremony certainly had the potential to pull on the heartstrings. It was a ceremony that at least for one night allowed the "One World One Dream" motto to be realized. The night was also not without some intrigue. Hu JinTao’s half hearted applause for Chinese Tapei’s entrance followed later by his enthusiastic clapping for Hong Kong probably left some eyebrows raised. Iraq and...

Today President & Mrs. Bush attended the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Before the ceremonies, the President met personally with all the US Olympic Athletes and encouraged them to “go for it, give it all you've got” and reminded them that the American people will be cheering for them back home. (Transcript) I wasn't exactly sure what to say to you, except to start with, God, I love our country and I love what we stand for. (Applause.) And I love being with you. Earlier today President Bush was joined by his father,...

2008 Olympics begin August 8th through to August 24. Live streaming on CBC begins with the opening ceremonies early am. NBC in prime time in evening.

OMAHA, Neb., Aug. 7, 2008 – With the world’s attention focused on the Olympic Games that open tomorrow in Beijing, a former 3rd Infantry Division soldier severely wounded in Iraq is gearing up to compete in the Paralympic Games that open there Sept. 6. Former Army Spc. Scott Winkler, a 3rd Infantry Division soldier severely wounded in Iraq, has his sights set on winning gold medals in discus, shot put and javelin during the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. Defense Dept. photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Former Army Spc. Scott Winkler has his sights...

Another video out of Turkistan makes more threats against the Olympics in Beijing. Like several other previous videos from this group, this video was uploaded to YouTube. If can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sufKQ_t5NfA We are currently working on a complete translation of this video.

BEIJING - A group of American cyclists has apologized to Beijing Olympic organizers after arriving in China’s capital wearing face masks.

Two Britons arrested over Tibet flag protest in Beijing Jane Macartney and Will Pavia in Beijing Four protesters have been arrested after a Briton and an American scaled two flood-lighting poles near the centre of Beijing's tightly patrolled Olympic park this morning and unfurled banners calling for Tibetan independence. Despite intense security that had been ratcheted up further in preparation for the arrival of the Olympic torch relay in the Chinese capital today, the protesters were able to display Tibetan flags and two 140 square-foot banners beside the iconic Bird's Nest Stadium that will host the Olympics opening ceremony on...

Beijing Started to Search Passenger's Bags After Bus Explosion By Boxun Aug 1, 2008 - 2:49:29 AM On July 30, one bus of line 120 exploded in Beijing, the incident has been covered up. Source told Boxun, the explosion happened after 8pm. On July 31, workers on the bus received order to search passenger's bags. Bus line 120 passes Tiananmen, the location of explosion and damage are unkown.

Weather forecasters on Sunday predicted thunder and rain in Beijing on the day of the Olympic opening ceremony and warned that typhoons could disrupt events in other host cities. Organisers have repeatedly said rain is their biggest worry ahead of Friday's opening ceremony, which will feature more than 10,000 performers and a massive fireworks display. But top officials from the Beijing Meteorological Bureau confirmed that bad weather was certain for the August 8, although they held out hope that the skies may clear for the evening ceremony...

"Preparing for English-speaking visitors, a restaurant in China recently ran its name through an online translator, took the result, then purchased and mounted a large sign displaying the English version of their name: Translate server error." This one has been around for a couple of weeks but it's destined to become a classic. http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/2008/07/then-well-grab.htmlOf all the poorly translated signs that can baffle English-speaking visitors to China, this one takes the cake for the most epic of all possible fails. And, as Dear Jane Sample notes, it’s also a good reason to invest in something more than a Web-based translator. —Posted...

BEIJING -- Normally smog plagued Beijing bathed in blue skies and sunshine on Saturday in just the sort of weather the Chinese pray will grace their Olympics and banish athletes' health fears six days before the big start. Experts attributed a rare day of fine weather in the Chinese capital to overnight rain and -- finally -- the impact of strict anti pollution measures such as ordering half the cars off the road and closing smoke-belching factories. "You see, we have done it! You can even see the mountains," enthused one Chinese student volunteer near the magnificent, newly built "Bird's...

BEIJING (AFP) - China on Thursday unveiled a string of emergency measures it was prepared to use in its battle to tame Beijing's stubborn smog ahead of the Olympics, as the city was again shrouded in haze. Chinese authorities may close more factories, further reduce the number of cars on the road in the city and neighbouring areas, and stop all construction, the ministry of environmental protection said on its website. "When there are extremely unfavourable weather conditions, there will be some emergency measures," the statement said. Beijing has already taken drastic steps to reduce pollution, amid concerns expressed from...

This is the video you weren't supposed to see... A practice run of the opening ceremony for the upcoming Beijing Olympics By News Video Wednesday, July 30, 2008 (WJNO) In what is being considered a major breach of the security apparatus surrounding the upcoming Olympic ceremonies in Beijing, China, a Korean television journalist visiting the 'Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium' secretly filmed a rehearsal of the opening ceremony. This video has been banned on most sites based in China, including Sina.com and other large web portals, and has been yanked off YouTube.com entirely. The Korean news report accompanying the video claims...

Some International Olympic Committee officials cut a deal to let China block sensitive websites despite promises of unrestricted access, a senior IOC official admitted on Wednesday... China had committed to providing media with the same freedom to report on the Games as they enjoyed at previous Olympics, but journalists have this week complained of finding access to sites deemed sensitive to its communist leadership blocked. "I regret that it now appears BOCOG has announced that there will be limitations on Web site access during Games time," IOC press chief Kevan Gosper said, referring to Beijing's Olympic organizers. "I also now...

With only 11 days to go until the start of the Beijing Olympics, this was the smoggy scene in the Chinese capital yesterday. Visibility was down to half a mile in some parts, including the National Stadium, while the Athletes' Village complex could not be seen from the nearby Olympic Green. The city's notoriously polluted air has cast a cloud over the Games, with organisers threatening to postpone events if it is bad. City officials confidently - and possibly unwisely - predict that air quality will be good for the Games. Their efforts to curb pollution include taking half of...

The only uncensored Chinese-language TV network broadcasting in China says its satellite company has shut down its signal because of pressure from the Chinese government. The satellite company, Paris-based Eutelsat, says the signal to China was cut because of a technical problem. But New Tang Dynasty Television, an independent station with offices in 70 U.S. cities, including Palo Alto, says Eutelsat cut its signal at the request of government officials in China. NTDTV covers a number of human rights issues, including the Falun Gong spiritual movement, repression in Tibet and China's underground Christian movement. In China, news is controlled by...

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's efforts to clear the skies over its polluted capital are having an effect, officials said on Friday, insisting that Beijing's air would be safe for Olympic athletes despite persistent smog over the city. Beijing authorities have taken cars off the road and opened new subway lines in the past week, in addition to halting some construction and suspending factory production, in a last-ditch effort to ensure clear skies when the Games open on August 8. "For the effects of the measures we have taken to be increasingly felt, we will have to make continued efforts," Du...

The Chinese Celebrate Their Roaring Economy, As They Struggle With Its Costs:Near Universal Optimism About Beijing Olympics As they eagerly await the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese people express extraordinary levels of satisfaction with the way things are going in their country and with their nation's economy. With more than eight-in-ten having a positive view of both, China ranks number one among 24 countries on both measures in the 2008 survey by the Pew Research Center's Pew Global Attitudes Project. These findings represent a dramatic improvement in national contentment from earlier in the decade when the Chinese people were not nearly...

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese police have arrested a prominent Internet dissident for violating his probation terms, a rights group said, as the country steps up a pre-Olympic crackdown on dissent to ensure the Games go smoothly. Du Daobin, from the central province of Hebei, was given a suspended sentence for subversion in 2004 having been detained by police in Wuhan for posting online essays in support of fellow dissident, Liu Di. Du was then released into house arrest, Reporters Without Borders said in an emailed statement, but was arrested this week having been accused of posting articles on overseas websites...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US lawmakers Wednesday accused China of reneging on a commitment to improve human rights when it won the right to host the Olympics, saying it had instead intensified a crackdown on dissent. "There were early indications that China was prepared to improve its behavior as the games approached," said Howard Berman, the Democratic head of the House of Representatives foreign affairs panel. But "the hope was short-lived, as China failed to honor these commitments," he said, citing as examples Beijing's "failed" pledges to allow greater press freedoms and improve its general human rights situation. Reporters Without Borders...

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games next month despite an earlier threat to boycott over a crackdown in Tibet... Sarkozy told Chinese President Hu Jintao he would go to Beijing during a half-hour meeting on the sidelines of the Group of Eight industrialised nations summit in northern Japan. "The president confirmed to the Chinese president that he intends to go to Beijing on August 8 to take part in the opening ceremony of the 29th Olympiad,"... Sarkozy had threatened to boycott ... "The head of state consulted all of his European counterparts...

The Last Hero of Tiananmen How an aging doctor became the conscience of China. Philip P. Pan,  The New Republic  Published: Wednesday, July 09, 2008 Jiang Yanyong In the second half of 2003, Jiang Yanyong sat down to write a letter about what he had seen during the Tiananmen Square uprising and share it with the party's new leaders. Jiang had had a unique view of the massacre, and the words came easily, in a flood of suppressed memory and emotion. "I am a surgeon at the PLA No. 301 Hospital," he wrote. I was chief of the department of general...

China consumes more than double what its natural resources can supply... China uses 15 percent of the world's total biological capacity—resources such as water, land and timber... "In the next 10 to 20 years, China's consumption will likely continue to pose threats to China's own ecosystems and place increasing pressures on global biocapacity," Water and electricity are priced below their market value in China, causing it to be inefficiently used ...

Christian Dior, the French fashion brand, has become the latest global company to learn a hard lesson about the danger of offending Chinese sensitivities. Facing the possibility of a boycott of its products, the luxury company said Thursday that it had dropped the American actress Sharon Stone from its advertising in China after she suggested last week that the recent earthquakes in Sichuan Province were karmic retribution for Beijing’s treatment of Tibet.

What's wrong with this picture? Senator Hillary Clinton is urging President George W. Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics in order to protest China's crackdown in occupied Tibet. At the same time, Bill Clinton's foundation takes money from a Chinese Internet company alleged to be part of the same crackdown in Tibet that Mrs. Clinton feels so strongly about. According to the Los Angeles Times, Senator Clinton's recent stern comments on China's internal crackdown collide with former President Bill Clinton's fundraising relationship with a Chinese Internet company accused of collaborating with the mainland government's censorship of...

BEIJING - Construction will halt, heavy industries will close, and even spray painting will stop in order to clean Beijing's polluted air for the Olympics — an issue that suddenly has taken a back seat to political protests. An aggressive plan to temporarily shutter belching steel and chemical plants, cut back emissions by 30 percent at 19 heavy-polluting companies and stop excavation and pouring of concrete at hundreds of sites around the city was explained Monday by the city's Environmental Protection Bureau. "From the suggestions of experts we think that we need to take these measures to guarantee the air...

BEIJING (AFP) - Olympic officials here warned world leaders wishing to snub China over its crackdown in Tibet that using the Beijing Games will only hurt their own athletes, as a top US aide said a boycott would be a "cop-out." US President George W. Bush and other leaders have come under pressure from activists to boycott at least the opening ceremony of the August extravaganza to protest at issues including Tibet and China's human rights record. China has built up the Olympics as a prestige "coming-out" party onto the world stage and would likely take a dim view of...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A boycott of Olympic ceremonies by world leaders over China's crackdown in Tibet would be an evasion of responsibility and less effective than quiet diplomacy, the U.S. national security adviser said on Sunday. The remarks by White House adviser Stephen Hadley come as a challenge to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has said she will not attend the opening ceremony of this year's Beijing Olympics, and to those calling for President George W. Bush and other leaders to do the same. "I think unfortunately a lot of countries say 'well, if we say we are not going...

I find it more than odd that Obama stays silent over Beijing as everyone on the left has taken a stand on boycotting the opening ceremonies. On top of that, the world has shown its disdain for Chinese tactics in Tibet as Obama has stood on the sideline saying, "I am of two minds about this." Surely Obama and his marketing people are hard at work trying to find a nuanced way to stand against the brutality of China, while still staying away from supporting a boycott. Why, you ask? It's simple, Obama has made talking to our enemies a...