| Beijing is "ripe" Liu got that much right. Traffic won't be a problem because even if they don't get the infrastructure upgraded they will simply ban people from driving during the Olympics. And as for pollution they will just do what they did here in Guangzhou last month... The Pearl River is the most polluted river in the world according to the WHO and other international bodies that monitor such things. Each year they have an annual event where they swim across this thing. Back when this started Jesus was in short pants and the river was pristine. Now even the CCP has had to admit the river is unsafe to even look at for extended periods of time. So this year they "cleaned it up"... the rating system goes from 1 (pristine) to 5 (flammable), the Pearl River for the last three years I know of has been a 4-4.5. But this year the mayor declared it was a 3 and thus safe for swimming across. He didn't lie. It was a 3, for about two days because for the previous 2 months they forced the shut down of every sewage treatment plant upriver. The mayor himself swam across with the 10,000 or so nutters. The day after the plants resumed operation and the difference in the water was visible and smellable. Two months of municpal waste was run through untreated. But it didn't matter because it was all nice and clean for the "big show". This folks is what China will do for the Olympics and guess what all the media and tourists will buy it and report how wonderful China is... why? Because they're owned by the same international conglomerates who also own production facillities and banks and retailers here and its good for business for the Western sheep to think all is well in the Big Red Chicken.
__________________ "The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in defense. The sword is more important than the shield and skill is more important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental." - John Steinbeck |