Chinese police kill eight after opening fire on monks and Tibet protesters (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3683878.ece)

Those kinds of headlines are bound to have some affect on the participation of some in these Olympics.

Those athletes that have spent their lifetimes preparing for this event, but who have been raised with a sense of values that abhors the conduct of the Chinese, are the ones I sympathize with in this matter.

It will continue to get more and more interesting, I have no doubt.

What a great time for the Chinese to be hosting the games. They really deserve the international scrutiny they haven't gotten for a long time, and their citizens deserve to know what the rest of the world thinks and has to offer.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7332942.stm

- Hehehe.

Beijing Olympic torch relay spokesman Qu Yingpu told the BBC: "This is not the right time, the right platform, for any people to voice their political views.When you consider what the Olympics are supposed to represent, and the history behind the games, one has to wonder - is there a better time and place?

I think the Olympics are turning into a PR disaster for China.

It's been clear for decades that they don't even begin to care about their PR image. And, why would they?

The only thing cheaper than our rhetoric about boycotting them is the Chinese junk we, en masse, will continue to consume.