Beijing 2008

As always, the Olympics bring out all kinds of stories and this year is no different.

Have you noticed how our news media has become so politically correct when it comes to China?

Headlines:

Don't Judge Beijing on Random Attack

The stabbing death of a former U.S. Olympian's father sent shockwaves through the Summer Olympics. AOL's Sean Jensen, on the scene in Beijing, says the incident is way out of character for a major city that is safer than most.

The death of Todd Bachman after injuries sustained from an attack at a popular tourist attraction has drained China of the momentum it worked so hard to build. Questions abound Sunday about security, although the United States Olympic Committee and even the White House have downplayed that concern and complimented local authorities for their handling of the situation.

It is natural to assume that - because Bachman was killed and his wife critically injured by a knife-wielding man - Beijing is dangerous. Yet that would be a stretch of the truth by any measure.

Right, and I have some ocean front land in Kansas I'll sell you!!

Gee, one has to wonder if the guy was upset because the Chinese tore down his house to make way for the Olympic complex.

You know in China they take your shanty and you get nothing in exchange.


Russia vs. Georgia

Their countries may be in a conflict, but a Russian and a Georgian shared a podium and an embrace after winning Olympic medals Sunday.

A day after Georgian athletes were considering leaving due to violence back home, Nino Salukvadze won the country's first medal of the Beijing Games in the women's 10-meter air pistol. Russia's Natalia Paderina took the silver, and after the medal ceremony, Salukvadze put her arm around Paderina and the two posed together for photographs. Paderina than gave Salukvadze a kiss on the cheek.

Salukvadze put her arm around Paderina and whispered in her ear to meet her tomorrow at the Beijing OK corral for a real shoot out.

Trivia news from China:

The Chinese, in their infinite wisdom in trying to clean up their filthy air, have banned the citizens from driving. Now the only thing left for them to do is to enjoy wokking.

If you watched the Michael Phelps gold medal ceremony you heard our National anthem cut short. China has once again shown the world that two Wongs don't make a right.

Visitors to the Olympics have found that there are very few phones. You know why there are very few telephones in China? With so many Wongs you can easily wing the wong Wong.


How about those American female swimmers?

Amanda Beard

Amanda was one of the youngest U.S. swimmers in history to win an Olympic gold medal, taking one in the 400-meter medley relay at only 14. Today, at 23, she's still bagging gold medals.

She definitely looks right at home in the water.


Then there is some old gold.

Torres Sets Record, Wins Silver in Relay

The self-described "old lady" of the U.S. team anchored the American women to a silver medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay Sunday at age 41, earning her 10th career Olympic medal and first since 2000.

Dara Grace Torres (born April 15, 1967) is an American swimmer. She is the first swimmer from the United States to compete in five Olympics: 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008. She competed in the Beijing Olympic Games in the 50 meter freestyle, 4 x 100 medley relay, and 4 x 100 freestyle relay and has received the silver in the 4 x 100 freestyle.


She has won ten Olympic medals, including four golds, and won five medals alone in Sydney in 2000, the Games in which she was the eldest member on the team with her 33 years. On August 1, 2007, at the age of 40 (just 15 months after giving birth to her first child), she won gold in the 100 meter freestyle at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, her 14th win at these events. She then followed that up on August 4 by twice breaking her own American record in the 50 m freestyle, 26 years after she first set the American record at just 15 years old.

One of the best summer Olympic spectator sports to watch, next to Olympic fencing, is Olympic archery.

I wonder how many know we have a 53-year-old competitor in the event?



This is Richard "Butch" Johnson of the United States Olympic Archery team. He will be 53 next month.

Beijing will be his fourth Olympics. He won gold in Atlanta in 1996 and silver in Sydney in 2000.

I know when you hear archery most of you think of William Tell shooting an apple off his son’s head. Sorry, that was a crossbow.

He didn't win an Olympic medal but the guy could sure write an overture.