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No Gold: Visits to China Down in 2008 Despite Olympics

CitizenSugar — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:05:50 -0800

The number of visitors to China dropped by two million last year to 130 million, despite the enormous fanfare and draw of the 2008 Olympics. It was the first decline in visitor numbers since 2003, when an outbreak of SARS knocked the country off desired vacay location lists.

The slump has been attributed to the weak economy, which hasn't been kind to the tourism industry as a whole, stricter visa restrictions before the Beijing Olympics, as well as a May earthquake in the southwest of the country.

Only 389,000 foreign tourists visited Beijing the month of the games, including travelers from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, according to the Beijing tourism bureau. That number is much smaller than the 500,000 the bureau expected. China built the world's largest airport terminal before the Olympics and most of the major hotels in Beijing underwent costly renovations and changes from top to bottom.

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Biggest Headlines of 2008: China Hosts the Olympics

CitizenSugar — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0800

Hosting the Olympics was a huge deal for the Chinese government and people. While protesters put their feet down around the world, the Games were a source of pride for the controversial country. Take a look at the biggest stories to come out of China hosting the 2008 Games. Source

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Favorite Olympic Moment: Michael Phelps Breaks Record

CitizenSugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:30:47 -0800

While the opening ceremony and women's gymnastics nearly tied for silver, Michael Phelps's record-breaking performance won him yet another gold. With 54 percent of your votes, he easily dove into the Best of 2008 on both our poll and Pop's poll.

He's still soaking in the gold light while promoting his book, posing for magazine covers, and appearing on talk shows like the Colbert Report. Look for him in London in 2012 where he plans to swim again, but not break any records. Because, really, whose record would he break - his?

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What Is Your Favorite Olympic Moment?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 09:30:16 -0800

Oh, the Olympics. They come; they go. We wait two years for another season. Stories of last-minute switch-ins, and outs, pull the strings of my out-of-shape heart. Even people who don't like sports, love the Olympics. For the first week anyway. So before we say 再见 to the Beijing Games for good, let's look east to our most favorite moments.

The opening ceremony was the most lavish and expensive ever. And, it showed! Swimmer Michael Phelps's historic, eight-gold-medal win crowned him the world's greatest athlete. And it was American gymnast Nastia Liukin - underdog to her friend and teammate Shawn Johnson - who flipped her way into the number-one spot, earning a gold in women's all-around. Even better, it (almost) evened out when Shawn struck gold on the balance beam.

But maybe you've already forgotten the athletes? Nothing wrong with that! Nor is there anything wrong with enjoying a scandal (or two) in your Olympic cocktail. Though seeing pictures of President Bush playing beach volleyball is all the fun I need!

The Olympics definitely top the list of 2008's biggest stories. Before London's calling about the 2012 Games, tell me:

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Front Page: Bush Defends Economic Measures, China's Media Freedoms to End, US Pushes for Iraq Security Deal

CitizenSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:00:41 -0700

Bush Defends Measures:
In a speech at the US Chamber of Commerce moments ago, President Bush defended the government's recent intervention in the financial crisis as measures of "last resort," saying that it will "take a while" for the credit system to thaw and that Americans can be confident it will. He said of the intervention, "Had the government not acted. . . We would have been forced to respond with even more drastic and costly measures later on."

China's Media Freedoms to End:
The rules that allowed greater freedom for foreign reporters during the Olympics are set to expire. There has been no word yet whether they will be extended, tossed, or traded for a new set of rules. The rules that allowed journalists to travel around China without applying for permission did not apply to Chinese journalists. Many hope the freedom will expand as a legacy of the Games.
US Pushes for Iraq Security Deal:
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is seeking to extend the US mandate in Iraq which is set to expire later this year. The details of the planned draft would have US troops withdraw from Iraq by 2011. Official approval by Congress isn't required though approval from Iraq, is. The current mandate expires on Dec. 31.

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Beijing Brings Back Olympics Car Rules to Cut Smog

CitizenSugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:00:00 -0700

While the medals and finish lines from the Olympics are becoming a distant memory - so was the hard-fought clean air that Beijing enjoyed during the Games. Residents have been discussing just how to keep the measures in effect, and now they might have won. A partial victory at least.

Traffic restrictions have been re-introduced to Beijing, hoping to bring back the easy-breathing peace and quieter of the Games. The new plan doesn't go as far as the original measures however - each car only has to spend one day a week off of the roads, as opposed to the every other day plan during the Olympics. The benefit is, "expected to reduce Beijing's average road traffic flow by 6.5 percent," according to one city official. During periods of heavy pollution, the restrictions can be returned to the more stringent every-other-day plan.

How many cars are we talking that will be affected by the plan? To find out, read more.

Beijing has 3.4 million cars on the road, with 1,000 more added every day. So the return of the measures seems great - but residents are complaining that it's too complicated - for instance on Mondays, license plates ending in one or six can't come in to the city. Since the skies in August were the cleanest Beijing has seen in 10 years, should the stricter measures stay? Is this just the tip of the iceberg of sacrifices we'll have to make for the planet in the years to come?

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Front Page: Senate to Vote on Bailout, Chinese Gymnasts Win Age Fight, Spain Arrests 121 For Child Porn

CitizenSugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:53:42 -0700

Senate to Vote on Bailout:
Senate leaders have scheduled a vote today on the $700 billion bailout proposal after adding tax breaks and a higher insured bank deposits limit in an attempt to win House approval and send the bill to President Bush by the end of the week. Senator Harry Reid said, “It has been determined, in our judgment, this is the best thing to move forward," when he announced the unexpected move.

Chinese Gymnasts Win Age Fight:
International gymnastics officials closed a five week investigation in to the ages of the Chinese gymnasts competing at the Beijing Olympics, ruling that documentation rules that the gymnasts were old enough to compete. The scrutiny has not yet cleared gymnasts who won the team bronze in Sydney eight years ago saying, "The FIG does not consider the explanations and evidence provided to date in regards to these athletes as satisfactory.''
Spain Arrests 121 For Child Porn:
In what's described as Spain's largest operation against child internet porn, Spain's authorities say they have arrested 121 people and millions of images. Police say two of those arrested were using their own children to make pornography. The sting involved 800 officers, 210 searches, and 347 hard drives seized. The raids bring the number of people arrest for child porn in Spain in the past five years to 1,200.

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China Hosts Massive Post-Olympics Job Fair

LibertySugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:00:10 -0700

When a country spends seven years getting ready for the Olympics, a whole lot of jobs must be created along the way. In fact, Chinese officials estimate that since 2001, 600,000 Olympic-associated jobs were created each year. Now that the big games are over, China's labor force wants to use the skills to transition into new employment. The government is happy to help, setting up a massive two-day job fair.

About 100,000 Chinese are expected to attend the fair, which kicked off yesterday. While access to companies ready to hire is promising, it must be hard to make a lasting impression among such a sea of people. Hopefully the job seekers have some memorable resumes!

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Briefing Book! Olympic Medalist Calls Chinese "Scum"

LibertySugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0700

Diplomacy: Can one stupid comment hurt the countries' relations? Israel's lone medalist calls the Chinese "scum." - Shanghaiist
VPs: How do you debate a woman and win? Pretend she's a man, and you're not Joe Biden. – Slate
Healthcare: Who will it help? John McCain wants to tax your employer-provided healthcare benefits. - Swampland
Palin: Fact or fiction? Breaking down the rape-kit story. - Townhall
Lobbyists: Birds of prey or part of a complex Washington reality? McCain's aides often end up as lobbyists. - Politico
Michelle Obama: Will you tune in for Michelle, the food, or both? Michelle Obama to appear on Paula Deen's Food Network show to make fried shrimp. - YumSugar

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The Chinese Got Used to Clean Air - Can They Make It Stay?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:45:00 -0700

Now that the torch has been shelved for another four years and the birds' nest stadium is empty, Chinese residents are hoping to keep one benefit of the Games - increased air quality. During the Olympics, officials enacted strict measures to try to clear out the perpetually smoggy air, including limiting traffic and curbing factory production. The measures are set to stay in place until Sept. 20, and tons want them to stay longer than that.

At least 400,000 Chinese have joined online discussion groups to talk about how to keep the measures well beyond the Paralympics Games which kick off today. Nearly 70 percent of those surveyed supported continuing the traffic restrictions which keep half of the vehicles off the road at any one time - better for the air and the traffic. Pollution is down by 50 percent, a 10-year record.

With ideas like keeping the special lanes created for the Olympics and turning them into mass transit lanes, is it possible that the will of the people will be heard? If the Chinese are willing to accept inconvenience for cleaner air, will economic factors persuade the government to go back to business as smoggy usual?

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