MetaFilter posts tagged with olympics and beijing

English as a Shouted Language

divabat — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:10:31 -0800

"Conquer English to Make China Stronger!" is the philosophy of Li Yang, founder of the Crazy English school (and style) of language, described by some as "English as a Shouted Language" for its main method of shouting English words in public to overcome shyness. Li Yang has achieved Elvis-like popularity in China, not just through his public lectures but also through the sales of books, media, teaching materials, and a memoir titled "I am Crazy, I Succeed". Li Yang's unorthodox methods - which include encouraging students to "lose face" and cope with embarrassment on the way to success - have earned him fame and fortune, including headlining the 5th Beijing Foreign Language Festival and being the main English teacher for China's Olympic volunteers. Li Yang's secret to success: "... to have them continuously paying—that’s the conclusion I’ve reached."

James Powderly's story of his Beijing detention

kliuless — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:11:13 -0800

An American in Beijing's Detention Facilities (via kottke)

After hours without sleep and threats against their lives and the lives of their loved ones, Powderly and the other Americans began to crack. “That’s when I started to realize that I’m really good at being a douche-baggy art star, but I’m really bad at this secret agent business,” he said.

which can be compared/contrasted with recent police action in st. paul (and of course guantanamo), but also the larger image and reality in china.

Roger Ebert to Jay Marriotti

An Infinity Of Monkeys — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:02:41 -0800

An open letter to sports columnist Jay Mariotti , who resigned from the Sun-Times and lashed out during a TV interview announcing that newspapers were dead. (via Sports Filter)

Inside the Olympics Stadium in 360 degrees

lou — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:20:54 -0800

Beijing Olympics Stadium, about 30 minutes before the the men's 100m final. A 360-degree view (including overhead) from the stands by Finnish photographer Kari Kuukka.

Well, there's a surprise

chuckdarwin — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:51:03 -0800

Some of the female Chinese gymnasts are apparently under-age. It wasn't their skulls, their chins or their eyes that gave them away: it was the internet.

"Lightning"

chuckdarwin — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 09:04:48 -0800

Usain Bolt is (still) the fastest man in the world. What's really sick is that he could have run even faster. He celebrated 20 meters early, throwing out his arms and thumping his chest. I can't find a youtube link that will stick for more than a few seconds. The people in charge are keeping a very close eye on this, indeed. I'm not normally into track, but I don't think I've ever seen a race where the winner made the (extremely fast) runners look so slooooooooooow.

I would have sworn he was 6' 3" and 225 lbs...

clearly — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:26:37 -0800

Yang Wei, the 2006 and 2007 mens gymnastics world champion, and number 13 on Time Magazine's 100 Olympic Athletes to Watch in Beijing 2008, is a symbol of absolute power and coordination. He stands 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 121 pounds.

3...2...1... COUNTDOWN.

grapefruitmoon — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:29:35 -0800

Opening the Olympic Ceremony with a bow to ancient Chinese tradition, 2,008 Drummers on the traditional Fou drums. A gorgeous photo of the drummers, with other photos of the opening ceremonies. More about the fou's role in the ceremony. The fou dates from the Xia Dynasty - the first of the ancient Chinese dynasties ca. 2100 BC–1600 BC

New China?

clearly — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:51:09 -0800

The Olympic Boom is shaping a new Beijing. These fancy new venues and skyscrapers are being built largely by migrant workers facing a harsh reality. The non-stop construction has also threatened to make these "green games" brown. The city may be smoggy and mistreated migrant workery now, but don't you worry, a series of measures will be taken to curb the pollution for the events.

Going to the Beijing Olympics? Don't be black!

afu — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:47:29 -0800

As Beijing prepares for the Olympics next year it is trying to clean up some of the shadier sides of the city. Apparently, one way of doing this is going to the popular bar street, Sanlitun, and arresting and beating all the men who appear to be of African decent, even if one happens to be the son of a diplomat.

More Luxury Hotels Required

SansPoint — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 07:41:15 -0800

SimCity 2008, Scenario: Beijing. Prepare your city for the 2008 Olympics. Raze slums, build luxury hotels, and stadiums. Make the nation, and the world, proud!

will — Sat, 24 Feb 2001 03:56:31 -0800

Don't look behind that wall , Mr. Olympic inspector. In advance of the ongoing assesment by 17 Olympic inspectors, thousands of unwanted people have been tossed into a detention center in China, without trial. For a month, 500 to 600 people a day have been tossed in. Human Rights in China interviewed former inmates of the detention centre, and they reported

"There were no bathing facilities, food was poured from buckets and fought over by mice, and beatings with leather belts were common."

Is this what China does to "put on its game face"?