Why these Olympics have been so good for China, the Athletes, and the Olympic ideal!

The Olympic ideal has just received an investment equal to a defense budget of the third largest country on earth thus giving it's mission statement sublime credibility.

Estimates are that China has spent 40-billion-dollars on these Olympics. Now contrast that to the Chinese defense budget which is estimated at 44.7-billion-dollars. (The United States spent 481-billion-dollars on our defense budget.)

Obviously the Chinese felt that the 2008 Beijing Olympics are so important to their nation's image and morale that it was equal in importance to their ability to defend themselves.

Imagine if the United States spent 1/3-of-a-trillion dollars on a summer Olympics? The figure is so large that it is absurd and incomprehensible. Athens and London have and will spend perhaps 10% of what the Chinese paid. Obviously China wants to demonstrate they have arrived on the world stage and want to be considered credible, reliable and innovative. I suspect my feelings are shared by many now. The Chinese are also humble about it by outsourcing this endeavor to western firms.

The experience these 2008 athletes will have will be perhaps never be surpassed. For instance, If Michael Phelps blasts 8-golds, these Olympics will be the IOC's finest 16 days in the history of the movement. i.e. The great achievement of any Olympic athlete, the most medals garnered by an Olympian and the biggest, "swankiest," Olympics ever.

As for human rights, pollution and political rights: I know nothing about political science but perhaps these are the growing pains that a totalitarian society goes through as it makes its transitional to a democracy?

I am not happy about their environmental and human rights havoc but I am not happy about the United States environmental and human rights havoc as of late either.

Edited to fix grammar and add the last sentence: [8/18/09]

USA defense budge reference: US Dept. of Defense [Link]
China defense budget reference: Info-Wars: [Link]

Rep Maxine Waters wants a US boycott of the Olympics

Democrat Representative, Maxine Waters, of California introduced a resolution just before the August recess to boycott the Olympics over China's involvement in Dafur. She summarily did so at the last second and couldn't be reached for comment. Her resolution would be non-binding, or according to Politico.com's The Crypt: "... Just asking the president to "take immediate action to boycott the Summer Olympic Games of 2008 in Beijing, China." It was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. ..." [Where hopefully it dies a humiliatingly painful shredding.]

Her reasons are the same as the French left position, China's involvement with Dafur, and their defense dealings and oil contracts with them. She did not answer calls to defend it.

If you look up the word 'ineffectual" in the dictionary, you see that the derivation of the word comes from the phrase, "Olympic Boycott." It's right next to the word "Jimmy Carter" and "Francois Bayrou," the French candidate that put that idea out into the void in the first place.

Maxine Waters is a politician out here in Southern California whose district is located on the map right here: [Link]

If she is in your district, send her a note. The link regarding her boycott nonsense can be read here: [Link]

Social networks are betting on French Presidental candidate Nicolas Sarkozy

Social networking sites in England; (Read as Gambling sites), are betting that Nicolas Sarkozy will be the next President of France. [Link]

I mention politics here because France had a Presidential candidate named Bayou who discussed boycotting the Beijing Olympics over China's involvement in the Sudan crisis. (China is selling weapons in the region and drilling for oil there as well.)

The final two candidates are Nicolas Sarkozy on the right and current President, Segolene Royal, on the left. Though Bayou didn't make the final cut as a candidate, he has thrown his support behind Socialist candidate, Segolene Royal, who has not ruled out an Olympic boycott. Her opponent Nicolas Sarkozy has. [Link]

Here is hoping that whoever is voted President of France a boycott of the Olympics will not take place and we will see Laure Manaudou race both Natalie Coughlin and Kate Ziegler in Beijing.

Herald Tribune article: "In The Arena: Has Chinese swimming really sunk?"

The Chinese dominated women's swimming in the 1990's but then came the positive tests for performance enhancing drugs.

Luo Xuejuan won a gold medal at Athens in the 100 breast but suddenly developed heart problems last year at the age of 23 and had to retire. Developing heart problems at such a young age disturbs me and it is hard not to be suspicious due to China's spotted past with doping. It is reminiscent of Governor Arnold having his heart valve replaced most likely as a result of steroid use.

Now the Chinese appear clean. There were no positive tests at Pan Pacifics or World Championships. This article details some of the problems and some of the corrections China is making to get competitive again. [Link]

French presidential candidate, Francois Bayrou, calls for Beijing boycott

That would so suck for Laure Manaudou and the whole French team. You would think that the world would have learned from former President, Jimmy Carter's, blunder when he had the U.S. boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympics due to the Soviet Union's involvement in Afghanistan. Consequently athletes from all over the United States were summarily denied a legacy and/or an accomplishment due to that foreign policy fiasco.

Enter French politician, Francois Bayrou, who feels France should boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics, "if China does not alter its stance on the Darfur crisis in Sudan. ..." Here is a link to the story over at WCSN: [link]

I did a little research and found out that China has $10 billion reasons to look the other way in the Sudan and those reasons are all invested inside of Sudan's oil fields. [Link]

Yet another reason to get the hell out of an oil based economy. I don't care if hydrogen costs more to produce and is inefficient to move around. This bloody stuff called oil pollutes the ocean, the air, our lungs and our politics. Per Popular Mechanics it would take 800 million dollars to go to a hydrogen method of energy production yet we have spent $400 billion in Iraq.

Wiki link regarding Popular Mechanics figures: [Link]

So, if you are French, don't vote for this guy.

Here is a video of LMU swimmer, Lauren Mathewson, beating Nan Liu; a nationally ranked swimmer from the Liao Ning Province in China, in the 100 backstroke at the PCSC Championship Meet at the Belmont Plaza.

Note how Lauren uses her turns and underwater work as a lethal weapon. She only broke surface after her competitors were taking their second or third stroke. Just amazing and she never suffered any degradation to her momentum.

To illustrate the gravity of this win, take a look at this snippet from Nan liu's bio: "...represented her province in the National Game and Chinese Championships, where she was a top three finisher in the 50 and 100 butterfly events... Earned the Outstanding Junior Swimmer award by the Chinese Swimming Association and the Most Outstanding Athlete by the Liao Ning Province... ."

Note that at the PCSC Championship Nan Liu also won the two butterfly events setting new meet records and was named along with, Lauren Mathewson, PCSC Swimmer of the Year. I can personally tell you that Head Coach Bonnie Adair and the coaching staff of LMU were euphoric about this meet and Lauren's PCSC Conference record-setting swim.

Chuck Tansuwan shot this video and I thank him for letting me post it.

Luo Xuejuan, Chinese breaststroke swimmer is in the hospital for suspicious heart ailments. [Read as steroid abuse].

Timed Finals once again gives me something to talk about.

The Chinese have a spotted past when it comes to swim doping. Well, actually it is not spotted, it's more checkered. Well, maybe that's a bit to nuanced. It's not spotted nor checkered it is actually opaque and red-handed. Over 40 Chinese swimmers since 1990 have failed drug tests. That's triple the amount of any other swimming country during the same period of time. [link]

Now, Luo Xuejuan, is in a hospital with a heart ailment.

From Eurosport:

Luo ... omitted from the Chinese national team for the Doha Games due to ill health, but then fainted during training in November caused by what doctors at the time thought was lack of rest [or] low blood pressure.

Swim News stated she has passed out several times during training. That is not good for a girl as young as she. The Chinese government always distances itself from doping scandals usually blaming the athlete. However, and my opinion is biased, there is enough circumstantial evidence to point a finger at the Chinese swim program due to past questionable tactics. Such as, sending secondary swimmers to swim and be drug tested for international meets while elite swimmers stay home and train in a bubble till just before internationally covered meets such as the Olympics or World Championships. Note, the USA is not exactly saintly either but the Chinese have some "splaining to do" due to such immense positive tests in the past and the fact that their athletes are subsidized.

So, why is steroids being suggested? Because her illness is a fishy as a tuna! I did a Google search on anabolic steroid use in regards to heart health. What I found were article-after-article about how steroid use can: Weaken heart valves, as witnessed with Governor Arnold's heart valve replacement; cause stroke issues and heart attacks due to decreased HDL or good cholesterol; and mess with your blood pressure as well as weaken your bones. [link]

This is sad for both Luo and her family but hopefully it warns other swimmers from thinking you can buy performance with no consequences.