Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Fourteen infants in China have been hospitalized with kidney stones after drinking a reduced-price powdered milk, Agence France-Presse reported Wednesday.
The babies, who are all under the age of 11 months, are being treated in a hospital located in northwest China’s Gansu province.
“It was rare for babies to get kidney stones, let alone so many babies at the same time,” said Dr. Zhang Wei, who is treating the babies, in a report.
The infants are all from remote farms. They had been fed the same powdered milk, which is known as Sanlu, and is manufactured by a leading Chinese dairy products company.
The Sanlu Group said its product was produced by market pirates illegally using the group’s name and they are investigating the incident.
It is possible other children became sick by the powder but did not seek medical attention because of the high cost of health care.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Asian Girls ARE NOT Prepubescent Gymnasts!
Underage Chinese Athlete Allegations Surge
BEIJING, Aug. 22, 2008
Chinese gymnast He Kexin was born Jan. 1, 1994, according to the 2005, 2006 and 2007 registration lists. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)
This adds up to 14 1/2 years old in my math
Gymnast Age Controversy
The International Olympic Committee is investigating allegations that five of China's six Olympic female gymnasts are underage. The age requirement is 16. Manuel Gallegus reports. | Share/Embed
Bloggers note: I started to report on the obvious visual age discrepency BEFORE the Chinese Gymnasts won even their first gold medal. Having lived in Asian Countries for almost year, I admit that Asian Girls are more youthfull looking than most 12-14 year old girls, but almost all of the Chinese Gymnastic Team really looked young and below the age of 16.
(CBS/ AP) China was asked to provide additional documents proving that five of the six members of its gold medal women's gymnastics team were old enough to compete in the Beijing Olympics, in hopes of ending persistent questions about the girls' ages.
The International Olympic Committee said Friday there is still no proof anyone cheated, but it asked gymnastics officials to investigate "what have been a number of questions and apparent discrepancies," spokeswoman Giselle Davies said. The International Gymnastics Federation asked China to submit documents that will further substantiate the ages of He Kexin, Yang Yilin, Jiang Yuyuan, Deng Linlin and Li Shanshan.
The federation said it would forward its conclusions to the IOC. If it finds evidence that the gymnasts were underage, it could affect four of China's six medals. In addition to the team gold and He's gold on uneven bars, Yang won bronze medals in the all-around and bars.
"It is in the interests of all concerned, not least the athletes themselves, to resolve this issue once and for all," the FIG said in a statement.
Chinese government Web pages once published - apparently now adjusted or removed - had shown at least half of China's women's gymnastics team may be as young as 14, a contradiction of what's on passports supplied by the Chinese government, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor.
So far, however, all the information the Chinese gymnastics federation has presented supports its insistence that its athletes were old enough to compete.
"We believe the matter will be put to rest and there's no question ... on the eligibility," Davies said. "The information we have received seems satisfactory in terms of the correct documentation - including birth certificates."
With the games wrapping up Sunday, the IOC wants to quickly end any lingering doubts about underage competitors.
No one would be happier to finally have closure on the controversy than the gymnasts' parents.
China coach Lu Shanzan said the parents are "indignant" over persistent questions about their daughters' ages.
"It's not just me. The parents of our athletes are all very indignant," Lu said. "They have faced groundless suspicion. Why aren't they believed? Why are their children suspected? Their parents are very angry."
In an interview with The Associated Press, Lu said Asian gymnasts are naturally smaller than their American and European rivals.
"At this competition, the Japanese gymnasts were just as small as the Chinese," he said. "Chinese competitors have for years all been small. It is not just this time. It is a question of race. European and American athletes are all powerful, very robust. But Chinese athletes cannot be like that. They are by nature that small."
He said the governing body of gymnastics was given additional documents Thursday night to try to dispel lingering questions. Those documents included He's current and former passport, ID card and family residence permit. Lu said the documents all say she was born in 1992, which would have made her eligible to compete. Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible.
"Surely it's not possible that these documents are still not sufficient proof of her birth date?" Lu asked. "The passports were issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The identity card was issued by China's Ministry of Public Security. If these valid documents are not enough to clarify this problem, then what will you believe?
"The Chinese government and the Chinese athletes must be respected," he added.
The coach dismissed Chinese media reports and online records that suggested that He, Yang and a third team member, Jiang Yuyuan, might be as young as 14.
"If you trust every Web site but not a government...," he said. "There are so many Web sites, so much hearsay. These are not official. It is possible that all news on the Internet is accurate?"
The federation has said repeatedly that a passport is the "accepted proof of a gymnast's eligibility," and that China's gymnasts have presented ones that show they are age eligible. The IOC also checked the girls' passports and deemed them valid before the games began.
Neither the IOC nor the FIG gave details on what new information prompted it to act now, three days after the gymnastics competition ended.
"With some questions still remaining, we asked the federation to take a closer look," Davies said.
The U.S. Olympic Committee said it sent a letter to the IOC and the FIG on Friday, asking that the matter be resolved.
"We certainly believe that it's important for the IOC and the international federation to review the issue and hopefully lay it to rest because the questions surrounding the age of some of the athletes have been out there for quite a while and it's unfair to them and unfair to the other athletes to continue to linger," USOC chief executive Jim Scherr said.
"So we have sent a letter to the IOC and to the international federation asking them to review the matter and see if they can't resolve it for the good of the competition, the integrity of the competition and the good of all the athletes."
The Chinese women won six medals, including the team gold and He's gold on uneven bars. Media reports include a Nov. 3 story by the Chinese government's news agency, Xinhua, that suggest He is only 14. Asked again earlier this week about her age after winning the uneven bars title, beating American Nastia Liukin in a tiebreak, she said:
"I was born in 1992, and I'm 16 years old now," Gymnast He said. "The FIG has proved that. If I'm under 16, I couldn't have been competing here."
Earlier this month, the AP found registration lists previously posted on the Web site of the General Administration of Sport of China that showed both He and Yang were too young to compete. He was born Jan. 1, 1994, according to the 2005, 2006 and 2007 registration lists. Yang was born Aug. 26, 1993, according to the 2004, 2005 and 2006 registration lists. In the 2007 registration list, however, her birthday has changed to Aug. 26, 1992.
JUST MORE CHINESE FAKERY!
"We played fair at this Olympic Games," Liukin's father and coach, Valeri, said after they arrived back in the United States. "... If somebody cheated, shame on them."
Added Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics: "USA Gymnastics has always believed this issue needed to be addressed by the FIG and IOC. An investigation would help bring closure to the issue and remove any cloud of speculation from this competition."
Age falsification has been a problem in gymnastics since the 1980s after the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 to protect young athletes from serious injuries. The minimum age was raised to its current 16 in 1997. Younger gymnasts are considered to have an advantage because they are more flexible and are likely to have an easier time doing the tough skills the sport requires. They also aren't as likely to have a history of injuries or fear of failure.
North Korea was barred from the 1993 world championships after FIG officials discovered Kim Gwang Suk, the gold medalist on uneven bars in 1991, was listed as 15 for three years in a row. Romania admitted in 2002 that several gymnasts' ages had been falsified, including Olympic medalists Gina Gogean and Alexandra Marinescu.
Even China's own Yang Yun, a double bronze medalist in Sydney, said during an interview aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was 14 during the 2000 Games.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
BEIJING, Aug. 22, 2008
Chinese gymnast He Kexin was born Jan. 1, 1994, according to the 2005, 2006 and 2007 registration lists. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)
This adds up to 14 1/2 years old in my math
Gymnast Age Controversy
The International Olympic Committee is investigating allegations that five of China's six Olympic female gymnasts are underage. The age requirement is 16. Manuel Gallegus reports. | Share/Embed
Bloggers note: I started to report on the obvious visual age discrepency BEFORE the Chinese Gymnasts won even their first gold medal. Having lived in Asian Countries for almost year, I admit that Asian Girls are more youthfull looking than most 12-14 year old girls, but almost all of the Chinese Gymnastic Team really looked young and below the age of 16.
(CBS/ AP) China was asked to provide additional documents proving that five of the six members of its gold medal women's gymnastics team were old enough to compete in the Beijing Olympics, in hopes of ending persistent questions about the girls' ages.
The International Olympic Committee said Friday there is still no proof anyone cheated, but it asked gymnastics officials to investigate "what have been a number of questions and apparent discrepancies," spokeswoman Giselle Davies said. The International Gymnastics Federation asked China to submit documents that will further substantiate the ages of He Kexin, Yang Yilin, Jiang Yuyuan, Deng Linlin and Li Shanshan.
The federation said it would forward its conclusions to the IOC. If it finds evidence that the gymnasts were underage, it could affect four of China's six medals. In addition to the team gold and He's gold on uneven bars, Yang won bronze medals in the all-around and bars.
"It is in the interests of all concerned, not least the athletes themselves, to resolve this issue once and for all," the FIG said in a statement.
Chinese government Web pages once published - apparently now adjusted or removed - had shown at least half of China's women's gymnastics team may be as young as 14, a contradiction of what's on passports supplied by the Chinese government, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor.
So far, however, all the information the Chinese gymnastics federation has presented supports its insistence that its athletes were old enough to compete.
"We believe the matter will be put to rest and there's no question ... on the eligibility," Davies said. "The information we have received seems satisfactory in terms of the correct documentation - including birth certificates."
With the games wrapping up Sunday, the IOC wants to quickly end any lingering doubts about underage competitors.
No one would be happier to finally have closure on the controversy than the gymnasts' parents.
China coach Lu Shanzan said the parents are "indignant" over persistent questions about their daughters' ages.
"It's not just me. The parents of our athletes are all very indignant," Lu said. "They have faced groundless suspicion. Why aren't they believed? Why are their children suspected? Their parents are very angry."
In an interview with The Associated Press, Lu said Asian gymnasts are naturally smaller than their American and European rivals.
"At this competition, the Japanese gymnasts were just as small as the Chinese," he said. "Chinese competitors have for years all been small. It is not just this time. It is a question of race. European and American athletes are all powerful, very robust. But Chinese athletes cannot be like that. They are by nature that small."
He said the governing body of gymnastics was given additional documents Thursday night to try to dispel lingering questions. Those documents included He's current and former passport, ID card and family residence permit. Lu said the documents all say she was born in 1992, which would have made her eligible to compete. Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible.
"Surely it's not possible that these documents are still not sufficient proof of her birth date?" Lu asked. "The passports were issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The identity card was issued by China's Ministry of Public Security. If these valid documents are not enough to clarify this problem, then what will you believe?
"The Chinese government and the Chinese athletes must be respected," he added.
The coach dismissed Chinese media reports and online records that suggested that He, Yang and a third team member, Jiang Yuyuan, might be as young as 14.
"If you trust every Web site but not a government...," he said. "There are so many Web sites, so much hearsay. These are not official. It is possible that all news on the Internet is accurate?"
The federation has said repeatedly that a passport is the "accepted proof of a gymnast's eligibility," and that China's gymnasts have presented ones that show they are age eligible. The IOC also checked the girls' passports and deemed them valid before the games began.
Neither the IOC nor the FIG gave details on what new information prompted it to act now, three days after the gymnastics competition ended.
"With some questions still remaining, we asked the federation to take a closer look," Davies said.
The U.S. Olympic Committee said it sent a letter to the IOC and the FIG on Friday, asking that the matter be resolved.
"We certainly believe that it's important for the IOC and the international federation to review the issue and hopefully lay it to rest because the questions surrounding the age of some of the athletes have been out there for quite a while and it's unfair to them and unfair to the other athletes to continue to linger," USOC chief executive Jim Scherr said.
"So we have sent a letter to the IOC and to the international federation asking them to review the matter and see if they can't resolve it for the good of the competition, the integrity of the competition and the good of all the athletes."
The Chinese women won six medals, including the team gold and He's gold on uneven bars. Media reports include a Nov. 3 story by the Chinese government's news agency, Xinhua, that suggest He is only 14. Asked again earlier this week about her age after winning the uneven bars title, beating American Nastia Liukin in a tiebreak, she said:
"I was born in 1992, and I'm 16 years old now," Gymnast He said. "The FIG has proved that. If I'm under 16, I couldn't have been competing here."
Earlier this month, the AP found registration lists previously posted on the Web site of the General Administration of Sport of China that showed both He and Yang were too young to compete. He was born Jan. 1, 1994, according to the 2005, 2006 and 2007 registration lists. Yang was born Aug. 26, 1993, according to the 2004, 2005 and 2006 registration lists. In the 2007 registration list, however, her birthday has changed to Aug. 26, 1992.
JUST MORE CHINESE FAKERY!
"We played fair at this Olympic Games," Liukin's father and coach, Valeri, said after they arrived back in the United States. "... If somebody cheated, shame on them."
Added Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics: "USA Gymnastics has always believed this issue needed to be addressed by the FIG and IOC. An investigation would help bring closure to the issue and remove any cloud of speculation from this competition."
Age falsification has been a problem in gymnastics since the 1980s after the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 to protect young athletes from serious injuries. The minimum age was raised to its current 16 in 1997. Younger gymnasts are considered to have an advantage because they are more flexible and are likely to have an easier time doing the tough skills the sport requires. They also aren't as likely to have a history of injuries or fear of failure.
North Korea was barred from the 1993 world championships after FIG officials discovered Kim Gwang Suk, the gold medalist on uneven bars in 1991, was listed as 15 for three years in a row. Romania admitted in 2002 that several gymnasts' ages had been falsified, including Olympic medalists Gina Gogean and Alexandra Marinescu.
Even China's own Yang Yun, a double bronze medalist in Sydney, said during an interview aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was 14 during the 2000 Games.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
China is being busted by IOC! Finally!!
Are they old enough?
IOC seeks probe into China gymnasts' ages
There have been persistent questions that some Chinese gymnasts are underage
The IOC said previously it had verified the passports of all Olympic athletes
But it requested the probe Friday, saying "more information has come to light"
Online records and media reports suggest three Chinese gymnasts -- Jiang Yuyuan (above), He Kexin and Jang Yilin -- may be as young as 12.
BEIJING (AP) -- The International Olympic Committee has asked gymnastics officials to investigate whether the Chinese women's gymnastics team that won the gold medal at the Beijing games had underage athletes, saying that more information had come to light.
"We've asked the gymnastics federation to look into it further," IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said Friday. "If there is a question mark and we have a concern, which we do, we ask the governing body of any sport to look into it."
It was not immediately clear what new information prompted the IOC to act now, three days after the gymnastics competition ended.
Messages for the International Gymnastics Federation were not immediately returned.
A gymnast must be 16 in an Olympic year to compete at the games. But questions about the ages of at least three of the athletes have persisted. Online records and media reports suggest three Chinese gymnasts -- He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan and Jang Yilin -- may be as young as 12-14.
The gymnastics federation has said repeatedly that a passport is accepted proof of a gymnast's eligibility to compete, and that China's gymnasts have presented ones showing they are age eligible.
The IOC had said previously that it had verified the passports of all athletes competing at the games.
"We are not in a position to say `It's good, it's not good.' It's a government document," FIG president Bruno Grandi said earlier this week in an interview with The Associated Press.
The Chinese women won six medals, including the team gold and a gold on uneven bars by He. Online records and media reports -- including a Nov. 3 story by the Chinese government's news agency, Xinhau -- have suggested He is only 14. She was asked about her age again after winning the uneven bars title, beating American Nastia Liukin in a tiebreak.
"I was born in 1992 and I'm 16 years old now," He said Monday. "The FIG has proved that. If I'm under 16, I couldn't have been competing here."
Age falsification has been a problem in gymnastics since the 1980s, after the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 to protect young athletes from serious injuries. The minimum age was raised to its current 16 in 1997.
North Korea was barred from the 1993 world championships after FIG officials discovered that Kim Gwang Suk, the gold medalist on uneven bars in 1991, was listed as 15 for three years in a row. Romania admitted in 2002 that several gymnasts' ages had been falsified, including Olympic medalists Gina Gogean and Alexandra Marinescu.
Even China's own Yang Yun, a double bronze medalist in Sydney, said during an interview aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was 14 in 2000
U.S. is Under Attack (again)
The US is under Attack - again!
Just a quick blog today, as I spend many hours scanning the newswires, watching CNN, MSNBC and of course my favorite news outlet Faux News (oops I meant Fox News) we are seeing that the Republican Party just pulled out their FMM or ‘Fear Mongering Machine’ and it has begun an all out assault on the simpler minds of the American people.
With the US Presidential race heating up, we are seeing the first wave of attacks using this newly updated FMM weapon. Our intelligence unit has received data and deciphered chatter about the updated FMM weapon and its terrible effects on simple minds.
Please make sure that you tell your friends and neighbors to watch for this weapon and to be aware of its use in the upcoming 90 days. Often times one cannot discern from the supposed truth called ‘reality’ propagated by this GOP FMM Weaponry.
The weapon is easily recognizable on most networks and news organizations, but FOX NEWS has contractually agreed to use the FMM to enhance EACH and every news story during the next 120 days!
Be aware that when you hear news stories about the US coming under potential attack, or that there is a larger terrorist attack planned, or that the we are now going to have to go to war with Russia, please help your family, friends and neighbors fully understand that this in fact in not the true reality of the moment, nor even of the future.
Please help them discern and comprehend that in most cases, these reports and ‘scare tactics’ only and simply the ammunition delivered by the Republicans, by advanced use of the FMM.
Be logical, open-minded and understanding and ask for discernment when you hear outrageous claims made by the current administration, or John McCain, as almost everything that is coming out of their mouths are being enhanced by the FMM psychological mind control unit.
In reality, just BE AWARE that some information that will come out to try to scare you into thinking that hiring your 72 year old grandpa (who does NOT know how to even use a computer or email) was (or is) a good idea. In the long run, regardless of any faked FMM military threat, the US will learn hiring this old coot is not such a good idea.
If you truly want to know what Brother McCain is really about and some of the shenanigans he pulled (in his dementia moments of course) while being a Governer in Arizona ask any REPUBLICAN PARTY MEMBER who lives there for a reality check!
Just a quick blog today, as I spend many hours scanning the newswires, watching CNN, MSNBC and of course my favorite news outlet Faux News (oops I meant Fox News) we are seeing that the Republican Party just pulled out their FMM or ‘Fear Mongering Machine’ and it has begun an all out assault on the simpler minds of the American people.
With the US Presidential race heating up, we are seeing the first wave of attacks using this newly updated FMM weapon. Our intelligence unit has received data and deciphered chatter about the updated FMM weapon and its terrible effects on simple minds.
Please make sure that you tell your friends and neighbors to watch for this weapon and to be aware of its use in the upcoming 90 days. Often times one cannot discern from the supposed truth called ‘reality’ propagated by this GOP FMM Weaponry.
The weapon is easily recognizable on most networks and news organizations, but FOX NEWS has contractually agreed to use the FMM to enhance EACH and every news story during the next 120 days!
Be aware that when you hear news stories about the US coming under potential attack, or that there is a larger terrorist attack planned, or that the we are now going to have to go to war with Russia, please help your family, friends and neighbors fully understand that this in fact in not the true reality of the moment, nor even of the future.
Please help them discern and comprehend that in most cases, these reports and ‘scare tactics’ only and simply the ammunition delivered by the Republicans, by advanced use of the FMM.
Be logical, open-minded and understanding and ask for discernment when you hear outrageous claims made by the current administration, or John McCain, as almost everything that is coming out of their mouths are being enhanced by the FMM psychological mind control unit.
In reality, just BE AWARE that some information that will come out to try to scare you into thinking that hiring your 72 year old grandpa (who does NOT know how to even use a computer or email) was (or is) a good idea. In the long run, regardless of any faked FMM military threat, the US will learn hiring this old coot is not such a good idea.
If you truly want to know what Brother McCain is really about and some of the shenanigans he pulled (in his dementia moments of course) while being a Governer in Arizona ask any REPUBLICAN PARTY MEMBER who lives there for a reality check!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Principal’s outing of gay student roils Florida town
PONCE DE LEON, Fla. - When a high school senior told her principal that students were taunting her for being a lesbian, he told her homosexuality is wrong, outed her to her parents and ordered her to stay away from children.
He suspended some of her friends who expressed their outrage by wearing gay pride T-shirts and buttons at Ponce de Leon High School, according to court records. And he asked dozens of students whether they were gay or associated with gay students.
The American Civil Liberties Union successfully sued the district on behalf of a girl who protested against Principal David Davis, and a federal judge reprimanded Davis for conducting a "witch hunt" against gays. Davis was demoted, and school employees must now go through sensitivity training.
And despite all that, many in this conservative Panhandle community still wonder what, exactly, Davis did wrong.
"We are a small, rural district in the Bible Belt with strong Christian beliefs and feel like homosexuality is wrong," said Steve Griffin, Holmes County's school superintendent, who keeps a Bible on his desk and framed Scriptures on his office walls.
Holmes County, on the Georgia line, has about 20,000 residents. There is some agriculture, but most people are employed either by prisons or schools; some commute to the Gulf Coast to work in tourism. Ponce de Leon, with fewer than 500 residents, has a cafe, a post office and an antique store.
Many in the community support Davis and feel outsiders are forcing their beliefs on them. Griffin, who kicked Davis out of the principal's office but allowed him to continue teaching at the school, said high schoolers here aren't exposed to the same things as kids in Atlanta or Chicago.
"I don't think we are that different from a lot of districts, at least in the Panhandle, that have beliefs that maybe are different from societal changes," Griffin said.
Gay rights activists said that's no excuse for what Davis did.
'Witch hunt'
The problems began last fall when Davis, who did not return phone messages from The Associated Press, admonished the senior, who is identified only as "Jane Doe" in court records and whose friends say she doesn't want to talk about the experience.
The friends donned gay pride T-shirts and rainbow-colored clothing when they found out how Davis had treated her, and he questioned many of them about their sexuality and association with gay students. Some were suspended.
"Davis embarked on what can only be characterized as a 'witch hunt' to identify students who were homosexual and their supporters, further adding fuel to the fire," U.S. District Judge Richard Smoak recounted in his ruling. "He went so far as to lift the shirts of female students to insure the letters 'GP' or the words 'Gay Pride' were not written on their bodies."
Heather Gillman, an 11th-grader who took part in the protests, complained to her mother, Ardena, a 40-year-old corrections officer and mother of three. Ardena Gillman called the ACLU, even though she knew people would be angry.
"I just felt like I had to stand up for the kids. Heather wanted to do this, and I had to back her," she said.
Ardena hoped to protect the students' freedom of speech — whether it was the freedom to wear Confederate flag T-shirts to show Southern pride or the freedom to wear rainbow T-shirts to support gay rights.
Courts have repeatedly ruled that similar student protests are constitutional as long as they are not disruptive.
"I think a shirt that says 'I support gays' is very different from a shirt that says 'Gays are going to hell,'" said Benjamin Stevenson, an ACLU attorney. "One can be very disruptive for a child's self-esteem; the other supports other people and their ideas."
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Even more Chinese Olympic Fakery!!!
Young Olympics singing star didn't really sing
Official ruled true singer, 7, wasn't cute enough, so rival lip-synched instead
Lin Miaoke, left, is shown during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on Friday. An official ordered her to lip-synch 'Ode to the Motherland' because seven-year-old singer Yang Peiyi, right, wasn't deemed cute enough.
BEIJING - A 7-year-old Chinese girl was not good-looking enough for the Olympics opening ceremony, so another little girl with a pixie smile lip-synched "Ode to the Motherland," an official said.
In the latest example of the lengths Beijing took for a perfect start to the Summer Games, a member of China's Politburo asked for the last-minute change to match one girl's face with another's voice, the ceremony's chief music director said in an interview with Beijing Radio.
"The audience will understand that it's in the national interest," Chen Qigang said in a video of the interview posted online Sunday night.
In other Chinese Fakery news: following reports that some footage of the fireworks exploding across China's capital during the ceremony was digitally inserted into television coverage, apparently over concerns that not all of the 29 blasts could be captured on camera and fears over Beijings terrible smog problem.
China has been eager to present a flawless Olympics image to the world, shooing migrant workers and so-called petitioners who come to the central government with grievances from the city and shutting down any sign of protest.
'Instant star'
The country's quest for perfection apparently includes its children.
Lin Miaoke's performance Friday night, like the ceremony itself, was an immediate hit. "Nine-year-old Lin Miaoke becomes instant star with patriotic song," the China Daily newspaper headline said Tuesday.
But the real voice behind the tiny, pigtailed girl in the red dress who wowed 91,000 spectators at the National Stadium on opening night really belonged to 7-year-old Yang Peiyi. Her looks apparently failed the cuteness test with officials organizing the ceremony, but Chen said her voice was judged the most beautiful.
"The national interest requires that the girl should have good looks and a good grasp of the song and look good on screen," Chen said. "Lin Miaoke was the best in this. And Yang Peiyi's voice was the most outstanding."
During a live rehearsal soon before the ceremony, the Politburo member said Miaoke's voice "must change," Chen said in the radio interview. He didn't name the official.
So Peiyi's voice was matched with Miaoke's face.
"We had to make that choice. It was fair both for Lin Miaoke and Yang Peiyi," Chen told Beijing Radio. "We combined the perfect voice and the perfect performance."
Chen couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.
Crooked teeth
A photo of Peiyi posted Tuesday on popular Web site Sina.com shows a smiling girl with bangs and crooked teeth. A China News Service story posted with the photo says a China Central Television reporter asked Peiyi whether she felt regret over the opening ceremony.
Peiyi responded that just having her voice used for the opening ceremony was an honor.
Whether the move was unethical, or unfair to both girls, has become a hot topic among Chinese and is racing across the country's blogosphere.
"The organizers really messed up on this one," said Luo Shaoyang, 34, a retail worker in Beijing.
"This is like a voice-over for a cartoon character," Luo said. "Why couldn't they pick a kid who is both cute and a good singer? This damages the reputation of both kids for their future, especially the one lip-synching. Now everyone knows she's a fraud. Who cares if she's cute?"
Zhang Xinyi, 22, who works in marketing in Beijing, disagreed.
"I can understand why they picked the prettier girl. They need to maintain a certain aesthetic beauty during the opening ceremonies. This situation is not so bad, especially since it gives two people an opportunity to shine rather than just one. Adding, We Chinese need to place our best foot forward, even if this is an illusion to the rest of the world, it is real to us."
Peiyi is a first-grader at the primary school affiliated to Peking University. Her tutor, Wang Liping, wrote in her blog that Peiyi is both cute and well-behaved, with a love for Peking opera.
"She doesn't like to show off. She's easygoing," Wang wrote. She and other school officials couldn't be reached Tuesday.
Miaoke, however, was a minor celebrity even before the opening ceremony. The third-grader appeared in a television ad last year with China's biggest gold medal hope, hurdling champion Liu Xiang, and she was in an Olympics ad just before Chinese New Year, China Daily reported.
Miaoke has her own blog, and one of the latest photos posted since the ceremony shows her looking up nervously at the ceremony's director, film director Zhang Yimou. "Giving the child encouragement," the caption says.
Her father, Lin Hui, told China Daily he learned Miaoke would be "singing" only 15 minutes before the opening ceremony began. The newspaper wrote Lin "still cannot believe his daughter has become an international singing sensation."
IN A FAKE Chinese Idol contest...or right Kareoke is a new Asain sport
It was the second straight Olympics where the opening ceremony involved lip-synching.
Luciano Pavarotti's performance at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin was prerecorded because he was so sick, but it was also advertised beforehand that this would occur. The maestro who conducted the aria, Leone Magiera, said earlier this year that the bitter cold made a live performance impossible for Pavarotti, who was in severe pain months before his cancer diagnosis. Pavarotti died in September 2007 at age 71.
Power to the Tailpipe!
Power From Your Tailpipe? It's Possible
Not Useless After All?
Aug. 11, 2008 -- The stinky, steaming air that escapes from a car's tailpipe could help us use less gas.
Researchers are competing to meet a challenge from the U.S. Department of Energy: Improve fuel economy 10 percent by converting wasted exhaust heat into energy that can help power the vehicle.
General Motors Corp. is close to reaching the goal, as is a BMW AG supplier working with Ohio State University. Their research into thermoelectrics -- the science of using temperature differences to create electricity -- couldn't come at a better time as high gas prices accelerate efforts to make vehicles as efficient as possible.
GM researcher Jihui Yang said a metal-plated device that surrounds an exhaust pipe could increase fuel economy in a Chevrolet Suburban by about 5 percent, a 1-mile-per-gallon improvement that would be even greater in a smaller vehicle.
Reaching the goal of a 10 percent improvement would save more than 100 million gallons of fuel per year in GM vehicles in the U.S. alone.
"The take-home message here is: It's a big deal," Yang said.
The DOE, which is partially funding the auto industry research, helped develop a thermoelectric generator for a heavy duty diesel truck and tested it for the equivalent of 550,000 miles about 12 years ago.
John Fairbanks, the department's thermoelectrics technology development manager, said the success of that generator justified the competitive search in 2004 for a device that could augment or replace a vehicle's alternator. Three teams were selected to participate in the program, with GM and thermoelectrics manufacturer BSST separately working on cars and a team from Michigan State University focusing on heavy-duty trucks.
Fairbanks said thermoelectric generators should be on the verge of production in about three years.
"It's probably the biggest impact in the shortest time that I can think of," he said.
Not Useless After All?
Aug. 11, 2008 -- The stinky, steaming air that escapes from a car's tailpipe could help us use less gas.
Researchers are competing to meet a challenge from the U.S. Department of Energy: Improve fuel economy 10 percent by converting wasted exhaust heat into energy that can help power the vehicle.
General Motors Corp. is close to reaching the goal, as is a BMW AG supplier working with Ohio State University. Their research into thermoelectrics -- the science of using temperature differences to create electricity -- couldn't come at a better time as high gas prices accelerate efforts to make vehicles as efficient as possible.
GM researcher Jihui Yang said a metal-plated device that surrounds an exhaust pipe could increase fuel economy in a Chevrolet Suburban by about 5 percent, a 1-mile-per-gallon improvement that would be even greater in a smaller vehicle.
Reaching the goal of a 10 percent improvement would save more than 100 million gallons of fuel per year in GM vehicles in the U.S. alone.
"The take-home message here is: It's a big deal," Yang said.
The DOE, which is partially funding the auto industry research, helped develop a thermoelectric generator for a heavy duty diesel truck and tested it for the equivalent of 550,000 miles about 12 years ago.
John Fairbanks, the department's thermoelectrics technology development manager, said the success of that generator justified the competitive search in 2004 for a device that could augment or replace a vehicle's alternator. Three teams were selected to participate in the program, with GM and thermoelectrics manufacturer BSST separately working on cars and a team from Michigan State University focusing on heavy-duty trucks.
Fairbanks said thermoelectric generators should be on the verge of production in about three years.
"It's probably the biggest impact in the shortest time that I can think of," he said.
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