August 18, 2008 4:59 AM
A.M./P.M.: A Golf Cart For Two
The Olympic Green in Beijing is an advertiser's dream. Each of the official Olympic sponsors -- Coke, China Mobile (pictured at right), Omega, et al -- has a small convention center set up on the Green, and spectators walking to or from their ticketed events can stop by for some direct marketing. At night, these buildings are packed, as spectators stop by to see sanctimonious tributes to the glories of a Chinese-made laptop (Lenovo) or a good snapshot (Kodak). But if you're just walking through the village, it feels more Super Bowl ad-ish. It takes about 30 seconds to move past a building. In those 30 seconds, you're walking through a focus group-tested swirl of sound and light, trying to draw you into the product/building. And if you're not interested in that product, there's another sponsor's building just beyond it.
So maybe that Johnson & Johnson building with the plants on the roof didn't catch your eye? There's always the animatronic-gymnasts-pirouetting-over-VW-Jettas-show next door.
I managed to escape the strip last night, though, heading north towards the field hockey and tennis venues. Past the lights and the marketing glitz, I reached an intersection.
The light was red, so I took a look around. To my right, a golf cart was waiting for the light.
There are thousands of these golf carts around Beijing, but this one caught my eye. In the back seat, two men were basically hanging off the cart. They were way too tall for the thing, and I watched as they tried to figure out exactly where to put their heads.
It was obvious that they were basketball players; NBA-types just don't look like ordinary people. They were also wearing suits, unlike most Olympians who wear their team colors around Beijing. So these guys were American basketball players.
The light turned green, but I was still waiting on the corner. The golf cart hung a U-turn and headed back toward the Green, taking Kobe Bryant and LeBron James with it.
They were still trying to figure out how to fit themselves into the cart as they faded out of view.
It's 7 p.m. in Beijing, and 5 a.m. in Denver. Here are the stories that are making Olympic headlines on this Monday evening/morning:
>The girl who lip-synched during the Opening Ceremonies may be appearing in the new Chinese movie "Strive." She would receive 600,000 yuan ($87,304) for a three-minute appearance.
>The Chinese may sell naming rights for the Bird's Nest to Coca Cola. I can't wait to stop by the Delicious Happiness National Stadium.
>Did Usain Bolt slow up because of performance bonuses?
>Your could-be-an-Onion-story-of-the-day: "Horse Ride or Horse Fight?"
>Smog levels in Beijing drop below 50 on the API index, also known as "still more polluted than Los Angeles." I'd describe the conditions as "breathable."
>Interesting tangent: the number of Google searches for "Beijing Smog" was almost nonexistent in the last 12 months. Then a sudden spike occurred on July 27, just a few days before the Games started.
>A very strange headline, indeed, from Rwanda's New Times: "Win or Die for Country."
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