August 22, 2008 4:59 AM
A.M./P.M.: Detected
My two favorite metal detector stories:On the Beijing subway, with security here at a premium, they're asking all passengers to pass their bags through a metal detector. I was down at the Wangfujing station, just minutes from Tiananmen Square, and as asked, I placed by bag on the belt. The man just behind me placed his bag -- a considerably larger one -- on the belt as well.
My bag came through the machine, but I was intrigued by this oversized bag that the man behind me was carrying. Oversized really doesn't do it justice; this thing would come out at the skis, snowboards and misshapen luggage section at DIA.
I wasn't sure what it was until I heard him pick it up. The stuff inside the bag made a familiar rustling noise that gave it away.
I took my bag and headed one way. This Chinese man took his 40 pound sack of rice and headed another.
Fast forward to last night. I'm walking into Club Bud at about 12:30. Before entering, guests have to pass through a metal detector.
The couple in front of me is waiting in line. The girl puts her purse on the table next to detector and walks through. The guy reaches into his pocket and puts his cell phone on the table. Then he takes off the thing that's hanging around his neck.
Even during the Olympics, gold medals don't pass through metal detectors.
It's 7 p.m. in Beijing, and 5 a.m. in Denver. Here are the stories that are making Olympic headlines on this Friday evening/morning:
>One good reason why I've been monitoring CCTV so closely throughout these Games: 840 million people tuned in to at least part of their broadcast of the Opening Ceremonies. Here's an even more telling quote from a great article in the New York Times:
This year, CCTV revenue is expected to top $2.5 billion, from about $1 billion in 2002 -- a huge sum in a country where the average worker earns less than $200 a month.
"Their revenues look rather small for a company that is a fusion of ABC, CBS and NBC," Mr. Ji at Morgan Stanley said. "It can get a lot bigger."
>Your possibly-too-obscure-to-be-an-Onion-headline-of-the-day: "Chinese fall hard for sportsmanship."
>Your actually-is-an-Onion-headline-of-the-day: "Chinese Doctoring Public Perception During Olympics." Actually, they're not that far from the truth. Also worth noting: they're joking when they say that much of China's population has been added via CGI; I'm saying that it might not be.
>A full recap of how Liu Xiang's decision not to run affected China.
>If you're not reading Steroid Nation, you're missing out on half the fun of the Olympics. Naturally, the site doesn't load in China.
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