So, Beijing 08 is almost upon us. I’m not that into the Olympics myself, but I’ll inevitably end up watching some of it and getting totally engrossed in some off-beat sport I’ve never heard of but become an over night specialist in.

It’s hard to really get excited about it all when the current situation in Tibet is on everyone’s lips – as it should be. I’m not very political but I’m human enough to care about issues like human rights violations and even the smog issue in Beijing. I was reading The Irish Times this morning and saw this wonderful picture. It pretty much says it all.

The torch arrived in Tiananmen Square yesterday but what a trip it had, talk about a troubled journey! Two Britons and two Americans were detained by police for hanging “Free Tibet” banners around, but you have to admire them for not standing by as people cheered, “Go Olympics, Go Beijing,” as the torch entered the final leg of its journey.

Soccer will be the first to start, the ladies and then the mens. I really want to get into it as some of the best female and male players from around the world have arrived to take part, but the whole thing just has a sour taste to it. How can you really get into it when the political situation is what it is?

If you go onto the official site of the Olympics it says that the famous rings represent “the union between men” – seems a little out of place somehow.

Popularity: unranked [?]