$42 billion

"$42 billion: Amount China has spent so far on the Beijing Olympics, mostly on infrastructure like roads and subways. " Vol. 172, No. 4, Briefing section, Numbers part showed this. Not surprised at all, even if there was another 0 following, but the funny thing is the other number on the page next to this $42 is 42%: Percentage of people in the U.S. who have tried marijuana--the highest of any country surveyed in a new study.

On the same issue, there is an article by Simon Elegant. It talked about Olympics, of course, but what interested me is other aspects of Beijing the authored showed through interviews with a painter in Songzhuang, in Beijing Eastern suburbs, a chief from New York, whose restaurant is near Tiananmen Square, a businessman in Zhongguancun, China's Silicon Valley, an former Wall Street bond trader who is now an economics professor at Peking University and also the godfather of D-22, Beijing's bleeding-edge rock club, where he helped Chinese bands get their audience from his club running experience in New York. Kaiser Kuo, a Chinese-American transplant to Beijing said "It is a horrible place to live, but I wouldn't be anywhere else on the planet. You get addicted to the excitement, speed and change." I have to say, this article opens my eyes to Beijing, which I stayed four years but have no affection to, a super size city, polluted, crowded, arrogant, cold and busy. I find the interesting, living side of Beijing just as a city full with all kinds of people who are creating their lives, not a symbol of politics, Olympics etc.

The author said "There is, of course, one area where little has changed: politics. Despite allowing Beijingers (and indeed all Chinese) vastly more freedom in their personal lives, the Communist Party still suppresses any public discussion of the legitimacy of its rule or talk of alternatives to the current authoritarian system of government. And there's no doubt that the same party cadres that allowed Beijing's cultural flowering to happen still have the ability to smother the creative explosion if it gets out of hand. "

"That reality has been vividly illustrated in recent months as the authorities made final preparations for the Games. Instead of ushering in the new openness the Olympics were supposed to foster, the government has clamped down on almost every aspect of life in the name of security. Thousands of foreigners living in China have been unable to renew their visas; many would-be tourists have been equally unlucky, leaving hotels that had expected to be bursting at the seams with occupancy rates under 50%. Organizers have been told unofficially that all outdoor gatherings in the months before the Games are banned. Clubs that had operated with impunity are suddenly having trouble with their licenses. Human-rights activists, public interest lawyers and other dissenting voices have been jailed or harassed. "

I don't know about the jailed activists thing, but for the inconvenience of residents living in Beijing I have something to say. In my college, there is a stadium for Olympics built. My classmate, who still lives on campus but is working, told me everyone needs the student card to get into the cafeteria under the name of security. So she only can go to the markets to get things to eat now. My first thought is 'what is in hell the link between cafeteria and the stadium?' and how can my college be so arrogant to be so self-important to assume the so called terrorists would come here? I got pissed off by the security bullshit that it caused unnecessary inconvenience under the name of Olympics. Then my classmate said it is ok to tolerate any inconvenience during the Olympics and they are right to maintain the security to avoid something bad happens to the Olympics. I was pissed off even more by her response. The word in my brain is what Georgy Carlin said about the purpose of airport security "it just reminds you that they can do whatever they want to you, as long as you put up with it." And I can think how those posters about 'patriotism', 'nationalism', 'pride' and so on are flying in my college. I am mad by the misuse of 'patriotism' and I will be so pissed off if someone tells me to tolerate or sacrifice anything under the name of this kind of patriotism. Other things happening to my friends are graduates are forcing to leave school much earlier than before since Beijing are limiting the number of residents. What I can say about it is I am so glad I am not at Beijing right now.

Mentioned by Robert, I checked Chinese news sources and indeed they are true: 1. the dog meat supply in 112 restaurants associated with Olympics, train stations, airports in Beijing would stop during the Olympics. 2. there are posters in 126 communities in Dongcheng district, Beijing , where Tiananmen is, about eight topics that shouldn't ask about foreigners, including age, income, marriage, health, experience etc.

Comments are China is trying to present a perfect Olympic so China is trying very hard to please everyone and show a perfect imagine. Critics said it is supposed to call for polite behaviors like not to speak too loud, not to litter, not to jump the queue and not to spit, as what Chinese government has done since earlier the preparation, but the 'eight questions shouldn't ask' probably went too far.

My opinion is stopping the trying to please everyone because it is impossible. People come to China to see the Olympics, of course, but they also want to see the real life of Chinese people. Most important, they know China before they come here and they will change their opinion in the future by other news and events. Smart people will not take the static imagine of a country as a fixed source of opinion, and it is no need to please stupid people. I want to say, China, please work on important things and if you are doing well, for sure you would become attractive to other people, then let them adjust to you! For the two news:
1. European people laugh at the people who don't eat the food they eat and oppose the people who eat the food they don't eat. What is the logic? Yes, in 1988 Korean Olympics the government had forbidden dog meat supply because of the strong dissent from animal rights organizations, and the forbidden policy was suggested by experts in the Olympics consulting board, so maybe this time Chinese government should do this automatically.
But I still feel irrelevant and irrational. People have the history reasons to take some animal to eat because it is a good source of protein. People also have history reasons or religion reasons or emotional reasons not to eat certain animals. We live in a very diverse world and everyone has the right to do whatever he/she wants to do as long as no other people's rights/interests are hurt. We really shouldn't eat any animals since they all have the right to live a better life, but we eat them anyway and not many people, except some religion reasons, are against eating chickens, pigs or cows, probably only because the amount of people who are eating them are numerous. I am very against eating dogs, but based on logic, I say protect your pet dogs and just leave the people who eat dogs alone.
2. It would be rude if a foreigner asks you questions about your experience etc and you don't ask anything about him, in my opinion. I don't know whether the authority has considered about this point. As Robert said, each country has its own uncomfortable issue so probably only weather is universal to talk. It is very considerate for Chinese people to be aware about it, but it really went too far. The world is complex, we have different cultural, different countries, and people are different, too. The only way to deal with the numerous difference is to be sensitive, open-minded and humble---don't force people to answer questions if they refuse to, don't judge people based on simple answers and remember everyone is different and has every right to be, don't be arrogant to think your have should-be answers. Celebrate the difference and look for similarities.