Tag Archives: Beijing

Swimmer Nick D’Arcy Given a Suspended Sentence for Assault

I missed this story when it was originally published, but 21 year old Australian swimmer Nick D’Arcy just received a suspended sentence for an assault charge. D’Arcy was involved in a brawl on March 31, 2008 with former swimmer Simon Cowley, who had won three gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. That night, D’Arcy was celebrating his place on the Australian Olympic swimming team at a Sydney nightclub. Cowley is said to have slapped the inebriated D’Arcy then a brawl broke out. Cowley may have started it, but he got the worst of it – he ended up with a … Continue reading →

How Do You Pronounce It?

Is it “Bay-jing,” “Bay-zhing” or “Bay-zheeng”? The 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China are rapidly coming to a close and I have yet to view a day of coverage where broadcasters are on the same page when it comes to pronouncing the host city’s name. Have you noticed this too? Brian Williams spent more than a week anchoring NBC’s “Nightly News” from a place he calls “Bay-jing.” The veteran news anchor makes a concerted effort to place the emphasis on the second syllable and he sounds as though he knows what he is doing. However, lead primetime Olympic anchor … Continue reading →

Olympic Closing Ceremony—What Will the Chinese Blow Us Away With Next?

Frankly, I don’t know how it is humanly possible to top the brilliance displayed during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, but according to Chinese officials, viewers can expect another lavish production come Sunday. According to reports, several international stars will converge on Beijing to make the closing ceremony of the 2008 Olympics one of the most amazing spectacles the world has ever seen. Included in the all-star line up is world-famous Spanish tenor Placido Domingo, who will reportedly grace the stage in a duet with Chinese soprano star Song Zuying. In addition, insiders confirm that the ceremony will … Continue reading →

Frugal in the City

While I now live in a semi-rural part of Pennsylvania, the fact is that I am a city girl born and bread, uh bred. Many people think that is harder to be frugal in the city. They claim: In the city you can’t grow your own vegetables or can food. In the city the cost of living in higher. There is often no space to store stockpiled food or other items. You can’t hang laundry in the city. While those reasons may all be valid, there are many work around ideas to address them. For example, my mother hung every … Continue reading →

Swedish Wrestler Refuses Medal

You have to figure that most athletes who go to an Olympic Games have trained for it much of their life. Many put anything else in life on hold to train, train, and train. So I understand that emotions run high, whether you win or lose. Roman wrestler Ara Abrahamian won a medal this week, something most people dream about, but he was none to happy about it. It seems the 33 year old Swede was none too happy with the judges in the 84k Greco-roman competition. Abrahamian won a silver medal in Athens in 2004 and I suppose the … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Week in Review: August 4th Through August 10th

Saving money, earning money and reusing what you have are all part of living a frugal lifestyle. We know how to do these things in the way we run our homes. But, isn’t it nice when an entire country makes the effort to be frugal? That is the case with China and the Summer Olympics. Take a look at this story, plus an entire week’s worth of other frugal articles. August 4th Frugal Living Week in Review: July 28th Through August 3rd Do you want to save money? Check out the past week’s articles about frugal living. August 5th Cost … Continue reading →

Host a Summer Olympics Party at Home

There may still be time to host a gathering together of friends for the Summer Olympics opening ceremony, which takes place tonight. No friends available? You can have a private little party with just the kids. Or, choose an upcoming weekend to host a real olympic-sized blow out. Keep reading for some tips to help you host a Summer Olympics party. We have ideas for invitations, favors and decoration. Summer Olympics Invitations A fun idea for invitations for a Summer Olympics party is to make them in the form of a medal. You can cut out a single circle from … Continue reading →

How to Avoid Eating Dog When Visiting China

The hotels are ready, the cabs are clean, and the hospitality workers are trained… let the games begin! In less than 24 hours the 2008 Summer Olympic Games will officially get underway in Beijing, China. There have been a number of critics who have questioned whether the country could pull off the massive undertaking, but by all accounts it appears that the Chinese are ready to host the world. Millions of people (including athletes and spectators) have traveled thousands of miles to attend the Games and the Chinese government promises the venues will not disappoint. The country has gotten help … Continue reading →

TV Stars You’ll Be Seeing in Beijing

Hail, hail the gang’s all going. When the Olympic torch is lit in Beijing, China for the 2008 Summer Games next week the entire NBC News family will be there to bring it to you live. Seriously, NBC could rent out an entire hotel just to accommodate the A-listers who will be headlining coverage of the hotly anticipated athletic showdown. Brian Williams will be there, as will Tom Brokaw, Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, Ann Curry, Lester Holt, Richard Engels, Kevin Tibbles, and the Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore… and that’s just the bigwigs from the news department. Bob Costas and a … Continue reading →

China–Ready for the Olympics

Don’t call it a makeover. Chinese officials say what they did to their capital in preparation for next month’s Summer Olympic Games is beyond a mere renovation. They consider it nearly a complete overhaul. Beijing has had seven years to get ready for the 2008 Summer Games and officials there say they’ve made good use of the time and are ready for visitors to start pouring in. English-language and anti-spitting lessons (one of the government’s slogans is: “Spitting kills even more than an atomic bomb.”) along with tutorials in personal hygiene were required for everyone from taxi cab drivers to … Continue reading →