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TALK Topic: 15AUG2007 Let the Debate Begin...Your Talking Points... A year from this date China's Beijing is supposed to be a city sparkling with freshly swept streets, fully functioning services such as pure tap water, smiling and unIformed traffic cops on every corner and thousands of athletes in both Nike regalia and any other trademark that can make the trip. Flags of scads of nations are supposed to be on those streets and sports venues. However... Will the American flag swirl over a contingent of athletes from the United States? Will Bush pull a Jimmy Carter and order a ban on USA players making the competition? That question was posed to Oliver August, probably the most-up-to-date world voice on that subject. "Do I think the US should boycott the 2008 Olympics? Probably not - it would only give the Chinese more reason to vilify America," he replied. August is former bureau chief in Beijing for Times of London. He is in this country promoting his book, Inside the Red Mansion: On the Trail of China's Most Wanted Man, Lai Changxing, a peasant and smuggler who apparently became too big for Communist Beijing. Lai made tons of money, thus becoming too rich and too independent. Also, he had powerful friends in high places. But, Lai is not the story herein... August, in this month of August, 2007, wrote an op-ed piece for the Los Angeles Times and the Columbus Dispatch. The headline stings: Corruption rules China's economy. His leading paragraph, a stinging indictment of things to come: "One Chinese-made product after another has been taken off the US shelves in the past four months. Lethal pet food. Toxic toothpaste. Contaminated seafood. The list is likely to grow. But forcing Beijing to adopt stringent safety regulations, as Washington is trying to do, will make little difference." Corruption, not a lack of regulation is the problem, August said. This website is not taking a position. This website, this page merely becomes the funnel, the aggravator for other opinions and sources all with the bottom line - Boycott Beijing. With attribution, say you read it here second... Oliver August has set the stage. NOTE: Oliver August, in addition to his book, has produced a 15-minute video that provides a concise, interesting, informative inside view of today's China. August narrates his tours through a changing Chinese countryside that, today, showcases modern hotels, auto traffic, food as available today, and a seamy side of the sordid life led by his subject. See for yourself - there's a movie in this book. click address: www.oliveraugust.com

Dr. William Chickering, Beijing, China

Boycott Opinion From Inside Beijing... People, professionals from around the world are locating in Beijing as China gears up for the August opening of the 2008 Olympics. Dr. William Chickering, a native of San Francisco, is repeatedly asked for his opinion on the matter of the Free World, mostly the USA, about nations and athletes boycotting the games. Remember, Jimmy Carter did it. Can, should it happen again? Dr. Chickering: "If an Olympic boycott were aimed at changing China's policy (e.g., re Burma or Darfur), something the government could effectively do, that might make some sense. But corruption and shoddy products are systemic problems here only minimally amenable to governmental action." Developing...

What's Developing is China's Industrial Revolution... Look at it this way: England suffered and survived an Industrial Revolution (from about 1760 on). The USA's Industrial Revolution built steel mills, railroads, cities, mined iron ore and coal, created the Ford Motor Co., paved roads, built munition factories to fight and win World War 1, and gave the world aviation. Now, with the yoke of a Communist government, China is in midst of its own Industrial Revolution. But what appears to be capitalistic trends, albeit with criminal elements giving Made in China a horrible reputation across the globe, the nation is gambling against the odds to open the Olympics on time and safely. This website will be posting in order, media reports - pro and con - as we approach the torching of the symbolic flame of peace. Developing...

TALK Topic: 23NOV2007 Beijing Hotels Told to Stock Rooms with Condoms The Reason: Beijing sees jump in HIV/AIDS cases... BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing, preparing to host the 2008 Olympics, has ordered hotels to provide condoms in all bedrooms in a bid to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS after cases of infection soared 54 percent in the first 10 months of this year. Announcing the move, the official Xinhua news agency made no direct reference to the Games, saying only that all the Chinese capital's 700 hotels must comply by the end of 2008. With many thousands of visitors due to crowd into the city for the Olympics, which run from August 8 to August 24, every hotel is likely to be sold out. While hotel managers must provide condoms for their guests, Xinhua said, they are not required to make a loss. The city health bureau said it was up to them how much to charge. The State Council (Cabinet) urged local governments last year to provide access to condoms in all public places.. Beijing health authorities said this week that the city had registered 973 new HIV/AIDS cases between January and October. Needle sharing and unprotected sex were the main sources of transmission. State media reported a total of 18,543 new cases of HIV/AIDS across the country in the first half of this year, close to the total for the whole of 200 © Reuters2007All rights reserved. 24NOV2007 Posted Sans Comment... Models parade in outfits made of condoms during a fashion show at the 4th China Reproductive Health New Technologies & Products Expo in Beijing July 11, 2007. Condoms of all shapes and sizes were used to make dresses, hats and even lollipops. Models fought through extravagant soap bubble special effects to show off tight-fitting wedding gowns, scaly-looking evening dresses, outrageous bikinis and other garments made entirely of condoms. The show was held at the Fourth China Reproductive Health New Technologies and Products Expo and organized by China 's largest condom manufacturer, Guilin Latex Factory, to promote the use of condoms in the fight against HIV/AIDS. It also marked World Population Day, organized annually by the U.N. Population Fund. (Source unknown.)

Coming attractions: Periodic postings, pro and con, of the growing debates relating to USA flag carriers competing in the 2008 Olympics. Developing... INTENT: As critical food issues mount, call with suggestions to provoke Washington. 614-538-1822 E-mail: doralchenoweth@usadiningnetwork.com