Well, I watched the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Games. I think that the artistic half of the ceremony is the finest I have ever seen and I have seen several over the decades. Beautiful, graceful, dignified , this celebration of a country’s history and aspirations goes well to introduce the new China to the world. The use of the massive LCD screen on the field to paint scenes was an inspired touch. The flying of the acrobats through the air, the steady drumbeat, the quiet moments made this immensely enjoyable.

The same can not be said for the March of Nations. We have too many countries in the world. Two hundred plus nations, thousands of athletes take time to fill a stadium. Well over two hours but I personally checked out around the half way mark to keep up with the events that were occurring live in China. I saw the Canadians entered in along with other minor countries. I popped in then and again to see if it was done. Around 11:30, China finally entered the stadium so I watched the oath ceremony and then the torch lighting. Then it was back to the computer to get the latest updates.