http://tofflerann.com Cultural & Business Insights, Experiences, Observations Mon, 15 Sep 2008 06:02:40 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Despite my doubts whether Beijing would pull off a successful Olympics and the controversy over free press, human rights, the Opening Ceremony, and other issues, in my opinion, China hosted an amazing Olympics. The skies were blue, there were large tracks of greenery, the Olympic Green was very attractive, ... http://tofflerann.com/2008/09/14/reflections-on-the-olympics/ Much like the Bird's Nest, the Water Cube made a radical transformation from December of 2005 to August or 2008.  While the Bird's Nest has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the Water Cube was perhaps the most beautiful venue of the Olympics. December 2005 August ... http://tofflerann.com/2008/08/30/water-cube-then-and-now/ The first time I came to Beijing was in December of 2005. At that time I had the privilege of visiting the Bird's Nest, Watercube, and Opera House all while they were still under construction. Wow, has the city, particularly these notable landmarks changed in 2.5 years time. ... http://tofflerann.com/2008/08/16/birds-nest-from-under-construction-to-impressive/ Yesterday was my first day attending the Beijing Olympics and was it a busy one! From the brand new but crowded subway to the mega-security lines and then into the Olympic Green, Beijing has impressed all around. After wondering around the Olympic Green, we attended the quarterfinals and ... http://tofflerann.com/2008/08/15/beijing-olympics/ Here is a widget that shows the updated medal counts. C'mon USA, 加油！ What's interesting to note is that when American sites, such as NBC in this case, organize the medals leaderboard, they do it by total medals (putting the US on top), whereas most other listings, including Wikipedia, list ... http://tofflerann.com/2008/08/12/beijing-olympics-medal-tally/ Why China is not inclined to Democracy Symbolizing China's feelings toward foreigners - A summary of new movie examining China's complex relationship with outsiders, through a Chinese Graduate student's life in the US Blogging in China Bush's speech on China China: The High Tech Police State Faces of China in Photographs - Some amazing pictures ... http://tofflerann.com/2008/08/10/china-news-august-10-08/ The Beijing 2008 Olympics will start in 4 days!! As of this morning, my plane tickets to Beijing are bought and in hand!  I have a place to stay and the promise of Olympics Games' tickets.  Beijing Olympics, here I come!!! I'll be in Beijing from the evening of August 14th to ... http://tofflerann.com/2008/08/04/only-4-days-till-the-opening-ceremony/ As of yesterday all the food & drink vendors and retail outlets in and around Shanghai's subway stations have cleared out their inventory and closed.  No more grabbing breakfast in the subway station for me.  :(  They've even put tape over the doors to make sure no one sneaks anything ... http://tofflerann.com/2008/08/04/more-paranoid-security/ With less than a week before the start of the Olympics, most news coming out of China is related to the Olympics. Economy China as a Global Economic Superpower To be an economic superpower, a country must be sufficiently large, dynamic, and globally integrated to have a major impact on the world economy. ... http://tofflerann.com/2008/08/03/china-news-august-3-08/ Last week, I received the following email from Marina at the Overseas Vote Foundation, joining me in encouraging all expats to vote in this upcoming election. Hi Toffler, I saw your link to Overseas Vote Foundation on your blog and wanted to thank you for providing it for your readers! This is ... http://tofflerann.com/2008/08/01/vote-overseas/