Runnerville

George Vecsey wrote a little something for “that liberal rag” I hear about from time to time up here in New York. In it, he basically nails my sentiments regarding all this Olympic torch hoopla.

These impending - and I choose the word carefully - Summer Games are currently the target of people who rightfully protest policies in Darfur, Tibet, Xinjiang and Chinese labor camps, or laogai.

It frightens me to be in agreement with President Bush on anything, but I have to agree with him that any boycott of the opening ceremony on Aug. 8 would be counterproductive, a slap in the face, for what? Better the president and other world leaders should belatedly learn how to conduct diplomacy and draw attention to Beijing’s poor record in human rights and not use an overblown sports jamboree to cover up for their failures.

These Olympic protesters are like that slightly smelly (but vaguely attractive) girl in HS who would always raise her hand in Science class and then, when called on to explain what a vector quantity is, would stand up and instead launch into a screed about how big business was killing the environment and that we should all come to the Walk-A-Thon the Arbor Club was sponsoring that weekend. One can’t help but think, Hey! If you want to promote your worthy cause, go hang some fliers! But right now, we’re trying to learn about vector quantities! And that’s important, too! Don’t get in the way of that!

Ugh. Don’t be the slightly smelly (but vaguely attractive) neo-hippy girl, protesters. Just don’t.

I guess some people are just plain opposed to progress. First there was skepticism over Beijing organizers promising perfect weather for the duration of the Games. Now, it seems the USOC will be sending sponsor-supplied foods to China so that US Olympians aren’t forced to consume Chinese chicken breasts that are 30% chicken breast, 70% steroid:

When a caterer working for the United States Olympic Committee went to a supermarket in China last year, he encountered a piece of chicken - half of a breast - that measured 14 inches. “Enough to feed a family of eight,” said Frank Puleo, a caterer from Staten Island who has traveled to China to handle food-related issues.

“We had it tested and it was so full of steroids that we never could have given it to athletes. They all would have tested positive.”

There’s always that one stick in the mud, isn’t there? The pessimist says Oh, eating that chicken will make you test positive. But an optimist would point out that when you buy a chicken of that size, it will carry your groceries out to your car, and may even offer to drive home once it sees how exhausted you are from yet another hectic day at the office. (But it may also turn on you and kill you when you try to cook him.)

Wary US Olympians Will Bring Food to China [NY Times]