Olympic Diary

Scalpers tolerated, petitioners unwanted

BEIJING—This is my last day in Beijing. Yesterday I forgot to mention an important point about pirated goods. I didn't find any “official, licensed” Olympics items or authorized Olympics Adidas sports products among the pirated products in the Silk Market.

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Four presidents, 11 first ladies buy silk

BEIJING—Rain pours down heavily beginning at noon. The streets are still jammed with volunteers and with foreign and local tourists. It is really difficult to walk with my umbrella around the puddles on the pavement.

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The “old road” of Internet censorship

BEIJING - I have tried to access some “sensitive” Web sites—such as the Chinese Web pages of BBC, VOA, Amnesty International, and of course Radio Free Asia (RFA)—during the past few days, but have had no success.

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High costs, carnival atmosphere

BEIJING—I have to pay 12 yuan for my pork dumpling and soy-milk breakfast in a small restaurant this morning. Customers grumble that prices have gone up too fast.

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A GPS “to protect the passengers”

BEIJING - It is sunny when my plane touches down at the new Beijing Airport, but the sky is blanketed with grey smog. The Beijing government has been trying very hard to at least temporarily clean the environment. The result is not obvious.

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