We've been helping run an outreach week for local kids, at our Church, for the last week.

I've never been a sports buff. But I do enjoy certain events, and happily follow medals at most Olympic games. This time it's a bit different.

From the International Olympic Committee's website:

According to the Olympic Charter, established by Pierre de Coubertin, the goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practised without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.

The opening ceremony was marred by the image-obsessed culture of China, which would much rather have a pretty fake than the genuine article. This led to the widely reported fake firework display, but much more sinisterly Yang Peiyi, on the left below, despite having a voice good enough to sing to hundreds of millions at the opening ceremony, is in the eyes of China too hideous, fat, uneven and, well, just plain ugly to appear on TV. And so her voice was mimed along to by Lin Miaoke (on the right).

Yang Peiyi, left, the real singer, and Lin Miaoke, the pretty mime artist

The organisers "Had to make the swap," after Yang Peiyi failed to impress at the dress rehearsal. "This is in the national interest," explained Chen Qigang, in a line that would make George W blush. "It is the image of our national music, national culture. Especially the entrance of our national flag; this is an extremely important, extremely serious matter... The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feelings, and expression. Lin Miaoke is excellent in those aspects."

But not at singing.

Of course there's no point lying if you can just avoid the truth completely. China has long censored massive chunks of the internet, with the reduced version 'clean' of any criticism of the Chinese government. The BBC, Wikipedia, Google, Yahoo; all have felt the squeeze of 'The Great Firewall of China,' along with many thousands of sites mentioning anything to do with politically sensitive issues.

Free and open access to Internet connections was promised for reporters from the games. Although high profile sites such as Wikipedia and the BBC Chinese Language site are now unblocked, any sites mentioning, for example, the Chinese occupation of Tibet or the Falun Gong spiritual practice (founded in 1992 and banned after protesting over human rights abuses), including Amnesty International and other NGO and human rights websites, are still blocked. Apparently this arrangement has received a tacit nod from within the IOC, with the Chinese responding that "Censorship would not stop journalists doing their jobs in reporting the Games," adding "I would remind you that Falun Gong is an evil, fake religion which has been banned by the Chinese government."

The smog is worth mentioning too. World Health Organisation defines a safe limit of 50 micrograms/cubic metre of PM10. On the 10th of August, the BBC measured 278 (over 5 times the safe limit), AP measured 604 (over 12 times the WHO limit) but the Beijing Air Quality Index officially put the level at a mere 84 micrograms/m^3. Lies, damned lies and statistics?

Cyclists wearing face masks to prevent inhaling car fumes is a common sight on the daily commute even in any (relatively clean) European city. But when American Olympic cyclists did the same, it sparked a continuing crisis. Even though there was nobody cheering them on. And nobody on the side of the roads. And nobody at the finish line. Not even their wives.

So is a country that counts image as more important that ability, takes insult at athletes acting sensibly and lies about any politically sensitive issues worthy of an event promoting a "peaceful, better world," "educating youth... without discrimination" in "a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play"?

The ethos of the games couldn't be further from the minds of those running the country. However I'd argue that the potential impact for good on the host country could outweigh many negative considerations, provided reasonably promises of reform are given and held to. But since the IOC has proven unable and the world's media unwilling to make the sacrifices needed to put real pressure on China (say, a one day media blackout?), we are instead landed with a farce. Like Lin Miaoke lovely singing, it's a fake, a facade over something too ugly to be shown. And like Yang Peiyi, the real China will continue to be censored, faked and covered over for the next few weeks, until, smug and self satisfied, we can return to the status quo: Unquestioning trade with the world's biggest emerging economy, while treading lightly on all those aspects of truth, peace, human rights and so forth that the Olympics have been so careful to avoid.

Valley NE out of Les Chapieux - the imposing French/Italian border

Harking to an age that I know nothing about but my grandparents knew too well, most bits of Europe no longer show any signs of the wars of the last century except for the monuments deliberately built (or left) to honour those who fought. In sharp contrast are regions which have never been inhabited or built upon, before or since; fortifications built during times of war still remain virtually untouched today.

200 metres before Ville des Glaciers, one fort was close enough to our route that I couldn't ignore it. While Louise headed on to find some shade, I dumped my bag and went for a look.

The fort seems to have about 5 gun turrets, and at least two 'main' entrances like the one above. However it was a much smaller emergency exit at half height, wedged slightly open, that allowed me to slip in, feet first, 4 feet above the floor. Since I wasn't expecting this, the torch was still in my bag on the path, but the camera was in my pocket. With no way to charge it and 3 days left in the Alps, and with Louise waiting back on the path, I sensibly used the flash to see what was around (walk, feel wall, take picture with flash. Memorise scene, walk to next wall, repeat).

After passing 3 or 4 junctions, 3 different (locked) exits and gun turrets and one dodgy wooden door with rusty hinges (below right) and realising I was:

1. at serious risk of not knowing the way out,
2. rapidly flattening the camera battery (curses for forgetting the torch!),
3. getting disorientated and
4. likely to be getting the wife proper annoyed,

I assume there must be a central supplies/command point (there was a ventilation shaft visible outside, coming from the centre of the whole thing). The tunnels seemed to be arranged around it in a ring, with no line of sight between any two junctions, turrets etc. Pipes, presumably for shouted communication, protrude from the walls at each turret, along with a couple of small switch boxes (lights?). It would be interesting to go back and have a better look around; the internet has failed me at finding any references or other pictures of this.

It appeared that the fort was undamaged, and so probably never under serious fire. However even exploring just a few of the outer tunnels in the dark was disorientating, claustrophobic and slightly disconcerting. Attempting to imagine it with heavy, mounted guns operating at each exit, under fire and with very little communication, little or no means of surrendering (no rooftop hatches?) and solely responsible for defending that section of border is an exercise making war seem much more real than any literature review has ever managed.

ps - the camera battery did, just, last out back to the car!

Congratulations to Jon, who won last week's MoS Premium competition. Jon, collect your prize by clicking on this link. Remember, only Jon is allowed to click that link now!

For the rest of you, here's some pictures of Brugge, a beautiful "egg shaped" town in Flanders.

Two very similar photos. One is an original shot, the other doctored. If anyone can say which is which, with justification, I'll give them a week's free access to Month of Saturdays Premium. For easier examining, clicking will Bigify™ them.

Luxembourg Windows