Olympics warm-up

Just under three weeks until the Olympics begin. Advertisements that feature the Games are everywhere, obviously. For a quick description of the athletes most commonly featured and the dueling billboards between Nike and Adidas, check out this article.

For the first time, beginning this weekend, the information kiosks that have been built on many street corners are open and staffed with the official volunteers. I’ve noticed there are a lot more traffic guards, too.



There are a few inconveniences, however. Starting today half of the cars on the road will not be allowed, among other restrictions on factories and building construction. A number of bars have been shut down for a month or more and other places are forced to move their closing time to an earlier hour. I have no idea why and some people are not pleased. Students also now have to show their student IDs to enter my university's campus. I’m not happy about that. Long lines can form and I hope I don’t ever lose it or forget it at home or else I’ll be highly inconvenienced.

There was a recent article about the new face of Beijing through some examples of its modern architecture.

Finally, here is a picture of me and my snazzy new bike in front of Beijing University's main library.