Olympiakos

Most of the sports are just so bizarre. And in the buildup I've mostly enjoyed the potential of protests by and for the 3 Ts (Tibet, Taiwan, Tiananmen). But the opening ceremonies were ... wow. Amazing in scope, creative license, firepower, expense, sheer quantity of people doing choreographed things and then waving ecstatically afterwards.

It would've been fun to hear the reactions of the planners for the opening ceremonies here in London for 2012. They have a fraction of the budget, half the imagination and Boris Johnson.

As my friend Stefan pointed out -- when a totalitarian government can't put on a good parade something has gone wrong. Seems like everything is alright in China. Those fireworks aren't really going to help with the smog though, are they?