Next time pony up enough scratch to bring Robert Plant along, as well. Jimmy Page looked great, but it just didn't come off as well as it could have.

Two weeks ago you were screaming for everyone to boycott them because of human rights violations or because of Bush or whatever. Now you're clinging to them like whipped child clings to drunk mom.

Two weeks ago you were screaming for everyone to boycott them because of human rights violations or because of Bush or whatever. Now you're clinging to them like whipped child clings to drunk mom.

You know, it's possible the celebrate the athletes without celebrating the hosts. You managed to miss the entire point of the article.

Nice article, again.

Well said! Well said indeed.

The Chinese may have won the most gold medals and have demonstrated that their half-inspiring, half-terrifying state-communal machine can generate thousands of perfect athletes, perfect buildings, perfect fireworks, and perfect medal-ceremony beauty queens with identical bustlines, but they need work on their pop music.

What exactly is half-inspiring about the Chinese state-communal machine?

In the rock finals, 235-year-old guitarist Jimmy Page won gold easily over his Chinese rivals, outdoing Dara Torres to become the oldest medalist at these games.

Ian Millar, who won silver in this years Olympic Team Jumping competition, became the oldest Olympian to medal -- or to participate -- at age 61.

He's three years younger than Jimmy Page, though, so there's still that.

The 2008 summer Olympics were a spectacular success for China. They managed to push the topics of religious freedom, state censorship, and human rights in Tibet (an other minority regions of China) out of the news for months.

Thanks to the media for going along with this ploy!