a chance to see the olympic torch, a right to protest it

I'm sorry I was out of town for this. Fortunately, the intrepid reddit Information Cowboy, Jeremy Edberg, was taking his normal commute into the office and reported on the commuter chaos.

Recently, there's been an undeniable shift in the perspective of these Olympic Games and of China. It's a bit curious considering nothing in the country has changed that dramatically, only the extent of global (or perhaps just American) awareness.

There's little talk of the air quality or modernizing facilities these days, just photos of bloodied monks and the reminder of how unfree a country China still is, despite the welcome embrace of free market wealth.

I'm still convinced we'll all be speaking in Mandarin one day (not just cursing, Firefly) -- let's just all do it in a world with civil liberties, mkay?