An Olympic Stadium Worth Remembering

More than 90,000 spectators will stream through its gates on Friday for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games; billions are expected to watch the fireworks on television. At the center of it all is this dazzling stadium, which is said to embody everything from China’s muscle-flexing nationalism to a newfound cultural sophistication.

clipped from www.nytimes.com

Take it from the top in the 'bird's nest'

clipped from latimesblogs.latimes.com Beijing Games organizers staged a dress rehearsal on Saturday night for the Aug. 8 Opening Ceremony. Associated Press reports that more than 10,000 performers, along with high-tech wizardry, are to be showcased. Fireworks illuminated the skyline during the run-through, giving Beijing residents and visitors a pyrotechnic preview of the 3-1/2-hour extravaganza. The 90,000-seat "bird's nest" was filled with family members and friends of performers. Some journalists were invited on the condition that they not reveal anything about the ceremony.

OLYMPICS REHEARSAL

Follow the links for more.

clipped from www.abcnews.go.com 1 of 16 Olympics Rehearsal A student from the Tagou martial arts school from Henan province practices in front of the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, at the Olympic Green in Beijing, July 16, 2008. More then 2,000 students from Tagou martial arts school will perform during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and have been training on the outskirts of Beijing for a year, local media reported. Picture taken July 16, 2008. (Donald Chan/Reuters )

"Water Cube"

clipped from news.xinhuanet.com Photo taken on Jan. 28, 2008 shows the exterior view of the National Aquatics Center also known as "Water Cube" in Beijing. The National Aquatic Center was delivered for use on Monday after four years of construction. (Xinhua Photo/Luo Xiaoguang) Photo Gallery>>> With a capacity of 17,000 seats, the Water Cube will host swimming, diving, synchronized swimming competitions during this summer's Olympics.

Income vs. Gas Prices, an Update

It seems that some Americans are now spending twice as much of their household income for gasoline as they were in 1999. That is a serious number.

I believe that median household income is around $48,000 right now. So those Americans are spending about $5500 a year on gasoline. To me that is a scary number.

This also explains why you can no longer get a parking spot at the Tri-Rail parking lot in Delray Beach. Well if you get there before 6:30 AM I suppose you can.

This does not bode well for the economy. Let's see: drive, ride the bike or give up beer?

clipped from blogs.wsj.com Edmunds.com, which released an analysis saying that about 60 vehicles in the new-vehicle market now cost over $100 to fill up, also gave an update on how gas prices are grabbing more of consumers’ incomes. Edmunds says the median household is spending 11.5% of its income on gasoline, up from 4.6% of its income five years ago. Here’s a look at how that progressed: Date*    Price Per Gallon (1)    Median Income (2)    Income spend on fuel (3)    1991 $1.09 $30,126 4.9% 1995 $1.14 $34,076 4.6% 1999 $1.19 $40,696 4.0% 2003 $1.51 $43,318 4.8% 2007 $2.96 $48,201 8.4% 2008 $4.06 $48,201 11.5% Source: Edmunds.com

Maureen Dowd on Obama

clipped from stasiaandbob.blogspot.com It is a truth universally acknowledged that Barack Obama must continue to grovel to Hillary Clinton’s dead-enders, some of whom mutter darkly that they will not only not vote for him, they will never vote for a man again.

Special Reminder: PBS Presents The Future of Alzheimer's

PBS will present a special evening of programming focused on Alzheimer's disease on Sunday, August 3 starting at 9 p.m.

The programming starts with a national encore broadcast of the Emmy-Award-winning THE FORGETTING: A Portrait of Alzheimer's, followed by a new half-hour discussion, The Future of Alzheimer's, moderated by actor and Alzheimer's champion David Hyde Pierce.