The Supervisor Of Riding Politely

Got this from David Harrison....Olympics and its creations!!

At a bus stop in Beijing's Central Business District, an old man raises a red flag and waves it vigorously as the bus comes in. He turns to the people waiting and barks at them: 'Don't push! Don't forget to validate your ticket! Sit on both sides!'

His job title is on his red baseball cap: supervisor of riding politely. His role is to teach bus passengers how to behave as they wait for and board the bus. The message on the red sash he wears over his yellow jacket explains his mission: 'Welcome to the Olympics and be civilised and create a healthy atmosphere.'

This dude is one of the vast army of people mobilised by the government to ensure that the country's image will be enhanced by the Olympic Games. On domestic airlines, immaculately groomed air stewardesses tell passengers not to spit on the floor or push people when boarding the plane; in Tiananmen Square, hundreds of students scrub the flagstones; and large groups of fast-food workers, lined up in rigid formations, are trained to smile and be polite. A city agency is co-ordinating campaigns to reduce spitting, littering and swearing, presumably to avoid offending the tiny proportion of the 500,000 foreigners expected to visit Beijing for the Olympics who will understand Chinese expletives.

Cars will be banned from the city centre, building sites will be closed and huge machines used to 'blow away' Beijing's choking pollution. Critics of the Olympics and other 'subversives' will be kept under house arrest. Around the city giant posters announce the government's lofty aim: 'Safe Olympics, Harmonious Beijing. Serving Hearts Minds and Spirit'

All this is well and good, but if China keeps up its visa policies for the Olympics, how many out of the expected 500,000 foreigners will actually get into china is another matter all together!!!