Mittwoch, 7. Oktober 2009

Interview with Daniel Rotman - Social activist in L.A.

http://www.theworldly.org/ArticlesPages/Articles2006/August06Articles/HomelessLA.html

London/China - Beijing Olympics


http://www.common-talk.com/Common_Talk_Material/CommonTalk/08-9-2/opinions.htm


Olympic baton passed to LondonArticle and photo by Simone Kussatz Translated by Xu Ming

Thousands of people gathered around Trafalgar Square on August 24, 2008 to watch the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Inclement weather that varied between heavy rain and bright sunshine could not dampen the spirit of viewers seated around the giant screen in the center of the square.

The crowd was a colorful and enthusiastic mix of people from all over the world, including some of London's 60,000 Chinese residents.

Mr. Miao from Shenyang city in Liaoning province has been living in London with his wife and daughter for the past four years and said: “I feel better now. For a century, we were waiting for the Olympics to come to China. Now it has finally happened.” Chinese fans were delighted that the country garnered 51 gold medals. However, Mr. Miao conceded that Chinese athletes had an advantage over competitors from other nations: "They don't have as much of a support system." A female student from Hong Kong who studies at the University of Southampton, said: “The Beijing Olympics were well organized and I feel proud of my motherland.” A Beijing expatriate was particularly pleased about London’s effort to bring the Beijing Olympics to Trafalgar Square: “I’m glad I could see everything here and celebrate with all these fans.”

The crowds roared when the screen showed Beijing mayor Guo Jinlong at the side of IOC president Jacques Rogge handing over the Olympic flag to his London counterpart Boris Johnson. Perhaps the biggest applause came when soccer superstar David Beckham kicked a soccer ball from atop a red London double-decker bus.

伦敦庆祝北京奥运会闭幕2008年8月24晚,成千上万的人们挤在特拉法尔加广场观看北京奥运会的闭幕式。尽管天气状况很不稳定,一会儿大雨倾盆一会儿阳光明媚,还时不时下着小雨,但也没挡住人们坐在为这次奥运会特设的广场大屏幕前观看闭幕式。这些来自世界各地的人都热情洋溢,其中有一些是华人,代表着居住在伦敦的六万中华儿女。他们当中有许多人看到精彩处不禁欢呼雀跃。苗先生来自中国辽宁省沈阳市,与妻女在伦敦已经生活四年了。他说:“现在感觉好多了,我们等奥运会来中国等了一百年了,现在它终于来了。”这些华人为自己国家能获得51枚金牌兴奋不已。不过,苗先生也承认,比起远道而来的外国运动员,中国运动员更有优势。“相比而言,他们没有那么强大的后方支持”,苗先生说。一名来自香港在南安普顿大学求学的女生说:“北京奥运会组织得非常到位,他们为此付出了很大努力。我为我的祖国感到自豪。”一个来自北京的华人表示,伦敦把北京奥运会搬到特拉法尔加广场让人尤其感到欣慰。“在这里什么都能看到,而且还能跟这么多人一起庆祝,真让我开心极了。”当大屏幕上显示站在国际奥委会主席罗格一侧的北京市市长郭金龙把奥运会会旗交给伦敦市市长鲍里斯·约翰逊的时候,全场欢呼。当足球巨星贝克汉姆从红色的伦敦双层巴士车顶上把一只足球踢下去的时候,欢呼声达到了高潮。