8:08:08

It's here, it's here! After more than a year of buildup, the Olympics have officially kicked off (unofficially, there have been soccer games for the past two days). I understand that those of you in the US will not be getting an Opening Ceremonies broadcast til about 12 hours after it started, and I suspect that most Americans are more interested in the sports than the much-hyped Zhang Yimou Extravaganza (as I've taken to calling it). However, the Chinese are way into the production, and I know this because we're almost all the way through the parade of athletes, and I can look out my window and see.... absolutely no one. There is not a single person on the street. Not even one in pajamas.