Beijing, China: 8/8/08 & May 2009

At last, the Beijing Olympiad opens today! It will be fascinating to see whether the numerous controversies leading up to it continue during the Games. For comprehensive coverage of this quadrennial global sporting spectacle, check out the special websites of NBC and CCTV. World-renowned Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou will direct the opening and closing ceremonies inside the "Bird's Nest" stadium. If China's history-rich capital city arouses your curiosity and you desire to visit after Olympic fever subsides, then consider attending the first-ever China-U.S. Conference on Legal Information and Law Libraries next May in Beijing. In addition to sightseeing, it "will be an opportunity for law librarians and legal information professionals from both the U.S. and China to share experiences and exchange views in regard to legal information development and law library management. The major goals of the Conference are to promote communication and cooperation in the area of legal information and law libraries between the two countries." These goals would make Pierre de Coubertin proud. [RLS]