onward to London

As quickly as it took a 9 year old to make a pair of sneakers, the Olympics are over.
Watching the closing ceremony now, I marvel at the technical precision of fire works and mass displays. Yet I can't help but think what all this money and effort could do towards a slightly more worthy cause...

Hey, I enjoyed the events like the next joe - it's hard not to be impressed by the feats of athletics who make the rest of us look like shmucks in our sneakers. I cheered on the underdog and applauded the medalists. My wife and I stayed up into the wee hours of Saturday night - mesmerised at the beauty and technique of the Russian gymnast Evgeniya Kanaeva.

I love it that China got to host a grand event like the Olympics and that this event has helped to open up the country. One of my cellgroup members said that Beijing permitted bibles to be distributed to every participant at the Games (apparently these were printed here in little Singapore!)

But billions of dollars also buys a lot of resources that could have lifted many people out of poverty. A little madness if you ask me... but no one did.