Beijing Briefs -- Peres Travel Woes Solved, NBC On Pace to Set Revenue World Record

Peres to Observe Sabbath, Walk to Ceremony

Shimon Peres, the President of Israel won’t miss the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics which takes place on the Jewish Sabbath. Under Judaic law, no one is allowed to travel from Friday at sundown until the following sundown. Special arrangements are being made to accommodate Peres. He will be housed in a hotel in the Olympic compound--away from the other heads of state--so he can walk to the Bird’s Nest Stadium.

"We are extremely grateful to the Chinese government’s consideration and warm attitude" said a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy.

NBC on Record Setting Pace for Revenue

A senior official with NBC Universal said the television network is set to reach it’s goal of more than $1 billion in advertising revenue. The network says it has sold more than $50 million in ads in the last 10 days. Seth Winter, Senior Vice President of Sales, NBC Sports & Olympics says advertisers "recognize the power of the Olympic brand". Winter added "In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, live sports continues to resonate with advertisers and viewers." NBC said that most of the new revenue came from companies in consumer electronics, corporate imaging, telecommunications and retail, spurred by back-to-school advertising. Thus far, NBC has sold 96% of the commercials allocated for Olympic broadcasts, including $5 million worth of ads for U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Sale Price of Village Apartments Double

China Daily is reporting that the price of Olympic Village apartments to be sold after the Games has doubled. The state-run daily said the new price per square meter is $4,400. Zhang Limin a salesperson with the realty company selling the abodes told China Daily "Two thirds of the apartments have already been sold…and there are only about 500 left". An official with the Olympic Village said even with the price increase, the cost of the apartments is not much higher than a normal Beijing apartment. Owners will be able to move in after June of next year.

Last Lenovo Auction of Limited Laptops

Lenovo launched the final auction of laptops that were designed with the motif of the Olympic torch. The “Cloud of Promise” line of PCs are up for bids at www.lenovohopefundauctions.com.

The laptops are only available for auction in a 10 day period in the U.S. and U.K.

Lenovo auctioned off 31 computers during the last six months to raise money for Lenovo Hope Fund to select philanthropies, including Right to Play and the International Red Cross to support the Sichuan earthquake relief efforts. Many of the laptops have been autographed by Olympic legends including Gail Emms and Shingo Suetsugu.

Written by Ed Hula III.