2008年8月29日星期五
2008年8月18日星期一
Olympiad Posters
Athens 1986
No official poster was made for the 1896 Olympic Games, but the cover page of the official report is often used to refer to the Games of the I Olympiad. The inscription "776-1896", like the drawing as a whole: the Olympic stadium in a newly designed horseshoe shape, the Acropolis, the girl personifying the goddess Athena and presenting the branch of wild olive intended for the victor, mark the bond between the Games of Antiquity and the first Games of the modern era.
Paris 1900
During the 1900 Universal Exhibition, certain events of international physical exercise and sports competitions were recognised as Olympic and made up the programme of the second modern Olympic Games. Several posters were created-athletics, rowing, cycling, fencing and gymnastics.
Here, a female fencer holding in her right hand the three traditional weapons- foil, sword and sabre. However, it should be noted that women did not compete in the fencing competitions until 1924.
St. Louis 1904
It shows a view of the host city, enhanced by the use of a "fish's eye" effect. It is the reproduction of the cover of the programme of the Games.
London 1908
It represents the Olympic stadium in Shepherd's Bush. Behind the high jump, in the centre, the swimming pool and cinder track.
Stockholm 1912
It represents the parade of nations, each athlete carrying a twirling flag and all going towards a common goal- the Olympic Games. The nudity of the athletes was a reference to the Games of Antiquity, although it was judged as too "daring" by some managers and not distributed in some countries.
Antwerp 1920
It represents the flags of the participating nations all flying together. In the top right, the coat of arms of the organising city. In the centre, a discobolus, a reference to the Games of Antiquity. In the background, the city of Antwerp with the Tower of Notre Dame.
90,000 copies were made in 17 languages (large format).
Paris 1924
It shows semi-naked athletes, a reminder of Antiquity, making the Olympic salute. In the background, the flag of the French Republic. In the foreground, palm leaves, symbols of victory.
Amsterdam 1928
It shows a runner in action holding a laurel branch, symbol of victory. In the bottom part, wavy lines in red, white and blue represent the colours of the Dutch national flag.
Los Angeles 1932
The poster symbolizes the ancient custom which consisted in sending a Greek athlete to announce the celebration of the next Olympiad and to request the cessation of hostilities. The modern young sportsman presents the laurel of peace.
200,000 copies were made.
Berlin 1936
A competition was held for the design of the poster, but none of the entries were satisfactory. The publicity committee commissioned different artists and finally chose the project of Mr Würbel, that became the official poster.
It features the Quadriga from the Brandenburg Gate, a landmark of the city of Berlin. In the background is the figure of a wreathed victor, his arm raised in the Olympic salute, symbolising Olympic sport.
243,000 copies were made in 19 languages and it was distributed in 34 countries.
London 1948
It takes up the theme of the emblem i.e. the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament. The hands of the famous "Big Ben" are pointing to 4 o'clock, the time at which the opening of the Games was planned- accompanied by the Olympic rings. In the foreground, there was the drawing of the statue of the "Discobolus" (classical icon of the discus thrower from Ancient Greece).
There were 100,000 copies made, 50,000 large format and 25,000 small and regular formats.
Helsinki 1952
It was the Paavo Nurmi poster, created for the 1940 Games, which were never held because of the Second World War. It was just updated with the dates and the lines around the countries, drawn in red on a globe in the background. 82,000 large format copies were made in nine languages and 33,000 small format copies in 20 languages.
Melbourne/Stockholm 1956
It is in the form of an invitation card folded three times. On the first flap, the Olympic rings, in the background of the third flap, the arms of the city of Melbourne. 35,000 copies were made in two different formats (100 x 63.5cm and 50 x 32cm).
Rome 1960
This was the result of a competition in which some 212 artists participated.
It is made up of a Roman she-wolf, from which Remus and Romulus, founders of the city of Rome, are suckling, on top of a column. On this, there is a victorious athlete being crowned in accordance with Roman custom; around him, people dressed in togas cheering him.
Some 290,000 copies in 11 languages were produced.
Tokyo 1964
It recalls the official emblem, composed of the Olympic rings superimposed on the emblem of the Japanese national flag, representing the rising sun. There was a total of four official posters, all designed by Yusaku Kamekura. They were all made by photoengraving using several colours, highlighting the technology of the Japanese printing industry. The posters themselves received a number of prizes for their excellence, including the Milan Prize for poster graphics. 100,000 copies were made.
Mexico 1968
The series of posters for these Games came from the collaboration of three artists: Pedro Ramirez Vazquez, architect and President of the Organising Committee for the Games, Eduardo Terrazas (MEX) and Lance Wyman (USA) who designed the "Mexico 68" logo. They then developed it to create the black and white poster, which recalls the patterns of the Huichole Indians. Some 25,000 copies of the poster presented here were produced in one of the following colours: blue, red, yellow, green or black.
A total of 1,591,000 posters were produced on the following themes :
- 18 sports posters: 287,000 copies
- 19 cultural posters: 190,500 copies
- 99 posters of various topics : 1,114,000 copies
Munich 1972
Numerous posters were created for these Games, notably a series on the theme of sports competitions and cultural events.
The official poster was meant to promote not one specific sports event, but the whole of the Munich Games. It was supposed to express the specific spirit of the Games. Here, the design evokes the modern architecture of the sporting venues, in a style and using colours which are purposefully simple and pure. In the centre of the background, the famous Olympic tower. 5,000 copies were made.
Montreal 1976
The Games Organising Committee made two main series of posters. The first illustrated eight key themes:
- the emblem of the International Olympic Committee (here) : entitled "The Invitation" and representing the five rings reflected symbolically by successive waves, thus inviting the athletes from all the continents to the 1976 Olympic Games.
- the emblem of the Organising Committee
- Kingston 1976
- Olympia and the Olympic torch carrier
- Montreal and Antiquity
- the Olympic Stadium
- the international youth camp
- the mascot
The second series illustrates sports.
Moscow 1980
It featured the emblem of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow: a section of a running track rising into an architectural silhouette typical of Moscow and a five-pointed star topping the silhouette.
Los Angeles 1984
The star is a universal symbol of the highest aspirations of mankind, the horizontal bars portray the speed.
Sixteen renowned artists designed 15 posters for the Games. The subsequent posters were signed by John Baldessari, Jennifer Bartlet, Jonathan Bofsky, April Greiman abd Jayme Odgers, Raymond Saunders and Garry Winogrand.
Seoul 1988
The official poster represented the Games ideal of "Harmony and Progress" in the combination of two images. In the poster, the five rings symbolising the pure Olympic spirit were rendered in bright figurative form to represent the Olympic ideal illuminating the world in peace forever. The image of the runner carrying the Olympic torch symbolised mankind's progress towards happiness and prosperity. The official posters were done with computer graphic techniques, and light blue and bright orange colours were blended to symbolise Korea as the Land of Morning Calm. In addition to the official poster the Organising Committee for the Seoul Games decided to produce 27 types of sports posters to introduce sports of the Seoul Olympic Games and to establish a familiar image of the Games.
Barcelona 1992
The Organising Committee for the Barcelona Olympic Games developed a highly ambitious project, which involved 58 different posters grouped in four collections : the official Olympic posters, the painters' posters, the designers' posters and the photographic sports posters. For the four official sports posters and the eight painters' posters, in addition to the normal print run there was a limited edition in silk-screen and lithograph signed be the authors, which the Organising Committee used as prestige gifts for the VIPs who visited Barcelona.
Here one of the official posters with the emblem created by Josep M. Trias.
Atlanta 1996
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Juan Antonio Samaranch, chose this image drawn by an artist from "The Look of the Games", Primo Angeli, as the official poster for the 1996 Olympic Games. "The Look of the Games", was established by the Creation Department to ensure the best quality in the design and production of all visible materials for the Atlanta Games.
Sydney 2000
To reflect a diversity of styles and techniques, the Organizing Committee asked several poster designers from a wide range of different creative and cultural backgrounds to create posters. In total, 50 posters were published. The official poster was selected from creations presented in the following four categories: "Schoolchildren's work", "Sydney 2000 emblems", "Mascots" and "Posters".
Athens 2004
Beijing 2008
Coke means Delicious Happiness in China
Did you know there is a special message for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games that appears on Coca-Cola cans and bottles worldwide?
In more than 150 countries around the world, Coke packaging is carrying a unified message: “In Mandarin, Coca-Cola means ‘delicious happiness’.” Some packages will have a second line: “In Mandarin, Coca-Cola is pronounced ‘ke kou ke le’.” (That is actually how you phonetically say it.)
In addition, the graphics feature the Olympic Rings and 08.08.08 (tomorrow's start date of the Games, August 8). Depending on the country, the special Chinese trademark graphics will appear on Coke cans, glass contour bottles, PET plastic bottles or aluminum bottles. You can see both messages on this picture of the cans.
Making this commemorative, Chinese-language packaging for the Olympic Games available in so many countries at one time is unprecedented. It’s the single largest commemorative packaging series Coke has ever undertaken. I’d say there aren’t too many other companies that could do something like this to celebrate a world event like the Olympics!
You might have seen my post about “bite the wax tadpole” – the supposed translation of Coca-Cola in China. In the 1920s, Coke created the four Chinese characters that, when combined, approximated the English sound of "Coca-Cola." As the official Mandarin-language Coca-Cola logo gained visibility, local citizens put together the first two Chinese characters in the logo to form an expression meaning “delicious” and combined the last two characters for “happiness.” The name Coca-Cola throughout China became recognized as “delicious happiness.”
You can read more about Coke, delicious happiness and our Olympic partnership on the Coca-Cola website.
2008年8月13日星期三
Quotations of "Freedom in Exile- The autobiography of the Dalai Lama of Tibet"
P122
After my visit to China, and despite the many negtive impressions I have recieved, my attitue towards the Communists was still basically positive. Now, however, I began to see Chairman's words as being like a rainbow - beautiful, but without substance.
P123
It made me realized that the Chinese leadership was not truly Marxist, dedicated to a better world for all, but really highly nationalistic. Actually, these people were nothing but Chinese chauvinists posing as Communists: a collection of narrow-minded fanatics.
P128
One of my main discoveries about India at this point was that, although the banquets and receptions to which I was frequently invited were considerably less elaborate than those I had attended in China, the prevailing atomosphere of sincerity meant that there was an opportunity for genuine friendship to develop. This was in direct contrast to my experience in the People's Repulic, where the received opinion was that you can change people's minds by bullying them. I could now make comparisons and see for myself that this was faulty thinking. Only through the development of mutual respect, and in a spirit of truth, can friendship come about. By these means it is possible to move human minds, but never by force.
P133
"When men become desperate they consult the gods. And when god become desperate, they tell lies".
Chapter Seven Escape into Exile
P135
I laid great emphasis on the obligation of all Tibetans to deal honestly and justly with the Chinese authorities. I insisted that it was the duty of everyone to right wrongs whenever they saw them, no matter who had commited them. I also urged my people to adhere strictly to the principles of the Seventeen-Point 'Agreement'. I told them of my talks with Nehru and Chou En-lai and how, during the first week of Febrary that year, Chairman Mao himself had publicly acknowledged that Tibet was not yet ready for reform. Finally, I reminded them of the Chinese claim that they were in Tibet to help Tibetans. If any of the authorities failed to be co-operative, they were acting against Communist Party Policy. I added that others could be left to sing praises, but we, according to Chairman Mao's own directive, should be self-critical. At this, the Chinese present became clearly uncomfortable.
Chapter Nine 100,000 Refugees
P181
The results of these investigations were published in Geneva during August 1960. Once again, the Jurists entirely vindicated the Tibetans viewpoint: China, it reported, had violated sixteen articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and was guilty of genocide in Tibet.
P188
Instead, I told them that the future of Tibet depended on us refugees. If we wanted to preserve out cultures and way of life, the only way to do so was by building strong communities.
Chapter Ten A Wolf in Monk's Robe
P194
Otherwise, there is a danger of producing semi-educated children, who see the colourful opportunities of life but, because of their lack of education, are not equipped to grasp them. This can result in dissatisfaction and even greed.
P199
To me that was a wonderful example of democracy in action: though there was much conflict both within Parliament and without, when the moment came for her to leave(Indira Gandhi), she did so without fuss. I remember thinking the same about President Nixon.
The People's Republic of China presented a very different picture of domestic politices at this time. From the mid-1960s until Mao's death in 1976, the country, together with it colonies, endured a series of bloody and violent upheavals... It turned out that not only was this period of aimless madness(cultural revolution), but the behaviour of Chiang Ching, Mao's wife, resembled that of an Empress. At the same time, I realised that the Communist leaders, who at first I had thought of having a single mind inhabiting their different bodies, were all at each other's throat.
I became the focus of the Chinese Goverment's bile and was regularly denounced in Lhasa as someone who merely posed as a religious leader. In reality, the Chinese said, I was a thief, I murderer and a raptist. They also suggested that performed certain quite surprising sexual services for Mrs Gandhi!
P202
Today, I eat meat except on special occations required by my spiritual practice. The same is true for a number of Tibetans who followed my example and suffered a similar fate.
P206
One observation about animals I have is that, even as pets and despite having all facilities, they tend to run away, given the chance. This reinforces my belief that the desire for freedom is fundemental to all living beings.
P210
When the base finally became operational, the guerrillas harassed the Chinese on a number of occassions and once managed to destroy a convoy. It was this raid which captured the document recording the 87,000 deaths in Lhasa during the period March 1959-September 1960.
P211
The should therefore lay down their arms and themselves settle peacefully. The Tibetan struggle needed a long-term approach.
Afterwards, P.T.Takla told me that many of the men(guerrillas) felt that they had been betrayed - a few of their leaders actually cut their own throats rather than leave. I was distraught to hear this. Natually, I had had mixed feelings about appealing to the freedom fighters. It seemed wrong in a way to challenge such courage, such loyalty and such love for Tibet, though I knew in my heart that it was the right thing to do.
Chapter Eleven From East to West
P218
One thing I have noticed is an inclination for people(westerners) to think in terms of 'black and white' and 'either, or', which ignores the facts of interdependence and relativity. They have a tendency to lose sight of the grey areas which inevitably exist between two points of view.
P219
Very often, I am also asked to address groups of people. When this happens, my approach is threefold. Firstly, as a human being, I talk about what I have termed Universal Responsibility...Secondly, as a Buddhist monk I try to contribute what I can towards better harmony and understanding between differents religions...Finally, as a Tibetan, and furthermore as the Dalai Lama, I talk about my own country, people and culture whenever anymore shows interest in these matters. I do not consider those who support out cause to be "pro-Tibet". Instead, I consider them to be "Pro-Justice".
P222
'Politicians need religion even more than a hermit on retreat. If a hermit acts out of had motivation, he harms on one but himself. But if someone who can directly influence the whole society acts with bad motivation, then a great number of people will be adversely affected'. ...As far as I am concerned, and deed done with good motivation is a religious act. On the other hand, a gathering of people in a temple or church who do not have good motivation are not performing a religious act when they pray together.
P223
...during which Mr Heath(former UK PM) expressed his enthusiasm for Chinese successes in agriculture. he also said that I should realise that many changes have taken place in my homeland - particularly with regard to support for the Dalai Lama. In his opinion, it is fast vanishing, especially amongst the younger generation.... I told him that as far as I was aware, support for Dalai Lama amongst young people in Tibet was at its highest level ever and that my exile had united the Tibetan people in a way that had never been possible before.... I am highly impressed at the effectiveness of Chinese disinformation and deception even on such an experience person as he is.
P225
To say "I want to have sex with this person" is to express a desire which is not intellectually directed in the way that "I want to eradicate poverty in the world" is an intellectually directed desire. Furthermore, the gratification of sexual desire can only ever give temporary satisfation.
Chapter Twelve Of "Magic and Mystery"
P242
Great vigilance must be maintained at all times when dealing in areas about which we do not have great understanding. This, of course, is where science can help. After all, we consider things to be mysterious only when we do not understand them.
Furthermore, I am aware that not finding something does not mean that it does not exist. It only proves that the experiment was incapable of fingding it. (If I have a non-metallic object in my pocket which is not picked up by a metal detector, it does not mean that my pocket is empty).
Through mental training, we have developed techniques to do things which science cannot yet adequately explain. This, then, is the basis of the supposed "magic and mystery" of Tibetan Buddhism.
Chaper Thirteen The News from Tibet
P248
Despite the concrete understanding of clause thirteen of the seventeen-Point "Agreement" that the Chinese would "not arbitrarily take a needle or thread" from the Tibetans, they had ransacked the whole country. On top of this, through countless atrocities, they had shown a total disrespect for human rights. It seemed that to be the Chinese mind, perhaps because of the huge size of their own population, human life is considered to be a cheap commodity - and Tibentan lives to be of still less value.
P255
Unfortunately, their impresstion of the 'new' Tibet had been strongly negative. At the same time as being mobbed by tearful Tibetans wherever they went, they saw abundant evidence of the way that the Chinese authorities had ruthlessly and systematically tried to destroy our ancient culture. Moreover, they were regaled with numberless accounts of years of famine, mass starvation, public execution and gross and disgusting violations of human rights, the least of which included the abduction of children either into forced labour gangs or for 'education' in China, the imprisonment of innocent citizens, and the deaths of thousands of monks and nuns in concentration camps. It was a horrific litany, graphically illuminated by dozens of photographs of monasteries and nunneries reduced to piles of rubble, or turned into grain stores or factories or cattle pens.
P256
Another positive event for the first delegation was its meeting, in Peking, with Panchen Lama. He had been treated with great cruelty by the Chinese authorities and showed his five compatriots permanent marks on his body that had been inflicted during torture.
P257
True, the country's economy had been transformed and there was more of everything. Yet this was of zero benefit to the Tibetans...For example, there were now factories where there had been none before, but all that they produced went to China... The same was true of the hydro-electric power stations... As to agriculture, the Chinese had insisted that winter wheat be sown in place of the traditional barley crop. This was because the Chinese eat wheat wheat rather than barley. Consequently, thanks to new intensive farming methods, one or two bumper crops were produced - followed by years of famine... Regarding health care, it now became clear that there were indeed a considerable number of hospitals, just as the Chinese had said. But these practised open discrimination on behalf of the immigrant population. And whenever a Chinese required blood in a transfusion, this would be taken from Tibetan 'volunteers'... The only ones who really received proper schooling were the fifteen hundred or so most intellectually promising ones, who were forcibly sent to establishments in China, on the grounds that it would be foster 'unity'... For ordinary Tibetans, however, movement was impossible without permission. Granted, the rules had recently been relaxed somewhat, but very few could afford to take advantage of this... All in all, China's econimic programme for Tibet was itself a form of torture.
...the only songs allowed were political paeans sung to Chinese tunes。 Religion was banned. Thousands of monasteries and nunneries had been desecrated.
Indeed, many women were involuntarily forced into using birth control, as we now know form recent arrivals from Tibet who were discovered to have been fitted with crude copper intra-uterine devices.
Chapter Fourteen Initiatives for Peace
P273
Five-Point Peace Plan
1 The transformation of the whole of Tibet into a zone of peace
2 Abandonment of China's population transfer policy which threatens the very existence of the Tibetans as a people
3 Respect for the Tibetan peoples's fundamental human rights and democratic freedom
4 Restoration and protection of Tibet's natural environment and the abandonment of China's use of Tibet for the production of nuclear weapons and dumping of nuclear waste
5 Commencement of earnest negotiations on the future status of Tibet and of relations between Tibetan and Chines peoples.
Chapter Fifteen Universal Responsibility
P286
I felt that Tibet had lost a true freedom fighter(Panchen Lama). It cannot be denied that some Tibetans see him as a controversial character. Indeed, during the early 1950s, when he was still very young, I have a suspicion that, by siding with the Chinese, he thought he could use the situation to his own advantage. But his patriotism was real, I believe. And even though the Chinese used him as a puppet after releasing him from jail in 1978, he continued to oppose them until the end. Just before he died, he made a speech, reported by Xinhua, that was highly critical of the 'many mistakes' made in Tibet by the Chinese authorities. It was a courageous last act.
Chairman Mao once said that political power comes from the barrel of a gun. He was only partly right: power that comes from the barrel of a gun can be effective only for a short time. In the end, people's love for truth, justice, freedom and democracy will triumph. No matter what governments do, the human spirit will always prevail.
The truth remails that, since the Chinese invasion, over a million Tibetans have died as a direct result of Peking's policies. When adopting its resolution on Tibet in 1965, the United Nations stated plainly that China's occupation of my homeland has been characterised by 'acts of murder, rape and arbitrary imprisonment; torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of Tibetans on a large scale'.
Yet the persuit of Communism has been one of the greatest human experiments of all time, and I do not deny that I myself was very impressed with its ideology at first. The trouble was, as I soon discovered, that although Communism claims to serve 'the people' - for whom there are 'people's hotels', 'people's hospitals', and so on- 'the people' does not mean everyone, only those who hold views that are held by a mimority to be 'the people's views'.
To some people this may sound naive, but I would remind them that, no matter waht part of the world we come from, fundamentally we are all the same human beings. We all seek happiness and try to avoid suffering.
Chapter Sixteen Return to a Free Tibet?
For as long as space endures,
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I, too, abide
To dispel the misery of the world.
2008年8月12日星期二
2008年8月9日星期六
yin and yang
Essential module of chinese philosophy: circle and contrast.
yang turns into yin , and yin turns into yang in the end of its turn as well.
the most obvious spots can be seen are yin in the yang, and yang in the yin.
[no commet]words from two sides
Russian jets attack Georgian town
Aftermath of the air strikes in Gori
Russian jets have bombed a Georgian town amid a deepening crisis over the breakaway South Ossetia region.
Georgia says 60 people died in Gori when the bombs hit residential buildings as well as military targets.
Russian officials say hundreds of civilians have been killed in South Ossetia. Georgia denies the figure, which cannot be independently verified.
Reports say Russian PM Vladimir Putin has stopped in Russia's North Ossetia region on his return from the Olympics.
He arrived in the capital Vladikavkaz to discuss the influx of refugees from the conflict in South Ossetia, Russian media said.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said earlier that his country was seeking "to force the Georgian side to peace".
 |   |
Russia's ambassador to Nato, Dmitry Rogozin, said there could be no "consultations" with Georgia until Georgian forces returned to their positions and re-established "the status quo".
Accounts differ over who controls South Ossetia's capital, with Moscow saying it has "liberated" Tskhinvali.
In another development, separatists in Abkhazia - Georgia's other breakaway region - said they had launched air and artillery strikes on Georgian forces in the Kodori Gorge.
The crisis began spiralling when Georgian forces launched a surprise attack on Thursday night to regain control of South Ossetia, which has had de facto independence since the end of a civil war in 1992.
The move followed days of exchanges of heavy fire with the Russian-backed separatists.
In response to the Georgian crackdown, Moscow sent armoured units across the border into South Ossetia.
The Georgian parliament has approved a presidential decree declaring a state of war for 15 days.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has denounced Russian reports of a high civilian death toll from his forces as an "egregious lie".
Mr Saakashvili said he had decided to declare that Georgia was in a state of war because it was "under a state of total [Russian] military aggression".
Georgia is withdrawing its entire contingent of 2,000 troops from Iraq to help deal with the crisis.
US President George W Bush said the Russian attacks outside South Ossetia marked a "dangerous escalation in the crisis" and said Georgia's territorial integrity had to be respected.
"The attacks are occurring in regions of Georgia far from the zone of conflict in South Ossetia," he said while attending the Olympics.
"The violence is endangering regional peace."
Tskhinvali 'destroyed'
Fighting continued around Tskhinvali overnight and into Saturday morning, although not at the same intensity as on Friday, Russian media reported.
 Russia said Tskhinvali had been "liberated" from the Georgian military |
Later, the Russian Army's Ground Forces commander, Gen Vladimir Boldyrev, said his troops had "fully liberated" the city and were pushing Georgian forces back.
But the secretary of the Georgian National Security Council, Khakha Lomaia, insisted that the city remained "under the complete control of our troops".
Russian commanders, who said reinforcements were being sent to the region, confirmed that two Russian jets had been shot down over Georgia.
Speaking to Russian news agency Interfax, Russia's ambassador to Georgia, Vyacheslav Kovalenko, said on Saturday that 2,000 civilians and 13 Russian peacekeepers had been killed in Tskhinvali.
"The city of Tskhinvali no longer exists," he said. "It is gone. The Georgian military has destroyed it."
The International Red Cross (ICRC) said it had received reports that hospitals in the city were "overflowing" with casualties.
In Gori, Russian aircraft bombed mostly military targets, where Georgian troops had been massing to support their forces engaged in South Ossetia.
|  Our peacekeepers and the units attached to them are currently carrying out an operation to force the Georgian side to [agree to] peace  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev |
The BBC's Richard Galpin in Gori heard loud explosions and saw large plumes of smoke rising into the sky; soldiers and civilians were seen running through the streets.
Injured civilians were being pulled from the buildings, which were on fire.
The Georgian foreign ministry said the Black Sea port of Poti, the site of a major oil shipment facility, had been "devastated" by a Russian air raid.
Meanwhile Georgian TV reported that the Georgian-controlled section of the Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia was under fire, blaming the bombardment on Russian forces.
The foreign minister in Abkhazia's self-declared government, Sergei Shamba, said Abkhaz forces had launched an attack aimed at driving Georgian forces out of the gorge.
It was not clear whether planes used in the attack on the gorge belonged to Russia or to the Abkhaz separatists.
Russia has a peacekeeping force in Abkhazia under an agreement made following civil wars in the 1990s, when the region declared independence and formed links with Moscow.
Territorial claims
President Medvedev said Russia's military aim in South Ossetia was to force the Georgians to stop fighting.
Russian minister defends action
"Our peacekeepers and the units attached to them are currently carrying out an operation to force the Georgian side to [agree to] peace," he said.
"They also bear the responsibility for protecting the population."
Speaking to the BBC, the Russian foreign minister insisted his country did not want all-out war with Georgia, but was prepared to do whatever was necessary to restore the situation in South Ossetia and to defend its civilian population, most of whom have been given Russian citizenship.
"Mr Saakashvili keeps saying that we want to chop off a part of Georgian territory," Mr Lavrov said.
| SOUTH OSSETIA TIMELINE 1991-92 S Ossetia fights war to break away from newly independent Georgia; Russia enforces truce 2004 Mikhail Saakashvili elected Georgian president, promising to recover lost territories 2006 S Ossetians vote for independence in unofficial referendum April 2008 Russia steps up ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia July 2008 Russia admits flying jets over S Ossetia; Russia and Georgia accuse each other of military build-up 7 August 2008 After escalating Georgian-Ossetian clashes, sides agree to ceasefire; however Georgia launches a surprise attack 8 August 2008 Russia sends in columns of armour and troops and fighting erupts with Georgian forces in and around Tskhinvali 9 August 2008 Russian jets bomb central Georgian town of Gori, Russia says its troops have "liberated" Tskhinvali |
"He's also saying that this is not just about Georgia, this is about the future of Europe because he says Russia is also making territorial claims to other [countries], including the Baltic states, which is rubbish."
Mr Lavrov said Georgia had violated a peace deal under which Georgia had agreed not to use force in the South Ossetian dispute.
The BBC's James Rodgers in Moscow says diplomatic initiatives to end the fighting have so far proved fruitless.
On Friday evening, the UN Security Council failed to agree on the wording of a statement calling for a ceasefire.
The UK, the US and France, are pinpointing what they say is Russia's aggression as the key factor in the slide towards war, while Moscow insists Georgia is to blame.
RUSSIAN TODAY
News
AFP Photo / Vano ShlamovSouth Ossetian capital completely destroyed
The Chief of Russian ground forces, Igor Konashenkov, claims Georgian military action in Tskhinvali has destroyed all hospitals, killing many children. He also says the South Ossetian capital is almost ruined and left without water or electricity.Heavy fighting is reportedly still going on in the capital. Earlier, Georgian helicopters fired on Tskhinvali, hitting residential districts.
There are claims that Georgian Special Forces have been throwing grenades into basements where women and children are sheltering. According to the South Ossetian information committee, all types of weaponry are in use, including mortars, tanks and rocket launchers.
Officials on the ground say there's no sign of a ceasefire.
More than ten border villages have reportedly been burnt to the ground.
South Ossetia claims more than 2,000 people have been killed in fighting so far. Georgia rejects this figure, saying it has lost only 30 soldiers.
More than 30,000 refugees have fled across the border to Russia's North Ossetial in the past 36 hours.
The Russian military says three peacekeepers died overnight, raising to 15 the number of Russian peacekeepers killed since hostilities began more than 24 hours ago.
Seventy Russian peacekeepers have been wounded in the fighting. Twenty were evacuated to a hospital in Vladikavkas in North Ossetia during the night in a convoy which is reported to have been shelled by Georgian forces. That’s according to Land Forces spokesman Col. Igor Konashenkov.
After a lull in artillery fire late on Friday night, Georgian shelling of Tskhinvali again resumed on Saturday morning.
The Deputy Head of the Russian General Staff, Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsin, briefed media on Russia's operations in the area in a press conference on Saturday morning (WATCH THE VIDEO).
Aerial attacks
South Ossetian forces are claiming to have shot down two Georgian fighter planes. The jets were reportedly downed near the capital Tskhinvali.
Two Russian aircraft have been downed in the conflict zone, confirmed a Russian peacekeeping forces spokesman on Saturday. Georgian media are reporting that one of the pilots has been captured, and another has been found dead.
Georgia claims Russian planes have bombed its Marneuli air base. Georgian state channel 'Rustavi' reported that four people were killed and five wounded in the attack. A video of the incident has been released by the channel. Several military aircraft have reportedly been destroyed.
The attack hasn't been confirmed by the Russian military.
Meanwhile, Russian television channels have been blocked across the country, according to the head of the international media centre in the capital Tbilisi.
No western cameras in South Ossetia
The conflict over Georgia’s breakaway republic is as much about information as it is about weapons. South Ossetia's press service claims Western media outlets can't be trusted because they haven't been operating in the region ”since the conflict began”.
“Only the Russian media and one Ukrainian channel have been filming in the breakaway republic. No western camera crews have been working in the conflict zone,” Suslan Bekoev, South Ossetian committee for information and press, said.
Diplomatic efforts
Earlier on Saturday, President Medvedev said Russia would bring the violence to an end.
In a meeting with Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, Medvedev said Russian peacekeepers would attempt to "force the Georgian side to stop fighting."
Meanwhile, a second emergency meeting of the UN Security Council has ended without agreement. It was held on Saturday morning, but no firm resolution to end the conflict was reached. (WATCH THE VIDEO)
Humanitarian concerns
South Ossetian authorities say Tbilisi's actions amount to genocide against the residents of the republic. Tskhinvali is reported to be in ruins, and five villages have been razed to the ground.
Tskhinvali and nearby villages are being evacuated. Both South Ossetians and Georgians are leaving the area. Those remaining are hiding in the underground shelters.
The situation reached the point that Georgian peacekeepers have been shooting at Russian peacekeepers. Now women, children and old people are dying in South Ossetia - most of them are citizens of the Russian Federation. According to the constitution, I, as the President of the Russian Federation, must protect lives and the dignity of Russian citizens wherever they are. Those responsible for the deaths of our citizens will be punished.
Russia and the international community have called on Georgia to pull its troops out of the region. Russian president Dmitry Medvedev says Moscow will take appropriate political and military measures to stop the violence in South Ossetia.
Tshinvali is reported to be short of medicine and water, while most of the city's communication networks have been destroyed. Russian peacekeepers are assisting remaining residents.
The Russian Emergency Ministry has sent a mobile hospital to North Ossetia where thousands of refugees have fled from South Ossetia. The Russian President has ordered the government to take urgent measures to provide humanitarian aid to those leaving the conflict zone. Efforts are under way to move the wounded and other vulnerable civilians.
Troop Build-up
Georgia's other breakaway republic, Abkhazia, says Georgia is building up military forces on its border. Earlier, the republic's president, Sergey Bagapsh, said he was ready to help South Ossetia.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili told CNN on Friday that Georgia would withdraw its peacekeepers from Iraq. He has called on all reservists to immediately report for duty.
There are about 2,000 Georgian troops among coalition forces in Iraq, the third-largest contributor after the United States and Britain.
The future of South Ossetia has been disputed since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although it declared independence from Georgia in the early 90s, it has never been officially recognised (WATCH THE VIDEO).
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[no comment] BBC:Timeline: Georgia
Timeline: Georgia
A chronology of key events:
1801-04 - Most of present-day Georgia becomes part of the Russian Empire.
|  Tbilisi has seen the passage of Persians, Arabs, Turks, Russians Founded in fifth century Population: 1.4 million |
1918 - Independent Georgian state declared.
1921 - Red Army invades. Georgia declared a Soviet Socialist Republic.
1922 - Georgia, as part of the Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Republic, becomes a founder member of the Soviet Union.
1936 - Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Republic dissolved and Georgia becomes a full republic of the Soviet Union.
1972 - Eduard Shevardnadze appointed head of the Georgian Communist Party.
1989 April - Soviet troops kill 19 pro-independence demonstrators in Tbilisi.
1989 - Demands for more autonomy in the South Ossetia region lead to violent clashes between Georgians and Ossetians. Russian peacekeepers are deployed.
1990 - Nationalist coalition wins multi-party parliamentary elections; former dissident Zviad Gamsakhurdia becomes chairman of parliament.
1990 - 1991 - Growing South Ossetian independence aspirations bring further violence between separatist and Georgian forces. Hundreds die and tens of thousands flee their homes.
Independence
1991 - Georgian parliament declares secession from the Soviet Union after independence is overwhelmingly supported in a referendum.
 Clashes in Tbilisi preceded the coup that ousted Gamsakhurdia |
Gamsakhurdia is elected president by more than 85% of the votes cast.
1992 January - Gamsakhurdia is deposed after fighting in central Tbilisi between government troops and opposition militias.
South Ossetians vote in favour of independence in an unrecognized referendum.
1992 March - Shevardnadze is appointed head of the newly formed State Council.
Abkhazia crisis
1992 August - Fighting breaks out in Abkhazia between Georgian government troops and separatist forces.
1992 October - Shevardnadze is directly elected chairman of parliament.
|  10,000 died as Abkhazia tried to break away from Georgia |
1993 October - Insurrection by Gamsakhurdia supporters in western Georgia is suppressed after Georgia agrees to join the CIS and receives help from Russian troops.
1994 - Georgian government and Abkhaz separatists sign a ceasefire agreement, paving the way for the deployment of a Russian peacekeeping force in the region.
New constitution adopted which provides for a strong executive presidency. New currency, the lari, introduced.
1995 November - Shevardnadze wins elections to the restored post of president.
1997 Death penalty abolished.
2000 April - Shevardnadze re-elected president.
2001 March - Georgia and the separatist region of Abkhazia sign an accord pledging not to use force against each other.
2001 June/July - Russia hands over Vaziani military base to Georgia.
Tension with Russia
2001 October - Clashes in Abkhazia between Abkhaz troops and Georgian paramilitaries backed by fighters from the North Caucasus. The tension is heightened as Russia accuses Georgia of harbouring Chechen rebels, a charge dismissed by Georgia.
|  Eduard Shevardnadze resigned after "Rose Revolution" |
2001 November - Demonstrations following raid by security forces on privately-owned Rustavi-2 TV station, known for its criticism of Shevardnadze and of government's failure to tackle corruption. Shevardnadze responds by sacking government.
2002 April/May - US special forces arrive to train and equip Georgian forces for counterterrorist operations.
2002 September - Row over Russian accusations that Georgia is harbouring Chechen militants in Pankisi Gorge. Russian President Putin warns of military action if Georgia fails to deal with them.
2002 October - Row with Russia defused after Georgian leader promises to work with Moscow to fight Chechen rebels. Antiterrorist operation ends with several suspected guerrillas killed, dozens of Chechens detained and several extradited to Russia.
2003 May - Work begins on laying Georgian section of oil pipeline to run from Baku in Azerbaijan through Georgia to Ceyhan in Turkey.
Shevardnadze ousted
2003 November - Shevardnadze is toppled in a bloodless "Rose Revolution" triggered by opposition allegations of irregularities in parliamentary elections.
2004 January - Mikhail Saakashvili wins presidential election.
2004 March - Amid rising tension with the leadership of the autonomous region of Ajaria, Tbilisi briefly imposes sanctions and closes the border.
Mr Saakashvili's National Movement-Democratic Front wins overwhelming majority of seats in parliament in re-run of parliamentary elections.
2004 May - Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze claims Georgian forces about to invade and blows up bridges connecting the region with the rest of Georgia.
President Saakashvili orders Mr Abashidze to comply with Georgian constitution and disarm his forces or face removal.
Aslan Abashidze resigns and leaves Georgia.
South Ossetia, Abkhazia troubles
|  Late PM Zurab Zhvania, once tipped to become president |
2004 May - South Ossetia holds parliamentary elections, unrecognised by Tbilisi.
2004 June - Georgia's decision to beef up its anti-smuggling operation in South Ossetia prompts sharp a response from the local leadership and is criticised by Russia.
2004 August - Several deaths are reported in clashes between Georgian and South Ossetian forces. After saying it has captured key positions which it promises to hand over to joint peacekeepers, Georgia pulls back its forces.
2004 October - Abkhaz presidential elections, not recognised by Tbilisi, end in chaos. Abkhaz court upholds declaration of Sergei Bagapsh as winner but, after protests, orders election rerun. Tensions run high between supporters of Mr Bagapsh and those of his rival, Raul Khadzhimba, who is said to be favoured by Moscow.
|  The Russian military presence has long been a source of tension |
2005 January - Sergei Bagapsh wins rerun of Abkhaz presidential elections after doing a deal with his rival, Raul Khadzhimba, who becomes vice president.
President Saakashvili unveils proposals on autonomy within Georgia for South Ossetia whose leadership rejects them, repeating demand for full independence. Georgian leader says similar proposals can only be considered for Abkhazia if Georgian refugees who fled fighting in 1993 are allowed to return.
2005 February - Three police officers killed by car bomb in Gori, west of Tbilisi and close to South Ossetia.
Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania is found dead in a Tbilisi flat, apparently from gas poisoning. Zurab Noghaideli, hitherto finance minister, becomes premier.
 Georgia has centuries-old tradition of winemaking |
Georgian policeman and four Ossetians killed in shooting incident in South Ossetia.
2005 July - Russia starts to withdraw its troops from two Soviet-era bases under the terms of a deal reached in May. The pull-out is due to be completed by late 2008.
Pipeline blasts
2006 January - Explosions on Russian side of border damage gas pipeline, cutting supplies during freezing weather. A near-simultaneous blast disrupts electricity supplies from Russia. Russia says it suspects North Caucasus insurgents but President Saakashvili accuses Moscow of sabotage.
|  Russian pipeline blasts left Georgians in the cold |
Saakashvili interview 
Georgia receives gas from Iran via recently-repaired pipeline running through Azerbaijan.
2006 March - At least seven die in prison rioting near Tbilisi when police move in to stop attempted mass breakout.
Tbilisi protests at Russian decision to suspend imports of Georgian wine on health grounds, saying the move is politically motivated.
2006 May - Russia announces ban on imports of Georgian mineral water on health grounds. Again, Tbilisi protests that the action is politically motivated.
2006 May-June - Tensions with Russia rise again as Georgia demands that Russian peacekeepers arriving on rotation in South Ossetia have visas.
2006 July - Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline formally opened after Caspian oil starts flowing along it.
Parliament demands withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from South Ossetia and Abkhazia, calling for them to be replaced by international forces.
|  Arrest of Russians on spy charges sparked fury in Moscow |
At least one person dies in Georgian operation to disarm local militia led by Emzar Kvitsiani in remote Kodori gorge, the only part of Abkhazia still under Tbilisi's partial control. Georgia announces plan to establish Abkhazia government-in-exile in gorge.
2006 September - Relations with Russia deteriorate when a Georgian military helicopter carrying Defence Minister Okruashvili is fired on over South Ossetia.
Agreement reached on holding talks with Nato on closer relations.
2006 September-October - Russian army officers detained on spying charges. Russia imposes sanctions, cuts transport links and expels hundreds of Georgians.
2006 November - South Ossetians vote in favour of independence in an unrecognised referendum.
2007 August - Georgia accuses Russia of twice violating its air space, which Moscow denies.
Anti-Saakashvili protests
2007 September - Former defence minister Irakli Okruashvili accuses Mr Saakashvili of corruption and plotting a murder. The allegations spark a wave of protests.
2007 November - State of emergency declared. Riot police battle protesters demanding president's resignation.
Russia says it has withdrawn last troops based in Georgia since 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, but retains a presence in the breakaway provinces.
2007 December - Human Rights Watch criticises government for using "excessive" force against protesters in November. International Crisis Group warns of growing authoritarianism.
2008 January - Saakashvili re-elected in snap election.
2008 March - Separatist government in Abkhazia asks United Nations to recognise independence.
2008 April - NATO summit in Bucharest defers decision on Georgia's application to join Membership Programme until December.
2008 April - Russia says it will step up ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, prompting Georgia to accuse Moscow of planning the republics' "de facto annexation".
2008 May - Ruling party wins landslide victory in parliamentary election. Opposition says election was rigged and threatens to boycott new parliament.
Russia sends 300 unarmed troops to Abkhazia, saying they are needed for railway repairs. Georgia accuses Russia of planning military intervention.
2008 June - Abkhazia cuts all contact with Georgian government, accusing it of being behind recent series of blasts in breakaway republic. Georgia denies having any role.
2008 August - Heavy fighting erupts between Georgian forces and separatists in breakaway South Ossetia, following nearly a week of clashes. The fighting deepens fears of a full-blown war in the Caucasus.