Chinese starchitect Ai Weiwei, who designed the "Bird's Nest" stadium in Beijing as a centerpiece for the 2008 Summer Games, is disassociating himself with the Olympics and the communist agenda he feels it promotes. "I very openly criticize the tendency to use culture for the purpose of propaganda" he says, adding that he was not hired by the state. "No one in the state here would ever hire me for a project like this." He also slammed director Steven Spielberg , who has signed on as a consultant for the opening and closing ceremonies, saying, "All the shitty directors in the world are involved. It's disgusting." [Guardian Unlimited]
