Getting too quick to make the news

"We are not high-ranking officials or rich business people," declared the mother of the Lamborghini driver who was allegedly racing with a Ferrari driver before both supercars crashed in the tunnel near the Bird's Nest stadium, on the rainy Saturday night.

It might be easier to define a person as someone he is not, rather than who he is. But the mother was obviously trying to distance her son from two groups of people who are resented in today's China - capricious children of corrupt officials and people enriching themselves through illegal means. This mood hit boiling point after the son of a top State leader's official was killed in a speeding incident involving a Ferrari that included two female passengers three years ago.

In the latest case, the Lamborghini and Ferrari, costing more than $640,000 each, were ruined. Both drivers were safe and one passenger was injured.