Beijing Olympics | TalesOfSendingCards.com

Why SendOutCards?

By on Friday, August 15th, 2008 | No Comments

One World, One Dream...SendOutCards! photo by Chris Tatro

Lately I feel like life is just a whirlwind. In other words, there’s barely enough time to breathe, much less keep in touch with the people I love. The fact is, though, I miss my family so much that talking about ‘em makes me teary-eyed.

You see, folks, I grew up as the oldest of five kids in Memphis, Tennessee, plus there were five first-cousins right across the street. We all rode our bikes to grade school together, went to Sunday Church together, even spent our vacations tent-camping together. Basically we were just one, humongous southern clan of ten kids, two mamas, two daddies and two refrigerators.

Sad to say, though, it’s been thirty-eight years and counting since I moved away from home. All my intentions to stay in touch never panned out. For one reason or another, they just never did—never did untill recently, that is. Are you still with me? ‘Cause this is where the SendOutCards part comes in.

SendOutCards is the most creative and exciting way to stay in touch with loved ones that I’ve ever found. I just wish it had come along sooner is all. Chris uses it more for his business, while I get to make all our relatives feel special and loved. ‘Cause the good thing is, Sendoutcards can do both—help you grow your business and keep you connected to the people that matter most in your life. I actually feel like my life is clicking in the right direction. In plain language, work and play are the same thing these days.

The SendOutCards memory bank is gigantic. It can keep track of as many names, addresses, birthdays, anniversaries as you want, thereby allowing you to send real ‘paper and ink’ greeting cards from your computer with just a click of the mouse. Are you following what I’m saying? ‘Cause I’m now talking about real cards, sealed in real handwritten envelopes, sporting your own handwriting and signature—delivered by the good ole U.S. Postal Service! (Let’s hear it for the mailman and mailwoman!)

But what I truly love about SendoutCards, is how easy it is to create a totally custom card with any picture I choose. And, oh yea, did I mention that I can do this at any time of the day or night?

OK, here goes: Just see yourself lounging on the undulating sands of a tropical Island paradise drinking the juice of fresh mangoes and coconut. What do you see around you? … the bluest blues…the greenest greens…the most scintillating colors of flora and fauna every created, all sparkling in the joy of sunlight. Everywhere you look there’s a picture postcard! So go ahead—point your camera and click.

And the fact is, folks, all you need to do is keep on clicking: one click uploads any picture from your computer, another puts it on the front of your greeting-card or postcard, the last little click flies it anywhere in the world. Happy to say, the ‘Great Printer’ in Salt Lake City will print your card, put a real stamp on the envelope, and mail it out for you … all for the price of one dollar and thirty-five cents or less, postage included.

No more driving to the store, no more hunting around for the perfect card, no more searching for your address book/rolodex. And, oh yea, did I mention there’s no need to buy stamps or envelopes?

The first time I heard Chris tell me about SendOutCArds, I couldn’t get a handle on what he was saying. Right away, he lost me. Everything sounded like too much fun to be true. But it is true, foks, and now I send a ton of my own beautiful, custom made cards.

Speaking of sending cards— when was the last time you sent somebody a surprise card—one that wasn’t expected? I probably don’t have to tell you this, but there’s something extra special about that out-of-the-blue card that just shows up in your mailbox. Maybe it triggers a memory from childhood when your favorite Aunt sent you a birthday card with a couple bucks inside. I don’t know exactly how memory works… But if you just stop a second, I’m sure you can remember how it feels to take in the day’s mail and spot a real envelope amidst that pile of junk. Right off the bat you feel the love that can only come from someone who cares about you.

Putting it simply, staying connected is what the SendOutCards Company is all about. Whether you choose to send one of the gazillion cards already in the Great Printer’s memory bank or create your own, the important thing is this: You are letting someone know that you care about them. This happens whether you use the system for business or personal use. Anyone who opens your card will remember you as someone who values him/her enough to send a personal greeting. In this day and age of trashed emails and general disconnect, you will stand out, gain respect and be remembered.

While this system can be used by anyone, many are also taking advantage of the SendOutCards business opportunity. Simply by sharing it with others, you can build yourself a highly profitable home business.

For more information on SendOutCards income opportunities, call Chris Tatro at 530-925-2845 or email him at info@opportunityreviewer.com

Plus, you can try the whole SendOutCards system for free!

Chris has set up some accounts for my readers, so just go to www.thecardprogram.com and click on the banner that says “Send a Free Card”.

Happy Tales,

Laura

p.s. Chris and I are visiting the SendOutCard “Great Printer” in Salt Lake City for the weekend. I’ve got some great pics, but they’ll have to wait ’cause we forgot the cable to download them into the computer.

Send in the Drones

By on Tuesday, August 12th, 2008 | No Comments

Pink Alpine Glow, photo by Chris Tatro (sendoutcards)

Guess what, folks—1 is our pollution level reading for August 12. ONE! Yes, 1, sometimes known as the loneliest number. See, it even looks lonely in Chinese:

Where oh where has all the smoke gone? Perhaps I will check with esteemed authorities.

Weighing in hot and heavy in the authority department is the Sisikiyou County Agriculture Pollution Conrol Division: But let me say right off the bat, you’re doing a heck of a job, fellas—I’m feeling the control!

Come to find out, though, it’s just the wind doing the controlling: a stable, high pressure air mass has plunked itself over Northern California, killing the North wind and keeping smoke close to the fires.

In other words, the black smoke is only choking a few thousand folks in places here and there, like Happy Camp, California, nearest town to the Panther Fire. But, but, but, Camp weather officials are reporting “fog and mist”. ( Sounds like our weather officials have been taking tips from Beijing’s, or vice versa. )

Just how happy is Happy Camp on non-smoky days, though? Not overly, I guess. The town of about one thousand probably stands to lose at least half of its 195 sunny days this year due to fires. It has a -10.4% population growth and a -19.4% future job growth in the good times, though.

Good news, folks, there are jobs in Happy Camp! Right this very minute, you could sign up to be a firefighter, a locksmith in a correctional facility, or a National Guardsman in thirty capacities. A real go-getter, for example, could become a land combat electronic missile system repairer, a field artillery tactical data system specialist or even a multi-channel transmission systems operator-maintainer. If you’re looking for something easier to pronounce, there’s still the old standards: plumber, electrician, water-treatment specialist and indirect fire infantryman.

That last one really gives pause. Does it mean you stand in indirect fire? I wonder who chooses to be a plain ole direct fire infantryman these days?

Speaking of direct fire, I wonder how Beijing is fairing today under the watchful eyes of the free internet. Is the Capital of China foggy and misty today like Happy Camp, California?

Uh Oh! Official reports on Beijing’s air have people confused and muttering, too: What is that weird stuff blocking all my ancient views? Why is that nasty mist burning my lungs? Making my eyes itch? Is that gray stuff fog, haze or mist?

Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, reports in as usual: “It does not mean”, he explained, “that this fog is the same as pollution. It can be pollution, but the fog doesn’t necessarily mean that it is pollution.” Thank you, Jacques, now could you be a little clearer than smog, please?

Here’s what I think, folks: What’s so bad about getting scientific? What say we pull out those particulate matter counters like the one we use here in progressive Weed, California. Or, how about we employ some drone airplanes to go into the clouds and get a little accurate data?

According to Eoin O’Carroll (“What happens when you turn off Beijing’s pollution?”), that’s exactly what some folks are trying to do. A few scientists are realizing that a major urban center has suddenly put the brakes on its industrial emissions (factories, construction, vehicle emissions, spray can usage). Some are referring to Beijing’s monumental efforts to halt the man-made causes of pollution as the “great shutdown.”

One, like V. Ramanathan, a climate and atmospheric sciences professor at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography is taking advantage of this singular opportunity. “He and his team are sending unmanned aerial vehicles into the pollution clouds that spread from Beijing and other Chinese cities. The flights take off from South Korea’s Cheju Island, about 725 miles southeast of Beijing, and fly directly into the smog plumes. The unmanned aircraft (drones) are equipped with micro- and nano-sensors that will gather information about the sun’s energy and the interactions between various pollutants and clouds.”

But, please, Mr. Ramanathan, while you’re at it, could you send a couple drones our way to find out about the Chem-Trails over Mount Shasta? I haven’t seen many since the lightning fires started, but there were quite a few back in May.

Happy ChemTrails,

Laura signing off.

p.s. Mount Shasta topped by chemtrails makes a nice sendoutcard for all those conspiracy buffs out there. Contact Chris for more information about sendoutcards and the opportunities therein. He’s the man!

Fire and Rain

By on Monday, August 11th, 2008 | No Comments

Mount Shasta with real clouds photo by Chris Tatro www.sendoutcards.com/site

It’s very clear and still this Monday morning. Our pollution levels are almost non-existent, but lack of wind is supposed to change all that any minute now.

Sometimes we get these awful smoke burps. They blow in, smother us, shoot our particulate matter levels off the charts then dissipate. It’s weird.

Today’s WunderMap has the black smoke plume headed up and inland into Nevada, Utah, Oregon and Idaho, miraculously circumventing Mount Shasta. I don’t know why.

Stats for the fires closest to Mount Shasta are still pretty grim: As of 8/8/08, the Panther Fire (15 miles south of Happy Camp) which began July 22nd has added another 3500 acres to its tally, bringing the total to about 18,000 scorched acres. According to a U.S. Forest Service press release, the fire is 15% contained.

By the way, folks, containment does not mean a fire is out. It just means firefighters have drawn an imaginary line around all the flames and are working their asses off to make it stay in there.

Word of mouth around these parts says the Panther Fire will be burning well into October. November…who knows?

As always, there are plans to fight fire with fire. Check-out this official Overall Strategy: Direct line and indirect line with low-intensity burnouts backed with contingency lines are designed to create a defensible box around the Blue 2 and Siskiyou fires (including the two fires in one “big box” by connecting firelines). These three approaches have been used on the Ukonom fire to connect it with the Panther Fire to the north. Firefighters work closely together to coordinate the indirect fireline construction plans for both “boxes.” Fire growth within the containment line is expected to continue throughout the summer as the fires run their natural course and burn out or are extinguished by fall rains.

Hmm, fall rains—will we even get our Fall rains this year? That is the question. Back in early June, our governor declared California to be precipitation challenged.

Lack of rain isn’t the state’s only water worry, though. Pumping restrictions aimed at protecting an endangered fish affectionately known as the Delta Smelt are also making things difficult. Folks are beginning to talk about a new “conveyance facility that would divert Sierra mountain water from the Sacramento River north of the Delta and route it around the fragile Sacramento River Delta.”

But what about the here and now? So many fires are still burning in our neck of the woods—about twenty-five, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. They put the total charred acreage at 1,131,655 and counting. Check out the WunderMap to see what I mean. Fires from Northern California are polluting the afore mentioned five states, as we speak.

Speaking of pollution, lucky Beijing got some rain for its bad air; Tennis, Archery and Rowing events had to be postponed. On Monday, city levels dropped by more than half, registering a 38—by whose standards, I’m not sure. The Associted Press swears that its independent readings of Olympic air log in about three times worse than Chinese official readings. For a full pelting on the rain, athletes and pollution readings, try MSNBC. I’m getting bored with all this pollution talk.

It’s so easy to talk about and so hard to fix.

Happy Tales,

Laura signing off.

p.s. As always, SendOutCard information is just a click away. Chris has his own blog now, too. It’s not as neat as mine, but let’s give him time, folks. He knows way more about sendoutcards than I do and that counts for a lot.

Just Another SendOutCards Sunset!

By on Sunday, August 10th, 2008 | No Comments

Where Heaven and Earth Meet~ photo by Chris Tatro (www.sendoutcards.com/site)

Chris and I watched an other-worldly sunset before viewing the Olympic Opening Cermonies on Friday night (8/8/08). What do you wanna bet that a bunch of our friends get a sendcoutcard of this same photo in their snail-mailboxes? I wish I could see all the faces when they open ‘em up.

Speaking of surprised faces, I have to say that both he and I were transported to yet another realm of limitless awe while we watched the Beijing Olympics. Never mind all the incredible Chinese fireworks, we both just felt privileged to witness the opening act: 2,008 Fou drummers pounding their hearts out as one.

And when the lights went out, oh my god! There were 2,008 x 2 (4,016) disembodied glowing red drumsticks, dancing like huge synchronized fireflies! Wave after wave of thunderous sound touched off unspeakably deep emotions! We were both speechless for the entire performance—not something that happens very often, at least not on my end. Generally speaking, I tend to voice my emotions.

The following text describing the Olympic Opening Ceremony is a slightly tweaked version of kewen’s post, dated August 9, called “A Grandeur Ceremony For the World“.

The Opening

“The star was a drum called Fou which can be traced all the way back to the Xia and Shang dynasties (2070BC-1046BC).” Traditionally, the instrument was made of fired clay or bronze and “resembled an ancient storage vessel, commonly seen in museums and dating from the same period”.

The 2,008 Fou drums of the opening ceremony “formed a matrix that occupied both sides of the arena, leaving only the central rectangle empty”.

Naturally, these were not your regular square drums—electronically altered is more like it. The top emitted light from within, as did the two sticks. When the legion of robe-clad drummers beat their instruments, “gargantuan words and shapes appeared, such as the countdown numbers”—all enhanced with the effect of sweeping spot lights.

At the heart of this number was traditional Chinese group calisthenics. “But the high-tech upgrade gave it a palpable surprise: No more flipping of cards; no more human bodies forming gigantic flower petals. It was art steeped in 3,000 years of history.” (Thank-you ://URLFAN for sending me to kewen’s post.)

And is there more about the Fou? Perhaps from a Chinese perspective? Sad to say, just a bit from shove it is all I found:

Very few people would recognize the Fou, inside or outside of China. To tell the truth, this square drum used in the opening ceremony was a modern variation of an ancient instrument called Fou.

Gilded bronze Fou in the Shanghai Museum

Furthermore, Fou was not made for the express purpose of beating on. Actually, it was designed to store large amounts of liquid, like rice wine or sesame oil. Since most were constructed of fired clay, few have remained intact after thousands of years; but the Shanghai Museum houses a bronze Fou covered in gold—no doubt an up-scale version used by an aristocrat.

And now, folks, I am offering the remainder of this explanation of the Fou Drum exactly how I found it.

The square shape of Fou is also not uncommon. Following must be the one that inspired the design used in the opening ceremony. It is unearthed at 1978 from Zeng Houyi Tomb of Hubei Province. The Fou shown here has two layers. Ice or hotwater can be put in between the layers to keep the wine cool or warm. if you happen to have a similar Fou today, you can show it off as an wine chiller or a buffet service table.

Then how did the Fou become a music instrument? Very simple. When you are drinking high and you want to sing, what will you do? Grab anything you can reach and make beat. Even in today’s party, people often hit the cup with a fork to call the attentions. Due to the convenience of the Fou in a banquet, it is natrually became the instrument of choice for casual music. However, the sound is not drum-like as you can try yourself with a pot filled with water.

The Fou used in the opening ceremony is indeed quite a departure from the original Fou. First, it is in fact a drum, or a Fou-shaped drum. If you hit a Fou with the force shown by the actors, the Fou will be pieces. Second, Fou was not considered a real music instrument, or a musician’s instrument, even in its hay days. However, it is often used to show the warm welcome of the host in a party.

And that is exactly what the Chinese tried to do with much gusto—welcome the World to their party. Speaking from the upper part of the state of California, Chris and I felt the gusto. Thank-you, China!

Happy Tales,

Laura signing off

p.s. Sad to say, Beijing air quality took its first great toll in the Summer Games. Only 90 of the 143 Olympic cyclists were able to finish the “first serious endurance race“. (Let’s hope for some cleansing rain.)

Square Fou storage vessel/drum

One World, One Dream

By on Friday, August 8th, 2008 | No Comments

Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2008 shows the fireworks of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games held in the National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest, in north Beijing, China. (Xinhua/Chen Kai)

Photo: Wu Hong/EPA

I’ve tried, Folks, but I can’t imagine how important the Olympics must be to Beijing and the rest of the Chinese people. I mean, how important is it for any proud, developing nation to present a clean and harmonious face to the World? The only thing comparable we have in Mount Shasta is our Fourth of July Walk/Run event, complete with parade and ‘fireworks’.

Oddly enough, we also had to contend with dirty air this year because of the Northern California Lightning Fires. The same questions loomed large as the ‘big’ day was drawing near: Should the organizers (Mountain Runners) cancel the yearly outdoor athletic event and lose out on all that revenue because of the pollution danger? Should the Veterans against the Iraq War be allowed to march in the annual Independence Day Parade down main street?

For me, the last question was a no-brainer. I’ve always thought our nation was founded on the basic principals of mindful dissent and free speech. And If those who served our country in battle can’t speak their minds, then aren’t we lost as a nation? The first question was more difficult, though, and I was mighty pleased not to be involved in the final decision ( to run or not to run?…). Almost miraculously, though, the air cleared enough for that fateful commemoration of a fateful day.

Speaking of fateful, 8/08/08 is one of the most auspicous days imaginable in Chinese culture, not because it kicks off the International Olympics, though. The number 8 (ba) logs in as one of the most revered in Chinese Numerology. When drawn, it finishes with an upward curve, symbolizing continuous progress. When spoken aloud, I’m told that 888 in Cantonese sounds like ‘business will easily prosper’ or ‘thrice prosperous’. Hence the reason that many Chinese businesses flocked to the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California, the area code in that vicinity being 818 or “prosperity guaranteed prosperity!”

All in all, It’s pretty easy to see why Chinese Olympic organizers chose this numeric combination for Opening Day. For them, it was just a ‘no-brainer’. As Westerners, however, we still might wonder why anyone would choose a time of the year famous for its horrible pollution and temperature inversions, especially since athletic events thrive on clean air. The answer is still the same, though: The Chinese believe in the power of three eights and they were willing to bet the bank on it.

Even mothers of newborn children got into the act. By Chinese estimates, 500 “Olympic babies” will be born in Beijing on Aug. 8, as many as two thirds by cesarean section. I have to wonder, folks, if that much good fortune extends to babies who are cut out with a knife. As I understand it, a sharp instrument in plain view changes the Feng Shui of auspicious moments. I’m no expert, but it seems like babies who come out on their own are more apt to get the thrice blessings.

Now here’s a silly thought: Turn the clock back nine months; can’t you just envision thousands of young, Chinese women, all with a mad driving desire to copulate. I bet thousands of lucky husbands were counting their many blessings too. It’s interesting to me, though, that so many women would knowingly use-up their one-time government sanctioned right to procreate, as China only approves of one child per family. For good or ill, taxes are levied on families who break the one-child rule, though there are ways around the law if one is resourceful enough.

Speaking of resourceful, a 32-year-old Chinese woman named Zhang Lingyun one-upped all the other new mothers by naming her newborn daughter “Olympic” in Chinese. Zhang Yuanping (the Haidian Maternal and Child Care Hospital president in Beijing) said ” ‘rationality must not give way to Olympic enthusiasm’, but no one had asked to undergo a caesarean section at 8:08 p.m. tonight, he added.

Chinese officials reported similar enthusiasm at the marriage registrars office. Many young couples wanted to stamp their union with the Olympic or 8/8/08 seal of approval. More than 1,500 new couples applied to be married on Friday, almost three times the daily August average. “To cope with the influx, the staff was able to reduce registration time from seven minutes to three.”

WOW! Seven minutes to three minutes! Those workers deserve a big round of applause for shaving so much time off an already concise registration procedure. I can’t imagine any of our government workers being able to do that in a crunch. Didn’t I tell you the Chinese were resourceful?

Laura signing off.

p.s. Click for Chris if you want information on sendoutcards or you’d like to make your own. So many images and so little time!

pre-show pic by Robert Deutsch, USA Today

They Know It’s Wrong, But What Can They Do…

By on Thursday, August 7th, 2008 | No Comments

Mount Shasta back in the Spring of 2008— photo by Chris Tatro

Snow…Snow…my kingdom for some snow.

The smoke (not snow) is back, Folks. It’s close to the ground this time, hugging every little crevice and cranny like there’s a temperature inversion. I don’t have to run to the Siskiyou County Pollution to confirm what I smell and see. Nor do I need the WunderMap. That black plume of smoke may look like it’s headed straight up the coast, but it breathes like it’s directly overhead. I can’t help but feel some kinship with the Olympians who are in need of oxygen.

Speaking of which, here are pictures of the roofless Bird’s Nest from Wired Science. They pretty much say it all. The Chinese have tried everything, but the air is subject to the whims of the weather, and there’s nothing the Olympic authorities can do, except give it the OK, of course.

On Wednesday, the IOC issued a statement from Arne Ljungqvis, the chairman of the committee’s medical commission: “The Olympic Committee and the Beijing government are successfully managing the quality of the air in the city. Air quality at Games time will be adequate for Olympic sports events.”

And now for something completely different—this time from Tini Tran of the Associated Press: “The wall of gray haze around the National Stadium and across the city cut visibility down to a mile. On the eve of opening ceremonies, Beijing’s polluted air took center stage Thursday as the most visibly pressing problem for Olympic organizers who had promised to clean up the Chinese capital.”

To the left, is the new China Central Television (CCTV) headquarters building as seen through haze in Beijing Thursday Aug. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

I don’t know, Folks. Athletes are not invincible creatures from the planet Krypton. They are living breathing organisms sucking down a ton more air than your average person. Sad to say, Pollution kills. The ‘noxious cocktail’ of athletes pushing themselves to the limit in a dirty atmosphere could trigger a serious -potentially lethal – asthma attack, Murdoch University Associate Professor Peter Dingle said.

It’s too bad the Chinese didn’t put a roof on their Olympic Stadium, I say.

Laura signing off.

p.s. For more information about SendOutCards, Chris is the man. He can fill you in on all the opportunities and fun. I have a free sendoutcard of Mount Shasta or any other picture your heart desires—just waiting to have your name inscribed on the envelope by the Great Printer in Salt Lake.

I’ve Looked At Clouds From Both Sides Now

By on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 | 2 Comments

Sunrise over Mount Eddy by Chris Tatro www.sendoutcards.com/site

So much rests on the weather. It always has and always will—unless we grow our food indoors and build structures that are impervious to climate changes, that is. Better yet, maybe we should start tunneling underground like a new species of Human Bug.

Coming from the experience of one who just spent all of July behind closed doors to keep out the smoke, I would rather live in harmony with nature than bury myself in a climate-controlled environment.

Speaking of climate control, I wonder if the Chinese officials are going to attempt to milk their clouds—drain them of typhoon moisture before the Olympic Opening Ceremonies (8/8/08). Cloud-seeding sounds so scary to me, especially in light of what happened back in 1952 when the Royal Brit Flyboys triggered a biblical deluge with their secret experimental fiasco. An estimated ninety million tons raged through Lynmouth, England in just one day, sweeping folks out to sea. That’s T O N S, TONS—2000lbs times 90,000,000 (million)!! Unfathomable!

China Daily reports that Friday’s Opening Ceremony at the futuristic Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing could take place under smoggy overcast skies — and might even see a shower or thunderstorm. Judging from the potential beauty in this rehearsal picture, that would be a crying shame! I can see why Chinese officials are tempted to fool around with the weather. Plus, the rainwater would dispel some of the nasty pollution everyone is buzzing about.

Joel, a blogger at China Hope Live, snapped some telling pictures back in November of 2007 which contrast clear days with smoggy days in Tianjin, location of the Olympic football games.

Now you see it

..Now you don’t.

I truly hate smog! That’s one of the reasons I live in Northern California. To me, it’s totally understandable why those Olympic Cyclists from the United States got off their plane wearing Michael Jackson masks, which were given to them by their coaches, by the way. The silly, self-absorbed six have agreed to apologize, though, so this is old news.

Oh me….so many international incidents and so little time!

I sure hope everything goes smoothly. China is baring everything to the World, including its soul. Here is an ancient culture of very proud folks with as many dreams of a prosperous future as everyone else. This country has shyly opened a window to the other nations of the World, hoping to pass inspection in a sea fraught with free internet access. It’s too easy to find fault with a soul that’s laid bare these days. I pass. No more jabs.

Let the country that is without genocide, pollution, racism and illegally imprisoned human beings cast the first stone.

Laura signing off.

Let the Games Begin!

By on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 | No Comments

Mount Eddy sunset before the storm, August 2008

Here in our Northern California tinder box, we are giving thanks this morning. Lightning was going off all around us last night, but no thunder, so the storm must have been too far away for sound. To tell the truth, there was mostly wind, but the rain clouds did drop a little moisture; the smell reminds me of a wet ashtray.

News on the web puts the storm track more to the south of us, moving northeast, but I could see strikes in the Northwest, so I’m hoping there’s no new fires lurking that have yet to be discovered.

Happy, to say, our air quality is good today, not because Unit # 93 says so, because the sky has real, rain-filled, honest-to-goodness clouds in it instead of smoke. Check out a sunrise pic of storm clouds over Mount Shasta that Chris took this morning. If it isn’t perfect for a custom sendoutcard, I don’t know what is.

But what of our friends in Beijing? You know, those ones trying to breathe. One picture of a masked U.S Olympian (compliments of the New York Times) is worth a thousand words, I figure. [Yves Herman/Reuters]

Actually, folks, this picture was, and still is, worth a gazillion words. Everyone, from the U.S.O.C. (United States Olympic Committee) to the Chinese government, has criticized the U.S. Cyclists for wearing masks that the U.S.O.C. gave them. According to these Olympic hopefuls, however, the lead U.S. exercise physiologist advised the whole team to put them on before they stepped off the plane.

(Oops, his bad.)

And how did our Olympic Cyclists react to all this hullabaloo? Answer: With sadness, disappointment and surprise. “They told us that the Chinese were mad and that this is a politically charged issue, but we didn’t mean to offend anybody,” Mike Friedman (Cyclist) said. “When they handed us these masks, they never said, ‘Here they are, but don’t wear them. Why we wore the masks is simple: pollution. When you train your whole life for something, dot all your i’s and cross all your t’s, why wouldn’t you be better safe than sorry?”

Friedman went on to say that he would have worn a mask in Los Angeles, too, but it was too late, the damage had been done—broadcast far and wide as a matter of fact.

The People’s Daily Online is strangely silent.

Laura, signing off

Pages

Categories

Why SendOutCards?

Send in the Drones

Fire and Rain

Just Another SendOutCards Sunset!

One World, One Dream

They Know It’s Wrong, But What Can They Do…

I’ve Looked At Clouds From Both Sides Now

Let the Games Begin!

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