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)