As it turns out, China is ice cold.

Chinese officials wanted a little girl to sing "Ode to the Motherland" during the Olympic opening ceremonies. But since all their best singers were not jail bait-y enough, they had a nine-year-old model pretend to sing instead.

Yeah. It’s good to know that, during an international competition which tells young girls hard work and perseverance can make anyone a champion, uggos are best heard and not seen.

What else is China faking? While initial reports indicated China’s environmental clean-up of Beijing is helping, we can only wonder if it will keep its lucrative factories closed and cars off the road permanently.

Or, to put it in terms my Dad might understand, how long will China keep its (green) pants on after its guests leave?

MD

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The 2008 Summer Olympics are only 2 weeks away and the forecast is: smoggy skies and algae-covered seas. Beijing has begun a widespread shutdown of factories, construction sites, power stations, traffic lanes; taking drastic measures to clean the carbon heavy skies before the games begin. And the whole world will be watching. . .

Zoom in on the Bird Cage (Bird’s Nest)—the (ultra cool/ postmodern creepy) National Stadium that will hold all Olympic track and field events, and the opening and closing ceremonies. Next stop, the National Theater—an alien looking dome with an underground entrance, probably the most controversial building in new Beijing. “A modern building in an existing place is disturbing. That is a fact,” reported the project’s French architect, Paul Andreu, to NPR.

All the construction of said megastructures in an already congested city makes for a whole lotta pollution. And what happens when polluted run-off water reaches the sea? A big mess of green algae to clean-up before the sailing events start.

The modern paradox of progress leading to pollution; we’re curious to see how it will be played on tv screens and in the blogosphere (Bloggers be warned: Google’s a little different over there. In certain spots you are guaranteed to encounter the Great Firewall of China)

What of the sustainability of these innovative advancements in modern China? Most of the construction is still fueled by oil or coal; meanwhile there is a mess of biomass just floating around, waiting to be converted into biofuel. Will the national government continue to finance projects that pollute but look pretty, or turn to productive cleantech opportunities? The future (and the sky) is still hazy.

Sharona

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Hello Beanie Babies, didn’t forget about you!

First things first. After dropping the gay bomb (and the murder bomb), we had big hopes for this week’s Gossip Girl. However, no such luck, Serena didn’t actually kill anyone. Watching someone who was trying to rape you OD, does not equal murder. And the sex tape had no sex! Nor was it a “snuff film.” But we hate Georgina. As Chuck said, “Let’s get the bitch.”

Clinton beats Obama in West Virginia. Of course West Virginian voters think that Obama’s a Muslim who hates America and is married to an atheist. Oh, and they may be slightly racist. It’s coal country, so Hillary and Obama both gave their big clean coal pitches.

Nature isn’t always so beautiful. An earthquake hit China on Monday. Wenchuan County, home of the country’s largest panda reserve, was the epicenter of the 7.9. Unfortunately, soldiers were only able to reach the area today. The country’s death toll is estimated to be 15,000. The quake was China’s worst in thirty years.

Livin’ La Vida Lohan. Lindz Lohan continues to hang out with girlfriend Samantha Ronson, while Dina and Ali get their own reality show.

Grownups are complaining about the green washing of Barbie and other family-friendly products. By using children in ads aimed at parents, companies are finding the kiddie appeal works in making products seem more environmentally friendly than they actually are.

Sex and the City premiered in LONDON(?). SJP wore an acorn on her head, Kim Cattrall wore her bitchface and the other two just kind of smiled into space. Just another day in the lives of swinging single city gals.

We Americans think that there’s us, and then there’s the rest of the world, and what’s going on with them doesn’t have a whole heckuva lot of bearing on us. However, at the rate things are going, it’s not going to be long before shiznit hits the fan.

Rice, which we think of mainly as a good side to our Chinese take-out, is a main staple for much of the world. Malaysia, Indonesia, Haiti, Kenya, Cambodia–even Australia (hardly a third-world country)– are just a few of the countries that food shortages are hitting first. The insanely high–and still rising!–cost of fuel, even biofuel (which has been hailed by some, including us, as a viable alternative to our oil predicament), the crazy weather, and the middle classes in such highly populated countries as India and China, who think rich diets and expensive gas-guzzling cars are a good way to distinguish themselves from the peasants, are all contributing factors to crop shortages.

Also, confusingly, Europe’s going back to coal! Their reasons for doing so? It’s cheaper, there are more reserves of it, and coal isn’t limited to a few disgusting monopolies the way oil is. 50 or so coal plants are projected to be operating within the next five years, with no hope of disappearing anytime soon. In the best-case scenario (high-grade coal and quality machinery that traps soot, sulfur dioxide, and nitrous oxide), coal still produces over twice as much carbon dioxide per electricity unit as natural gas.

So take a deep breath and savor that delicious food and clean air while you still can. You might not be able to afford it soon.

Not to bag on China, but seriously. The country’s just teeming with people who, one might think, would be slightly more rational than your average giddy American. You know, living under the harsh realities of Communism and all that. However, there’s a rash of nouveau riche buying into the advertising images and flaunting those Benjamins by investing in luxury SUVs… because, well, they can. To hell with pollution! It’s such a downer anyway.

Even we have finally been coming to our senses. True, that may be due to severe financial necessity at the moment (even if we could afford a Sport Utility Monster, we can’t afford to fuel it); or the fact that a green lifestyle sure is trendy; but overall, it’s the end result that matters most. The altruism will come in time.