Garden Variety Family

9 months

This is January 16th. It's been nine months--shouldn't that mean something? Doesn't nine months have some deep-seeded human significance? Will today ever mean anything to our family history?

Blue Skies Over China?

Meet NiNi. She is one of the friendly mascots for this year's summer Olympics in China.

Every spring and summer, the children of Beijing have flown beautiful kites on the currents of wind that blow through the capital. Among the kite designs, the golden-winged swallow is traditionally one of the most popular. Nini’s figure is drawn from this grand tradition of flying designs. Her golden wings symbolize the infinite sky and spread good-luck as a blessing wherever she flies. Swallow is also pronounced “yan” in Chinese, and Yanjing is what Beijing was called as an ancient capital city. Among the Mascots, Nini is as innocent and joyful as a swallow. (1/12/08, The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.)

It makes sense that Nini represents the sky element. I find it a bit ironic that NiNi is green. She probably should be a dingy gray. China knows she should be green--China's air quality is terrible and their skies--NOT BLUE! Thankfully China has voluntarily instituted green initiatives to bring out the blue skies in Beijing. I am all about green initiatives of all sorts.
China better get green like NiNi, FAST there are only 208 days for Beijing to clean up its air supply before the games begin.
I am very excited about the Olympics being in China. I love China. China is the home land of my future daughter and China is the seat of human innovation and culture. The fruit of its enlightenment has influenced many civilizations that I admire and revere.
There are things that I don't like about China as well. Isn't that how all things are?  As with everything you have to take the good with the bad. I hate mass-produced China, I am not a big fan of Confucius' thoughts on women (another double edged sword--without it, this adoption would probably not be part of my current reality). Another thing I am not too fond of, the pollution.  Now there is some enlightenment that China needs to adopt from the rest of the world. Industrialization needs to be cleaner! Of course if we'd stop buying the junk that comes from China the air quality in the major cities could be cleaner. Damn these double edged swords that keep wielding there dingy blades! Air quality is so bad, there have been discussions about delaying endurance events on days when Beijing's Blue Sky rating is too low. This is a bit freaky and could cause havoc on a carefully orchestrated event of worldwide proportions. And... it could also potentially wreak havoc on the tiny lungs of mine and millions of families' future little family members.
Another China blue sky initiative is the Blue Sky Plan instated the CCAA. It is an initiative to get updated equipment for orphanages.

There are initiatives to try to help, things that could help my daughter some day. China needs to their part and I am trying to do mine, from being greener myself and trying to get others to do the same.

Obviously China is looking ahead to bluer skies in all senses of the phrase. I only hope that the clouds in those skies have a green lining for everyone underneath them. If only it was as easy and as fun as this game to get the skies bluer for a great result for everyone. NiNi, you better get flying over Beijing and the rest of China, lots of us need your good luck and blessings!