To see or not to see (cough, cough)

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Remember what this blog has said about the air pollution in Beijing? If not, read what Philip Hersh said on Saturday. It wasn’t a pretty picture. Perhaps it still isn’t. This is Beijing on Sunday in a photo taken by Hersh at 6 p.m. local time. And no, it is not overcast there, according to Hersh. That’s the National Stadium (or Bird’s Nest) in the background.

The question is, will the air get better in two weeks when the Games begin? We’ll see. Or not see is perhaps more accurate. There is photo evidence that the air is clear at times, as seen in a good photo collection of the Bird’s Nest from the start of construction to now. As Hersh said earlier, wind or rain may be all that is needed to clear things up. Being an L.A. native, I remember days close to this in the ‘70s and early ‘80s, long before the city got serious about reducing the smog level. But it didn’t look quite this bad, did it?

-- Debbie Goffa

*Update (time of day photo was taken has been added)