NASA: Olympic pollution controls worked

Pollution was one of the issues vigorously discussed in the run up to and during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Well, according to a survey done by researchers as NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center:

During the two months when restrictions were in place, the levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) — a noxious gas resulting from fossil fuel combustion (primarily in cars, trucks, and power plants) — plunged nearly 50 percent. Likewise, levels of carbon monoxide (CO) fell about 20 percent.

Now, drawing attention to the graphics released with the report, it appears that there was a marked increase in NO₂ concentrations outside of Shanghai as well:

July:

August:

Hat tip: James Fallows

Now I have to cheer for the Chinese

Apparently no one on the Spanish basketball team thought that the above picture of the team posing “slit-eyed” for an advertisement before the games was in bad taste.  It’s really quite surprising to see such overt racism from a national team going into the Olympics.

So, given the fact that the Chinese are playing this team this evening in Beijing (tomorrow morning here in the States), I’m going to have to cheer for the Chinese team.  This type of racism, especially at a team-wide level, is simply not acceptable.

From The Guardian via The Huffington Post.

This should be an awkward game

Apparently there will be a preliminary women’s beach volleyball game between Russia and Georgia at the Olympics on August 13 at 10:00 local time.  Given the current conflict between the two countries, I don’t expect that the two teams will have a friendly outlook toward each other.

I’ll be interested in seeing what happens, simply because of the political situation.