In search of blue skies in Beijing

As the Olympics edge nearer, James Fallows keeps a worried eye on the smog:

I was joking when saying earlier that maybe the factories are running 30 hours a day, 10 days a week, to meet output targets before the expected mandatory pre-Olympic shutdown next month. Now I'm not so sure it's a joke...  I have not seen the sun or anything resembling blue in days and days.