It wasn't easy, but Beijing's all-out effort to control its smog problem for the games seems to have worked. The capital city has experienced its best air-quality in 10 years this month, as conditions ranged from "excellent" to "fairly good" in China's official index. Just think: all they had to do was cut the number of cars on the road in half, shut down hundreds of factories, and put a stop to all building projects. Piece of cake.

While everyone is thrilled that Beijing was able to get rid of its toxic bubble for the athletes, keeping the skies clear for the everyday citizens is not going to be an easy task. Yesterday, the city's top environmental official confirmed reports that new restrictions will be put in place at the close of the games this Sunday to make Beijing a "liveable city." It's obvious that living under a toxic haze is not sustainable, but shutting down the city's economy isn't exactly the most humane way to deal with the problem. I hope that Beijing can keep up their theme of "harmony" as they attack their smog problem.