THE WEEK Feb 1: Pollution blankets Beijing

Pollution blankets Beijing

If you don't live under a rock, like that family in Mexico, you have probably heard about the air pollution that has blanketed Beijing for the majority of the last two or three weeks. Normally, I wouldn't be able to talk about this sort of thing. But the Chinese government has taken a major step and publicly acknowledged how bad it really is. And trust me: It's really bad. Facemask sales have sky-rocketed, even temporarily selling out on Taobao, China's e-Bay. So the government started proposing ideas on how to clean up the air. But for now the pollution is still a problem. So what's the immediate solution?

"Can" this be serious?

Chen Guangbiao is known as China's number one philanthropist. But many accuse him of doing these things simply to make himself famous. First, we check out some of his previous publicity stunts. But his latest move is pretty hilarious. He's selling fresh air in a can. Can this be serious?

On the roads of Russia

This week, we are going to introduce a new semi-regular segment on the show. Videos from what are known as Russian dash-cams, or video cameras that Russian people put on the dashboards of their vehicles, are hugely popular on the Internet. Usually, Russians use them for evidence when something goes wrong in what many consider a very corrupt and disorganized system. They may sound boring, but there's a reason they have become so popular.

Hockey coach, Chris Clark, mocks ref

In hockey, like many other sports, players and coaches will often yell at the referee to criticize him by calling him blind or suggesting he see the eye doctor. Telling the ref that he or she can't see is a common way to insult them for missing or making bad calls. But one amateur hockey coach took things to a new level. And the weirdest part is that he shares the same name with our host, Chris Clark.

This wacky world!

Iran announced it launched a monkey into space. Some people think they're testing war missiles, but based on the monkey's face, the official story seems believable.

A 23-year-old American high school teacher was suspended after her Twitter account was found to have naked photos of herself and messages about doing drugs on campus.

A new study suggests that men who help with chores around the house have less sex than those who do a lot of chores. So, guys, if your love life is struggling, stop getting off the couch to help. Make her do the work. (That doesn't sound right to me.)

（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）