Dr Richard has done an interesting post on the differences between practicing medicine in the US and China, which run the gamut from divergent common ailments to wildly varying patient expectations. One worrying phenomenon the good doctor notes is the expectation among local patients that antibiotics will be doled out for any illness.

Beijing isn't all "blue sky days." Sometimes it's pretty, erm, foggy here. That's when you need to cold rock a mask. Just don't mention swine flu.

Richard Saint Cyr (better known in Beijing as Dr Richard) has gained a large following for his blog about medical and health issues in the capital – a subject of no small concern to locals and foreigners alike. We often refer to the good doctor's posts here on the Beijinger blog, so we though it was about time we sat down and talked with Dr Richard about about his background, life in Beijing and dealing with air pollution and the H1N1 virus.

While we’ve been enjoying beautifully clear skies for the past few days in Beijing, it’s been a sad few days for the global environment, with the Copenhagen talks drawing to a close with a weak non-binding deal and lots of finger pointing. As if to symbolize the apparent futility of global negotiations on holding back climate change, Beijing’s car fleet officially hit 4 million over the weekend.

Feeling sh*tty in a way you can’t quite put your finger on? Here’s why. After a few days of clear skies last week (nothing to do with President Obama’s visit we’re sure), air pollution readings in Beijing were once again off the scale yesterday.